Inside-America: Recent Episodes
TRT World
Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics, with Ghida Fakhry.
Twenty years ago, this month, the US invaded Iraq with 130,000 combat troops and a terrifying air campaign — shock and awe. Last month President Biden declared in Warsaw: “The idea that over 100,000 forces would invade another country —since World War II, nothing like that has happened.” Two decades after the Iraq war, no regret, no apology —and no accountability for what Noam Chomsky says was “a textbook example of what was called at the Nuremberg Tribunal ‘the supreme international crime of aggression’.” In Part 2 of “Iraq: 20 Year on”, I speak with a Pentagon whistleblower and a top advisor to US Vice President Cheney, one of the war’s key architects.
Twenty years ago, this week, the US invaded Iraq with devastating consequences for the country and the region. We look at the legacy of the war — its human cost and long-lasting legal and political ramifications. To date, no US or British official has apologised, let alone been held to account for launching a war that then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called ‘illegal’. I speak with the first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and ask him if Iraq did not deserve international justice, and whether the ICC’s arrest warrant for President Putin on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Iraq invasion did not show the politicization of the Court.
Prosecutors in New York move closer to a possible indictment of Donald Trump as he refuses to testify this week before a grand jury. Trump could become the first former president in US history to be indicted, following the decision by the Manhattan District Attorney to invite him to testify this week over an alleged hush-money payment and falsification of payment records, in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Trump, who is running for president for a third time, called it a “political Witch-Hunt”, saying the aim is to “take down the leading candidate, by far, in the Republican Party”.
New legislation to ban TikTok moves through the US Congress, as lawmakers accuse the Chinese social media app of threatening US national security, while civil liberties activists warn the move could violate the constitutional rights of millions of Americans. TikTok, which is used by over 100 million Americans, including two thirds of American teenagers, has been called a “security threat” by Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill and top US intelligence officials.
President Biden is calling on Congress to tackle America’s opioid crisis, as fentanyl-related deaths in the US surge to more than 70,000 a year. Republican lawmakers are blaming the Biden administration for not doing enough to curb the production, sale and trafficking of this lethal synthetic opioid at the US’ southern border. Mexican drug cartels are increasingly manufacturing fentanyl for the US market, using chemicals imported predominantly from China.
The US government rejects a bombshell report by Pulitzer Prize veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh entitled “How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline”, which alleges that the United States, with Norway’s assistance, blew up the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines in a covert operation last September. The attack on the Nord Stream pipelines was carried out by the US Navy and the CIA under direct orders from President Biden, according to Hersh’s piece which was published on February 8th on Substack.com. Seymour Hersh joins Ghida Fakhry on this week’s episode to discuss his report.
As Ukraine pleads for more heavy weapons, the US considers the scope of its military assistance following President Biden’s decision last week to supply Kiev with 31 Abrams tanks. This move by the White House marks a reversal in the US’ earlier decision not to send one of its most advanced offensive weapons used in ground combat to the Ukrainian government and could lead to a new escalation in the conflict.
He was Trump’s Secretary of Defense, during 18 months of heightened political tensions in the United States. He was fired, by tweet, just days after Trump lost the 2020 election. On today’s program, Mark Esper joins me to discuss his new book ‘A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times’.
With almost 50 African leaders gathered in Washington last week, the Biden administration promised to invest billions of dollars in their countries’ economies in an effort to reset US-Africa relations. But after years of tense relations and neglect, can Washington sway African leaders with $55 billion of economic, health and security support over the next three years? How will America’s rivalry with China and Russia shape US-Africa relations and can Africa leverage its growing economic potential?
The Biden administration eases some sanctions on Caracas, allowing oil giant Chevron to start producing and shipping Venezuelan oil to the United States. Chevron, the second-largest US oil company, is expected to begin shipping oil from Venezuela to the United States later this month, following the Biden administration’s decision to ease some of the sanctions imposed on the Venezuelan government.
As Democrats in Congress hold their leadership election this week, two of the top three positions will go to the next generation of Democrats. Earlier this month, Nancy Pelosi, the 82-year-old Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced that she will step down as the top House Democrat after nearly two decades in leadership positions. Her decision, which comes after her party lost its majority in the House in the midterms, paved the way for 52-year-old Congressman Hakeem Jeffries to become the first Black house minority leader. As the Democratic Party leadership undergoes a generational shift, Joe Biden who turned 80 last week became the first octogenarian president of the United States.
Since his takeover of Twitter late last month, Elon Musk has faced growing criticism. Last week, he reversed Twitter’s decision in 2021 to ‘permanently suspend’ Donald Trump’s account following the January 6th insurrection ‘due to the risk of further incitement of violence’. Does the decision to reinstate Trump’s Twitter account amount to a reckless move by the company’s new CEO, as some Democratic lawmakers and civil rights organizations argue —or does it represent a victory for free speech?
As Donald Trump announced that he is running for president in 2024, the Republican leadership in the US Congress continued to grapple with the results of the midterm elections —with Democrats retaining control of the Senate and Republicans expected to gain a very slim majority in the House of Representatives. While some Republicans blamed Trump for their poor performance in the midterms, the former president refused to accept any responsibility and vowed to “make America great and glorious again”.
Millions of Americans voted in the midterms on Tuesday, to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and over a third of the 100 members of the Senate. President Biden called the election “a defining moment” for the United States, warning that democracy itself was on the ballot and that the US could be “on a path to chaos” if Republican candidates refuse to accept the election results —as law enforcement agencies forecast a rise in threats posed by domestic violent extremists.
The US shields Israel from renewed international scrutiny and criticism after several UN Special Rapporteurs highlight in their latest reports to the UN General Assembly the growing consensus over Israel’s apartheid policies in the Occupied Palestinians Territories. We speak with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, about her latest report to the UN and why Israel’s illegal occupation is “indistinguishable from settler-colonialism”.
As Republican governors from southern states defend their policies to bus and fly thousands of migrants to Democratic-run cities, including the nation’s capital Washington DC, Democrats accuse them of political stunts — less than two weeks before midterm elections that will determine which party controls the US Congress. Guests: Dylan Fernandes, Massachusetts State Representative representing Martha's Vineyard; Clint McDonald, Executive Director of Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition and former Sheriff of Terrell County, Texas
Joe Biden threatens to take action against Saudi Arabia, as Democrats in the US Congress warn Riyadh to change course or face a freeze on all US arms sales following the recent decision by OPEC+ to cut oil production —raising gas prices just weeks before crucial midterm elections.
Guests: Gerald Feierstein, former US Ambassador to Yemen; Elgie Holstein, former Chief of Staff at US Department of Energy
An explosion that damaged a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea raises questions about possible US covert action against Russia and prompts accusations — without evidence — from all sides.
Guests: Admiral Mike Rogers, Former Director of the National Security Agency; Stephen Bryen, Former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense
The president of the World Bank faces mounting pressure to resign amid accusations of climate change denial, as members of Congress call for his immediate removal from office. Guests: Mark Hertsgaard, Executive Director of Covering Climate Now and Environment Correspondent for The Nation; Daniel Runde, Center for Strategic and International Studies and Author of "The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership through Soft Power"
Donald Trump has faced countless lawsuits over the past three decades. There have been reportedly thousands of legal actions involving Trump and his businesses, in federal and state courts, ranging from real estate to personal defamation lawsuits. Last week, the Attorney General of the State of New York brought new charges against the former president and three of his children, alleging massive fraud.
Guests: Michael Cohen, Former Personal Attorney to Donald Trump, Author of “Revenge”; Jake Auchincloss, US Rep from Massachusetts
As world leaders convene in New York for the 77th United Nations general assembly, the ongoing war in Ukraine is likely to be at the fore. But will any progress be made? Guests: Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for UN Secretary General; Andrejs Pildegovics, Latvian Ambassador to the UN
Since World War II, the US and the UK have enjoyed what Winston Churchill labeled a ‘special’ relationship. Could the end of the Queen’s decades-old reign which cemented the special relationship, bring about change between the two allies?
GUESTS: Tara Sonenshine, Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; James Vaughn, Professor of History at University of Chicago; Elizabeth Norton, Historian
As the US Department of Justice considers its next move in the criminal investigation involving the former president, Joe Biden and Donald Trump continue to trade accusations as tensions run high.
Guests:
Jeffrey Clark Former US Assistant Attorney General
Coleen Rowley Former FBI Special Agent and 9/11 Whistleblower
Despite warnings from both members of the US government and foreign leaders that such a move would be ‘provocative,’ House speaker Nancy Pelosi included Taiwan on a visit to Asian countries last week to reaffirm the US relationship with the country.
Guests:
John Fleming, US Congressperson from Louisiana from 2009-2017;
Lt Gen Daniel P. “Fig” Leaf, Former Deputy Commander and Acting Commander, United States Pacific Command
Donald Trump returned to Washington last week for the first time since he left office, as the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the attack on the US Capitol now looks at Trump’s actions and the extent of his involvement in trying to overturn the 2020 election results.
Guests:
Sam Nunberg, Advisor to Former President Donald Trump
William Banks, Chair of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Law and National Security
Faced with roadblocks in the US Congress and record-high temperatures in much of the United States, President Biden signaled his willingness last week to invoke emergency powers to address the climate crisis.
Guests:
Mark Sanford | Governor of South Carolina from 2003-2011and former Republican Presidential Candidate and Congressman Benjamin Zaitchik | Professor of Earth and Planetary Science at Johns Hopkins University Jean Su | Director of Energy Justice Program at the Center for Biological Diversity
Joe Biden’s four-day trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia last week has been widely criticized in the US for failing to achieve its objectives, as the President continued to face questions about what his visit had accomplished.
