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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.

Detainees Protest as COVID-19 Rises at Detention Center; Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty

Detainees Protest As COVID-19 Rises At Detention Center; Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty
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Eight people are on hunger strike as COVID-19 cases surge at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington.

Maru Mora-Villalpando, founder of La Resistencia, community organizer and undocumented immigrant, joins us to discuss the eight people currently detained at the NWDC in Tacoma, who are on a hunger strike that started on Friday last week to demand changes to how COVID-19 cases are being handled. With the new coronavirus-related restrictions and the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases in the state of Washington, the government continues to fail to prioritize the health of the people inside the NWDC. We'll also discuss projected US President-elect Joe Biden previewing his agenda for his first 100 days in office.

Dan Kovalik, lawyer, professor and author of "No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using ‘Humanitarian Intervention’ to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests," joins us to discuss OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s guilty plea on Tuesday and how that helps the Sackler family. The company admitted to committing three felonies in its efforts to keep prescriptions of the painkiller flowing, including paying illegal kickbacks to doctors; paying a medical records company to send doctors information on patients that encouraged them to prescribe more opioids; and lying to the Drug Enforcement Administration about trying to prevent its opioids from entering the black market and misleading the agency to boost its manufacturing quotas. But this plea has the opposite effect of what one might guess - rather than holding any of the Sackler family, who made billions of dollars from these drugs, accountable, it instead preserves the value of the company so it can be turned into a public-benefit corporation, which can then be plundered for fines and settlements, leaving the Sacklers’ profits untouched. Is this right?

Dr. Larry Caplin, a national leader on public health subjects and health care logistics and the CEO of DOCS Health, joins us to discuss the intersection of sports and COVID-19. Despite the pandemic, sports leagues continue to play and even continue to begin seasons in the midst of record numbers of new cases. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball begins Wednesday, and there's already been a fair amount of chaos even before the first game is played. A number of coaches have tested positive for COVID-19, and several teams have seen their matchups canceled or postponed, including Baylor University's No. 1-ranked men's team. On the women's side, No. 3-ranked University of Connecticut has suspended all team activities after a member of the program tested positive. NCAA football continues to see teams cancel games due to the virus. Should these leagues continue to play, or is it time that they end their seasons?

Jim Kavanagh, editor of The Polemicist, joins us to discuss Biden’s transition into the White House and Michael Flynn’s likely pardon. US President Donald Trump "has told confidants he plans to pardon his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts," Axios reported Tuesday, citing "two sources with direct knowledge of the discussions."  

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