On today's “In the News” roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell and Esther Iverem discuss the roots of exploding poverty from Alabama to the Bronx, Biden's pick for Secretary of Defense, the hidden U.S. war in Somalia, new government failures on the Covid-19 front, a remembrance of murdered Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, and more.

PLUS: Leonardo Flores joins the show to talk about the far-reaching significance of the results of Venezuela's parliamentary elections on December 6 and what to expect from the incoming Biden Administration regarding U.S.-Venezuela relations.