Dr. Yolandra Hancock, a board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to discuss coronavirus vaccine issues. New variants of the COVID-19 seem to be presenting challenges to vaccine efficacy as Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech announced their vaccines are less effective against the South African variant, and that they are working to find alternatives. Also, Europe is experiencing infighting between nations who are struggling to access enough doses for their populations.
Mark Sleboda, a Moscow-based international relations and security analyst, returns to discuss the recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden. Putin argued for better relations between the two nuclear powers and Biden brought up a number of Western media stories that touched on the alleged Afghan bounty plot, opposition figure Alexei Navalny, and the Solar Winds hack.
Roger Harris, a human rights activist, joins us to discuss his recent article, “In the Wake of the Riots: The Blowback from Defeating Trump was Criminalizing Dissent.” Harris argues that "as the neoliberal state’s crisis of legitimacy matures, anti-terrorism laws and the institutional apparatus of fascist repression are being perfected to use against future insurgencies.” The activist adds, “fundamental institutional factors ... will likely continue to determine the trajectory of neoliberal capitalism towards an ever more authoritarian state. Austerity for workers, and imperialism abroad.”
Gareth Porter, an investigative journalist, returns to discuss his latest article, "Biden admin’s coercive Iran policy threatens serious new regional crisis." Porter writes that Biden's plan to use sanctions to coerce Iran into renegotiating the nuclear deal will cause tremendous pain and hardship in the region. He argues the Biden team has no intention of returning to the 2015 agreement, and that their ill-fated plans are based on falsehoods and dangerous propaganda.
Carlos Castaneda, an immigration attorney, joins us to talk about the recent court ruling on deportations. A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the Biden administration's 100-day halt on deportations. District Judge Drew B. Tipton issued a 14-day temporary restraining order that blocks the deportation moratorium and will remain in effect until he has considered a motion for a preliminary injunction. Tipton claims Biden's immigration move violates two separate federal laws.
Randi Nord, the co-founder of GeopoliticsAlert.com, joins us to talk about Yemen. Relatives of at least 34 Yemenis have filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asserting that six drone strikes and one special operations raid conducted during the Obama and Trump administrations inflicted catastrophic damage on two families including the deaths of nine children.
Chris Sorensen, author of "Understanding the War Industry," joins us to discuss the influence of military hardware giant Raytheon. The conflict of interest issue has already started with the Biden administration as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is recusing himself from any decisions involving Raytheon, his former employer. Also, the Biden administration is expected to block the sale of $500 million in bombs to Saudi Arabia.
Ajamu Baraka, former US vice-presidential candidate for the Green Party, joins us to discuss a recent article from the Black Alliance for Peace. The article, "Biden’s First 48 Hours Affirm U.S. ‘Greatest Purveyor of Violence,’" discusses Dr. Martin Luther King's remarks about the US empire. Baraka posits that Dr. King broke from cold war Democrats when he stated, “When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” Additionally, Baraka discusses the current day neutering of the Black peace movement and what needs to be done to overcome it.
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