How Hospitals Profit Off of COVID; Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale Pleads Guilty

Political Misfits

John Kiriakou, former CIA analyst and co-host of the Backstory here on Radio Sputnik daily from 4-6 pm EST, joins us to talk about the case of Daniel Hale, the former intelligence analyst who pled guilty to violating the Espionage Act and who now faces up to 10 years in prison for leaking information about the U.S. drone program. We discuss the background of his case, and how certain media outlets put whistleblowers in danger of prosecution by the national security state through negligence and lack of journalistic rigor. We also talk about the current state of the drone program and whether it will be scaled down under Biden or ramped up again.
Ahsan Butt, associate professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, tells us about the United Arab Emirates playing an important role in the February 25 ceasefire between India and Pakistan, how well the ceasefire is holding and what we could see in future negotiations and what concessions could be made. We also talk about a surge in COVID infections and deaths in India, including a double mutant strain, and how both countries are handling the pandemic and vaccination plans.
Dan Lazare, journalist and author of “The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, the Supreme Court, and the Decline of American Democracy,” talks to us about updates on the January 6th Capitol riots and the the increasing number of arrests and charges, reports that FBI agents recruited a Proud Boys leader as an informant,, and how rich hospitals got richer during the pandemic. We also talk about Biden’s new infrastructure plan and whether it will be enough to fix our decades-long neglect in public investment.
Tiana Caldwell, leader and board president for KC Tenants, joins hosts Michelle Witte and Bob Schlehuber on our weekly “Trends with Benefits” segment to talk about recent victories for tenants in Kansas City, including a “tenants bill of rights” and funding for the office of the tenant advocate, and what the future holds for tenant organizing in the country.
The Misfits also talk about the new lockdown in France, and new stumbling blocks in U.S. vaccine distribution.