Listen to this segment
Listen to the entire program
Uprising’s guest expert Rahul Mahajan sociologist and news analyst and author of Full Spectrum Dominance: US Power in Iraq and Beyond, analyzes today’s news headlines:
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani acknowledges the Jewish holocaust at the United Nations General Assembly. Iran’s new president has set himself apart from his predecessor in several ways, not the least of which is his acknowledgement yesterday in an interview to CNN during this week’s UN meeting that the Nazi genocide of Jews was “reprehensible and condemnable.” In his speech to the General Assembly, Rouhani reiterated Iran’s commitment against nuclear weapons and condemned the US use of sanctions on Iran as well as drones in other parts of the Middle East and Asia. For his part, President Obama stated that he would pursue a new diplomatic relationship with Iran. Click here for an RT.com article about the story.
In another surprising move away from warfare, Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that he plans to sign the United Nations Treaty on Conventional Arms Trade today. The US, which is the world’s number one weapons exporter, will sign the agreement over the vehement objects of the NRA. Amnesty International calls the treaty “a milestone towards ending the flow of conventional arms that fuel atrocities and abuse.” Signing the treaty would enable the US to pressure Russia over arms sales to Syria. Click here for a Washington Post article about the story.
The game of political football over Obamacare and a government spending bill continued in the capital today with Republican Senator Ted Cruz attempting a filibuster-like delaying tactic. Cruz has been talking non-stop at the podium in protest of the Affordable Care Act even as the Senate readies itself for a vote in a few hours to fund the government past the September 30th deadline without any cuts to the healthcare reform law. Click here for a USA Today article about the story.