Political Misfits

Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict; Fight Over Indigenous People's Fishing Rights; Russiagate Drama

Fierce fighting continues over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as casualties mount daily.
Sputnik

Daniel Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss the the longest-running land conflict in the former Soviet Union, occurring in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Since Sunday, Azerbaijani troops have been fighting forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian military, leaving nearly 100 people dead and perhaps hundreds more injured so far. What's behind the madness?

Shelly Martin, who made history last year as the first Mi’kmaq woman to be appointed as adjudicator of the Small Claims Court of Nova Scotia, joins us to discuss the fight over fishing rights happening in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Sipekne'katik First Nation is exerting what the nation says are its clear rights to fish for lobsters in St. Mary’s Bay. That has triggered standoffs with non-Indigenous commercial fishers in the area, who have gathered to harass Mi'kmaq fishers, seem to have been behind cutting Mi'kmaq trap lines and otherwise disturbing their traps and at least once gathered at the home of one of the Mi'kmaq’s customers to intimidate them. It seemed like there was really the potential for violence there last week, but the Mi'kmaq fishers did haul in their first lobster harvest, which was shared as a victory on social media.

Jim Kavanagh, editor of The Polemicist, joins us to discuss several news stories, beginning with: is Russiagate finally done? "The Justice Department has released a pair of documents casting fresh doubt on the judgment of senior law enforcement officials who investigated possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign in 2016," the Washington Post reported on September 25. We'll also look at a Monday report by the UK's Channel 4 News which said that "3.5 million Black Americans were categorized by Donald Trump’s campaign as ‘Deterrence’ – voters they wanted to stay home on election day. ... [C]ivil rights campaigners said the evidence amounted to a new form of voter 'suppression' and called on Facebook to disclose ads and targeting information that has never been made public." Also, a Kentucky grand jury member is taking action to reveal the truth in the Breonna Taylor case. A motion filed in court calls for the grand jury transcripts to be released.

Seema Sueko, deputy artistic director of Arena Stage in Washington, DC, joins us to discuss their new docudrama "The 51st State." According to Arena Stage, the film "premiered on September 16 and was inspired by the protests and and the drive for the creation of a movement after the murder of George Floyd and the quest for the creation of the 51st state and sovereignty in Washington, DC."

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