Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's rejection of the new bipartisan $908 billion stimulus plan. The plan was put forward to break the legislative stalemate as the coronavirus numbers continue to climb throughout the country. He also talks about the Black Friday weekend shopping numbers being 14% less than last year, creating new challenges for retailers.
Barbara Arnwine, president and founder of Transformative Justice Coalition, joins us to discuss members of seven major US civil rights organizations pushing for a meeting with projected President-elect Joe Biden. The meeting's purpose is to pressure Biden to appoint Black nominees to the remaining high-profile Cabinet posts. To date, Biden has given initial "marquee" positions in the Cabinet and White House to White Candidates. Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, said yesterday that they have not had any communication with Biden in nearly a month after election day, instigating fears that he is failing to make good on his promises to promote Black leaders.
Dr. GiGi El-Bayoumi, professor of medicine and the founding director of the Rodman Institute at GW Hospital, returns to discuss the latest coronavirus news. Yesterday afternoon, a panel of expert advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted 13 to 1 to recommend that healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities get top priority for vaccination. And, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci announced on Sunday that the worst was yet to come with the coronavirus pandemic, with the United States potentially facing a "surge superimposed upon the surge that we're already in" after the Thanksgiving holidays.
Chris Garaffa, web developer and technologist, joins us to discuss President Trump threatening to veto the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act unless it includes a measure eliminating a federal law protecting tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter. "If the very dangerous and unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill when sent to the very beautiful Resolute desk," Trump tweeted late on Tuesday.
Richard Lachmann, professor at SUNY Albany and author of several books, joins Dr. Wilmer Leon to discuss Boeing Company's 737 MAX staging its first post-grounding flight including media on board on Wednesday. Carriers hope the public relations effort would demonstrate to passengers that the redesigned jet is safe after a 20-month safety ban. The 737 MAX, Boeing's best-selling jet, was grounded in March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months killed a combined 346 people, scoring the airline industry's worst safety crisis in decades and undermining US aviation regulatory leadership.
K. J. Noh, peace activist, writer, and teacher returns to discuss a report announcing China's Chang'e-5 spacecraft's successful landing on the near side of the moon yesterday. "Chang'e-5 is the world's first moon-sample mission in more than 40 years, and Chinese space engineers have made elaborate plans for possible challenges ahead," said Peng Jing, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-5 probe from the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Teresa Lundy, government affairs and public relations specialist and principal of TML Communications, LLC, and Greg Palast, investigative reporter, author and filmmaker, joins us to discuss Attorney General William Barr's contradiction of President Trump voting claims. Yesterday, Barr told the Associated Press that the Justice Department hadn't found any evidence of widespread voter fraud. "To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," Mr. Barr said.
Dr. Clarence Lusane, author, activist, and political science professor at Howard University, returns to talk about the protests in France against a new bill that would make publishing photos of police illegal. The demonstrations grew stronger this week after a video emerged of police racially abusing and beating a Black man.
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