‘Left, Right & Center’: A Good and Bad Economy, Ukraine, the Death Penalty

Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer and the other “Left, Right & Center” panelists discuss the 288,000 jobs added to the economy in April. The good news stands in contrast to a report earlier this week that showed the economy grew at an annual rate of just 0.1% during the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the president returned from Asia this week and immediately renewed his call for Congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. But Senate Republicans blocked a vote on the bill. Will this be an election rallying cry for Democrats?

The Ukrainian army launched a major assault on a rebel stronghold resulting in the heaviest fighting yet and two downed military helicopters. The Kremlin said the last shreds of hope for an international deal are now gone. Did the sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the European Union have no impact?

The state of Oklahoma botched the lethal injection execution of an inmate this week. Clayton Lockett reportedly writhed in pain before finally dying of a heart attack 40 minutes later. Is this event the beginning of the end of the death penalty?

Scheer is joined by Reid Wilson of The Washington Post in the center and Rich Lowry of the National Review on the right.

KCRW:

— Adapted from KCRW by Alexander Reed Kelly.