In early September, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projected that the US COVID-19 death toll could reach 410,000 by the end of the year in the most likely scenario. The current death toll has surpassed 216,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. A Tuesday Washington Post headline read: "Coronavirus cases are rising in the US, sparking worries the next big wave has begun." The subhead noted, "40 states have seen a week-to-week increase in infections." What does this mean going forward?
On Tuesday, we spoke with Chris Hedges about his recent Consortium News piece entitled "Trump’s Barrett Nomination Another Step Toward Christian Totalitarianism." Now, we address the question: is there a "dark money operation" powering a Republican takeover of the US judiciary, as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said on Tuesday?
Dr. Martin Luther King once told us that the US is “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” Nelson Mandela told us that "the attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace." Our next guest Danny Haiphong wrote a Saturday piece for the American Herald Tribune, entitled "US Is the Top Human Rights Violator in the World, and It's Not Even Close." In it, he says, "Few things are more politicized and distorted in the United States than the subject of human rights." What comes next?
"The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to end the 2020 Census count now, concluding a contentious legal battle over the once-in-a-decade household count despite fears of an undercount that would fall hardest on minority groups," the Washington Post reported Tuesday. Two questions immediately come to mind: what does this mean, and what does it signal?
"Bloomberg published a story on Wednesday that cited anonymous sources who said President Trump is looking to withdraw hundreds of US troops from Somalia, a war the administration has significantly escalated since 2017," Antiwar.com reported Tuesday. What are we to make of this?
"Expert testimony highlighted the political nature of the case against [WikiLeaks co-founder Julian] Assange, the US government’s lack of evidence for alleged harm caused, and urgent humanitarian concerns related to Assange’s physical and mental health," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in an October 9 release. "RSF also documented extensive barriers to open justice, which marred proceedings. The extradition decision is expected on 4 January 2021." What comes next?
It has been said that military leaders tend to train and prepare for the last war. Is the US military learning the wrong lessons from the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh?
"As the Taliban launched an offensive over the weekend to take areas of Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, there were hundreds of casualties amid some of the most intense urban fighting since Afghan peace talks began last month," NPR reported Tuesday. How did this happen?
Guests:
Dr. Yolandra Hancock - Board-certified physician and obesity medicine specialist
Ray Baker - Political analyst and host of the podcast Public Agenda
Danny Haiphong - Author and contributor to Black Agenda Report
Dr. Linwood Tauheed - Associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City
Daniel McAdams - Executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity
Neil Clark - Journalist and broadcaster
Danny Sjursen - Retired US Army major and author of "Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War"
Marvin Weinbaum - Director for the Middle East Institute's Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies
We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com