Guests: Joseph W. Westphal, Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia | Richard Albright, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Coordinator for Foreign Assistance in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs | Huwaida Arraf, Co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an organization using non-violent protests and international pressure to support Palestinians and candidate for Michigan's 10th congressional district
According to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 1 in 10 US households are food insecure. Other data shows that 1 in 8 Americans experience food insecurity. The problem was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation which soared to a 40-year high of 8.5% in March.
GUESTS: Craig Gundersen, Chair at the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty; Leah Penniman, author and proprietor of Soul Fire Farm
Full interview with Jeffery Robinson, founder of the ‘The Who We Are Project,’ https://thewhoweareproject.org/
TRT World’s ‘My America’ takes us across the country to uncover some of the political, social and cultural stories often ignored by the mainstream media.
We travel to Mississippi where the state has some of the most lenient gun laws in the country as America reels from gun violence. We meet Lorenzo Neal, a pastor and gun violence prevention activist, Larry McCluney, an historian, Chuck Boyer, a firearms safety instructor and Nick Bezzel, the founder of the Elmer “Geronimo” Pratt Pistol & Rifle Gun Club.
guns #secondamendment #AR15
Two rulings last week by the US Supreme Court one overturning a 50-year-old court decision that guaranteed a woman’s national right to terminate a pregnancy, the other expanding the right to bear arms have thrown America’s growing divisions into sharp relief, calling into question whether the Court truly represents public opinion in the US.
Guests:
Fred Hicks, Democratic Political Strategist; Stephen Stamboulieh, Attorney for Gun Owners of America
Stephen Marche, Author of The Next Civil War - Dispatches from the American Future
While the US marks Juneteenth, a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States, racial disparities and the struggle for justice in America continues.
Guests:
Jeffery Robinson, Founder and Executive Director of The Who We Are Project
Rev Mark Thompson, Activist and Host of Make it Plain with Mark Thompson
Minkah Makalani, Professor of History at Director of the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University
Boycotts and a public outcry over the Biden administration’s decision to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the Summit of the Americas, amid growing signs of the United States’ waning influence and regional decline.
Guests:
Earl Anthony Wayne, Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs
Jorge Heine, Former Chilean Ambassador to China
Sheila Xiao, Coordinator of the 2022 People’s Summit for Democracy
Washington deploys hundreds of US troops to Somalia and targets Al Shabab militants amid concerns over the goals and effectiveness of the Biden Administration’s strategy in the Horn of Africa.
Guests:
Abdusalam Omer, Former Somalian Foreign Affairs Minister from 2015 to 2017
Sarah Harrison, Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group
The Biden administration airlifts over a million baby formula bottles from Europe as it struggles to fill a nationwide shortage, amid a growing political and public health crisis and calls to address the systemic issues that caused the shortage in the first place.
Guests:
TiffanyAnn Goodson: Working Mother and Member of Mocha Moms;
Peter Pitts, Former Associate Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration;
JD Scholten, Senior Adviser to American Economic Liberties Project
A public health order known as Title 42 will continue to be used by US law enforcement to expel migrants at the southern border, following a court ruling last week that blocked the Biden administration’s attempts to lift the restrictions imposed by the Trump administration at the beginning of the pandemic.
Guests:
Rodney Scott, 24th Chief of the United States Border Patrol from 2020 to 2021
Eddie Morales, Texas State Representative
Tyler Mattiace, Mexico and Guatemala Researcher for Human Rights Watch
Shock, condemnation and calls for an independent investigation into the killing of a Palestinian-American journalist — as some members of Congress urge the Biden administration to hold Israel accountable.
Guests:
Adam Shapiro, Director of Advocacy for Israel-Palestine with Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
Laura Albast, Senior Editor at Institute for Palestine Studies
Mitchell Plitnick, President of ReThinking Foreign Policy
With the US Supreme Court set to overturn Roe v Wade, a landmark ruling that legalized abortion across the United States fifty years ago, activists and lawmakers on both sides get ready for what comes next.
A special grand jury has been selected to look into Donald Trump’s alleged election interference in Georgia, as another grand jury in New York ends its investigation into the former president’s business practices — with no indictment.
Full interview of former US attorney general Alberto Gonzales from Inside America 4/20 - ‘The US and the ICC.’
As President Biden calls Russia’s actions in Ukraine ‘genocide’ and vows to hold the Russian President ‘accountable’, a member of the US Congress introduces a resolution to end the ‘hypocrisy’ of the United States by joining the International Criminal Court.
Guests:
Alberto Gonzales, Former US Attorney General from 2005 to 2007
John Bellinger, Legal Adviser for the US National Security Council and State Department from 2001 to 2009
Philippe Sands, Attorney and Law Professor at University College London and Harvard University
As President Biden calls for an investigation into Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine which he called “genocide," some US lawmakers say the United States must join the International Criminal Court if it is serious about making Russia accountable under international law.
Guests:
Alberto Gonzalez, Former US Attorney General from 2005 to 2007 John Bellinger, Legal Adviser for the US National Security Council and State Department from 2001 to 2009 Philippe Sands, Attorney and Law Professor at University College London
The US Attorney General faces mounting pressure by Democrats in Congress who say there is now sufficient evidence for the Justice Department to bring criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for his role in last year’s insurgency at the US Capitol.
Guests:
Barry Bennett, Former Adviser to Donald Trump Fred Wertheimer, Founder and President of Democracy 21 Ramesh Srinivasa, Professor of Information Studies at University of California, Los Angeles
As the price of gas at the pump reaches near record-highs in the US, President Biden announces the release of oil reserves to appease global oil markets and limit the political fallout of higher energy prices as the crisis with Russia escalates.
Guests:
Jay Hakes: Former Administrator of US Energy Information Administration, author "Energy Crises: Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Tough Choices in the 1970s"
Ellen Wald: Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, author "Saudi, Inc."
Dennis McGinn: Retired Admiral, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment (2013-2017)
With around 10% of Ukraine’s population becoming refugees in a month, and 25% internally displaced, the conflict enters its second month with no quick end in sight. But with President Biden calling his Russian counterpart a “butcher” who “cannot remain in power," has the Russia-Ukraine conflict become even more a US-Russian proxy war?
Guests:
Porter Goss Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2004-2006)
John Tefft US Ambassador to Ukraine (2009-2013) and Russia (2014-2017)
As the crisis in and over Ukraine deepens, its humanitarian effects widen, and its economic fallout spreads across the world.
Guests:
Alexander Vindman, Director for European Affairs, US National Security Council, 2018-2020 and author of “Here, Right Matters: An American Story”
Roman Popadiuk, US Ambassador to Ukraine, 1992-1993
It has been 10 years since a gunman, armed with a Remington assault rifle, murdered his mother and 20 elementary school children in Connecticut. Now an unprecedented $73 million ruling against Remington, the oldest gun manufacturer in the US, could end the industry’s longstanding immunity.
Guests:
Sari Kaufman Co-founder of the MyVote Project and Parkland, Florida Shooting Survivor
Dave Workman Communication Director at Second Amendment Foundation
Hector Balderas New Mexico Attorney General
Sixty years ago this month, the United States imposed an embargo on all trade with Cuba to punish the communist government of Fidel Castro and force regime change. Despite a campaign promise to re-engage and lift some restrictions, the Biden administration has imposed more sanctions on Cuba.
As the US deploys additional troops in Poland and Romania amid Russia’s troop deployment along its border with Ukraine, the political stand-off, and a dangerous warmongering rhetoric between Washington and Moscow hides a lingering strategic issue for both countries: Nord Stream 2, an undersea gas pipeline expected to increase Russian gas exports, bypassing Ukraine. It is a major energy project that Washington has tried to derail for years.
Ben Nelson Former US Senator for Nebraska from 2001 to 2013
John Herbst Former US Ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006 Senior Director at Atlantic Council Eurasia Center
John Foster Former World Bank Economist, Author of “Oil and World Politics: The Real Story of Today’s Conflict Zones”
US Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, but occasionally they decide to step down. Last week, justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement after 28 years on the bench, giving a Democratic president the first opportunity to appoint a judge to the court since 2016, when president Barack Obama’s attempt to fill a vacancy left by the passing of justice Antonin Scalia was blocked by Republicans.
Guests: Joe Lieberman US Senator for Connecticut from 1989 to 2013 (D) Former Democratic Nominee for Vice President
Leslie Proll Adviser to NAACP on Federal Judicial Nominations
April Reign Co-founder of sisterscotus.org
The US and UK accuse Russia of planning further military incursions into Ukraine — but has NATO provoked the current crisis?
Guests: Ivo Daalder, Former US Ambassador to NATO, Brig Gen (ret.) Peter B. Zwack, and Andrew Bacevich, President, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
One year into his presidency, is Joe Biden delivering on his electoral promises to the American people?
Guests:
Bernice King CEO of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change
Jess O'Connell Former CEO of the Democratic National Convention
A year after the insurrection on the US capitol in Washington, what is the state of American democracy?
Guests:
Laurence Tribe Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard University
Hogan Gidley Former Deputy White House Press Secretary
Ruth Ben-Ghiat Author of "Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present"
The United States has had, over the last seventy-five years, the largest defense budget in the world. And it keeps growing. Last week, the US Senate passed the largest military-spending bill since World War Two.
