Mike Davis: The Problem with Dr. Fauci; plus Amy Wilentz on Ivanka, and Debbie Nathan on Rembering Sandra Bland

Listen HERE
Mike Davis argues that, while Dr. Anthony Fauci has been handed a golden opportunity to speak truth to power, America’s most respected doctor remains a team player in an administration bent on disaster.
Also: another episode of The Children’s Hour—Amy Wilentz with stories about Ivanka, Jared, Don Jr., and little Eric. This week, Ivanka is in trouble for wearing a mask—and Don Jr.’s girlfriend tests positive.
Plus: Black Lives Matter: Sandra Bland’s was one of them. This week is the fifth anniversary of the death of 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. (This segment originally broadcast in April, 2016). 7-8-2020

Why the US is the World’s Sickest Country: Harold Meyerson; plus Ella Taylor on ‘Perry Mason” and Sandra Bland Remembered

Listen HERE
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

Venice vs. the LAPD: in 1969, and L.A. Now: LA Times op-ed

July 4, 1969, was a day of festive parades and picnics across Southern California: Pacific Palisades had its annual “Americanism” parade, the West Covina parade had two Vietnam vets for its grand marshals and Claremont had an “Old Tyme Parade.”
Venice didn’t have a parade at all.
continued at LATimes, HERE

Jody Armour and Allyssa Richardson on “Set the Night on Fire” and “L.A. Protest, Past and Present”

“L.A. Protest Past & Present: From the Watts Rebellion to the Black Lives Matter Movement Today”, hosted by the USC Annenberg Center. With Law School prof Jody Armour, Annenberg school faculty Allyssa Richardson, discussing “Set the Night on Fire: L..A. in the Sixties” with Mike Davis and me, and a special appearance by Norman Lear. Attendees will be able to buy the books at 50% off from Verso Books. You can RSVP HERE.

Defund—and Disarm—the Police: Kelly Lytle Hernandez, D.D. Guttenplan, and Zoë Carpenter

Listen HERE
Defunding the police and re-imagining public safety—in Los Angeles—starts with the LAPD, but includes the sheriffs, the school police, and the UCLA police force. Kelly Lytle Hernandez comments—she’s a professor of history at UCLA, she wrote City of Inmates, a history of the LA jails, and she’s the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant.
Also: it’s time to disarm the police. They didn’t always carry guns, and there are other big cities in the world where most cops are NOT armed—like London. D.D. Guttenplan, editor of The Nation, explains.
Also: Black Lives Matter protests are everywhere, even the most unlikely places: for example, 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.” Nation contributing writer Zoë Carpenter reports.  7/2/2020

The Coronavirus Spike: David Dayen; Michelle Goodwin: Racism in Mpls.; Ella Taylor: “Babylon Berlin”

Listen HERE
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

How Racism Works in a Liberal Democratic City: Michele Goodwin, plus Mia Birdsong on abolishing the police

Listen HERE
Michele Goodwin talks about her experiences of racism in daily life in Minneapolis—before she became Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California Irvine. Also: removing statues from the Capitol Building honoring traitors and defenders of slavery—there’s one that’s been overlooked: Chief Justice Roger B. Taney.
Plus: In the current mobilization around Black lives, everyone can do something, even if it’s not marching in the streets—Mia Birdsong explains. She’s the host of  The Nation’s podcast More Than Enough, about universal basic income, and her TED talk has been viewed almost two million times. Now she has a new book out—it’s called How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community.  6/18/2020

Trump After Tulsa: Harold Meyerson; The Police vs. The People: Robin Kelley; Bad Cops in Movies: Ella Taylor

Listen HERE
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

The Protests, the Police, and Juneteenth: Robin Kelley, plus Dahlia Lithwick on Trump

Listen HERE
Juneteenth, a day of celebration and reflection for African Americans, is particularly significant in this season of protest and demands for change by Black Lives Matter. Historian Robin Kelley comments.
Also: The great thing about the protests of the past month is not just that they have been so massive, so sustained, so diverse, so inspiring—the best thing is that they are NOT about Trump. That’s what Dahlia Lithwick says—she hosts Slate’s podcast “Amicus.”  6-17-2020