Gaza Bombing Continues; Afghanistan Violence; Whistleblowers Persecuted

Political Misfits

Marvin Weinbaum, Director of Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute, talks to us about the renewed wave of violence in Afghanistan after the U.S. set a September 2021 withdrawal date, with multiple bombings in recent weeks that have left dozens killed and hundreds injured, whether it was a wise decision to postpone the withdrawal, and whether this is one of the drivers of this bout of violent attacks. We also talk about the role other countries and regional and international organizations could play in the future of the country once the U.S. departs.
Mohamed El-Maazi, freelance journalist and contributor to numerous outlets including Jacobin, The Canary and The Electronic Intifada, joins us to talk about authorities using the charge of terrorism to quell activism and dissent in one case where the group Palestine Action spray-painted the walls of the offices of a Israeli weapons manufacturer. We also talk about the current state of UK domestic terrorism laws, the controversy over a new policing bill, and the case of Craig Murray, who was sentenced to eight months in prison this week for contempt of court over his blogging about the trial of former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond.
Eleanor Goldfield, creative activist and journalist, co-host of the podcast Common Censored along with Lee Camp, talks to us about her most recent film “Hard Road of Hope,” the idea of hope, about how we, as activists and as witnesses, must keep the spirit of hope to continue our long and difficult fight against rapacious capitalism, displacement, and oppression, and her new music and spoken word projects that interrogate the idea of the U.S. as a nation of immigrants that omits its record of genocide and settler colonialism.
David Shams, author and founder of Bourbon and Chai, joins our Foul Play segment to talk about the winning horse of this year’s Kentucky Derby failing the post-race drug test, Albert Pujols being released from the Angels and whether this means the end of his career, and the Oakland Athletics’ stadium woes.