Deaths in the United States from coronavirus topped 100 yesterday as infections increased exponentially and West Virginia, the last state to be disease-free, reported multiple cases. Local and state governments took even more drastic actions, including orders to close restaurants, bars, and gyms in many states. New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio warned that an order to shelter in place would come soon, similar to what has been done in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Rep. Devin Nunes and the Republican Governor of Oklahoma are urging residents to take their families out to restaurants because there’s no wait.
Joe Biden swept yesterday’s races in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona, putting himself over 1,000 delegates. Biden won 62 percent in Florida and 59 percent in Illinois, and he beat Bernie Sanders in Arizona by 12 percentage points. The Sanders campaign now must win 60 percent of all remaining delegates to win the nomination. Meanwhile, Congressman Daniel Lipinski, one of the few remaining anti-abortion Democrats in the House, lost his primary race to a political upstart endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran today even as Tehran grapples with one of the worst Coronavirus outbreaks in the world that has so far left over 1,000 dead. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that Tehran was even considering the release of American prisoners, but said the US would choke off Iran’s ability to export its oil. The sanctions target three specific Iranian citizens involved in the oil industry, as well as companies based in South Africa, Hong Kong, and China. Brian and John speak with Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.
Wednesday’s weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
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