Guests:
Marcy Winograd Coordinator of Code Pink Congress
Lawrence Korb Senior Fellow at The Center for American Progress
Gordon Adams Fellow at The Quincy Institute
A political activist, professor, writer and philosopher. Part Two of our conversation with one of America’s foremost public intellectuals, Dr Cornel West.
Guests:
Cornel West Professor Emeritus at Princeton University
A political activist, professor, writer and philosopher. We speak to one of America’s foremost public intellectuals, Dr Cornel West.
Guests:
Cornel West Professor Emeritus at Princeton University
The trials of Kyle Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Arbery’s killers have reignited debates across the United States about racial disparities in America’s criminal justice system and whether it ought to be reformed, especially in respect of self-defense.
Guests:
Joe Feagin Author of "The White Racial Frame" & Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M University
David Bowen Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (D)
Dontae Sharpe Spent 26 years in prison for a wrongful conviction & Fellow with Forward Justice
Republican Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell is predicting that his party will have “very good” results in next year’s midterm elections and could possibly win both the House and Senate.
The Republican confidence about the midterms was reflected in a recent survey released earlier this month which showed Republicans leading Democrats by 10 points —51% to 41%— in the 2022 generic congressional ballot. That is the largest margin in the 40-year history of the survey.
Other recent polls show that more Americans want to see the Republican Party take control of the House and Senate next year. And while a majority of registered American voters —71 percent— say the U.S. is "off on the wrong track"; only 22 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction.
But one central —and sensitive— issue that confronts and divides Republicans is Donald Trump.
The former president who has recently signaled a possible presidential run in 2024, has been holding rallies and raising large sums of money. He remains a strong voice, and at the core of the Grand Old Party’s internal politics.
His favorability rating among Republican voters stands at 86%. Just 10% hold an unfavorable view of the former President [poll]. A survey conducted just last month found that 47% of Republican voters would vote for Trump; no other candidate was above 13%. The same poll found that 67% of Republican registered voters want Trump to run again.
So given Trump’s continuing popularity with the base of the party, what should the strategy of the wider Republican Party be?
Guests:
Michael Steele Former Republican National Committee Chairperson
Ron Nehring Former California Republican Party Chairperson
It is one of the key provisions in President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation, which is expected to be voted on this week in the House of Representatives, and something Democrats have been working on for several decades: how to regulate and lower the price of prescription medication in the United States.
According to a new report, prescription drugs in the US are, on average, 256% times higher overall than 32 other countries. US prices are 170% higher than they are in Mexico and 779% higher than they are in Turkey. For brand-name drugs, the gap is even higher: 344%.
Earlier this month, Congressional Democrats managed to revise and save a reform proposal on prescription drugs that was originally dropped from the Build Back Better Act, Biden’s wide-ranging social spending bill. Under the new plan, the US government would negotiate the cost of 10 drugs starting in 2025, and Pharmaceutical companies would be penalized for price hikes exceeding the inflation rates. The original plan to allow the government to negotiate the price of, first, 25, and then 50 prescription drugs, would have saved, according to the White House, $450 billion over ten years; under the agreed plan, those savings will amount to $250 billion.
Guests:
Raja Krishnamoorthi US Congressman from Illinois (D)
Saul Anuzis President of the 60 Plus Association
David Mitchell President and Founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs
Brad Raffensberger, Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State, was the target of one of President Trump’s efforts to question the fairness and integrity of Georgia’s election count. In his new book, “Integrity Counts”, Brad Raffensperger, a lifelong Republican, speaks out against Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, and blames both parties for undermining trust in the democratic process. Also on this show: With just under a year until the critical mid-term elections in November 2022 , Republicans and Democrats are focusing their attention on the crucial forthcoming congressional, gubernatorial, state and local elections. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 of 100 seats in the Senate are up for grabs. As it stands today, the Senate is split 50/50 with Vice President Kamala Harris, the President of the US Senate, holding the deciding vote.
Guests:
Brad Raffensperger Georgia Secretary of State & Author of "Integrity Counts"
Jim Moran Former US Congressman from Virginia (D)
Sam Rasoul Member of the Virginia House of Delegates (D)
Attending the first Conference of the Parties since the US returned to the 2015 Paris Agreement, President Biden joined other heads of state and government meeting at COP26 in Scotland this week —calling the need for urgent climate action both a moral and economic imperative.
There is growing pressure on the US and the world’s other major industrialized nations, the G20, which are responsible for 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions, to do more.
This follows a stark warning from the UN Secretary General who described the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) as a “code red for humanity”, with scientists warning that global temperatures were projected to rise beyond the 1,5 degree Celsius goal set in Paris, largely due to fossil fuels.
And while President Biden reiterated his administration’s commitment to cutting emissions by 50% from 2005 levels, by 2030, he faces significant challenges on Capitol Hill to enact his proposed $1.7 trillion social spending legislation which includes 555 billion dollars in climate-related spending —the oil and gas industry would be forced to share the cost by raising more than $100 billion dollars from fossil fuel firms over the next decade.
Guests: Slater Jewell-Kemker Filmmaker of ‘Youth Unstoppable’ and climate activist
Beverly Wright Founder and Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University in New Orleans
Antonio Villaraigosa Former Mayor of Los Angeles
A record-breaking 4.3 million people in the United States have quit their jobs in the month of August alone according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s 2.9 % of the total workforce. The month before that, 4.1 million Workers resigned. These are the highest numbers ever reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Experts who have called this “The Great Resignation”, say people are leaving their jobs because workers across the US are demanding better pay and working conditions as well as more flexibility in their daily lives. A new poll found that since the COVID-19 pandemic began, 91 percent of Americans want to do at least some of their work from home.
States such as Kentucky, Idaho, South Dakota and Iowa have the highest rates of workers quitting their jobs. They also have higher rates of new COVID-19 infections.
So what are the driving forces behind the “Great Resignation”?
Guests: Alicia Bowen Cleaner who quit her job
Ulrike Malmendier Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley
Dennis Kucinich Former US Congressman from Ohio (D)
The passing on Monday of General Colin Powell, an icon of US military and political life, revered by Republicans and Democrats alike, and whose illustrious career at the service of both Republican and Democratic Presidents is quite uncommon, has reignited the debate over Powell’s responsibility in making the case for war in Iraq, internationally, and to the American people.
The four-star general, son of Jamaican immigrants, who served directly under Presidents George HW Bush, Bill Clinton and George W Bush, died from Covid complications at the age of 84. He was suffering from multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that can severely compromise the immune system.
Despite being a member of the Republican Party, Powell endorsed Democratic candidates in the last 4 presidential elections, starting with Barack Obama in 2008. He was also a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, calling him a “national disgrace” who should have been removed from office through impeachment. Following the Jan 6 storming of the US Capitol, Powell said he no longer considered himself a Republican.
Despite his trailblazing record as the first Black American to hold the highest national security positions, Powell’s legacy remains overshadowed by his public advocacy for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and his infamous presentation before the United Nations Security Council on February 5th, 2003, claiming that President Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and presented a gathering and imminent danger. Powell later called it a permanent “blot” on his record.
One issue Powell was particularly critical of, over the last few years, was the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay. He criticized the Bush administration’s treatment of detainees and called for closing the military detention facility, saying it would be in the “best interest” of the US to do so.
Asked earlier this year if President Biden would shut the prison at Guantanamo by the time his presidency ends, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters: “That certainly is our goal and our intention.”
Meanwhile, the Biden Administration has told the US Supreme Court that it will allow Abu Zubaydah, a Guantanamo detainee who has never been charged, to present limited testimony about his alleged torture by the CIA. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments in Abu Zubaydah’s case to determine if testimony from CIA agents and contractors who oversaw his torture, can be subpoenaed.
Guests:
Sarah Leah Whitson Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World Now
Mark Denbeaux Attorney for Guantanamo Bay Detainees and Director of the Seton Hall Law School for Policy and Research
Moazzam Begg Former Guantanamo Bay Prisoner and Director of Outreach for CAGE
Joe Biden has become the first sitting US president to issue a proclamation commemorating Indigenous People’s Day, which has traditionally been marked across the United States as Columbus Day, honoring Christopher Columbus, the explorer, who was also a brutal colonialist. In the proclamation issued by the White House, Biden described the contributions of Indigenous peoples throughout history as an “integral” part of the American nation, culture and society, while acknowledging “the significant sacrifices made by native peoples”.
Guests:
Raul Grijalva US Congressman from Arizona (D)
Tara Houska Former Advisor on Native American affairs to Bernie Sanders & Native American Lawyer and Activist
Gregg Deal Native American Artist and Activist
Was it sound long-term policy to uproot tens of thousands of Afghans and place them in precarious settlement schemes abroad?
Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/BtEXmV6x2Fs
During a politically charged hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, with Republicans seeking to place the blame for the fallout on president Biden, and Democrats pointing to ill-advised decisions by President Trump, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and the head of US Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told Congress that they had advised President Biden against a full withdrawal and recommended keeping a military presence in Afghanistan. General McKenzie said he had believed “for quite a while” that if the United States reduced the number of its military advisers in Afghanistan below 2,500, the Kabul government and the military would inevitably collapse. He said in addition to the morale-depleting effects of the Doha agreement signed in February 2020, the troop reduction ordered by Biden in April was ”the other nail in the coffin". Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testified that he agreed with McKenzie's analysis. He added that the Doha agreement also committed the United States to ending airstrikes against the Taliban. Last week’s House and Senate hearings marked the start of what is likely to be an extended congressional review of US failings in Afghanistan, especially after years of limited congressional oversight of a war that ended up costing American taxpayers $2.3 trillion dollars. As many as 14,000 Afghan evacuees are expected to begin arriving in the US this week on humanitarian parole, a process by which they are allowed to enter the US without visas. While humanitarian parolees could stay and work in the US temporarily, they are not eligible for the same resettlement services extended to refugees, such as federal cash assistance.
