Leid Stories

Like the cartoon character Mr. Magoo, President Donald Trump's extreme nearsightedness predictably causes  chaos, mayhem and catastrophe--for unsuspecting and innocent people--in almost everything he does.  Leid Stories looks at the Magoo effect in news stories and issues that now dominate the headlines.

Your point of view can do double duty today. You can add to this week's discussions with your own insights, or present an entirely new topic that takes us on a brand-new learning adventure. Call 888-874-4888 and help us all free our minds!    

Immigration. It's the hot-button issue that riles many countries, big and small, and in most cases there without satisfactory resolution. But what is its purpose? And  why is it causing so much trouble? Perhaps Leid Stories listeners can answer these and related questions.

Historian and prolific author Dr. Gerald Horne conducts a people's tour of significant issues and developments for 2018. Horne holds the John J and Rebecca Moores chair of history and African American studies at the University of Houston. He has written dozens of books and hundreds of articles,  commentaries and s scholarly papers on struggles against imperialism, colonialism, fascism and racism.

Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said yesterday, after visiting an area along the U.S.-Mexico border, that the "national security crisis" President Donald Trump says exists there is "manufactured." Whoopi Goldberg, host of ABC's morning gabfest "The View," took aim at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx) yesterday for criticizing the Democratic Party. Goldberg, saying Ocasio-Cortez's criticisms were out of place, advised the newly seated, history-making congresswoman to "sit still" and "learn the job." Leid Stories fleshes out both stories.

Leid Stories discusses President's outstanding achievement: in just two years, America has adjusted well, and without much resistance, to life in the Twilight Zone.

It's the first edition of "Free Your Mind Friday" for  2019, and though only a few days old, the new year has generated more than enough things to talk about. Added to the things lingering in our minds from last year, we can see the need for some mental maintenance. Leid Stories is here to help. From the zillion thoughts swimming around in your head, pick one you'd most like to share. Then call in (888-874-4888) and free your mind--and maybe ours, too.

The 116th Congress opened today with a Democratic majority in the House and longtime party leader Nancy Pelosi, a  congresswoman from California, in the coveted spot as Speaker. Progressive legislators were stunned to learn that among the first things Pelosi and her team did was kill their proposals for changing some procedural rules so that major social-service programs can be funded. Mounting opposition to his $5-billion border wall with Mexico is not stopping President Donald Trump In his relentless pursuit of his dream project. Is the spare-no-expense wall an urgent matter of "national security," as Trump contends, or are there other reasons for pushing for this massive construction project?

It's a brand-new year, but many old stories and issues dominate the headlines. Leid Stories takes a look at some of them.

As we close out the year, Leid Stories listeners take inventory of unfinished business in 2018 that should be priority items in the new year.

Discussions continue to reflect listeners' opinions on issues they wish to discuss. This being the final edition of "Free  Your Mind Friday" for 2018, we look forward to the presentations and discussions that will close out the year.

We pick up from where we left off yesterday, with listeners identifying issues and events they  considered significant or life changing in 2018, and sounding early warnings on major challenges we might be facing next year.

As we close out the old year and warily make the transition into the new, Leid Stories listeners revisit issues and events that shaped 2018 and likely will continue to be of major concern next year.  On a  parallel track, we discuss whether we were prepared for the first half of President Donald Trump's administration, and now for the next two years.

Leid Stories listeners are invited to share their considered opinions about the most significant developments of 2018, and the challenges that are likely to confront us in 2019.

Don't hold back, express yourself about the issues of the day in the best open forum in Radioland--"Free Your  Mind Friday." Call 888-874-4888 and share information, opinions and ideas with listeners eager to hear--and, sometimes, challenge--your point of  view.