UpFront

Iraq AUMF repeal gains momentum; Vaccine passports, will they work?; Mass tree die off in East Bay parks; Plus where is that rent relief money?

Pictograph from a study authored by Jamila Henderson and the Bay Area Equity Atlas. Published June 24, 2021.

On today’s show:

0:08 – The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently passed a measure to repeal both Authorizations for Use of Military Force Against Iraq (1991 and 2002). Phyllis Bennis (@PhyllisBennis) Middle East analyst and Director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies joins us to discuss.

0:34 – We’re seeing the gradual sanctioning of vaccinated only spaces. California has digital vaccine record program, where users can register online for a validated digital credential they can pull up on their smartphones. But this program has a huge backlog. Daniele Escheverria (@DanielleEschev), Breaking News and Engagement Reporter for the SF Chronicle joins us to discuss why that is.

0:45 – These vaccine passports present data privacy and ethical concerns according to Nicol Turner Lee (@drturnerlee), who joins us to discuss whether these digital credentials will work and who gets left out in the process.

1:08 – California allocated billions of dollars in rent relief for struggling tenants and landlords, but only a fraction of it has been spent. We discuss why that is with Lauren Hepler (@LAHepler) who covers housing and neighborhood retail for the San Francisco Chronicle’s race and equity team.

1:18 – Aileen Theile Fire Chief of the East Bay Regional Parks District Fire Department, joins us to discuss why certain tress in the parks are dying off en masse, the fire danger this presents, and what firefighters plan to do about it.

1:34 – We discuss police free schools with Indigo Byers, a founding member of the Black Organizing Project. BOP has teamed up with other organizations to host an Art Jam this Friday from 4 PM to 7 PM at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater.

photo: ConvertKit via Unsplash, Henry Thong at www.youtube.com/henrythong; Instagram @henryzw. The creator featured can be found on Twitter @GLO