Living in the USA

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Black Lives Matter-L.A. says “defund the LAPD.” And the sherriffs, and the school police. Kelly Lytle Hernandez explains – she teaches history at UCLA, and she’s the recipient of a MacArthur ‘Genius” grant.
Also: Black Lives Matter protests are everywhere, including some fo the most unlikely places: Zoe Carpenter reports on what’s been happening in Laramie, Wyoming; Florence, Alabama; and even Vidor, Texas—it’s a former Ku Klux Klan haven that Texas Monthly described as the state’s “most hate-filled town.”
Plus: another episode of “The Children’s Hour,” stories about Ivanka, Jared, Don Junior, and Little Eric, with Amy Wilentz. This week Ivanka gets in trouble for wearing a mask – and Don Junior’s girlfriend tests positive.
And Ella Taylor talks about the new Netflix series “Stateless,” about a refugee detention camp in Australia, created by and starring Kate Blanchett—and also about “The Old Guard,” starring Charlize Theron, it’s the first superhero movie directed by an African-American woman, Gina Prince-Bythewood.  7-16-2020

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The US accounts for 4 per cent of the world’s population, but 25 per cent of the people who have come down with COVID-19 and 25 percent of those who’ve died from it. How did the richest country in the world –that spends the most on health care–become the sickest? Harold Meyerson comments.
Also: in our ‘news you can use’ segment, Ella Taylor talks about the new L.A. noir detective show, “Perry Mason”–and about the wonderful HBO series “My Brilliant Friend,” about two girls growing up poor in Naples in the Fifties.
Also later in this hour: Black Lives Matter, and Sandra Bland’s was one of them. This week is the fifth anniversary of the death of Sandra Bland in a Texas jail—July 13, 2015. What happened to Sandra Bland? To understand that, you have to begin way before she died. Debbie Nathan reports on the life, as well as the death, of Sandra Bland.  7-9-2020

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As new cases of Covid-19 continue to climb, the price of the drug Remsidivir, which helps reduce hospital stays, was announced: $3,120. Cost to Gilead Pharmaceuticals of production: $10. David Dayen talks about Biden how could cut the price–he’s executive editor of The American Prospect, and writes the daily “Desanitized” blog.
Also: UC Irvine law prof Michelle Goodwin talks about her experience of racism in Minneapolis.
And film critic Ella Taylor discusses “Babylon Berlin,” the German series set against the rise of fascism in Germany in 1929, and Kore-Eda’s new film “The Truth,” starring Catherine Deneuve. 7/2/2020

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The Trump campaign said that a million people had requested tickets but the Tulsa arena seated only 17,000, so, they set up a big stage outside for the overflow, but only 6,200 people showed up. Is Trump’s base turning away from him, at last? Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect comments.
Also:: UCLA Historian Robin Kelley on the Police vs. the People — and the many communities that continue to suffer under police violence.
Plus: News you can use: film critic Ella Taylor on films about bad cops: especially “LA Confidential” and “Serpico.” 6/18/2020

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Today’s number one topic is the people and the police. The Democrats have unveiled a new law to reform police everywhere. Jody Armour, professor of Law at USC, comments — his new book is “N*GGA THEORY: RACE, LANGUAGE, UNEQUAL JUSTICE and the LAW” forthcoming in August.
Next up: Ivanka Watch — after using pepper balls and flash bang grenades to clear demonstrators for Trump’s bible photo-op, the White House said that it was Ivanka’s idea — Amy Wilentz reports.
Plus, We can’t go to the movie theaters but we can stream them at home. Spike Lee’s new film “Da Five Bloods” is out now — film critic Ella Taylor comments. 6-18-2020

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“The best thing about the protests during the last few weeks is that they are NOT about Donald Trump,” says Dahlia Lithwick, “they are about us.” She writes about courts and the law for Slate and she hosts the podcast “Amicus”.
Next up: Protests against police violence have been met with more police violence — and Democratic mayors in deep-blue states have failed to stop them — Elie Mystal comments.
Plus: The Criterion Collection has taken down its paywall for a series of films by black filmmakers — Ella Taylor has news you can use with criterion, virus-time TV watching. 6/11/2020

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In almost all of our big cities we’ve seen massive protest against racist police violence after the murder of George Floyd by that Minneapolis cop — in almost every city the police response to protest against police violence has been more police violence. For comment we turn to Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect.
Next up, can Trump do what Nixon did with white backlash — when it comes to backlash, will America in 2020 be like America in 1968, or Reagan in 1980? We talk with Rick Perlstein, author of “Reaganland: America’s Right Turn 1976-1980” out in August of 2020.
Plus: Virus-time TV with Ella Taylor — this week, police procedurals with women detectives: starting with the Netflix mini-series “Unbelievable”.  6/5/2020

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Did Joe Biden sexually assault Tara Reade in 1993? Katha Pollitt examines the evidence—and concludes that it supports Biden’s denial. Especially significant: the PBS NewsHour interviews with 74 former Biden staffers, of whom 62 were women; none said they had experienced sexual harassment, assault or misconduct by Biden. All said they never heard any rumors or allegations of Biden engaging in sexual misconduct, until the recent assault allegation made by Tara Reade.
Also: Film critic Ella Taylor has news you can use — some recommendations about virus-time television. In particular: the new film “Shirley” starring Elisabeth Moss and novelist Shirley Jackson.
Also: Your Minnesota Moment: today, the secret history of the Koch Brothers: how the key to their empire, and their fortune, is a refinery south of St. Paul. Christopher Leonard has that story—his book is “Kochland.”  5/28/2020

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High unemployment usually hurts working class organizing–“except when it doesn’t,” Harold Meyerson says. He looks a the possible futures for the labor movement when the virus is finished. Harold is executive editor of The American Prospect.
Also: Greil Marcus has a new book out–it’s about The Great Gatsby and its place in American culture and American life–including on Saturday Night Live with Andy Kaufman. Greil of course has written many books, Starting with the classic “Mystery Train” and including “Lipstick Traces.” His new book is titled “Under the Red White and Blue: Patriotism, Disenchantment and the Stubborn Myth of The Great Gatsby.” 5-21-2020

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Before Bernie and AOC, before Jesse Jackson and George McGovern, there was Henry Wallace, FDR’s vice president, who fought for the soul of the Democratic party in the 1940s. John Nichols tells that story, and links it to today’s battles between progressives and Wall Street Democrats—his new book, out now, is “The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party.”
Also: One of the key forces making inequality greater in America has been the Supreme Court — Adam Cohen will explain — his new book is, “Supreme Inequality: The Supreme Court’s Fifty-Year Battle for a More Unjust America.”
Plus: a new episode of “The Children’s Hour” with Amy Wilenz, stories about Ivanka, Jared, Don Junior, and little Eric–boy are those kids in trouble this week! Amy of course is our Chief Jared Correspondent—and was just awarded a Guggenheim fellowship.
5-14-2020