3180 - Trudeau vs. Modi Explained; AIPAC Attacks Black Democrats w/ Ashan Butt, Akela Lacy

Happy Monday! Emma speaks with Ahsan Butt, associate professor of international studies at George Mason University, to discuss the recent schism in relations between Canada and India over the purported assassination of a Sikh separatist in British Columbia. Then, she speaks with Akela Lacy, politics reporter at The Intercept, to discuss her recent piece entitled "AIPAC TARGETS BLACK DEMOCRATS — WHILE THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS STAYS SILENT." First, Emma runs through updates on the WGA strike, labor action with the postal union and UAW, the GOP’s government shutdown, the candidacy of Donald Trump, Rep. Menendez’s corruption, DOL child labor investigations, investment in the US Railroads, and an influx in Armenia refugees, before watching Matt Gaetz take Kevin McCarthy head on (via Maria Bartiromo). Professor Ahsan Butt then gets right into outlining the big picture of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s developing allegations against the Indian government and Narendra Modi, walking through the supposed charges (the murder of a Sikh Canadian citizen on Canadian soil), and why India believes they can carry out such an action on the international stage. Next, Professor Butt steps back and walks Emma through the history of Sikh separatism, India’s tensions with separatism as a whole, and why Prime Minister Modi chose to reignite an issue after decades of minimal conflict. After briefly diving into the background of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh dissident assassinated, Emma and Professor Ahsan walk through the evolving stances of Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden, and their respective governments. Akela Lacy and Emma then parse through AIPAC’s targeting of Black progressives with Democratic primaries, looking at the PAC’s overwhelming investment in challengers (and threatening challengers) to progressive congresspeople, and the prevalence this takes in challenges against Black Democrats. Next, Lacy parses through AIPAC’s ties to Democratic and Congressional Black Caucus leadership, particularly members like Jim Clyburn and Hakeem Jeffries, as they assess why the CBC has been drastically less proactive in supporting Black incumbents than they have for white Democrats challenged by Black progressives. They wrap up by exploring the future of progressive candidacies in Congress, and what the Democratic leadership’s ties to AIPAC mean moving forward.

And in the Fun Half: Emma talks with Dan from Oceanside about bolstering affordable transportation, Custodial Artist joins the discourse on Fetterman’s fits, and AOC brings an important perspective to the immigration debate. Brett Baier flaunts using his platform to further the agenda of Saudi Arabia’s bloodthirsty tyrant, Richard from Houston highlights a rising progressive congressional candidate, and the UAW’s strike continues to barrel forward. Senator John Kennedy gets schooled on caring about kids, David Brooks defends his ernest political satire, and the right starts understanding the unpopularity of its abortion stance, plus, your calls and IMs!

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Check out Akela's reporting here: https://theintercept.com/2023/09/21/aipac-cbc-progressive-black-democrats/

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