Political Misfits

Lebanon’s Historic Economic Crisis; Unrest and Natural Disasters in the Congo

Amazon warehouse workers suffer injuries at a higher rate than similar companies. How workers can organize to ensure their health and safety.
Sputnik

Dr. Hicham Saffiedine, professor of the history of the modern Middle East at King's College London, talks to us about the political and economic situation in Lebanon, where the country is facing one of the worst financial and economic crises of the last 150 years, how this crisis is connected to recent events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the tragic explosion last year, and long-standing political instability in the country at the institutional level. We also talk about how the people have been affected by a volatile exchange rate that is exacerbated by governmental mismanagement and black market rates.  

Maurice Carney, executive director of Friends of The Congo, talks to us about recent crises affecting the country, including an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces group that left 55 dead in the eastern region of the country. We also talk about how the country is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, where the coronavirus has now claimed the lives of 32 lawmakers in the country, whether this has led to a crisis of leadership that has been a factor in political instability, and how the lack of healthcare infrastructure has been one of the greatest obstacles to fighting COVID-19.

Tina-Desiree Berg, host of the podcast District 34 and reporter for Status Coup joins us to talk about the ‘Block the Boat’ effort underway in California to prevent an Israeli boat from docking and unloading, how organized labor has been involved in this and how the mainstream media has misreported this action. We also talk about the new OSHA report on work-related injuries that found that Amazon has a higher rate of work-related injuries in their warehouses than other companies in the same industry, and how organizing efforts are moving forward for Amazon employees.  

Keith Mackey, founder of Mackey International, an aviation consulting firm specializing in aviation safety, talks to us about the dilemma facing Boeing's core airliner business under competition from Airbus and perhaps China to corner the market for single-aisle aircraft, and what the future may hold for these companies as engine development fuel alternatives develop. 

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