Newsletter 9.25.18

Hi all, the newsletter is back! Thanks as always for your support we're super excited for Season 2. Look out tomorrow for Ep. 51; we're joined by friend of the show Luke Savage and will be discussing the rank ideology of The West Wing.

- Florence, Nima, and Adam 

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30 Issues: Rent Laws - The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC (9/22/18)

In the thirty days leading up to the midterm elections, The Brian Lehrer Show from WNYC is taking on one issue per day. This episode takes on the rent laws in New York State which are set to expire in 2019. Jonathan Westin, director of New York Communities for Change Association discusses the need for more affordable housing. 

Beto O’Rourke is anti-Trump and pro-Israel - should progressives support him? - Nada Elia, Mondoweiss (9/24/18)

When she inquired into Beto O’Rourke’s position on Israel, Austin-based Palestinian-American activist Hithem El-Zabri received a response from his campaign that championed him as a “proud advocate of Israel".

There is Nothing Natural About Puerto Rico’s Disaster - Naomi Klein,The Intercept (9/21/18)

Naomi Klein gives commentary on the one year anniversary of Hurricane Maria and how the response to the situation in Puerto Rico is a prime example of disaster capitalism.

500 Women and Teenagers to Be Bailed Out From Rikers by Human Rights Group - Jeffery C Mays, New York Times (9/19/18)

The RFK center announced plans to bail out over 500 women and teenagers from Rikers Island in New York City as part of a growing movement across the US to abolish cash bail. The director of the group, Kerry Kennedy, stated, “There are no wealthy people on Rikers Island because if you are wealthy, you go free because you make bail.”

Facebook’s New New Propaganda Partners - Alan Macleod - FAIR   (9/25/18)

Facebook is teaming up with two US government groups, The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), to “combat fake news.” Macleod breaks down the history of these institutes and their connections to US domestic and foreign policy, and discusses the ways in which Facebook has already been censoring media outlets such as TeleSur.

‘How Did the War With Iraq Turn Out?’ CodePink’s Medea Benjamin Interrupts Trump Official’s Warmongering Iran Speech - Jake Johnson, Commondreams (9/20/18)

Brian Hook, senior State Department official and head of the Trump administration’s “Iran Action Group” delivered a speech at the Hudson Institute. He was confronted by CodePink’s Medea Benjamin who provided a must-listen anti-imperialist critique while being dragged out by security. 

Tribal Nations Demand Answers About the Fate of Indigenous Children Who Disappeared at U.S. Boarding Schools - Alleen Brown, Nick Estes, The Intercept (9/25/18)

A fascinating look at the hundreds of federally funded boarding schools the US government used to destroy Indigenous nations and indoctrinate children with military discipline.

The Washington Post Tried to Penalize a Writer for Criticizing Jeff Bezos. He Fought Back—And Won. David Dayen In These Times  (9/24/18)

A staff writer for The Washington Post criticized Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Post punished him. The National Labor Relations Board said it was illegal.