'BradCast' 6/1/2017: (Guest: Princeton political historian Prof. Julian Zelizer)
In an historic White House Rose Garden speech on Thursday, against the advice of\xa0 world leaders, American companies, and even many in his own Administration, Donald Trump announced his intention of pulling the U.S. out of the historic Paris Climate Agreement. The landmark 2015 global compact was signed by nearly 200 nations and was crafted as part of a 25-year United Nations effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in hopes of avoiding the worst effects of man-made global warming. Trump's announcement has been met with derision from China to India to Russia to the European Union and back here at home, and his announced hope of 'renegotiating' a different deal was quickly nixed today by France, Germany and Italy.\xa0 But as that unfortunate history is being made, we also take a look back today at historic parallels for the reported, and seemingly bizarre, attempt by Trump's son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner to create a secret back-channel line of communication with Russia during last year's Presidential transition. Princeton University political historian Prof. Julian E. Zelizer joins us to describe two different back-channels created with two different countries (including one to Russia -- then the Soviet Union) by Richard Nixon, both during his campaign and his transition. One such line of secret diplomacy turned out to be hugely successful for both the U.S. and USSR alike. The other...well, it didn't turn out so well, even as we've only learned details about it in recent years. Zelizer also describes the recent history of back-channel diplomacy by Presidents other than Nixon or Trump, offers a few other uncomfortable parallels, and explains why Kuschner's purported scheme is so bizarre even, apparently, to the Russians themselves! Finally, Desi Doyen re-joins us for special 'Green News Report' coverage of, well...see if you can guess...