Hazmat Hotel

Come November, if Trump loses, can Americans rely on law enforcement to ensure a peaceful and seamless transition of power? Hazmat Hotel host Lea Goldman talks to national security expert and CNN analyst Asha Rangappa, a senior lecturer at the Yale Institute for Global Affairs, about the disturbing questions surrounding the 2020 presidential election.  A former FBI counterintelligence agent and now a CNN analyst, Rangappa specializes in disinformation and democracy: How is Russia using white nationalism to further its goals in the west? Is the FBI still monitoring our president's relationship with the Kremlin? Is social media an actual threat to national security?  Is it time to reconsider lifetime appointments for federal judges?  For anyone concerned about the rule of law, this is a can't miss episode. 

#Coronavirus #elections #FBI #nationalsecurity #disinformation 

Coronavirus and the resulting economic fallout have decimated jobs around the country.  And while both presidential candidates are promising a recovery, the communities hardest hit by the pandemic could be excluded from seeing any stimulus unless more black experts have a seat at the table, according to Michigan State University economics professor Lisa D. Cook. Hazmat Hotel host Lea Goldman talks to Dr. Cook about the cost of racism to our economy: why the stock market is soaring despite historic unemployment; what the lack of diversity at the Fed and in other key policy roles means for black communities; and how institutional racism stifles vital economic research that could help shepherd us through these challenging times. 

#coronavirus #economy #FederalReserve #unemployment #BLM #BlackLivesMatter 

Former CNN anchor turned media critic Soledad O'Brien has become the conscience of media,  an unwavering (and unrelenting) critic of the failures of journalists and outlets overwhelmed by the Trump misinformation machine. On this episode of Hazmat Hotel, she sounds off on why cable news is blowing it (again). With trademark candor and unsparing bite, she explains why reporters are insinuating themselves into their coverage at the expense of their credibility; why media should preempt live coverage of White House press briefings, even as millions of Americans tune in to them; and what cable news gimmicks have become the "first person essays" of the media world. What will media will look like in a post-Trump world? Soledad has a few ideas.  

#coronavirus #covid19 #media #WhiteHouse #WhiteHouseCorrespondents #pressbriefings #Trump #journalism #cablenews

Hazmat Hotel host Lea Goldman talks to Tony-nominated director Sheryl Kaller (Bliss, Mothers and Sons, Next Fall) about the fallout from coronavirus on the theater world, both in New York and the rest of the country.  When will the curtains rise again—and will the tourists return when Broadway does?  Can Zoom ever approximate a live theater experience? If the NBA and other leagues resume their seasons minus the fans, can Broadway do the same? What long-term impact will this crisis have on an industry already operating on the thinnest of margins? A frank talk with one of the community's most vocal advocates. 

#coronavirus #covid19 #broadway #theater #TonyAwards #liveentertainment #actorsequity

Hazmat Hotel host Lea Goldman talks to bioethicist Beth Roxland, the former Executive Director of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, which was responsible for the state's much-discussed Ventilator Allocation Guidelines. Roxland unpacks the guidelines, how they came to be and what they actually entail. As Covid-19 ravages New York, how do doctors and hospitals decide who comes first when the state's most in-demand resource becomes scarce? And is it fair to prioritize certain segments of the population—the young, parents, first responders—in a catastrophe?

#coronavirus #covid19 #ventilators #bioethics #Cuomo #NewYork