Yesterday, during his Senate confirmation hearing for the position of US attorney general, William Barr was asked by Senator Amy Klobuchar, "If you're confirmed, will the Justice Department jail reporters for doing their jobs?" Well, it is now being reported that American-born Marzieh Hashemi, also known as Melanie Franklin, most famous for anchoring news programs and presenting shows for Press TV, was detained upon her arrival at St. Louis Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sunday, according to her family and friends. She was transferred by the FBI to a detention facility in Washington, DC. US officials have so far refused to provide any reasons for her apprehension, either to her or her family. At the time of this program, the FBI has not replied to Sputnik News' request for a statement on charges and her status. What's going on here?
According to reports, four Americans were among 15 people killed today in a suicide bombing in northern Syria that was claimed by the Islamic State. The attack targeted a restaurant in the northern city of Manbij, where American soldiers and others would sometimes stop to eat during their patrols of the area. What does this tell us about the realities on the ground and US policy in the region?
The House of Representatives has passed a resolution rejecting white nationalism and white supremacy in the wake of Representative Steve King's remarks. On Capitol Hill yesterday, House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly, 421 to one, in favor of the resolution. King attempted to defend himself on the House floor before voting in favor of the resolution. In an interview with the New York Times, the Iowa Republican said, "White nationalist, white supremacist, western civilization — how did that language become offensive?" House Republican leadership has rebuked his comments and stripped him of his committee assignments. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested King find a new line of work. How much does race inform our politics?
Also, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who helped discover the DNA double helix is losing a number of honorary titles because of his views on race. The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory says it is stripping former Director, President and Chancellor James Watson of his honors after comments he made in a new PBS documentary, "American Masters: Decoding Watson." The 90-year-old had already been fired from the lab in 2007 for claiming that black people are less intelligent, comments he retracted and apologized for. In the new film, Watson says his opinions on race and intelligence haven't changed and that blacks on average are less intelligent than whites because of genetics. How much does race inform our social and biological studies?
GUEST:
Nisa Muhammad — Former Press TV Host of American Dream.
Akbar Muhammad — International representative of the Nation of Islam.
Jeff Mackler — National secretary for Socialist Action.
Dr. Shantella Sherman — Historical researcher and technical writer, author of In Search of Purity: Popular Eugenics & Racial Uplift Among New Negroes 1915-1935 and publisher of Acumen Magazine.
Joseph L. Graves Jr. — American scientist and the associate dean for research and professor of biological studies at the Joint School for Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, which is jointly administered by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and UNC Greensboro.
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