U.S. Afghanistan Withdrawal; Foot-dragging on Refugees; Russia Sanctions

Political Misfits

Juan José Gutiérrez, an immigration attorney and executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, and Maru Mora Villalpando, community organizer, immigrant activist, and founder of La Resistencia, joins us to talk about how President Biden is flip-flopping on his campaign promises to enact a more humane immigration policy, how there will be significantly fewer refugees admitted in 2021 than even in 2020 under the Trump administration, the justifications for this sudden change of direction, the impact on refugees because of this inaction, and how the Biden administration is moving forward to complete Trump’s border wall.
Mark Sleboda, international affairs and security analyst, tells us about the newest round of sanctions imposed on Russia over accusations of election-meddling, how valid are any of these allegations, what impact will these sanctions have, and how this will affect future relations between the U.S. and Russia. We also talk about the cyber attack on the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran and how this will affect negotiations between Iran and western nations over their nuclear program.
Ray Baker, political analyst and host of the podcast Public Agenda, joins us in a conversation about the newest spate of police shootings and police terror happening in the country, with the allegedly accidental shooting of Daunte Wright in Minneapolis as the Derek Chauvin is taking place in the city, as well as the incident in Virginia involving a service member assaulted by police, how police and civilians are held to different standards and are portrayed in the media, how white supremacy pervades all these incidents, and how we need to continually challenge it if we are to see any real change.
Michael Sampson of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, and co-host of Redspin Sports, joins Ray Baker along with hosts Michelle Witte and Bob Schlehuber on our Trends with Benefits segment to talk about new legislation being proposed around the country that will crack down on political protests by imposing new penalties on peaceful activities and that will empower police to engage in even more violence.