Guests: Sayed Aqa Chairperson of the Experts for Relief and Development of Afghanistan
John Zadrozny Former Deputy Assistant to President Trump and Director of the Center for Homeland Security and Immigration at AFPI
Will the AUKUS agreement give the US and Australia a strategic military edge to counter the unstoppable emergence of China as a superpower? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/kJC52cHkJ04
Diplomatic relations between the US and France hit an all-time low earlier this month following the announcement of a strategic defense agreement known as AUKUS —between Australia, the UK and US—that provides for the sale of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. The agreement, which led Australia to scrap a $66 billion dollar deal with France for the delivery of diesel-electric attack submarines initiated in 2016, provoked a rift between the transatlantic allies.
France, which took the unprecedented step of recalling its ambassador from Washington for consultations, accused the US of engaging in “lies”, “duplicity” and backstabbing.
AUKUS, largely seen as a strategic alliance to contain China’s growing air and sea power, drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing, which characterized the agreement as a step towards a new cold war and criticized Washington’s decision to export its weapons grade naval nuclear technology to a non-nuclear weapon state as a violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The transfer of Highly Enriched Uranium —at over 90% enrichment levels— foreseen in the AUKUS agreement, would be a first and raises serious concerns from a non-proliferation standpoint, not only in Beijing. So, is AUKUS opening a Pandora’s box? Guests: Tariq Rauf Former Head of Verification and Security Policy Coordination at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Sean O’Keefe Former US Secretary of the Navy under President George H W Bush.
At the UN’s annual General Assembly meetings this week there has been a renewed call for upholding the values and principles the UN was founded on 76 years ago: peace, justice, equality and human rights.
Nowhere more so than in Afghanistan, where the UN has warned that the country is facing one of its most perilous hours. The country had been facing a humanitarian crisis for years despite 2 decades of heavy American, NATO and UN involvement.
How should the UN respond to Afghan’s humanitarian and economic needs at this critical moment? And will member states engage with the Taliban?
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights joins a special edition of Inside America from outside the UN Headquarters in New York.
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
The crisis in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan challenges world leaders as they convene for the 76th United Nations General Assembly.
Will the UN recognize the new Taliban interim government in Kabul or will regional players, like Pakistan, take the lead?
Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi joins a special edition of Inside America from New York.
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
Paul Bremer, the Chairperson of the National Commission on Terrorism and the Provisional Coalition Administrator of Iraq joins Ghida Fakhry to discuss US intelligence in the leadup to the 9/11 attacks and how the US responded. Bremer also talks about the legacy of the US war in Iraq.
The US administration is expected to formalize the end of Washington's combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year, shifting to what US officials say will be the training and advising of Iraqi forces. There are currently an estimated 2,500 U.S. troops still in Iraq. But following the US’ troop pullout from Afghanistan at the end of August and the ensuing total collapse of the Afghan government, some Iraqis are wary about what the US troop withdrawal could mean for their country. In this episode, we look back at the legacy of the US occupation and the decisions made by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), established in the aftermath of the invasion in March of 2003, to rule Iraq.
Guests: Paul Bremer Provisional Coalition Administrator of Iraq (2003)
Anthony Zinni Commander in Chief of the US Central Command (1997-2000)
The world changed on September 11, 2001 after the attacks on the United States. In this one-hour special, Inside America looks back at what happened, how the US responded and the legacy of its so-called ‘war on terror’.
Guests:
Paul Bremer- Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism (2010)
Richard Ben-Veniste- Member of the 9/11 Commission
Imraan Siddiqi- Executive Director of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington State
Philip Alston- Former UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions & Director of New York University School of Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice
Mansoor Adayfi- Former Guantanamo Bay Prison Detainee and author of “Don't Forget Us Here”
John Kiriakou- Former CIA officer who was the first US government official to confirm that the agency waterboarded detainees
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
US President Dwight Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex 60 years ago. But have his words fallen on deaf ears? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/DXqVaAULu58
It’s been hyped as the end of the forever war. Twenty years after the attacks of September 11th, President Joe Biden says he pulled the last US troops out of Afghanistan. But as the United States considers the future of its counter terrorism strategy, the violence and human tragedies of war may be far from over.
Guests: Matthew Hoh- Iraq War veteran and a former US State Department official who resigned in protest over the escalation of the war in Afghanistan in 2009. He is now a senior fellow emeritus with Center for International Policy
Don Hepburn- Former senior intelligence service officer with the CIA who served in Afghanistan. He also held senior positions in the FBI
Hassan El-Tayyab- Legislative Director for Middle East Policy with the Friends Committee on National Legislation
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
As the US ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan, leaving the country under Taliban control, lawmakers in Washington sounded off against the Biden administration’s handling of the US withdrawal.
The commando-style execution of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse three weeks ago has plunged Haiti into even deeper political turmoil, as the United States and other Western powers weigh their optio ns and consider ways to stabilize a country engulfed in yet another acute crisis.
Guests: Raoul Peck- Haitian filmmaker who directed the Oscar-nominated documentary “I am Not Your Negro” and the HBO documentary series “Exterminate All the Brutes”. He was Haiti’s Minister of Culture from 1996 to 1997 under President Aristide.
Jemima Pierre- Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of African American Studies at The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) & Haiti/Americas Coordinator with The Black Alliance for Peace
Jonathan Myerson Katz- Journalist and author of “The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster”. His upcoming book, “Gangsters of Capitalism: General Smedley Butler and the Making and Breaking of American Empire” will be released in January.
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
Is the debate over Critical Race Theory deepening societal rifts in the US? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/GmtAsJl9U_k
A political fight is heating up in the US, as Republican-led states ban Critical Race Theory in American schools.
More than 20 states have passed or introduced legislation restricting what educators can teach about racism and other ‘divisive concepts’. Teachers’ unions are preparing for legal battles. Parents are flooding school board meetings, charging teachers with discrimination.
Why has a decades-old academic framework that analyses the ongoing impact of systemic racism on the country’s laws and institutions become a political flashpoint in America’s culture war? And what are the long-term impacts on free speech and debates over racism in America’s classrooms?
Guests: Mary Frances Berry- Professor of American Social Thought and History at the University of Pennsylvania & former Chair of the US Commission on Civil Rights
Kevin West- Oklahoma State Representative for District 54 & author of Oklahoma’s House Bill 1775
Lynn Pasquerella- President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
What is the value of America’s word if it can rescind formal accords on a whim? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/Ea-6UXqFmKE
The US and Iran have held six rounds of indirect talks in Vienna, since April, in an attempt to revive the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA); signed in 2015 by President Obama. Three years later, President Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the agreement.
A final round of negotiations is expected to begin over the next few days, with France, Germany, the UK, Russia and China —other main signatories to the agreement —acting as go-betweens. The leaders of France, Germany and China called on all parties involved to seize ‘the window of opportunity for an agreement’. While some expect a final agreement to be announced on July 14, the sixth-year anniversary of the JCPOA, many obstacles remain.
Guests:
Sadegh Zibakalam Professor of Political Science, Tehran University
Dennis Ross Former Special Assistant to President Obama and Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Joe Cirincione Senior Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
As China marks the 100th anniversary of its Communist Party, its continued political, economic, scientific and military rise has put the United States on edge.
Since 1979, China’s economy has doubled every eight years, putting it on track to surpass the US as the world’s largest economy, a status it has already attained according to some models.
As President Xi Jinping’s party prepares to ‘embark on a new, splendid journey in the next century’, US President Joe Biden has promised to invest to ensure that America prevails in the race with its main rival, China. And he has bipartisan support —a rarity in today’s divided US Congress. Legislation to boost America’s economic competition with China and put pressure on Beijing for human rights violations is moving forward in the Senate and the House.
How far will the US go in confronting China? Could this lead to a new Cold War?
Guests: Mickey Kantor- Former United States Secretary of Commerce (1996-1997) & United States Trade Representative (1993-1996)
Dr. John Fleming- Former US Member of Congress (R- Louisiana) & served in the Trump administration as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and Assistant to the President for Planning and Implementation
Victor Gao- Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
Is the Republican Party attempting to abridge the voting rights of African Americans and other Democrat-leaning minorities? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/SYkGlCGr1QM
US #Voting #Democracy
With midterm elections less than 18 months away, Democrats in the US Senate pushed ahead with their attempt to pass the ‘For the People Act’, a voting rights bill aimed at expanding voting rights across the United States.
The legislation known as HR 1 passed in the House of Representatives in early March without Republican support but failed to get enough votes in the Senate when it was put to a vote. Automatic voter registration and expanded mail-in and early voting are among some of the bill’s key provisions — as well as tighter rules on congressional redistricting, election security and campaign finance.
Despite Republican congressional opposition, the ‘For the People Act’ has the support of 69% of Americans with 85% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans in favor.
Democrats in Congress introduced the proposed legislation in an attempt to curb restrictive voting state laws that are being passed in record numbers by Republican-controlled legislatures. Since the 2020 election, 22 laws have already been enacted in 14 states, including the critical swing states of Arizona, Florida and Georgia, with an additional 61 bills currently advancing through 18 other states.
Overall, lawmakers in 49 states have introduced at least 389 bills that would seemingly limit voting rights. Republicans argue these bills aim to improve public trust in elections. Democrats say it is a form of voter suppression aimed at making it more difficult for people to vote, especially in communities of color.
