As the COVID-19 case numbers continue to soar across the US, one would think that collecting accurate data would be paramount. What is the response to the Trump administration's suggestion to employ the National Guard to help collect such information?
A Tuesday article in Common Dreams said that 5.4 million Americans have lost their health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Citing an estimate by Families USA, the outlet reported, "Amid the worst public health crisis in a century and a devastating economic downturn that has thrown tens of millions out of work, more than five million people in the US lost their health insurance in just three months this year." What’s the immediate impact of this and what will be the ripple effects?
On Tuesday, after an intense court struggle, "federal officials executed Daniel Lewis Lee, 47, who was convicted in 1999 of killing a family of three, at a penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana," the Washington Post reported. "Lee was pronounced dead at 8:07 a.m. Tuesday, the Bureau of Prisons said." A stay of execution had been ordered Monday by US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who said legal issues had yet to be resolved and that “the public is not served by short-circuiting legitimate judicial process.” In a 5-4 decision handed down by the Supreme Court at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, the stay was overturned, and Lee was executed. What are we to make of this?
A Tuesday headline in The Grayzone read: "Blockbuster oil bribery scandal exposes corrupt double-dealing of Guaidó so-called ‘attorney general’" – what are we to make of this? For insight, we turn to the piece's author, Anya Parampil. She is a journalist based in Washington, DC, and has produced and reported several documentaries, including on-the-ground reports from the Korean Peninsula, Palestine, Venezuela and Honduras.
"A new biometric identity platform partnered with the Gates-funded GAVI vaccine alliance and Mastercard will launch in West Africa and combine COVID-19 vaccinations, cashless payments and potential law enforcement applications," MintPress News reported on July 10 in an article titled "Africa to Become Testing Ground for 'Trust Stamp' Vaccine Record and Payment System." What is this “Trust Stamp” system, and why is it of concern?
"Three of the biggest US banks [Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup] have set aside almost $28 billion amid concerns about customers defaulting on loans due to the pandemic," the BBC reported on Tuesday. "JPMorgan said it expected the US unemployment rate to remain at nearly 11% at the end of the year, compared to the 6.6% it forecast in April. The bank said it had set aside more than $10 billion for losses, including nearly $9 billion to build its reserves." These three banks have suffered real losses this past quarter. Are these banks correct in warning of a coming economic downturn? Is this of concern?
"The Houthi health ministry spokesman said air raids by a Saudi-led coalition hit residential houses in the al-Hazm district, killing nine people including two children and two women," Reuters reported Wednesday about airstrikes in Yemen. "Two residents told Reuters seven people had been killed." This is the "third such incident since June as violence resurges in the war-damaged country," the outlet noted. Geopolitical analyst and content strategist Randi Nord tells us more about this issue.
And in our final segment, author Danny Haiphong discusses his new book, "American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: A People’s History of Fake News."
Guests:
Dr. Yolandra Hancock - Board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist
Joel Segal - Co-founder of and current board member for Progressive Democrats of America, as well as attorney and co-author of the “Medicare for All” bill HR676
Margaret Kimberley - Black Agenda Report editor and senior columnist
Anya Parampil - Washington, DC-based journalist and writer for The Grayzone
Dr. Clarence Lusane - Political scientist, former chair of Howard University's Political Science Department, author, professor and activist
Dr. Jack Rasmus - Economist and professor of economics at St. Mary’s College in California
Randi Nord - Founder and editor of Geopolitics Alert, geopolitical analyst and content strategist
Danny Haiphong - Writer, political analyst and author of "American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: A People’s History of Fake News"
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