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Political Misfits
Political Misfits bring you news, politics and culture from the belly of Washington DC without the red and blue treatment. Informed by progressive politics, class analysis and anti-war activism, we break down the day's pressing economic, social and political stories from perspectives often ignored.

DCPD Drug Database Dungeon; Biden vs. the Filibuster; A More 'Just Drone War'

DCPD Drug Database Dungeon; Biden vs. the Filibuster; A More Just Drone War
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The Misfits open with Omicron being omnipresent, everyone can get it at some point. It's a pivot away from lockdowns and closing down shop, now it's something we will all have to live with.
First up, RT correspondent Peter Oliver describes the situation in Ukraine as dire. Russia is making it clear that Ukraine joining the Western Alliance is unacceptable and a non-starter for negotiations. Russia has indicated a willingness to deploy military to Venezuela and Cuba if tensions with the United States continue to escalate, prompting a possible second Cuban Missile Crisis.
Garland Nixon, co-host of the Critical Hour on Radio Sputnik and also a retired police officer, stopped by to talk about Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police Department’s database of alleged drug gang members. A story in The Intercept recently noted that the database has almost tripled in size over the past eight years, and nearly nine out of ten entries with a race listed are Black people, who make up 46 percent of DC’s population. Garland explains that many who are listed in the database have no idea until arrested. In federal prison, those on the list are precluded from early release and other penalties. Once on the list, it's nearly impossible to be freed from the database dungeon.
Next, Ted Rall, an award-winning political cartoonist, columnist, author and co-host of the DMZ America podcast with Ted Rall & Scott Stantis, calls in to discuss Biden's filibuster fall out. Biden, after years of supporting the filibuster, does a 180-degree turn. Ted prognosticates: what happens when Dems lose in the midterms and the GOP holds the majority? Biden knew he did not have the votes, then he set an unreasonable deadline and it failed. They also discuss an effort to placate progressive voting rights, which many protested in Georgia. Additionally, Foreign Affairs is making the case for a more "just drone war." Drone attacks can be more "just" if fewer people are killed. Ted emphasized that flying drones over foreign air space assassinating targets is an invasion and an act of war.
Paul Wright, executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center, editor and publisher of Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News magazines, meets up with the Misfits over the current chaos at Rikers Island Jail. The New York Times reported inmates at New York City’s notorious Rikers Island Jail have been staging "fight nights" where prisoners are forced to fight each other, with the victor winning a cigarette. Paul says that the problematic jail's population has decreased from 20,000 to 7,000 in recent years. Prisoners remain at risk not only from guards, they are at risk when seeking medical care from physicians with suspended licenses who remain eligible for employment at jails and prisons across the country.
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