So is this a Republican assault on the voting rights of Americans, primarily non-white communities? Or a power grab by Democrats as some Republicans argue?
Guests:
Ted Harvey Former Colorado Republican State Senator and Chairman of the Committee to Defeat the President
Marc Morial President of the National Urban League and Former Mayor of New Orleans
Jacob Hacker Professor of Political Science at Yale University
Is the United States pushing Russia and China closer together? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/SaKgRdyMAfM
All smiles as US President Joe Biden meets leaders of the G7 and NATO in an effort to reassure allies that America is back on the international stage ahead of his much-anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
As European leaders welcome Biden back into the club, can they count on the US to be a long-term ally? And will Biden’s continued focus on a contest between Western democracies and rising autocratic governments resonate with his European counterparts? Or will they take a more cautious approach in countering China’s rise?
Guests:
Rose Gottemoeller- Former NATO Deputy Secretary General (2016-2019), former under secretary for arms control and international security at the US Department of State, and chief US negotiator of the nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, New START
Wolfgang Ischinger- Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Germany’s former deputy foreign minister and former German ambassador to the US
Jim Gilmore- Former US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), former governor of Virginia and former chairman of the Republican National Committee
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
It is a legislative procedure that was used just last week by Republican Senators to block the Democrats’ push for a congressional commission to investigate the Jan. 6th attack on the US Capitol. A growing number of Democrats argue that the filibuster —a Senate rule that allows one or more lawmakers from the minority party to prevent or delay indefinitely a vote on a piece of legislation — is being used by Senate Republicans to obstruct President Biden’s agenda.
Several other progressive pieces of legislation and White House priorities, including an infra-structure bill, have been stalled in the evenly-split Senate.
Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, wrote in a letter to his Democratic caucus, that Republican tactics have demonstrated “the limits of bipartisanship and the resurgence of Republican obstructionism” —warning that “the next few weeks will be hard and will test our resolve as a Congress and a conference”.
Meanwhile a coalition of progressive groups are stepping up the pressure on Senate Majority Leader Schumer to get rid of the filibuster. More than 100 groups sent a letter to the New York Senator calling on the Senate Democratic caucus to “eliminate the filibuster as a weapon” that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell can use to “block efforts to defend and strengthen our democracy and make our government work for the American people”.
Guests:
Lauren Cohen Bell Professor of Political Science at Randolph-Macon College
Harry Reid Former Democratic Senate Majority Leader
Trent Lott Former Republican Senator from Mississippi and Senate Majority Leader
Will Trump’s response to his latest legal challenges add more fuel to the ‘stop the steal’ campaign? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/vJcpqgsPtVg
Senate Republicans used their filibuster power Friday to block the establishment of an independent commission to compile a full account of what happened when rioters stormed the US Capitol on January 6th, further solidifying the Republican party’s loyalty to Donald Trump. The lack of an investigation is likely to leave unanswered questions about why so many people rallied around the former president’s so called “big lie”, that he —not Biden— won’t the elections, a claim Trump still maintains.
Without a thorough investigation into what happened on January 6th, will Americans- and the Republican party- continue to rally around Donald Trump and his claims regarding the elections?
Guests: Reed Galen- Co-founder of The Lincoln Project
Saul Anuzis- Former Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and senior adviser to United States Senator Ted Cruz during the 2016 presidential campaign
David Cay Johnston- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "The Making of Donald Trump" and "It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration is Doing to America". He is also co-founder of DCReport.org
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
Is the Black Lives Matter movement contributing to a better understanding of the Palestinian question in the US? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
BlackLivesMatter #Palestine
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/tyT9Tk9dBW8
From musicians to civil rights activists, many of the people in the BLM movement in the US defending Palestinian rights are drawing parallels between their struggle for racial justice and equality —and Palestinians’ struggle for freedom.
A conversation between a Black Lives Matter activist, Zellie Imani and historian and journalist, Maytha Alhassen
Standing in solidarity. African American lawmakers and Black Lives Matter activists express their support for Palestinian rights, as they continue their fight for racial justice in the US —one year since the murder of George Floyd. The BLM movement resonated across the world, with millions of people marching in solidarity. But it struck a particular cord with Palestinians living under a brutal Israeli occupation for decades. George Floyd’s image was painted on the Israeli annexation wall built in and around the occupied West Bank. A few days after Floyd’s cold-blooded murder last May, a Palestinian man, Eyad al-Hallaq, was shot dead by Israeli police. Like Floyd, he was unarmed —he was al-so autistic and on his way to a special needs school in East Jerusalem. Protestors in Palestine held up posters with his image next to George Floyd’s with the slogan “From the USA to Pales-tine… Racism is a crime.” Today, many BLM activists have come out in support of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation using hashtags like #FreePalestine and #SaveSheikhJarrah.
Guests:
Omar Fateh Minnesota State Senator for District 62 (D)
Talib Kweli American Rapper and Activist
Zellie Imani Co-founder of Black Liberation Collective
Maytha Alhassen Historian and Journalist
As Israel continues its military assault on Gaza, US President Joe Biden is facing mounting calls at home and abroad to put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop his onslaught on Palestinians.
As the civilian death toll rises, Biden has reiterated his ‘firm support for Israel’s right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks’ and for the third time, the United States blocked a United Nations Security Council statement which would have called for a ceasefire.
Under growing pressure from his own party, President Biden expressed support for, but did not demand, a ceasefire. The White House press secretary said the administration’s approach to handling this crisis is through “quiet and intensive diplomacy”.
Can progressive lawmakers, grassroots activism, pressure by pro-Israel groups, and a slight shift in mainstream US media coverage of the crisis, bring enough pressure to bear on the Biden administration to recalibrate America’s traditional unconditional support of Israel?
Guests: Jim Moran- Former US Member of Congress (D-Virginia) from 1991 to 2015
Roger Waters- Peace activist and co-founder of Pink Floyd
Alan Solomont- Vice Chair, Chair Elect and Member of the Executive Committee for J Street, a a pro-Israel advocacy group that represents ‘pro-peace Americans’
Craig and Cindy Corrie- Parents of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza in 2003. They are board members of the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice.
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
Can Palestinians find any solace in the slowly shifting dynamics in Washington? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/V-GP-GOSF9A
As Israeli security forces continued their attacks against Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, the Biden Administration came under renewed criticism for failing to take a firm stance against the Israeli government.
Leading congressional members of the Democratic Party condemned Israel’s use of force and efforts to forcibly displace Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem.
Senator Bernie Sanders said “the United States must speak out strongly against the violence by government-allied Israeli extremists in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and make clear that the evictions of Palestinian families must not go forward”.
Senator Elizabeth Warren also called on the Biden Administration to speak out against Israel’s’ efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians: “the forced removal of long-time Palestinians residents in Sheikh Jarrah is abhorrent and unacceptable. The Administration should make clear to the Israeli government that these evictions are illegal and must stop immediately.”
Several other Democratic members of Congress called on the Biden Administration to stand up for the rights of Palestinian families and urge the Israeli government to stop its evictions, calling the violence against Palestinians ‘completely unacceptable.’
With the Israeli government receiving $3.8 billion dollars in military aid every year from the US government, a growing number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill are questioning the way that money is being used.
As the debate in Washington over conditioning aid to Israel gains momentum, what impact will it have on the Biden Administration’s tepid response to Israel’s escalating use of force?
Guests:
Mitchell Plitnick President of ReThinking Foreign Policy
Omar Shakir Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch
Will space unite Republicans and Democrats the way it allowed Russia and the US to transcend their rivalries until now? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/JQUvI-grJNM
The world is entering a new era in space exploration, with more players and private companies vying for their place in space. As the Biden administration tries to restore America’s status domestically and internationally, can it lead the way in the conquest of space?
Guests: Charles Bolden- Former NASA administrator under President Barack Obama, retired United States Marine Corps Major General and a former astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions
Gavin Schmidt- Acting NASA senior climate adviser, climatologist and former director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
Can Biden get Republicans to look beyond Trump? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/usDfI3VHanA
As presidential candidate, Joe Biden had made lofty promises. On day one of his presidency, he signed 17 executive orders relating to the pandemic, climate change, racial justice, immigration and more. In his first 100 days, Biden signed more executive orders than any other US President: 60, including 23 directly rescinding Trump’s policies.
Latest polls show Biden’s approval rating at 52%. That is the third-lowest approval rating of any American President since 1945: Gerald Ford had a 48% approval rating in 1974 after his pardon of Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump had a 42% approval rating at the same stage in his presidency in 2017.
Where Biden has impressed the American public is his handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, with a 69% approval rating. However, his handling of other major domestic issues like border security and immigration, received only 33 percent approval. On gun issues, 34 percent of Americans approved of his performance. For his dealing with China, President Biden garnered 35 percent approval.
Guests:
Donna Shalala Former Secretary of Health and Human Services
Joe Grogan Former Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Joseph Nye Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Is the #US falling behind major world powers when it comes to infrastructure? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/AiJAnxtCDUQ
Will there be a real reckoning with racism in the US’ police and justice systems? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/r7Zb4kjG3-E
Protesters across America cheered after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on on all three counts- second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter- in the brutal encounter that killed George Floyd, an unarmed black man. Video footage of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds last May sparked nationwide protests.
As many activists celebrated the conviction as a victory in their fight for justice, the verdict came amid a string of more high-profile police shootings of people of color. A police officer fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo following a foot chase in Chicago on March 29. 20-year-old Daunte Wright, an unarmed black man, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 11 after a police officer allegedly mistook her gun for her Taser.
