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Ken Rudin, the Political JunkieKen Rudin has a problem: he is hooked on politics. The political junkie regularly joins The State of Things for Friday discussions about the political world in North Carolina. Ken’s experience spans three decades of political coverage, most recently at NPR.From the latest congressional news to behind-the-scenes views on the campaign trail, Ken offers political insight, historical analysis and trivia. More information, including his weekly scuttlebutton puzzle, can be found at his website.

The Political Junkie: Trump’s Troop Policy And A Head-Spinning Week In Washington

photo of scott pruitt
Gage Skidmore
/
Wikimedia Creative Commons

This week President Donald Trump announced he wanted an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from the fight against ISIS in Syria. In a news conference with Baltic leaders Trump said the U.S. was “very successful against ISIS.” The president has since pulled back on an urgent removal plan, and instead instructed the military to withdraw from the conflict within a few months.

Also this week, Trump said he wanted to dispatch the military to shore up the border with Mexico. The White House quickly swooped in to clarify that Trump was referring specifically to the National Guard. Plus concerns about the ethics of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt continued this week. Pruitt leased a room in a Capitol Hill condo co-owned by a healthcare lobbyist at a eyebrow-raising low rate. It is another yellow flag after the EPA official came under fire for giving large raises to two of his staff. The Political Junkie Ken Rudin speaks with host Frank Stasio about the week in Washington. 

 

Laura Pellicer is a digital reporter with WUNC’s small but intrepid digital news team.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
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