completely there are boredom and i think having an emergency broadcast system for many different threads is incredibly important and bloom sieber a researcher with the steel security for he pointed out that in rural and urban areas many citizens have actually cut the cord and cannot be contacted via rubio a reverse nine eleven you know one one phone system consequently warning sirens play a crucial role as they are the only true about the to alert a population and mass of the public safety event and that's very interesting that they're kind of like i'm out for i don't want to hear them contacting me in an emergency right that's you know that's or used to be where it was this idea that you could call people's home phones and they'd pick them up also if there was turn it off sometimes there would be calls or your phone phone would ring which is actually really bad because in lightning it's a whole thing too but people can't recall because we all went to cell phones and tablets so they don't know where people are so they don't know how to tell them which is why sometimes when you're traveling you're getting alerts for places that you aren't right so it's really interesting is that you see that now we're you know

you certain people get a beep on their cell phone saying oh there might be floods in the area that you were yesterday yes yes that's where it's funny we have so much technology and we spare and they have smart bombs to you know take out one terrorist on a sidewalk in the middle of it or something but are very basic mass communication and an amount of a natural disaster emergency things like tornadoes or bring them up because i'm from the midwest and that's why where i come from and there's a really important it literally is a matter people life and death when you're out in those areas the first things to go is power and a lot of times that means your phone goes and it means that the cell phone towers don't you know things aren't working which means at the end of the day hearing that which you can hear from miles is as important as get get in your because tornadoes come fast and that happens with a lot of natural disasters and now in a world of war. air raid sirens are going to be a top priority and the fact that we don't have a secure system where anyone could hack in them cause mischief and mayhem and say

hey why don't i suddenly have sirens off in this you know area that everyone gives you what's that you know that's the potential that somebody get hurt in the simple yes exactly and that's i think what you know even simple human error the one that happens or why it was one in the seventy's or a guy put in the wrong tape well that's right and they thought for a long time human error happens but the system should be their system that isn't that especially if we're going to be so war hungry here in d.c. fact like home first maybe all right as we go to break or bludgers don't forget to let us know what you think of the topics we've covered on facebook and twitter see our poll shows at our teeth dot com coming up there's a rash of democrats and republicans jumping ship on congress and we will find out why with rice university political science fellow barbara jones stay tuned for watching the whole.

make this manufacturer can be sentenced to public well. when the ruling class is to protect themselves. with the fine larry go around the sun be the one percent. in the middle of the room sick. when the real news is really. cranking gave americans a lot of new job opportunities i needed to come up here to make some money i could make twenty five thousand dollars as. teacher or i can make fifty thousand dollars a truck so i chose to drive truck people rush to a small town in north dakota was among the plum and rate of zero percent was like

the gold rush is very very similar to a gold rush but this beautiful story ended with pollution and the bus station a lot of people have left here i don't know too many people here in the slowdown it's much the last jobs that laid off the american dream is changing that's not what it used to be. it's a tough reality deal. so we've got to do is identify the threats that we have it's crazy going from duration let it be an arms race move his arms off and spearing dramatic development only mostly i'm going to resist i don't see how that strategy will be successful very critical time time to sit down and talk.

this week the speaker of the united states house of representatives paul ryan hung up his suit and briefcase announcing his retirement from the u.s. congress when his term is up in january of twenty nineteen with ryan's retirement frontline reports that so far more than three dozen republican house members and three senators have announced that they will not be running for reelection in november the highest number since world war two according to the brookings institution by comparison only seventeen democrats have announced that they are retiring from congress so what is behind this max exodus from the halls of congress are republicans being held responsible for the trump situation that the administration are they cashing out for lucrative private sector jobs they aren't through appeasing special interests while in office are they afraid of losing their seats in an unpredictable midterm or are they really just looking. to spend more time with their kids like paul ryan says help us answer these questions and more about the current state of congressional politics is the united states in the united states today is mark jones

a fellow and political science at the baker institute for public research at rice university thank you for joining us. oh it's my pleasure thanks for having me on you know mark look at the political landscape here in the united states today what do you what do you believe is behind this this exodus this exodus of politicians from office is part of the kind of the normal flow of mid-term politics of it of the highest it's been since world war two. well there's one amount that's a normal level and we're seeing that mostly on the democratic side that is there are always people that are hitting retirement age that have health problems or have scandals or are seeing the increase in what setting the records is what's occurring on the republican side of the aisle we're seeing a much larger than normal number of republicans resigning and they are at least not seeking reelection i think there are several reasons one is far more republicans than democrats were snared in sexual harassment or me two scandal related problems and thus chose not to seek reelection because they're effectively forced to i think

