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Listen: Dean Pete Peterson on a New FBI Director and US Response to North Korea | KPPC AirTalk


Week in politics: Odds on seeing a new FBI director named this week, plus forecasting US response to North Korea’s missile test and more

May 15, 2017 | AirTalk

Listen to the episode.

With visits lined up early this week between President Trump and three foreign leaders (Abu Dhabi, Turkey and Colombia) followed by Mr. Trump’s first major trip overseas, it might come as a surprise to some that the President has also said his administration wants to move quickly in appointing a new FBI director, and that he might even have a decision before he leaves the U.S. on Friday.

A shortlist of candidates is already circulating, though several of the names being considered are politicians and that has some worried about what might happen if a known partisan were nominated to lead an agency that is supposed to stay out of politics.

Meanwhile, much of the rest of the developed world is still reeling following a massive cyberattack that has slowed up internet traffic in the U.K., China, India and a slew of other countries. Microsoft’s president blasted the National Security Agency for the hack, which exploited a flaw in Windows’ operating system known to the NSA. We’re also following the weekend missile test that North Korea carried out, seemingly successfully, and looking at response from both the U.S. and South Korea, which just installed a new president.

Also on the docket this week, looking at what might come out of President Trump’s panel to investigate voter fraud in the 2016 election and a preview of his first big overseas trip.

Guests:

Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy and senior fellow at The Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University; he tweets @Pete4CA

John Iadarola, host and creator of ThinkTank, part of The Young Turks Network; he also serves as a weekly co-host for The Young Turks weekly live show; he tweets @johniadarola

Robert Litwak, vice president for scholars and director of international security studies at the Wilson Center; he is the author of the new book, “Preventing North Korea's Nuclear Breakout” (Wilson Center, 2017)