Trump Ramps Up Sanctions On Iran, UN Calls It A Violation Of Human Rights

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Bob Schlehuber, Sputnik News Analyst takes over for Dr. Wilmer and is joined by Daniel Lazare, journalist and author of three books: "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War."

US President Donald Trump says he is imposing new, tougher sanctions on Iran. He stressed at the White House Monday that Iran can never be in possession of a nuclear weapon and says his administration will continue to increase pressure on Tehran. Trump said new sanctions were already in motion prior to last week's downing of a US drone by Iran. According to Trump, the sanctions are crippling Iran's economy. He also accused Iran of being the top sponsor of terrorism in the world. Officials in Tehran have described US sanctions against Iranian people as “economic war” and “economic terrorism,” and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that since the sanctions include ordinary people, they are examples of “crimes against humanity.”

Turkey’s opposition has dealt President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a stinging blow by winning control of Istanbul in a re-run mayoral election, breaking his aura of invincibility and delivering a message from voters unhappy over his ever-tightening grip on power. Ekrem Imamoglu of the secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP) secured 54.21% of votes, the head of the country's High Election Board announced on Monday - a far wider victory margin than his narrow win three months ago. The previous result was annulled after protests from Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party, which said there had been widespread voting irregularities. The decision to re-run the vote was criticized by Western allies and caused an uproar among domestic opponents who said Turkey’s democracy was under threat.

Democratic US presidential candidates are hoping they garnered black support after attending a notable fish fry in South Carolina on Friday. Twenty-one of 24 presidential hopefuls gathered at the event hosted by the highest-ranking black lawmaker in Congress, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn. The fish fry is seen as a chance to build a voter base in the early primary state, which boasts a Democratic electorate that is primarily black, at 60%. Though South Carolina typically votes Republican, many Democratic candidates see it as a boon for winning the party nomination. Both Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have sought the attention of South Carolina voters, but former Vice President Joe Biden still dominates the field among black voters, with 52%.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is facing tough questions about the police killing of a black man in his city last week. The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate held a town hall Sunday for a crowd that at times booed and shouted over him. Mayor Pete acknowledged the lack of trust between the black community in South Bend and the police. He also pointed out reforms that he's already made as mayor but admitted that they might not have gone far enough.

Trump says he's delaying his deportation raids for two weeks. He tweeted Sunday that he had delayed planned immigration raids in nearly a dozen cities because he wants to give Democrats "every last chance" to address immigration issues. ICE agents were expected to round up about 2,000 illegal immigrants around the country before Trump called off the raids. On Twitter, he warned that if progress is not made in Congress, "big deportation" begins in two weeks.

GUESTS:

Daniel Lazare — Journalist and author of three books: "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War.

Dr. Clarence Lusane — African-American author, activist, lecturer and chair of the political science department at Howard University.

Oscar Chacon — Co‐founder and executive director of Alianza Americas, dedicated to improving the quality of life of Latino immigrant communities in the US, as well as of peoples throughout the Americas.

Shermichael Singelton — Writer, political consultant, and former CNN political commentator.

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