the primary driving force though is the reality that more were more republicans every day believe that the party is going to lose its majority in the u.s. house in november and have decided that they would much prefer to cash out into either in the private sector or pursue other career options then rather a tough reelection campaign only to go back in the minority because we all know that in the u.s. house being in the minority is not a very fun place to be because the majority effectively controls everything that's a great point it's no fun to be the minority in the u.s. house and so hard is this really you know it's not fun being a minority in the us but a good point and you know speaker of the house paul ryan made his claim is that he's leaving office to spend more time in this family and i'm asking you in looking at the water should we believe. his claim are there there's a lot more important factors in this decision you know his. whether or not he was going to actually make it and wisconsin and i know that least over the last couple

of months he has proponents have raised more money than him in wisconsin do you think his decision is about really about this i want to spend time with my kids or is it something else. that's really rarely the case for driven politician like paul ryan you've pretty much given up spending weekends with your fan are spending weekdays with your family that's more of an excuse he's probably saying is that he doesn't really enjoy his present situation trying to balance the different factions within the republican party and even more so he doesn't believe or at least has a strong belief that the republicans are going to lose their majority in the u.s. house which means that he would be in the minority. come january and if there's one thing worse than being in the minority it's being speaker and then going to be a minority leader that's going from being at the pinnacle of power to being sort of trying to the opposite side trying to make do with the best you have but it's not never enough. let me ask you real quick if you think have you heard anything about

whether or not paul ryan is looking at you know running for president or state running for governor of wisconsin is there anything else politically on his plate that we've heard about yet. oh ah it's our life i mean scott walker's indicated he's running for reelection and so that's at least out for a while he could always of course run for president in twenty twenty or twenty twenty four perhaps more likely will be moving into the private sector and taking advantage of a lot of the contacts he's made during his tenure as speaker and longer tenure in congress to earn a living that he presently is not earning as a member of the u.s. house that's an interesting thing that you bring up because i think that that doesn't get talked about enough is how you know when politicians leave office you know the kind of jobs that they take and how that can kind of become that revolving door that we talk about so often like a lot of politicians will leave office and become lobbyists. how price does that

play into their decision making while in office were suddenly oh you know what now is the time a pass the tax reform i can kind of jump out and i think cashman chips and how much does that play a role in decision making that you know in putting those decisions above the good of let's say the american people. but i think people also have to look out for their families you know speaker ryan has children who will need to go to college a member of congress earns a good salary but for someone with the training and skills of paul ryan it's not a salary it's not commensurate to what he did in the private sector and so i you do see many members of congress when they hit their fifty's or sixty's even late forty's say that i'm now going to sensually take advantage of all the contacts and skills i've made in the public sector turn a much higher income in the private sector now of course then that rate does raise a lot of problems and qualms with the issue of effectively inside inside networking that works against the american pie. and in favor of lobbyists but it's

a fact of life in washington great point and they also walk away with you know insure a really great insurance and a really good retirement package that i think paul ryan is also going to be getting but one of the things is that this these these acts that is going to open up a lot of congressional seats what kind of campaigns do you think we're going to start looking forward to this summer in the midterms are we going to see more bernie sanders or we're going to see more trump style candidates are we going to see you know sort of that middle ground you know you have a lot of democratic socialist wanting small actions or are any of those what do you what do you see on the horizon. well on the republican side it's going to be a mixture of probably depending on the district on one hand you're going to have more conservative trump style activists because that's where a lot of the powered energy is within the republican party today not on the establishment side but for many of the more competitive districts where republicans are a party there is a you're going to be in republican circles if they nominate somebody who is too

conservative that that could cause them to lose the seat on the democratic side we're actually starting to see is something that we've had on the republican side for some time that is real battles between two illogical wings of the party in the republican party it tends to be establishment versus the tea party wing but we're now seeing on the democratic side are centrist service talisman types who are aligned with nancy pelosi and many who are doing battle with more bernie sanders type candidates who have real energy and the support of the base but what the establishment fears is that many of those individuals will lose to republican candidates in general elections because they're too left to be electable in their district do you think we're going to see that play out that way this fall i mean it's very hard to predict i mean we're still six months away but that's a really interesting dynamic where you have now the two biggest parties in the land to completely split within them so you know could that actually play could we see possibly like more third party candidates win a seat if they get. the right money in the right exposure. all know that the us

system is still very much anchored in favor of either republican or democratic party with almost no space or room for third party candidates outside of some real exceptional cases such as with bernie sanders or perhaps maine with maine with angus king but by and large a third party cancer effectively blocked out of the us system and i don't see that changing at all but then let me ask you this though really wasn't the tea party essentially a third party that got its hold by a sort of putting its talons into the republicans i mean didn't they act as a third party. one though there they act as an interest group that is the key was they operated within the republican party that is what the tea party activists did was especially in states like texas is they took over the republican party and but they operated within it so you didn't see tea party candidates running for a third party or as libertarians you saw them competing in the republican primary

