Living in the USA

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s parts of the US reopened their economies, the Trump Administration defunded the W.H.O., and Dr. Micheal Osterholm reminded that the point of flattening the curve was not to keep everyone from getting the virus, it was to spread-out the infection-rate over time – Mike Davis reports.
Next up, we talk with David Dayen of the American Prospect about the need to save the United States Postal Service; he also reports on reasons for the shortage of hospital beds in New York City, the US healthcare system on the whole and Medicare for all.
Plus, John Powers of NPR’s Fresh Air makes his recommendations for virus-time TV watching.  5-7-2020

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Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says the US has “one of the poorest systems of unemployment insurance in the world”—and that our number one priority should be to keep workers connected to their jobs. His book “People, Power and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent” is out now in paperback, with a new preface.
Plus: Harold Meyerson has today’s update in the politics of the coronavirus–and we also talk about about the future of labor after the pandemic.
Also: Katrina vanden Heuvel reports on solidarity with the front-line workers fighting the virus—starting in New York, where people cheer hospital workers coming off their shifts at 7pm every night.
Finally: Where’s Paul Krassner when we need him? 4-30-2020

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Mike Davis argues that the coronavirus crisis is bringing about the fragmentation of Europe and the marginalization of the WHO; he also considers the danger to Africa, and whether China will emerge less powerful in the world economy because of the rise of economic nationalism. Mike wrote about the avian flu in ‘The Monster at Our Door.’
Plus Harold Meyerson comments on southern states reopening for business–and also surveys the possible Democratic candidates for vice president.
Also Barbara Ehrenreich reports on her experiment in trying to survive on low wage work. Her classic essay “Nickel and Dimed,” is the lead piece in her new book, a collection of essays titled Had I Known. We recorded this interview when her book Nickel and Dimed was published, in 2002.  4/22/20

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Despite massive Republican efforts to prevent Democrats from voting in the Wisconsin primary, the Democrats won–by a huge margin. John Nichols explains how they did it — and the implications for November.
Also: Harold Meyerson comments on Bernie’s endorsement of Biden on Sunday – and the skepticism of some of Bernie’s supporters about Biden, as well as the apparent reluctance of some progressive leaders to join Bernie in the endorsement.  4-16-2020

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Republicans forced Wisconsin to go ahead with an election on Tuesday, despite the coronavirus, after rejecting the proposals to extend voting by mail. John Nichols reports — he says it’s a frightening example of what they will try to do in November to reduce the Democratic vote.
Also: The Cold War was fought in many ways: it was a traditional political and military confrontation, but it was also a cultural contest, on a global scale –
and one of the most important arenas in the cultural contest was sports. historian Robert Edelman explains: he’s co-editor of the new book The Whole World Was Watching: Sport in the Cold War.”
Plus: Nation columnist Laila Lalami talks about her novel “The Other Americans.” it’s about the suspicious death of a Moroccan immigrant in a small town in California. It’s a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story. And it’s out now in paperback.  4-10-2020

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Harold Meyerson reports that Republicans in the Senate voted against expanded unemployment benefits almost unanimously. And the bailout support for big banks and corporations has many fewer restrictions than the small business funding support. But moments of crisis are also moments of opportunity, and number one on the Dem’s list should be Medicare for All.
Also: E. J. Dionne, the Washington Post columnist, talks about what it’s going to take to beat Trump in the Age of the Coronavirus – his new book is called “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country.”
Also, Katha Pollitt has some advice about how to spend all those hours at home – watching movies on TV — and reading the classics.
And finally, the great Gail Collins of the New York Times op-ed page talks about the adventures of older women. Her book, “No Stopping us Now,” is out in paperback. 4/2/20

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David Dayen of The American Prospect analyzes all the ways the economic stimulus bill passed by the Senate rewards the big corporations and doesn’t do enough, or won’t work well enough, for the unemployed, small businesses, and everybody hoping to receive a direct payment. David writes “Unsanitized” daily at Prospect.org.
Also: Paul Krugman, the New York Times columnist and Nobel-prize winning economist, says that we don’t have an easy way of responding to the economic threats posed by the corona-virus, and that Trump’s preoccupation with the stock market is a big mistake.
And we have 20 minutes without Trump: a conversation with Rebecca Solnit about how she became a writer and a feminist, growing up in San Francisco in the eighties. her new book, a memoir, is called “Recollections of my Nonexistence.”  3/26/20

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Melina Abdullah, a founder of Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles (she’s also Professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA), talks about how the coronavirus raises new issues for Black Lives Matter–while the old ones remain vital–and how it also changes the forms for organizing protest. Also: the campaign to defeat Jackie Lacey as District Attorney in LA.   3-19-2020

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Trump’s Oval Office TV address on the coronavirus was followed by the biggest losses in the stock market since 2008. Meanwhile, the House Democrats have proposed a bill that includes paid sick leave, food assistance, and other measures to help wage workers through this pandemic. Will the Republicans pass it? Harold Meyerson comments.
Next up: Can Joe Biden recruit Bernie’s young voters? Also, we need congress to fund a universal vote-by-mail system now: what might the Republican party do about that? Jeet Heer of the Nation magazine comments.
Plus: Fifteen minutes without Trump: Historian Adam Hochschild on his new biography, “Rebel Cinderella: From Rags to Riches to Radical, the Epic Journey of Rose Pastor Stokes”. 3-16-2020

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Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect says “electability” trumped (no pun intended) both the ground games and the air games of the candidates–so that the one without a ground game OR an air game came out on top.
plus: The Nation has endorsed Bernie, AND his movement–D.D. Guttenplan, editor of the magazine, explains.
also: Joan Walsh talks about the significance of Elizabeth Warren’s defeat — and what Bernie should do next.
3/5/20