Your microphone is right on you. You have two of them. But they are not on . [inaudible] ladies and gentlemen, how are we tonight . So welcome to the American Writers Museum. Id like to get everybodys attention as we have a very special us tonight. The American Writers Museum is where we celebrate the impact that writers have had on American History and our culture and our daily life. Now, on our walls and in the exhibits at the hwm, our writers in fiction, fantasy, science, spirituality and politics and is not hyperbole to say that many of them wrote the words the change the course of history. From Thomas Jefferson declaring independence to i to be wells demanding accountability, americas writers have forever challenged the status quo, and advocated fearlessly for the rights of all to be heard. A wm surprise bookshelf series tonight features a man whose works in words have failed government accountable and his new book tonight is the latest chapter in a lifetime of confronting power,
Among the books is particularly related to our topic of this conference, a failed empire, the soviet union and the cold war from stalin to gorbachev and i also noted among his books zhavagos children and having just watched the movie yet again, i was drawn, of course, to that topic. Jeremy suri is a longtime friend of the Miller Center. As we did recently welcome him back for an American Forum on the latest book the impossible presidency which in light of the incumbent might be called the impossible president but its the impossible presidency about whether anyone now can be a successful president. Jeremy is the mac brown distinguished chair for leadership and Global Affairs at university of texas an hes based in both the department of history and the lynn din Johnson School of public affairs. So im going to turn to vlad first who will speak to us about his essay on brezhnev and the lessons of detente. All right. Should i go there . You may go wherever you are comfortable. Maybe ill say
Family was poor and lived in the middle of nowhere and the chances of them coming together as leaders of the world was you know . And they realized that and said Something Special happen to me, you and Something Special brought us together. And i think one thing i should have added that maybe people were right and the house was haunted. What happened there was so extraordinary and in a way so mysterious and so extra worldly that, you know, maybe they are right, maybe it is a ghost house or haunted house. Host well it is an ex extraordinary story and thank you for your time. This was a lot of fun. Welcome. On the next washington journal, former u. S. Ambassador to iraq, James Jeffrey is here to talk about the latest options in iraq and options regarding isis. And a look at the proposed 12 percent increase in the high gas tax to increase highway funds. Later, draw breakspear from the state bank super visors conference on the emergence of currency. Washington journal is live every morning
Stand ovations. There is great unity. So much unity, in fact, that jeff flake today refused to rule out a run for the presidency in 2020. Are you considering running for president in the future . That is not on my radar screen. Thats a long way off. 2020 is not that long off. Has it crossed your mind . Im focused on my work in the senate. Ive got another good 14 months. It hasnt crossed your mind . I didnt entertain that thought for very long. In campaign speak, that does not count as a no. With prominent republicans like Joe Scarborough publicly declaring his own independence from the gop, and reality star Businessman Mark Cuban openly pondering a president ial run himself, we wondered how much longer donald trump will be staring in the Rearview Mirror at his 2016 victory as though even he still cant believe it happened. Its an election thats very hard for a democrat to lose because the Electoral College is set in such a way that its very hard to lose that election for a democrat. The
ah, last year the world 9 nuclear arms states spend over $82000000000.00 collectively on their nuclear arsenal. now that is a dramatic increase from the previous year and shows that despite the calls to di, arm states have continued to embed and modernize their arsenal. at the top of this list is the u. s. spending $44200000000.00 on a nuclear weapon. china is 2nd at $11700000000.00, and russia is 3rd with $8600000000.00. but why does country need so many missiles and what are the chances that they end up being used in nuclear complex? i m pissed the i and you re watching the cost of everything. where today we re going to be discussing the economic ramifications of a nuclear escalation. ah, the countries continue to stop power. nuclear missiles falling, america s lead america justifies the $3800.00 warhead arsenal, under the theory of deterrence, sending a message that us, which holly ation would be so awful, that it shouldn t be provoked in the 1st place. but for practical p