HRW Report on Gaza Campaign; Gwangju Uprising Revisited; Olympic Level Pressures

Richard Becker, author of "Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire,” and Ariel Gold, Co-Executive Director at Code Pink, talk to us about a report by Human Rights Watch revealing that Israel violated international law during the May campaign in Gaza in what amounts to war crimes, and how Israel limits media access to Gaza. We also talk about the BDS movement, and the uproar by the Israeli government after Ben and Jerry’s decided to stop selling its products in settlements in the occupied territories. 

Betsy Yoon, member of Nodutdol, a Korean diaspora organization working toward peace, decolonization and self-determination, talks to us about the ongoing debate in South Korea over the dominant narrative of the 1980 uprising in Gwangju that ended in a slaughter of civilians by their own country’s military forces, and how the forces of reaction in the country have been re-hashing narratives that protesters were North Korean infiltrators deserving of the violence visited upon them. We also talk about how the role of the U.S. in this massacre has been underreported by mainstream historians and news media.

Eugene Puryear, journalist, author, activist, politician, host at Breakthrough News, and author of "Shackled and Chained: Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America,” talks to us about the DOJ selling off Martin Shkreli’s $2 million copy of an album by the Wu-Tang Clan, Big Pharma’s “quiet” effort to fight the 15% minimum global tax rate, and how they have been portraying themselves as the saviors of the world during the pandemic. We also talk about the looming eviction crisis and whether government assistance will be enough to stave off disaster. 

Femi Ayanbadejo, founder of HealthReel, Inc., creator of the AI-powered HealthReel health assessment app, and former American football running back, fullback and special teams player, talks to us about American gymnast Simone Biles withdrawing from the all-around team competition at the Olympics and the incredible pressure put on athletes in these competitions, the increasing visibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and nonbinary athletes in Tokyo, and how athletes are dealing with extreme heat in the Olympics.