What is on the horizon for those who continue to seek justice and accountability in America?
Guests: Esther Agbaje- Minnesota State Representative for District 59B, which includes parts of Minneapolis
Jason C. Johnson- President of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund and former deputy commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department from 2016-2018
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson- Author of “Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America” and professor of sociology at Georgetown University
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
As Republicans in Congress vow to fight against President Biden’s plan to invest $2.3 trillion dollars to revamp America’s infrastructure, the White House signals its readiness to compromise on the price tag to win Republican support.
Vote counting is underway in the city of Bessemer, Alabama, where workers are standing up to the second largest private employer in the United States: Amazon.
Nearly 6,000 workers are now at the center of the most closely-watched unionization effort in recent US history. While Amazon workers make more than double the federal minimum wage in the United States, which is $7.25 an hour, many workers complain about the lack of respect and safety measures. They say that the pay is not commensurate with the extreme pressures and pace of their jobs. If the Bessemer employees do succeed, they will be the first Amazon workers to unionize in the United States.
Amazon’s profits grew by 84 percent in 2020 fueled by an online shopping boom during the pandemic. The company hired over 450,000 new staff across the US over the last year, but is facing increasing scrutiny in Washington, particularly after its founder Jeff Bezos, reportedly the richest person in the world, made $58 billion between March 2020 and March 2021.
So what do the challenges facing this unionization effort tell us about the state of worker’s rights in America?
Guests: Nina Turner- Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, former Ohio State Senator and former national co-chair for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign
Christian Smalls- Activist and former Amazon warehouse worker
Richard Berman- Executive Director of the Center for Union Facts
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
Is the gun culture in the United States in need of change? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/Whq0uFqcn84
After two mass shootings and 18 people dead, the White House says President Biden is considering executive action on gun control while the US Senate weighs the prospects of expanding background checks amid increasing pressure to enact meaningful measures.
Will 2021 be the year when millions of disenfranchised Americans in DC and Puerto Rico see their rights granted as full-fledged Americans? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/n44SV4NFQOg
Momentum is growing in the nation’s capital to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state of the United States of America.
After the January 6th attacks on the US Capitol, and nationwide protests against police brutality, Democrats in Congress have made the question of Washington, D.C.’s statehood a top racial justice and voting rights priority.
The White House confirmed President Joe Biden’s support to grant the District’s over 700-thousand residents full autonomy over its laws and budget.
D.C. residents, who outnumber those in states like Vermont or Wyoming, pay more federal taxes per capita than anywhere in the country; they serve in the military and on juries, but do not have any representatives with voting power in Congress.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing this week to consider H.R. 51- a bill that proposes shrinking the federal enclave to a two mile radius to include the White House, congressional buildings, the National Mall and Supreme Court. It would turn the rest of the District into a state.
The last time the U.S. admitted a new member was in 1959, when Hawaii became the 50th state to join the union. So what are the chances that D.C. could become the 51st?
Guests: Reverend Jesse Jackson: Former US Shadow Senator for Washington, D.C., former Democratic presidential candidate, civil rights leader & president and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Paul Strauss- US Shadow Senator for Washington, D.C.
Kat Cammack- US Representative (R- Florida)
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/InsideAmerica Follow us: 👉www.twitter.com/_InsideAmerica 👉www.twitter.com/Ghida_Fakhry Subscribe: 👉Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3d0LYLy
Can the Biden administration reverse Washington’s credibility deficit on the world stage? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/zM6JkMXCu60
Are party politics at play in Washington when it comes to Puerto Rico statehood? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/7wWtSCKC9ag
Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean has been fighting for autonomy and full citizenship rights for more than a century. Earlier this month, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act was introduced in the US House of Representatives.
It would grant the island’s 3 million US citizens the right to full representation in the US Congress: two Senators and as many as four or five seats in the House of Representatives. Statehood would also allow eligible Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico to vote in US elections and get seven votes in the Electoral Colleg e which determines the outcome of US presidential elections. Puerto Rico would also have greater access to federal funding.
The bill has the support of at least 49 House members: 13 Republicans and 36 Democrats. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Americans support admitting Puerto Rico as a state —66% are in favor of statehood; that’s two in three Americans.
In a non-binding referendum held in Puerto Rico last November, almost 53% of Puerto Rican participants voted in favor of statehood and almost 48% were against.
Meanwhile, two Democratic Representatives from New York —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velazquez —both of Puerto Rican descent, introduced their own legislation: The Puerto Rican Self-Determination Act, which would allow Puerto Ricans to ‘exercise their natural right to self-determination’ by electing a group of delegates to study the issue and come up with a plan for the island’s status —including statehood, free-association or even independence.
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The Biden administration’s commitment to human rights is tested as it vows to recalibrate its foreign policy and demonstrate its dedication to democracy and the rule of law —at home and abroad.
President Joe Biden is facing backlash from his democratic colleagues for not holding Saudi leaders fully accountable after the release of a long awaited intelligence report concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 brutal assassination in Istanbul of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Senator Bob Menendez (D- New Jersey), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the US must send the message that “impunity is not the rule”.
The Biden administration also denounced the decision by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Israel in the Occupied State of Palestine.
Meanwhile, Biden is facing criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill for ordering airstrikes in Syria last month, without Congressional authorization. According to the US, the air strikes targeted Iran-backed militias accused of carrying out a deadly rocket attack on a US-led coalition base in northern Iraq. While Biden campaigned on re-joining the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018, the White House says it will not lift sanctions on Iran until Tehran comes into full compliance with its obligations. Iran says it is ready to fulfill its commitments after the US lifts its ‘illegal sanctions and abandons its policy of threats and pressure.’
Guests:
Michael Lynk- United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967
Hans Blix- former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He was head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) in the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq war and is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden.
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Ilhan Omar joins Inside America with Ghida Fakhry to discuss her experience during the Jan 6 attack on Capitol Hill, the rising threat of domestic terrorism, as well as her leadership role on a key House Foreign Affairs sub-committee and Biden’s foreign policy challenges.
Republican leaders are objecting to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s draft mandate of a commission to look into the January 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill.
Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell called Pelosi’s idea of setting up a 9-11 style commission “partisan by design” and said the commission should be equally composed of Democrats and Republicans. Pelosi’s plan provides for 7 Democratic and 4 Republican Commissioners. McConnell also argued that in looking at violent extremism, the Commission should examine "the full scope of the political violence problem in this country” —a thinly-veiled reference to the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests last summer. So far, over 280 people have been arrested and charged in connection with the failed insurrection.
Meanwhile, as 5000 National Guards remain deployed around the Capitol to ward off possible violence on March 4th, the newly-confirmed Attorney General, Merrick Garland, told the Senate Judiciary Committee, that he will do “everything in the power of the Justice Department” to stop domestic violent extremism. He added that the Jan 6 events were linked to a movement that poses an existential threat to the United States.
Guests: Ilhan Omar US Representative from Minnesota (D), Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa.
Michael Jensen Senior Researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland.
Just one month into his presidency, Joe Biden is rallying Congress and the American people behind a $1.9 trillion pandemic rescue package, as Democrats squabble over the details. Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, says it is ‘morally imperative’ to keep a $15 minimum wage in the package. But with the Senate split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, will the Democratic Party unite behind him?
And, power outages across the southern United States expose the failures of an aging infrastructure system, as the debate over fossil fuels and renewable energy heats up. Environmentalists are calling this a wake up call for America’s reliance on fossil fuel, but oil and gas pipelines continue to snake across the country.
Guests: Stephanie Kelton- Former senior economic adviser to Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns, professor of economics & public policy at Stony Brook University and author of The Deficit Myth.
Steven Chu- Former US Secretary of Energy, Nobel laureate & professor of physics at Stanford University
Winona LaDuke- Anishinaabe environmental and indiginous rights activist & executive director of Honor the Earth
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As widely anticipated, the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump ended in an #acquittal.
57 Senators in total — 48 Democrats, two Independents, and seven Republicans found Trump guilty, while 43 Republican senators found him not guilty of inciting the January 6th insurrection. While this was the most bipartisan vote in any US President’s impeachment trial, 10 additional guilty votes were needed for a conviction. A poll released this week showed that 58 percent of Americans believe Trump should have been convicted. Trump’s acquittal has further factionalized the Republican Party, as the seven Republican senators who crossed party lines to convict, face censure and rebuke from their State GOP leaderships.
Meanwhile, the Democrats and House Managers who argued the case to convict Trump but failed to secure what would have been a first in US history, have come under sharp criticism for their decision to forgo witness testimony after a majority of senators voted to grant that last minute request. Many argue that the live testimony of a Republican congresswoman, Representative Herrera Beutler, who was willing to testify about a desperate call for help made by Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy to President Trump while the Capitol being overtaken by insurrectionists, would have been damning and could have made it more difficult for some Republican senators to acquit.
So what impact will Trump’s acquittal have on Republicans and Democrats alike?
Guest: Bennie Thompson US Representative from Mississippi (D) and Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee
Demetrius Douglas Georgia State Representative (D)
Mike Puskaric Pennsylvania State Representative (R)
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A historic week in the United States as the second Senate #impeachment trial of Donald Trump is underway in Washington DC. The former president is accused of “incitement of insurrection” after his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6th in an attempt to stop the wheels of democracy.
100 Senators —most of whom were trapped in the Capitol on January 6th— will decide to convict or acquit Trump. But in a hyper-partisan environment, will the evidence and legal arguments or party loyalty guide the Senate’s 100 jurors?
