America’s military price tag / Iran tensions

Guests: David Lindorff, Joe Gould, Robin Wright   

This week, congress will be reviewing the defense bills that will determine the amount of money the federal government will be giving the military in 2020. Global military spending is on the rise, and the U.S. is continuing to spend the most on armed services than any other nation. Today on the show, we’re going to be discussing the proposed bills, the politics behind them, America’s defense budget in recent years. We’ll examine how the budgets get written, where the money is supposed to be allocated, and where the money actually ends up. Joining us is investigative reporter DAVID LINDORFF, and JOE GOULD, who reports on Congress for Defense News. Then, we turn to escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Just as things were cooling off between the two countries last week, President Trump tweeted on Sunday, “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran” which once again sparked fears that we could be heading toward war. ROBIN WRIGHT, a distinguished fellow at the Wilson Center and contributing writer to The New Yorker, joins us to talk about the White House strategy towards Iran and the risk of stumbling into a confrontation.