Political Misfits Discussion of UK Russian Hacking Report (7/21/2010)

Lebanon Crisis Worsens; UK Report Targets Russia; Trump Sending Federal Agents to Chicago

Dr. Hicham Safieddine, professor of the history of the modern Middle East at King’s College London, has the latest on Lebanon's economic woes. Lebanon has not been spared in the coronavirus crisis, but unluckily for the country, the virus hit amid a slowly building economic crisis that seems to have suddenly hit the gas over the past few months, with electricity being cut to a few hours a day, food prices rising so high and so fast that they’re going beyond the reach of some citizens, the Lebanese pound losing 80% of its value over the course of the last year and the country’s banks and citizens running out of foreign currency. That Lebanon is in a serious crisis seems beyond doubt. But how did the country get here?

Jim Kavanagh, political analyst, commentator and editor of The Polemicist, breaks down a British report targeting Russia. The UK Parliament's cross-party Intelligence and Security Committee has issued a report saying in part that "the UK took its 'eye off the ball' in relation to Russia's attempts to meddle in British politics and deliberately 'glossed over' allegations of a Kremlin-sponsored influence campaign during the Brexit referendum," CNN reported Tuesday. Some are saying that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government does not want to reveal what truly took place, while the report said that "British intelligence agencies didn't investigate as they did not see the security of [the] UK voting process as part of their role because they feared the issue was a 'hot potato,'" CNN noted. What do we make of this?
[Related articles: Investigation Nation: Mueller, Russiagate, and Fake Politics, Be Careful What You Ask For: Wasting Time with Manafort, Cohen, and Russiagate]

Jamal "DJ One Luv" Muhammad, host of the Love Lounge radio show on Square1Radio.com, dropped by to talk about Trump sending federal agents to Chicago this week in an attempt to combat violence in the city. Will it quell the uprising or add fuel to the movement? The Chicago Tribune reports that the Department of Homeland Security plans to deploy about 150 agents to assist other federal law enforcement officers and Chicago police. On Monday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot sent Trump a letter which "detailed ways the federal government could help the city to reduce violence, including gun safety reform, public safety support, community outreach and community investment," the Associated Press reported. Is the administration tone-deaf to the issues really plaguing the country?

My segment starts ~45:00
Listen to "Lebanon Crisis Worsens; UK Report Targets Russia; Trump Sending Federal Agents to Chicago" on Spreaker.

Political Misfits with hosts Hosts Bob Schlehuber and Michelle Witte brings you news, politics and culture ‒ without the red and blue treatment. We aim to facilitate constructive conversations that take new looks at the stories and topics that mean a lot to us, including corporate misconduct, anti-war efforts, climate change, political hypocrisy, poverty, pop culture, electoral politics and much, much more. (Introduction above is theirs, with related articles of mine referenced in brackets.)