Guests: Tom Daschle- Former Senate Majority Leader (D-South Dakota) Rep. Emanuel Cleaver- US Congressman (D-Missouri) Nick Ackerman- Former Assistant Special Watergate Prosecutor
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The White House says it is committed to working with Congress to pass bold legislation that advances racial equity. But activists say they want to see more action than words from the Biden administration. President Joe Biden has directed his administration to tackle #racism, inequality and discrimination in what the White House is calling: the racial equity agenda. Biden signed four executive orders seeking to redress racially discriminatory federal housing policies that have fueled wealth inequality; to end the Department of Justice’s use of private prisons; to respect the sovereignty of Native American tribes and combat violence and #xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific islanders. So, will Biden succeed where other presidents failed in closing the racial equity gaps?
Guests: Danny Davis US Representative from Illinois (D)
Kimberly Jones Author of "I'm Not Dying with You Tonight"
Henry Cisneros Former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
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Do Senate Republicans risk losing their seats in Congress if they vote to convict Trump? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/7fuQqjz-6Zw
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It’s the first full week of Joe Biden’s presidency and already his call for bipartisan unity to tackle the country’s crises is facing significant political obstacles.
With a devastating death toll from the coronavirus pandemic-- and the economic and social fallout-- Biden signed 10 executive orders aimed at getting the pandemic under control. But major policy changes will require legislative action. And bipartisan agreement on Biden’s $2 trillion COVID relief package will be a challenge, as top Republicans have dismissed the plan as too costly.
Meanwhile, the House has delivered an article of impeachment to the Senate —charging Donald Trump with “incitement of insurrection”. This has triggered a trial in the Senate, which Democrats have agreed to delay until the week of February 8th.
So will Congress act fast on Biden’s agenda before all focus in the Senate turns to the impeachment hearings? Or will it be constrained by political gridlock and infighting? And what are the political costs of convicting Donald Trump?
Guests: Rep. Jared Huffman- Democratic Congressman from California’s 2nd District Byron Dorgan- Former Democratic Senator from North Dakota Vernon Jones- Former Georgia State Representative who recently joined the Republican party & Founder of Waking Up America
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Joe Biden has been sworn in as America’s 46th President on the steps of the U.S. Capitol under extraordinary circumstances. The #inauguration, which was already scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic, took place under heavy security exactly two weeks after pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building.
Many here in the US are wondering whether President Biden will be able to unify all Americans, not just the 81 million Americans who voted for him but the 74 million who voted for Trump, as he tries to restore trust in the country’s democratic institutions.
So will Biden be able to bring Americans together behind his presidency, in a climate of growing distrust and conspiracy theories? And how will Biden address some of the other challenges facing the US domestically and abroad?
Guests:
Luis Gutierrez Former Democratic Congressman from Illinois
Joe Grogan Former Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council and Former assistant to then-President Donald Trump
Alan Lichtman Distinguished Professor of History at the American University
Imani Perri Professor of African-American studies at Princeton University
Michael Zeldin Former US Justice Department Official and Legal Analyst
Thomas Shannon Former Acting Secretary of State under President Trump in 2017
Trita Paris Executive Vice President at The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
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The Capitol insurrection has sealed the political fate of Donald Trump but will Trumpism linger? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/n5EV6I4ksMo
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‘We have no doubt that the bodies would have piled up.’
Georgetown Professor Michael Eric Dyson says the police response to the US Capitol rioters would have been very different if they were Black. #CapitolHill
Watch the full interview: https://youtu.be/n5EV6I4ksMo
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With the swearing-in of President-elect Joe Biden just days away, the United States is on high alert, amid growing fears of more bloodshed in the nation’s capital—and across the country.
The FBI is warning of armed protests in Washington DC and across 50 state capitals between now and January 20.
Meanwhile, Congress moves ahead with impeachment proceedings, with Democrats accusing President Trump of “willfully inciting violence against the government of the United States”. And lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the security failures that led to the breach of the US Capitol.
The extraordinary scenes from the mayhem will leave an indelible stain on America. A man walking through the halls of Congress with a confederate flag. Another wearing a sweatshirt which bore the name of a Nazi concentration camp. And a violent mob at the doors of the nation’s Capitol were met with a police response that the Biden administration says represents an unequal system of justice.
So, has the police handling of the pro-Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building last week changed perceptions among Americans about the double standards within law enforcement? Was there an intentional lack of security coordination on Capitol Hill? And could the lack of planning and preparedness lead to a breakdown in law enforcement ahead of Inauguration Day?
Guests: Lt. Gen. Russell Honore (Ret.)- Former Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina
Michael Eric Dyson- Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University and Author of “ Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America”
Carlos Gutierrez- Former Secretary of Commerce under President George W. Bush
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CapitolHill
A small group of Republican Senators, led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, have objected to President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college victory during a joint session of Congress to certify the result of the 2020 election. They argue Congress should establish an Electoral Commission to audit #election results and address claims of fraud.
As many as 140 Republican House members also challenged Biden’s victory. This has sparked an open conflict among Republican lawmakers —with Senator Mitt Romney calling it ‘an egregious ploy’ that ‘dangerously threatens our democratic republic” and former House Speaker Paul Ryan saying that it is ‘difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act’. Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger shared similar concerns saying “This will start a terrible cycle where every election must be objected to and eventually we will lose our ability to self-govern. It really is that serious.”
Meanwhile, in a letter published in the Washington Post, all 10 living former Secretaries of Defense declared the election over and warned that “efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory.”
So where does this last-ditch effort by Trump’s allies on #CapitolHill to overturn the election result leave Republicans and the future of their party?
Guests: Jack Kingston Former Republican Congressman Representing Georgia
Seth Weathers Former Trump Georgia State Director Location tag: Atlanta, Georgia
Heidi Beirich Co-Founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism
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Does the US electoral system produce results that are at odds with the true majority? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/Egw1uEEVt6g
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Congress is moving closer to an agreement on a $908 billion #stimulus plan, as the coronavirus #pandemic shows no sign of slowing down and health experts warn of a long winter ahead. 12 million people could lose their unemployment benefits on December 26th if Congress doesn't act. And as many as 40 million Americans could lose their homes after December 31st, when a federal ban on evictions ends. As hungry, jobless Americans look to the federal government for urgent relief, will lawmakers reach a deal?
Meanwhile, the nation’s highest court is considering whether the Trump administration’s efforts to exclude America’s 11 million #undocumented immigrants from the 2020 census count is legal. How could the decision impact congressional representation and federal funding for states?
Guests: Jamaal Bowman- Congressman-elect for New York’s 16th congressional district
Gray Davis- Former Governor of California
Tom Tancredo- Former Congressman from Colorado who ran for President in 2008
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Is Biden alienating the progressive wing of the Democratic Party at his own peril? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/GKUkBuuZxzw
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As Joe Biden continues to announce his senior cabinet appointments, leaders of the Democratic Party’s left wing, known as the Progressives, are at risk of being excluded from the incoming administration. After unifying the party and pushing their supporters to vote for Biden in the election, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were expected to get key cabinet positions. Earlier this month, Senator Sanders signaled his desire to serve as Biden’s Labor Secretary, while Senator Warren was reportedly interested in becoming Treasury Secretary. So, as the President-elect weighs the demands of his party’s progressive base against the challenges of having to govern without a Senate majority, would Biden be committing a fundamental mistake by overlooking progressives?
Guests: Chuck Rocha Former Senior Advisor to Bernie Sanders' 2020 Presidential Campaign
Jim Kessler Former Aide to Senator Chuck Schumer
Stephen Moore Senior Economic Advisor to Donald Trump 2016 Presidential Campaign
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Is Trump handing Biden a field littered with boobytraps and challenges? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/EDLETMrMCxM
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The transition process towards a Biden Administration was formally put in motion earlier this week, despite President Trump’s continued refusal to concede. While President-elect Joe Biden unveils his foreign policy and national security team— President Trump has announced major policy decisions, including the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and plans to sell billions of dollars of weapons to the United Arab Emirates. His administration is also planning to impose more sanctions on Iran. With the Biden administration set to inherit a series of global challenges, will the next Biden administration be able to turn things around and restore America’s standing around the world?
Guests: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson- Former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell Dr. David Nabarro- Special Envoy of the WHO Director General on COVID-19
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As President Trump continues to dispute election results, his legal team has failed to provide sufficient evidence of widespread voter fraud and suffered a series of defeats in court.
After Joe Biden’s late but decisive electoral college win, with projected victories in Georgia, Arizona and several battleground states Trump won in 2016, the president has accused Democrats of ‘trying to steal’ the election.
While Trump repeated his claims that the election was ‘rigged’ in a series of tweets, thou-sands of his followers gathered in Washington DC in a strong show of support for the President, whose refusal to concede has alarmed Democrats on Capitol Hill. Most Republican law-makers continue to support Trump’s legal claims, with only a few Senators congratulating President-elect Biden, who continues to be denied access to intelligence briefings provided to all presidents-elect.
With nearly all of Trump’s legal challenges have been defeated in court, and the December 8th deadline for resolving all legal disputes fast approaching, some of the president’s allies are suggesting that Republican lawmakers should ignore the popular vote in states won by Biden and hand their electoral college votes to Trump instead. The constitution gives state legislatures the power to determine the ‘manner’ in which electors are appointed to the Electoral College, which is made up of 538 people who will meet on December 14th in each state to formally elect the president. More than 30 states have laws that specify that the winner of the statewide popular vote should be entitled to the state’s presidential electors.
So, can Republican state legislatures pick electors to vote for Trump or is this a far-fetched scenario?
