Today on Sojourner Truth, our weekly roundtable discussion.
We discuss the implications and consequences of the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He was taken out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London by British police, where he lived for the last seven years. He is awaiting possible extradition to the United States, where he is being charged with conspiring to crack a code that would allow illegal access to a Pentagon computer. Some are expecting that more charges will be filed by the United States against Assange. Meanwhile, U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said that Assange should not be extradited. What does the shift to the right of governments in Central and Latin America have to do with the arrest of Assange? In particular, the change of government in Ecuador?
Also, we return to turmoil in the Middle East with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu winning re-election by forming a coalition with extreme right-wing forces. What will this mean for Palestinians, Iran and the entire region? What role did Donald Trump's administration play in his re-election? Continued attacks with charges of "anti-semitism" against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and moves by the U.S. Congress to equate the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement against Israeli policies towards Palestinians with "anti-semitism."
Why are some calling U.S. Attorney General Bob Barr "Trump's mouthpiece" and "the most dangerous man in America?" What has happened to what we are taught are supposed to be checks and balances among the three branches of government? Are they broken or functioning as outlined in the U.S. Constitution? Why should any of us believe in the ability of the federal government to implement these checks and balances? Does all of this call into question what democracy actually means in the United States today?
Our panelists are Laura Carlsen, Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Gerald Horne.
