SPD Victory in Germany; CIA & Assange Assassination Plans; Derek Chauvin Appeal

Christian Democrats lose power in Germany as Social Democrats emerge victorious. How a center-left coalition could take shape in the country.

Michelle Witte, co-host of Political Misfits on Radio Sputnik, joins us to talk about the results of the federal elections in Germany, where the Social Democrats won a narrow victory, paving the way for a center-left coalition. We talk about what this coalition-building effort may look like, who will become kingmaker, and how the right-wing Alternative for Germany Party lost seats, but still came ahead of the leftist party Die Linke. We also talk about how the Greens have lost influence, and what lies ahead for the party.

John Kiriakou, co-host of The Backstory on Radio Sputnik, talks to us about how CIA officials during the Trump administration had contemplated either abducting or even assassinating Julian Assange, with Mike Pompeo publicly describing Wikileaks in 2017 as a “non-state hostile intelligence service.” We talk about some of the proposals that, at times, took an outlandish quality, and whether they would have been able to pull any of these off.

Dr. Sharon Anderson, attorney and business consultant, former law school professor and lecturer at Howard Law, and the CEO and Founder of KCG Consulting Services, joins us to talk about the Minnesota Supreme Court throwing out the third-degree murder conviction of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot a woman who had called 911 to report a possible rape behind her home, whether this ruling could give former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin grounds to appeal his own third-degree murder conviction, and the legal tools to hold police accountable

Ray Baker, political analyst and host of the podcast Public Agenda, joins us to talk about the ongoing fight over President Biden’s $3.5 trillion infrastructure deal, how it has become a do-or-die fight that now includes the threat of a government closure if the debt ceiling is not expanded by September 30th. We also talk about how Biden, despite presenting himself as the great uniter of both the Democrats and Republicans, is now struggling to unite his own party, and how some profitable corporations may still pay no taxes under a Democratic proposal.

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