in capturing the republican nomination and that's really what always happens in that for if you want to if you're a democratic socialist your best bet for actually reaching power is not to run as a democratic socialist or as a socialist or progressive is to compete within the democratic primary capture the nomination and then rely on the party support as well as partisan identification in the name brand of the democratic party to vault yourself into public office that's fascinating yeah and i think that's a really i think you're going to see a lot of that coming forward the other girl try to change the party from the inside because it is too hard to kind of break down those walls very quickly just to finish up where do you see how much is foreign policy and how much is you know the issues we've got going on with syria right now north korea potentially russia where do you see that playing out in the midterms in these upcoming elections got about a minute. well by and large it's not going to have a major impact as long as we don't see an actual war or some type of conflict. it

has a very negative impact on the economy on the other hand to the extent to which it. portrays the trump administration as not being especially competent and mean unpredictable that could work against republicans because if it's a narrative among many democrats as well as some moderate republicans that the president is not doing a particularly good job and isn't a particularly good president. marvellously i say thank you for joining us today awesome insight into what's going on especially in congress it can be confusing for a lot of people out there thankfully we have good political for political science pros like yourself over at the baker institute for public policy at rice university thank you so much sir. thank you. on march seventh two thousand and nine the kepler spacecraft launched and now as its fuel is running low it's time for its semi-retirement from the search for life outside of our solar system of course don't despair because the test is here to grab the baton and keep the search alive test stands for the transitioning exoplanet survey system in an mit led mass of mr

mission which plans to spend twenty four months in space monitoring two hundred thousand stars for things like changes in brightness when planets transit each other's orbits what makes test special is that she will be doing scans and collecting data from the whole sky thanks to four identical cameras that are aligned to take two hundred thousand two minute scans in each sector at detail four hundred times that of the coupler spacecraft as test project scientist stephen ryan hard put it tells us is a really optimized for knocking on doors in the neighborhood and saying hi how are you what is this planet actually like and here's two tasks which launches on april sixteenth from cape canaveral in florida i'm her hunt for extraterrestrial life man tess is going to be busy that's going to be busy that i go i love that that's the ultimate so for you right there man four hundred some odd cameras and it's the foley of a sort of three hundred sixty day review where you get the whole sky and you can literally watch the builder you know we might find that other planet with life it's

not just about water oxygen or about we could be finding. a lot about all right we'll leave that as our show for today remember everyone in this world we're not told we're above the sword tell you all i love you i am i robot and i'm having a lot of people watching those talks about the great thing in life there. because the swarms of the blood of them someone. who feel good your school board local was before. much of those who heard the food you are with a few of them do so see him with the north we will forgo. the good move

the bulk move when it. actually didn't look beautiful the bill will mean it's going to look or it would. move from slum also in the gulf a good few films to good pool. to go to shows a look but look this immutable while you kiss will explore to you should go. just thoughts to some to me to fill it with a little mist thanks to look it is it's. sure stuff's not just justice to you tonight it's the mashed old truck stop the president and please introduce more of them to. those we have petitions to toss this way to snap them up and you of course are those the girls are with you swear your supporters to your machine station shouldn't for you should put door through one of those deal do the ripples to.

fight. i've played for many clubs over the years so i know the game inside out it's. football isn't only about what happens on the pitch put the final school it's about the passion from the fans it's the age of the superman each kill the narrowness and spending two hundred twenty million on one player. it's an experience like nothing else i want to get close i want to share what i think what i know about the beautiful game played great so one more chance for. the base

this minute. headline in this hour on r.t. russia says it has solid evidence that foreign intelligence agencies were involved in staging the alleged chemical attack in the syrian city of duma. this is a unique exceptional country russia is unique but not exceptional america's future top diplomat explains exactly why washington has the right to pursue regime change in other countries. british football supporters rise above the political discord to enjoy a european championship match in moscow our team follows one arsenal superfans trip to russia. well. we're worried about coming.

back slowly so it's all right there's no. politicians and the politicians get on with the. global news twenty four seven this is r.t. international from moscow one column by welcome to the program first the update from the story of data you want to couple of hours ago now russia's foreign minister says moscow has solid evidence that the alleged chemical attack in duma in syria was staged. we have undeniable evidence that this was yet another staged attack that involved intelligence agencies of one of the countries that is rushing to spearhead campaign our senior correspondent with me he's across all the developments on this. says the attack was state of the solid proof that pretty much hundred percent goes against what you read and hear everywhere else well. let's

remember when this happened this chemical attack allegedly happened just as the rebels in duma in eastern guta had all but surrendered they will working on technicalities negotiating with the syrian government on how to evacuate and suddenly you have this this huge chemical attack could spread for the first information appeared on social media no surprise there on facebook and then it spread like wildfire. both my colleague kendall anian and i have learned today that the u.s. now has blood and urine samples from some of the victims of this attack in syria last weekend and that those samples according to u.s. officials tested positive for chemicals. the sources for all of this the usuals white helmets which are syrian rebels and islam it's personal rescue

