Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. 

– President Obama’s State of the Union address, last week, marked the start of the Twilight of his presidency. We spoke with South Carolina activist and author Kevin Alexander Gray, editor of the book, “Killing Trayvons: An Anthologoy of American Violence.” Gray says Obama is still a skilled performer.

- In his State of the Union Address, Obama said that no country in the world dares to threaten the United States. But, if nobody is threatening the U.S., then why is America making war against so many people. We put that question to Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist for Black Agenda Report.

- Cynthia McKinney ran against President Obama on the Green Party ticket in 2008. The former six-term congresswoman from Georgia recently earned her Phd for Leadership and Change, from Antioch College. McKinney wrote her dissertation on the late Venezuelan socialist leader Hugo Chavez. She appeared recently on peace activist David Swanson’s Talk Nation radio program, and was asked if there was any real difference between Obama and George Bush’s policies towards Venezuela.

- The poor island nation of Haiti is scheduled to hold another round of elections on January 24th. The problem is, almost nobody wants the vote to happen except the candidate for the ruling party, backed by the United States. The first round of elections, held last year, were widely viewed as rigged. However, the United States is demanding that the presidential vote go ahead, without fixing the process. Jake Johnston, a researcher for the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research, says Haitians refuse to tolerate another fraudulent election.

- The Democratic Republic of Congo will hold elections, later this year, although it is not clear if President Joseph Kabila will run for a third term. At least six million Congolese have died as a result of invasions of the country by U.S. allies Uganda and Rwanda, and now the U.S. is fomenting regime change in neighboring Burundi. According to Kambale Musavuli, of Friends of Congo, the U.S. has conspired against the Congo for more than a century.