5:00 AM PT: Friday
A daily digest of independent news analysis, investigation, education, artistic expression, and activism in the public interest, emphasizing the connection between global issues and those in local communities.
Hosted by Sonali Kolhatkar.
Israel begins the trial of Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi behind closed doors even as the Knesset considers a “Jewish-nation state” bill. On today’s show we’ll turn to Huwaida Arraf, our Palestine and Refugees correspondent who is also an activist and lawyer, for more on these stories. Then, as yet another gun-related massacre at a school … Continued
With the Islamic State in retreat in Syria, why is the war there expanding instead of wrapping up? On our show today we’ll turn to Middle East expert Stephen Zunes to explain why US forces just killed about a hundred Syrian National Army soldiers and reportedly dozens of Russian fighters, and why an Israeli fighter … Continued
A new study published in the Journal of the National Medical Association has found a strong correlation at the state level between structural racism and police killings of unarmed African Americans. On our show today we’ll speak with the lead author of the study, Aldina Mesic. Then, author Ramesh Srinivasan joins us to put into … Continued
The Winter Olympics in South Korea were marked by a rare show of unity between the two Koreas even as the US ratchets up the pressure for war with Kim Jong Un. On our show today we’ll turn to John Feffer for how US Vice President Mike Pence engaged in a juvenile show of diplomatic … Continued
Democrats join Republicans in passing a major spending bill in the middle of the night on Thursday and sending it to the President’s desk for a signature on Friday morning. The spending bill includes no protections for Dreamers and massive military spending. And, it comes the same week as the stock market wobbles dangerously. On … Continued
As Nancy Pelosi holds the House floor for more than 8 hours telling the stories of Dreamers, we’ll turn to our immigration correspondent Juan Escalante for what the partisan fight over the spending bill is looking like. Then, Dr. Paul Song will examine a new and slick healthcare initiative called United States of Care launched … Continued
Oscar López Rivera, one of the longest serving political prisoners in the world, imprisoned for his anti-colonial activism for Puerto Rico, is a free man. Rivera served 35 years of a 70-year sentence when President Obama commuted his term. On our show today we’ll play an interview I had with him at Pasadena City College … Continued
Donald Trump is ushering in a new and terrifying era of nuclear weapons. On our show today we’ll examine Trump’s recent words at the State of the Union, and the newly released Nuclear Posture Review with Jon Rainwater of the group Peace Action. Then, David Daley of Salon joins us to give us the latest … Continued
Is the Nunes memo, much ado about nothing? We’ll begin our show today with Stephen Spaulding of Common Cause to discuss what the release of the controversial memo means, and whether Trump and his backers will succeed in muddying the waters of the Mueller investigation. Then our pop culture correspondent Stephanie Abraham will join us … Continued
Turkish forces are attacking Kurds along its border with northern Syria in a move that could threaten to unravel the progress made on the Syria war. On our show today we’ll turn to Kani Xulam of the American Kurdish Information Network to find out why this is happening and what the consequences could be. Then, … Continued
