This morning, the Trump administration issued sanctions on seven Russian oligarchs, and 12 companies they own or control, and 17 senior Russian government officials. The administration says this is due to Russian meddling in the 2016 election. But where's the evidence about this meddling?
On L&C's regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, the hosts take a look at special elections in Wisconsin and Arizona, a Republican primary in West Virginia, and the crucial senate race in Tennessee. Jacqueline Luqman and Abdus Luqman, the co-editors-in-chief of Luqman Nation, join the show.
In the second Friday in a row, Israeli forces are killing Palestinians for protesting for the right to return to their land. At least eight Palestinians have been killed already today, with another 700 wounded. One dead is a 16-year-old boy and at least 31 children have been wounded, as Israel refuses to change its open-fire rules and pummels the protesters with live ammunition and high-velocity bullets. That brings the total killing over the last week to 30 Palestinians dead and more than 1,600 wounded. Brian and John speak with Miko Peled, the author of "The General's Son — A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine" and the newly released "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five."
Saheed Vassell was well known to residents and police alike in his Brooklyn, NY neighborhood as a harmless mentally ill man who danced on the sidewalks and played with all types of items left on the street. But two days ago, newcomers to the neighborhood called 911 to report that Vassell pointing something that looked like a gun at passers-by. It wasn't a gun. It was a showerhead. Police arrived and, within six seconds, Vassell was shot and killed. The community is incredibly angry and has been rising up in protest. Kerbie Joseph, an activist, and organizer deeply involved in the issues of human rights and social justice, joins the show.
Thousands of Arizona teachers took to the streets yesterday threatening to go on strike if the state legislature doesn't improve teacher pay and working conditions, reduce class sizes, and purchase new textbooks and equipment. Teachers in Arizona are among the worst paid in the country. Noah Karvelis, a public educator in Phoenix who frequently publishes and speaks about public education and democracy in the United States, joins Brian and John.
3,100 employees of Google have signed a letter protesting the company's involvement in a Pentagon program that uses artificial intelligence to interpret video imagery that could be used to improve the targeting of drone strikes, or what Defense Secretary James Mattis calls "the lethality of the US military." Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.
Yesterday's conversation continues about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and personal data. Did Cambridge Analytica impact the 2016 election? Brian and John speak with Dr. Robert Epstein, the Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, and Bill Binney, a former NSA technical director who became a legendary national security whistleblower.
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