Boehner Pelosi kiss

 

…the more they stay the same.

The 114th Congress convened yesterday with Boehner’s really big gavel, tears and an awkward kiss. And here we go. Hold on tight, cuz the next two years will be one hell of a ride.

We awoke this morning to news of a terrorist attack/mass shooting in Paris at the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, leaving 12 dead – including 2 cops and 10 journalists/cartoonists, and many others injured.

Radio or Not contributor Sherry Howarth-Hardy did her undergraduate work in Paris, and joined me for a few minutes near the top of the show to talk about the situation.

Susie Madrak joined in to talk about the challenges faced by journalists, and a whole lot more, including Chris Christie’s latest excesses that make us all understand that there are two sets of rules – one for the rich and powerful and another for the rest of us.

As tensions continue mounting between the NYPD and Mayor Bill de Blasio, I called on Marc Krupanski, a longtime community activist and organizer working principally on issues of police accountability, democratic governance of security sectors, and racial justice. He has worked for the Center for Constitutional Rights, Communities United for Police Reform – both based in NYC – and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, based in Switzerland. He currently works for the Open Society Foundations on issues of nondiscrimination, policing, and citizenship internationally.

Let’s hope things settle down a bit before tomorrow morning, when Howie Klein returns with a new edition of The Steve Israel Hour, radio or not!