Political Misfits

Biden Tap Dances on Khashoggi, EU Sanctions Venezuelan Officials, Are Democrats Fighting for 15?

The F-35 program becomes a $1.5 trillion failure. Could a guaranteed federal jobs program be a better use of funds?
Sputnik

John Kiriakou, American author, journalist and retired intelligence officer, talks to us about the new revelations that the private jets used to transport the team that allegedly assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi are closely tied to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the history of state-sanctioned murders conducted abroad by western intelligence agencies. 

Paul Dobson, journalist and editor at VenezuelaAnalysis.com, tells us about the European Union slapping new sanctions on Venezuelan officials, how Venezuela can respond to these moves by the EU, the current state of the opposition in the country, and if there will be any changes in the U.S.-Venezuela relations under President Biden. We also talk about the country’s response to the COVID crisis and the state of the vaccination program there.  

Peter Oliver, journalist and RT correspondent in Berlin joins us in a conversation about the ongoing row in France about the concept of “Islamo-leftism”, how it has become part of a culture war in France within political circles, mainstream media, and higher education, and how it intersects and is informed by France’s lasting imperial legacy. We also talk about the ways this debate shapes electoral politics in the country and reinforces polarization.        

Steve Grumbine, Founder and CEO of the nonprofits Real Progressives and Real Progress in Action and host of the “Macro N Cheese” podcast, joins hosts Bob Schlehuber and Michelle Witte to talk about the $1.5 trillion boondoggles that is the F-35 strike fighter program, how it exemplifies skewed priorities and neatly fits with neoliberal supply-side economics. We also talk about the fight for the $15 minimum wage, how a federal job guarantee could be a better alternative, how this contrasts with the idea of a universal basic income, and healthcare provisions in the COVID relief bill.   

In our Trends with Benefits section, we talk about Hillary Clinton’s upcoming mystery thriller “State of Terror” and the literary ventures of other noteworthy politicians writing fan-fiction about themselves.   

The Misfits also talk about mounting COVID deaths in states across the country, and overzealous wolf-hunters in Wisconsin. 

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