The Critical Hour

Millions of Americans Out of Work as Congress Haggles Endlessly Over Stimulus Package

Funding from the CARES Act ran out late in the summer, and the proposed $748 billion stimulus being considered by the US Congress would run dry of funds before spring 2021, according to a recent article in CounterPunch.
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Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor in the Economics and Politics Departments at St. Mary's College of California, joins us to discuss the United States Congress' failure to provide an economic stimulus bill for the US economy. Rasmus argues that the CARES Act and all subsequent economic, legislative moves have been temporary mitigation actions and that we are heading into a disastrous economic downturn. He estimates that some 25 million Americans are out of work. Rasmus says that the blame lies squarely with legislative leaders for failing to act boldly and decisively. 

Our hosts, Dr. Wilmer Leon and Garland Nixon, review the Hunter Biden and Russiagate investigations' current state. They talk about US Attorney General Bill Barr's history as a CIA analyst and operative, and how he sees little possibility that either investigation will continue after appointees of US President-elect Joe Biden take power at the Department of Justice.

Nick Davies, peace activist and author of Blood on Our Hands, the American Invasion of Iraq, joins us to discuss an article written by Ann Garrison in which she discusses her concerns about the selection of Samantha Power to be the head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Power's history is filled with support for regime-change operations and general meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations.

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations and security analyst, returns to discuss the annual news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place on Thursday. Additionally, the UK-based website Bellingcat is being cited by numerous Western media outlets as a credible source for recent assertions regarding the alleged poisoning of Alexei Navalny with Novichok. Sleboda discusses the facts of the case and the newest allegations.

Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "The Velvet Coup,"  joins us to talk about a recent article in The Nation magazine that argues that US President Donald Trump is a symptom of America's downfall. Dan discusses the reality that war-making policy has completely shifted from the constitutionally prescribed authority of the US Congress to secret cabals within the Pentagon's bowels, the intelligence agencies-State Department complex and unelected appointees from shady think tanks. 

Taylor Hudak, editor of acTVism Munich and co-founder of Action4Assange, joins our hosts to discuss recent recordings that have surfaced from James O'Keefe's Project Veritas. The project reveals that WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange contacted the State Department in 2011 and notified it that 250,000 diplomatic cables had been stolen from WikiLeaks and may be released soon. Assange advised the department to take mitigating actions to protect personnel because the necessary redactions and precautions may not have been taken by the thief.

Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss recent Chinese advances in space technology. The Chang'e 5 mission involved sending a spacecraft to the moon, retrieving lunar samples and safely returning those samples to earth. China is planning to launch at least four manned spacecraft over the next two years in a series of 11 total launches to build a space station. 

Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, returns to discuss an International Rescue Committee report detailing the most pressing humanitarian crises of 2020. Not surprisingly, the most disastrous and pressing issues are all directly related to US wars and regime-change efforts. Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria top the list, as suffering from disease, violence and US economic sanctions are creating dire circumstances and costing tens of thousands of lives yearly.

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