Dr. Jehan "Gigi" El-Bayoumi, professor of medicine and founding director of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences' Rodman Institute, joins us to discuss the latest coronavirus news. The US death toll has crossed 500,000, as mass vaccinations create hope for an otherwise botched response. Also, the infection rate has plummeted to levels not seen since early fall, but investigators are not sure if the cases are falling or decreased testing is creating a false sense of security.
Greg Palast, investigative reporter, joins us to discuss the Texas utility disaster. In his latest article, Greg Palast explains how the deregulated (or decriminalized) utility market in Texas created the dynamics for an internationally recognized disaster in the Lone Star State. Also, some Texas citizens are seeing their life savings wiped out as electric bills skyrocket to over $1,000 per day.
Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief at TheDuran.com and host of "The Duran" on YouTube, joins us to discuss Joe Biden's NATO Speech. President Biden's first major foreign policy speech in Europe pushed an American exceptionalist unipolar paradigm, in which the United States will lead the world against dangerous authoritarian regimes. Biden also took the obligatory swipes at Russia and China and proclaimed that the Trump era has come to an end.
Richard Lachmann, professor at the University at Albany, SUNY, and author of "Capitalists in Spite of Themselves," joins us to discuss Joe Biden's cabinet. The nomination of controversial anti-Sanders activist Neera Tanden looks to be cratering as West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Maine Republican Susan Collins indicate that they will oppose her confirmation. Also, after one month, the Biden administration has confirmed less than half of the cabinet members needed to run his administration.
Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations and security analyst, joins us to discuss US/EU Russia relations. Recent disclosures show that Reuters, the BBC, and the notorious propaganda website Bellingcat have been involved in a UK government-sponsored media attack on Russia. Also, Secretary of State Tony Blinken lashed out at Russia in a fiery tweet and Ukrainian officials begged the US to stop the Nordstream 2 pipeline, arguing that it will devastate their economy.
Dan Kovalik, labor and human rights lawyer, professor, and author joins us to talk about Venezuela. Presidents Nicholas Maduro and Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation on Friday, in which they agreed to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in the area of pandemic relief. Putin reiterated his government’s support of his government defending the peace and sovereignty of the Caribbean nation.
Richard Lachmann, a professor at the University at Albany, SUNY and author of "Capitalists in Spite of Themselves," joins us to discuss Iran. Tehran argues that the US abandonment of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has cost the nation upwards of 1 trillion dollars, and that they will expect some form of compensation. Also, Iran argues that the West is hypocritical because they do not address the issue of Israel's illegality regarding nuclear weapons.
KJ Noh, peace activist, writer and teacher, joins us to discuss China. In a recent article, Gareth Porter and Max Blumenthal research the claim that the Chinese government is involved in genocidal practices against their Muslim population. The article argues that the claims are baseless and sourced from a far-right ideologue. Also, we compare the Blumenthal/Porter article to an Asia Times article that pushes the genocide claims without critically questioning their veracity.
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