Aaron Mate - In Navalny poisoning, rush to judgement threatens new Russia-NATO crisis

A really good interview of Fred Weir. How can people be so stupid as to believe that Russian intelligence would use Novichok to bump someone off? All security services know how to get rid of people without drawing attention to themselves. And I like what Fred says about RT: yes, it does has an agenda, but is it really that controversial?

Claims that Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny has been poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok are threatening a new standoff between Russia and NATO states, with calls for punitive measures against Moscow, including cancelling the Nordstream 2 German-Russia pipeline. 

Navalny's opposition activism is "marginal in Russian politics -- it's not currently a
 threat to the Kremlin," says Fred Weir, a veteran Moscow correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. "Navalny is little more than a nuisance [to the Kremlin]. And I can't believe that Putin would rocket him to the top of the world political agenda through a botched attempt to assassinate him, or even an effective one. It just does not make sense to me." 

Weir also discusses the flaws of Russia coverage in Western media, including the recent case where Russians were accused of staging a fake left-wing website to deceive U.S. audiences. 

Guest: Fred Weir, veteran Moscow correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.