Blinken on Human Rights; Cash Bail in America; Multilateralism under Biden

Political Misfits

Rania Khalek, producer and host for Breakthrough News, and contributor to Truthout, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Al Jazeera America, The Nation, Salon, and others, joins us to talk about Anthony Blinken’s statements at the UN Security Council regarding human rights, with a particular emphasis on the situation in Syria, how this alleged concern obfuscates the situation on the ground, and how it is more reflective of realpolitik concerns over influence in the region while ignoring domestic basic human rights issues.
Chris Jenkins, journalist, filmmaker, political strategist, and creator of the documentary “Trapped: Cash Bail in America,” joins us in a conversation about the state of cash bail in the country, the California Supreme Court saying courts cannot require cash bail payments as a condition of release before trial, how this a step forward but is only part of a huge repressive apparatus that includes financial indebtedness and significant disparities in sentencing, surveillance and policing between black and white communities.
John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, talks to us about his recent article on multilateralism in the Biden administration, how this claim to be reaching out to international institutions represents a continuity and not a break in U.S. foreign policy, constituting an a la carte multilateralism: engaging when it’s convenient and acting unilaterally when it is not. We also talk about potential directions U.S. policy may take in the future regarding its global military footprint, China, Russia, Latin America, and regional alliances.
Bryan Weaver, founder and founder and executive director of Hoops Sagrado, joins our Foul Play segment to talk about the NCAA entering into its final four, including men’s and women’s basketball, the efforts by organizers to minimize virus spread in the tournament, the extension of the NFL season, and the digitalization of NBA trading cards.
The Misfits also talk about Florida representative Matt Gaetz being investigated by the Justice Department for sexual misconduct, roadblocks in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and details coming out about the American Jobs Plan.