Hundreds of people across the country have been sickened by a severe lung disease linked to vaping, and at least five have died so far. Most were otherwise healthy young people in their teens and 20s. Scientists are only just beginning to study the phenomenon, and governmental regulation of e-cigarettes is sorely lacking. The situation sounds just like it did with tobacco decades ago.
President Trump abruptly announced in a series of tweets last night that he had invited the Taliban leadership to Camp David to discuss peace terms and that he had CANCELED his invitation for the Taliban to go to Camp David. More importantly, the flip flop on Taliban talks points to major policy divisions within the Administration, especially between National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has adamantly opposed any contact with the Taliban, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who supports it. Matthew Hoh, a veteran and peace activist who in 2009 resigned from the State Department over the American escalation of the war in Afghanistan and a winner of the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling, joins the show.
The British parliament will be prorogued, that is, suspended, at the close of business tonight, following a series of important votes. And as the day has gone on, the situation there has become more and more confusing. Parliamentary Speaker John Bercow announced that he will resign effective October 31, and yet another Tory Minister has announced his resignation. But a large public opinion poll shows that if Prime Minister Boris Johnson is able to call new elections, his Conservative Party would win 287 of 650 seats, not enough for a majority, but enough to form a new government with a like-minded partner. Brian and John speak with Neil Clark, a journalist, and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
Violent clashes continued in Hong Kong over the weekend as thousands of protestors marched to the US consulate to demand American support for their demonstrations. Some of the protestors sang the US national anthem and called on President Trump to “liberate” the island. The Chinese government, meanwhile, warned Washington to not meddle in Hong Kong’s affairs. Mike Wong, the outreach coordinator for the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace, joins the show.
Monday’s segment “Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers” is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. What’s happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,” joins Brian and John.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Monday’s regular segment Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.
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