Nord Stream 2 Deal; Americans Crushed by Medical Debt; Protecting Wild Horses

Medical Debt soars to the tune of 140 billion. What can be done to provide truly affordable healthcare?

Mark Sleboda, international affairs and security analyst talks to us about a deal reached between the US and Germany over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and the impact of this agreement in the relations with Russia and Ukraine, with the US still holding the sanctions card. We also talk about revelations about the reach of the Pegasus spyware sold by the Israeli security firm, NSO Group, which included many heads of state, whether there will be any fallout from this, and whether privacy protections or software can actually provide any assurances anymore.

Bill Honigman, retired emergency physician and CA State Coordinator and Healthcare Issue Team Coordinator for Progressive Democrats of America talks to us about how medical debt has skyrocketed for Americans in recent years, with collection agencies holding $140 billion in unpaid medical bills last year, and how this has a domino effect in preventing people from seeking adequate health care and digging themselves out of poverty. We also talk about a proposal within Biden’s executive order promoting competition that would promote negotiating drug prices, and whether this is enough to lower medical costs.

Jamal Muhammad, host of the Luv Lounge radio show and the Old School Lunch Bag Mix on Square 1 radio, and Salim Adofo, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for District 8C07 in Washington DC talk to us about the response from elected officials to recent spikes in violence, how requests by community leaders are not heard, and how the response usually turns out to be more policing instead of providing a safety net and infrastructure that will actually help communities.  

Carol Walker, photographer, advocate for keeping America’s wild horses wild and free on public lands, author of "Galloping to Freedom: Saving the Adobe Town Appaloosas," and founder of Wildhoofbeats.com talks to us how wild horses are being slaughtered under the guise of an “adoption program”, and under the pretense of land conservation. We also talk about undue influence from the cattle ranching lobby in the Bureau of Land Management, and what can be done to protect the wild horse population.

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