Vernon Jones Georgia Democratic State Representative
Dawn Keefer Pennsylvania Republican State Representative
Laurence Tribe Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard University
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America decided: Biden will be the next President of the United States. But the White House says this election is far from over as President Trump remains defiant, refusing to concede as he prepares for legal warfare.
Guests: James Clyburn- House Majority Whip, the third-ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives (D-South Carolina)
Alberto Gonzales- Former US Attorney General under George W. Bush & Dean at Belmont University College of Law
Martha Zoller- Former Congressional candidate in Georgia & conservative commentator
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Election Day is over. The votes are in. #Ballots are being counted and results are coming in as we await to find out who will be the next president of the United States of America.
This election, the US set its highest #voter turnout rate in more than a century —with more than 65% of eligible voters participating, according to the U.S. Elections Project. By comparison, 59% voted in the 2016 election. This year, nearly 100 million Americans cast their ballot in early voting, by-mail and in-person —ahead of Election Day.
This is a special edition of Inside America where we discuss the results of the 2020 Presidential election, so far —and what happens next.
Guests: Rick Gates Former Deputy Trump Campaign Chairman
Eric Segall Professor GA State University and author of Supreme Myths: Why the Supreme Court Is Not a Court and Originalism as Faith
Gary Bledsoe President of the Texas NAACP
Reed Galen Co-Founder of the Lincoln Project
Nick Brana National Coordinator of the Movement for a People's Party
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Over 75 million Americans have already voted, meaning Election Day 'could be a shorter night with less suspense and drama.' But will the nation be able to make peace with itself? Here's Inside America Host Ghida Fakhry's take.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/chpC6dlunNE
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Election Day is less than a week away and America is a nation on edge. A record-breaking number of voters have already cast their ballot in what is expected to be the highest US voter turnout in more than a century. Some stood in long lines to vote in person despite skyrocketing cases of COVID-19. The majority voted by mail, as many states sought to make early voting more accessible amid the pandemic.
President Trump, who is trailing in the polls behind Joe Biden, has once again raised the specter of rigged elections — if he loses the vote. Election officials are working with state and federal law enforcement to prepare for the potential of voter intimidation and election-day unrest. Democrats and Republicans have deployed their legal teams to challenge or defend changes in voting procedures.
Amid the growing political tensions, what can Americans expect on November 3rd?
Guests: Mary McCord- Former acting assistant attorney general for national security under both the Obama and Trump administrations & legal director at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center
John Malcom- Vice President of the Institute for Constitutional Government and Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank & former deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division
Josh Stein- Attorney General of North Carolina
Domingo Garcia- President of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
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Will Facebook and other social media companies have a serious impact on the US presidential election? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/TNUcPo6oOPE
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In an unusual move, #Facebook and #Twitter censored a #NewYorkPost story about alleged emails from the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s son that suggested he gave a Ukrainian executive the opportunity to meet with Biden.
The alleged emails were said to be obtained by Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney and his former top advisor, Steve Bannon. The Biden campaign said no such meeting took place. Facebook decided to limited access to the story in order to have it fact-checked by a third party and Twitter marked the story as “potentially unsafe”, temporarily locking the accounts of the Trump campaign and the White House press secretary in what the company said was a violation of its rules on publishing hacked materials.
The move triggered an immediate backlash from Republicans and Conservatives, who accuse the social media giants of engaging in censorship and election interference. While Republicans on Capitol Hill accuse Facebook and Twitter of political bias, Democrats criticize them for not being aggressive enough in cracking down on harmful posts, including election misinformation.
The companies whose CEOs will testify before Congress at the end of October rejected accusations of bias, saying they do not enforce their policies on the basis of political ideology.
Guests: Tim Kendall CEO of Moment and former Director of Monetization for Facebook
Toomas Hendrik Ilves Former President of Estonia and The Real Facebook Oversight Board Member
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Could the 2020 US presidential #election be decided by the #SupremeCourt? #InsideAmerica host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take in this week’s In Short.
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Senate confirmation hearings started this week with the Republican majority rushing to confirm the conservative Federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant after the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who died last month. If the 48-year-old Judge is confirmed, the court will transition to a 6-3 conservative majority, which could potentially alter gun rights, abortion access and healthcare for decades to come. But with changes in voting procedures across the country in response to the coronavirus threat and President Trump claiming- without evidence- that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud, the president has suggested Barrett could also be the tie-breaker in the case of a contested election. Could the 2020 race be decided by the Supreme Court?
Guests: Charles Wells- Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice who presided over the appeals in Bush v. Gore in 2000
George Allen- Former Governor of Virginia (1994-1998) & U.S Senator (R-VA) (2001-2007)
Lawrence Douglas- James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought at Amherst College & author of “Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Electoral Meltdown in 2020”.
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/f12h
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Could US national security be compromised as President Trump takes steroids known to impact cognitive abilities? Inside America host Ghida Fakhry gives us her take.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/bwBBrSqZa1M
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/f12h
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As the global death toll from COVID 19 reached a tragic milestone, with over 1 million deaths worldwide, the US alone recorded more than 205,000 deaths and over 7 million active coronavirus cases. The rising number of deaths and infections brings a renewed sense of urgency for a cure. But also, a growing weariness among Americans that politics rather than science is driving the process for vaccine development and approval. With federal public health officials being openly contradicted and rebuked by President Donald Trump, and the White House accused of interfering in the vaccine process for political gain ahead of the November 3rd election, trust in the safety of a vaccine is waning.
Guests: Dr. William Haseltine- Chair and President of ACCESS Health International, a nonprofit dedicated to improving global access to healthcare, and a former professor at Harvard Medical School where he founded two research departments on cancer and HIV/AIDS
Dr. Gregory Glenn- President of Research and Development at Novavax, a Maryland-based pharmaceutical company awarded $1.6 billion by the US government to support development and manufacturing of a coronavirus vaccine
Dr. Joycelyn Elders- Former Surgeon General of the United States under President Bill Clinton
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/f12h
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The United States has more #guns in circulation than people — 393 million guns owned by civilians for a population of 331 million. Around 43% of American households have one or more #firearms at home. And Americans alone own about 40% of all civilian-owned guns in the world.
And with more guns, there are more shootings. 2019 saw more mass #shootings across the U.S. than there were days in the year, according to the nonprofit group, Gun Violence Archive; the highest number of mass shootings since that organization started tracking data. By the end of the year, 417 mass shootings were recorded.
With this alarming trend, and with this year’s surge in first-time gun owners in the US — now estimated at 5 million — the debate over gun control and the second amendment, which gives Americans the right to bear arms, has intensified —becoming a key electoral issue.
In this episode, we look at the gun debate in the lead up to the federal election.
Guests: Joshua Powell Former NRA Chief of Staff
Sharon Pratt Former Mayor of the District of Columbia
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/f12h
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With less than 50 days until the November election, US intelligence is warning of an expanded campaign by foreign states to influence the vote. While President Trump continues to downplay US intelligence reports on Russia’s hand in the 2016 election, the White House is now accused of suppressing intelligence reports on Moscow’s alleged interference efforts and directing the Department of Homeland Security to focus attention on alleged Chinese and Iranian efforts to influence the election. Is Beijing a bigger threat to the integrity of the US elections than Moscow — or is the Trump administration politicizing the intelligence to suit its political interests?
And it isn’t just major foreign governments that are accused of trying to meddle in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections in the US, some foreign organizations have also long been suspected of trying to influence the outcome of the vote. Diaspora communities in the US can play an influential role as they rally around political candidates and donate to their campaigns. In 2016, Indian Americans donated over $10 million dollars to democratic candidates, but with President Trump’s strong support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, could nationalist interests in both countries sway Indian diaspora voters in the US?
Guests: Mark Zaid- Attorney for DHS Whistleblower Brian Murphy
Evelyn Farkas- Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia
Ajay Shah- Executive Vice President of the World Hindu Council of America (Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America)
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/f12h
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A recent study by the PEW Research Center on Americans’ views of US democracy and the political system, published last week, found that a majority —62% of Americans —say that significant changes are needed in the fundamental design and structure of American government to make it work. Frustrated by the acrimony between Republicans and Democrats, an increasing number of Americans are registering as Independents, rather than democrats or republicans under the current electoral system. This year, for the first time in American history, registered Independents are outnumbering registered Republicans or Democrats. In a Gallop poll published last month, 26% of voters said they considered themselves Republican; 31% said they were Democrats; and 41% identified as Independent. So could this new data suggest the beginning of the end of, in effect, the two-party system?
Guests: Nick Brana National Coordinator with the Movement for a People's Party
Gary Johnson Former Presidential Nominee for the Libertarian Party
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/f12h
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With less than nine weeks until the election and Donald Trump still trailing in the polls, the President is intensifying his campaign messaging around a central theme: bringing law and order to the country after three people were killed during street clashes in just the past week. His rival, Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, says looting and violence are unacceptable, but claims Trump is stoking violence in American cities. How will Americans respond at the polls come November?
And, as mail-in and early voting become a preferred option for many Americans during the pandemic and, likely, delayed results, as states count the ballots -- will Americans trust the election results? Has Trump succeeded in sowing doubt in the integrity of the election? And can Americans regain trust in their electoral system?
Guests: Ken Blackwell- Former Mayor of Cincinnati, Former Ohio Secretary of State and a member of the Advisory Board of Trump-Pence 2020
David Daley- Senior Fellow at FairVote and the author of "Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy"
Watch other episodes of Inside America ➡ Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics. 👉http://trt.world/f12h
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