WZBC 90.3 FM Newton

Moira Birss: As Fire Consumes Amazon Rainforest, World Must Demand Action and Accountability; Jeff Carter: New US-Russia Nuclear Arms Race is Both Dangerous and Costly; OJ Semans: Nation’s 1st Indigenous Presidential Candidate Forum Draws 10 Democrats; Bob Nixon: This Week’s Under-reported News Summary.

"An article in the New Republic about this month’s historic Native American Presidential Forum ends by citing OJ Semans, who says the event was ultimately less about the candidates than about the 5 million Natives across the country, and the possibility of their seeing government as representing rather than oppressing them. Also: The saying that journalism is the first draft of history serves to underscore the harm of misremembering, as the New York Times did recently with a look back on the Tea Party that presented it as a sincere, homespun effort to 'tame' federal deficits and 'hold Washington accountable.'"

"Single stream." How many knew that that slick phrase was used to launch a colossal scam? Its purveyors intentions? Sell the concept of cheap and easy recycling, shovel mountains of unsorted trash into 3rd world countries, monopolize the industry, and when the balloon bursts, apply the screws. We now take a closer look at where our so-called "single stream" waste has been going. Did you know that most paper milk cartons in this country are plastic-lined and therefore end up in landfills? Or that plastics 3 thru 7 won't recycle? Or even that 15% of the paper we ship to China for recycling doesn’t actually get recycled? Mark Murray, Executive Director of Californians Against Waste, reveals the garbage in our global garbage systems and suggests major changes.

"Today, more than 30 million Americans still dont have health insurance and even more are underinsured. Even for those with insurance, costs are so high that medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. Incredibly, we spend significantly far more of our national GDP on this inadequate health care system per person than any other major country. And despite doing so, Americans have worse health outcomes and a higher infant mortality rate than countries that spend much less on health care. Because Medicare for All or what has also been referred to as single-payer system is so much in the news, we're bringing you a live explainer with our experts. They'll discuss the current Medicare program. And what about coverage for long-term care expenses and coverage of hearing, dental, vision or foot care? And what's wrong with expanding ObamaCare? ..."

Expressive therapy is what Khitam Edelbi does in the West Bank of Palestine, where communities face daily Israeli oppression. Especially their children have a need to develop themselves artistically in the face of that oppression. She discusses her experience in the Negev bedouin community, where residents are constantly attacked, pushed around, and harassed by Israeli forces. Then we hear our friend Max Blumenthal, who lays out the massive tactics including intimidation that trap American politicians into abject submission, voting to send ever more taxpayer money to pay, equip, and bolster the Israeli military juggernaut, and to condemn BDS.

Quoting from the blurb of this semi-liberal mainstream source: "In December, Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned in protest after President Trump announced plans to withdraw troops from Syria. [Horrors! We all know he shouldn't do that! Right?] As the last "adult in the room" at the White House, critics [translation: Mattis's admirers] worried his departure would loosen the president’s behavior even further. Days after the news broke though, Christmas and the government shutdown pushed Mattis’ resignation into the background. Now, nine months later, he’s beginning to speak publicly again. ..."

Barry Sweeney is a member of the Board of Directors of World BEYOND War (founded by Swanson), based mainly in Ireland. This episode focuses on two subjects. First, improper use of Shannon Airport by American war planes on their way to help Saudi "leaders" rain bombs continuously on Yemen. Sweeney points out that Ireland is a neutral country. Its people don't want those planes landing in Ireland, or to be complicit in America's genocidal behavior. Second, a discussion of details about World Beyond War's antiwar international conference, NOWar2019, in Limerick, Ireland, on October 5 and 6, 2019. Sweeney mentions that conference proceedings will be streamed live on Facebook and subsequently posted on youtube.

"President Donald Trump has reportedly been complaining up a storm about having to represent the United States at this week’s meeting of the G7 in Biarritz, France. It’s hard to blame him, really. He hates it when he can’t sleep in his own bed or at one of his own resorts. Plus the Europeans don’t like him very much. He was greeted upon arrival by French President Emmanuel Macron, who pestered him at an impromptu lunch about climate change and other issues, such as inequality, that Trump doesn’t care about. ..."