Background Briefing: March 21, 2024
Can the Public Own Giant Tech Companies Who Operate as Monopolies?
We begin with the DOJ’s antitrust suit against Apple and explore the possibility of public ownership of the giant tech companies that operate as monopolies and control much of what we interact with socially, politically and economically. Joining us is Nathan Schneider, a Professor of media studies and the founder of the Media Economies Design Lab at The University of Colorado Boulder, where his research focuses on models for democratic ownership and governance for online platforms and protocols. He is the author of four books, including Everything for Everyone: The Radical Tradition that Is Shaping the Next Economy and, most recently, Governable Spaces: Democratic Design for Online Life.
In a Major Shift, the U.S. Drafts a U.N. Resolution for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza and a Hostage Deal
Then we examine the major shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Israel with the U.S. drafting a U.N. resolution not to protect Israel, but to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage deal. Joining us is Thomas Mockaitis, a Professor of History at DePaul University who has taught counter-terrorism courses for the past 13 years at venues around the world as part of the U.S. Department of Defense Counter-terrorism Fellowship Program. He is the author of 6 books including ‘New’ Terrorism: Myths and Reality, Violent Extremists: Understanding the Domestic and International Terrorist Threat and Iraq and the Challenge of Counterinsurgency. We discuss his article at The Hill, “Schumer is right: Netanyahu, Hamas and Abbas must go.”
The Ethical Obligation to Warn the Public About Trump’s Dementia
Then finally we assess the ethical obligation to warn the public mental health professionals have in observing that Donald Trump (not Joe Biden) is showing unmistakable signs indicating dementia which his father Fred Trump suffered from. Joining us is Lance Dodes, a Training and Supervising Analyst Emeritus with the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute who was a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Dodes is a contributor along with 36 other Psychiatrists and Mental Health experts who have contributed to the book assessing President Trump, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President – Updated and Expanded with New Essays.