Political Misfits

Masks off in Texas; Afghanistan Journalist Killings; Cold War with China

Anti-China rhetoric escalates. Are we entering a new cold war?
Sputnik

Morgan Artyukhina, writer and news editor at Sputnik News, tells us about FBI director Christopher Wray’s testimony at the Senate yesterday regarding the Capitol attacks on January 6th, the FBI’s efforts to gain backdoor access to encrypted messaging apps and working with social media platforms to better police their platforms, and the rise of amateur citizen sleuths.

Marvin Weinbaum, Director of Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute, joins us to talk about the recent killings of journalists in Afghanistan and the peril they face on a daily basis there. We also talk about the on-and-off peace talks between the Taliban and the U.S, and if Biden will stick to the May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of troops from the country.

Daniel Haiphong, activist, writer and political analyst, and co-author of “American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: A People's History of Fake News From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror,” talks to us about anti-China rhetoric in the government and mainstream media, whether Biden is modifying the country’s stance towards China or ramping up tensions towards a cold war between the two nations, and the role of progressive media in supporting or challenging US imperialism.   

Dr. Linwood Tauheed, Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri - Kansas City and former President of the National Economic Association, talks to us about the commodification of catastrophe and the role of money in addressing injustice, the exorbitant salaries of the Google CEO and disparities in pay, and the gig economy and predatory tech companies. 

Patrick Battuello, author, journalist and founder of Horseracing Wrongs, joins us to talk about the horrible conditions in horseracing brought to light by the recent horse deaths out of California, how the constant death toll is much higher, how torture and cruelty is built into the sport, and the impossibility of reform in the industry.  

The Misfits also talk about the withdrawal of Neera Tanden’s nomination to lead the OMB, Texas opening for business and going mask-less, and National Guardsmen fed inedible meals while guarding the U.S. Capitol. 

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