Last week we discussed the fact that some states have filed or are filing civil lawsuits in US courts for damages against China. Now, "senior US officials are beginning to explore proposals for punishing or demanding financial compensation from China for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic," the Washington Post reported Thursday. "Senior officials across multiple government agencies are expected to meet Thursday to begin mapping out a strategy for seeking retaliatory measures against China ... Officials in American intelligence agencies are also involved in the effort." What does this mean going forward?
"A diverse coalition of nearly 120 progressive advocacy groups is urging Congress not to grant corporations sweeping immunity from coronavirus-related workplace safety lawsuits, warning that the Republican-backed proposal could have devastating consequences for both employees and customers," Common Dreams reported Thursday. In the midst of a pandemic, medical research firms are taking shortcuts to find treatments and develop vaccines for COVID-19. In the legal realm, is this a prudent move, or another attempt by conservatives to throw a bone to corporations?
According to activist Miko Peled, "Israel’s right-wing poster boy has been slated for the role of Minister for Jerusalem Affairs, giving him both the position and power to carry out his apocalyptic vision of building a Jewish Temple on the site of the Dome of the Rock." In a Wednesday MintPress News piece, Peled opens by writing, “Zionism is founded on the idea that Jews today have rights to a land they had not inhabited for thousands of years. These rights supersede the rights of the Palestinians, even though they have been living on that land for thousands of years. Zionists have been so successful in selling this absurd idea, that for over one hundred years, they have been able to destroy Palestine, erase its history, kill and forcibly exile its indigenous population and bring to ruin ancient, iconic monuments that were a vital part of the landscape.” What does it mean to take aim at the Holy Sanctuary?
In Gareth Porter's Wednesday Grayzone piece, entitled "With apparently fabricated nuclear documents, Netanyahu pushed the US towards war with Iran," he states: "President Donald Trump scrapped the nuclear deal with Iran and continued to risk war with Iran based on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim to have proven definitively that Iran was determined to manufacture nuclear weapons." What are we make of all of this?
GUESTS:
Dan Kovalik — American human rights and labor rights lawyer and peace activist. He is the author of the new book "No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests."
David Schultz — Professor of political science at Hamline University and author of "Presidential Swing States: Why Only Ten Matter."
Miko Peled — Israeli-American activist and author of "The General's Son: The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine."
Daniel Lazare — Journalist and author of three books: "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War."
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