service there's also though the syrian american medical society not a lot has been. said about them in the media but these two the biggest sources on this on this chemical attack the syrian american medical society along with the white how much decided by washington post new york times c.n.n. every year virtually every western media outlet reporting on this on this alleged chemical attack but with regards to what happened in duma it was the syrian sams the syrian. american medical society that initially claimed that they had treated five hundred people with symptoms indicative of exposure to a chemical agent some of these groups are going to be more familiar than others but what is this organization exactly what it is it is an organization that is funded

by the united states. in two thousand and fifteen for example it had a budget of around seven hundred thousand. in two thousand so in two thousand and thirteen they had a budget of seven hundred thousand in two thousand and fifteen they had a budget of six million you know almost ten fold ten fold increase most of that money five point eight million came from u.s. aid which is an organization that is closely tied to the state department which is banned in multiple countries because of interference in you know domestic politics because of what is seen as the drive for regime change and it even has an office of transition initiatives which is you know exactly. that is what is being called this this range change office nevertheless there. is the executive director and the director of operations of the syrian american medical association

former usaid stuff and it was them that provided one year ago the u.p.c. w. organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons with alleged samples from. where there was an alleged against chemical attack and after which donald trump said fifty seven whose missiles into syria that was a violation of the u.p.c. w.'s protocols because the u.p. she w has very strict rules about except examples unless they can verify that a sample came from this place or they can verify the chain of custody so that to make sure that you know nobody could have could have added anything to a sample they cannot take samples in this case they did what about groups that we regard as being far more impartial the world health organizations talk about this well we've we've reached out to the world health organization and they have

a very fused to comment we've written to them twice called them and they say you know they haven't said anything but if you take if you take the only statement has been that they've heard reports of five hundred people being treated well it seems like that report again traces back to the syrian. syrian american medical society. we definitely have enough proof but now we just have to be thoughtful and our action the national security team is trying to give him as many options as we can and will be thoughtful about it and see what happens. again it will be interesting to see what comes next whether the syrian american medical society has given the west enough for evidence to strike in syria or whether cooler heads will prevail. in about is when their p.c. starts its work tomorrow. thanks very much for that. well the u.s.

defense secretary says america has the right to carry out a preemptive strike on the syrian government to defend its troops james mattis also admitted though that there was no clear evidence that chemical weapons were used in an attack on the city of duma last weekend but as it goes down of explains fears are growing over the situation in syria because a lack of evidence hasn't prevented the u.s. from starting a full scale war in the past we're looking very very seriously very closely to that whole situation and. we'll see what happens folks we'll see what happens with the drum of war is beginning to bang in washington and the beat is for syria the u.s. is again accusing president assad over using chemical weapons on his own people but the basis for this conviction appears to be lacking one crucial aspect we're not engaged on in the ground on the ground there so i cannot tell you that we had evidence well something is better than nothing but right now it's just a feeling behind a possible military attack is it enough to risk ask elating into

a war with syria's allies and even a nuclear standoff apparently yes protection of our forces i don't think we have to wait until they are under chemical attack when the weapons are used in the same theater we're operating in the rocky invasion played out along suspiciously similar lines we must take the battle to the enemy we will take every step necessary to make sure our country is secure and we will prevail the iraqi regime has in fact been very busy in answering its capabilities in the field of chemical and biological agents one difference that jumps out is that with the rug the u.s. had that infamous bottle of anthrax as reason to call on its forces in hindsight it was a completely false pretext and with syria they don't even have that the o.p.c. w the u.n. chemical watchdog the height of judged. when it comes to such cases already vouched

two years ago that syria's stockpiles were no more wrong to twenty seeing and their word seems to matter a little for washington there is another similarity with the iraq invasion and one must keep in mind the history of u.n. inspection teams around. even as they were conducting the most intrusive system of arms control in history the inspectors missed a great deal in my last attempt to enlarge the membership of all of the organisation was convincing iraq and libya for example to join in and that when i am no system member states it was a shock to the americans i believe. because the plans already to take some action military action against iraq the bottom line is that the pentagon is hardly keeping its for lack of evidence on whether the attack even happened a big secret never mind the perpetrator behind it all that matters sticking to the

tried and trusted path the problem is that the united states believes and i thought it would be. of any any at all they believe that they have their own rules and it is not the case the threat to use force you not through action the goals against the united nations charter and also we are concerned about the possibility of this coalition does that this could go out of control and we might end up with why there a conflict that done the one that's already been suffer in syria it will not be an attack against syria but also an attack against the whole united nations system. and some of america's key partners are not so keen to launch a strike on syria with germany italy the netherlands and canada all stating there needs to be a thorough investigation.