FEATURING ZOILAMÉRICA ORTEGA MURILLO – A new documentary called simply Exiled explores the disturbing story of what happened to Nicaragua’s First Daughter, Zoilamerica Ortega Murillo, adoptive daughter of Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinista revolution and the current President of Nicaragua. The documentary outlines the story that she has been telling for years of how her stepfather sexually abused and raped her. 

The film works in two time frames, the past, using archival footage, from the time Zoilamérica made her accusation in 1998, and the present, in 2016, when she is forced into exile in Costa Rica, as Daniel Ortega runs for the presidency for the fourth time with the unconditional support of Zoilamerica’s mother and Ortega’s running mate.

Watch the film’s trailer here: https://www.exiliadafilm.com.

Zoilamérica Ortega Murillo, step daughter of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, living in exile in Costa Rica.

the latest Democratic Presidential debate took place on Sunday evening in Washington DC hosted by CNN and Univision with no live audience. The top two frontrunners in the race, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders predictably sparred over the issue of the coronavirus that has led to vast swathes of the nation being shut down. When asked what he would do as President, Sanders had harsh words for the current occupant of the White House. Mr. Sanders, who has been the most vocal proponent of a Medicare-for-All system, highlighted the need for systemic change while his opponent Mr. Biden suggested that the healthcare crisis had nothing to do with Medicare for All. The conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal commented the day after the debate that Biden’s more recent policy proposals, “Show How [the] Party’s Center Has Shifted Left,” and that, “Many Democratic proposals now described as moderate are more liberal than those of Clinton or Obama.” On Tuesday, four more states will vote in the primaries including Ohio, Arizona, Illinois, and Florida. 

The spread of the coronavirus on a global scale has forced many parts of the nation to shut down as the public is urged to self-quarantine. President Donald Trump, who had been in direct contact with an individual who later tested positive for the virus, took a test himself and announced that it was negative. The White House has reportedly put into place protocols to screen staff and reporters using temperature checks. Senator Lindsey Graham who had self-quarantined after also coming into contact with an infected person has tested negative. Daniel Goldman, the lead attorney for the House Impeachment effort has tested positive. Meanwhile Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become the face of the Trump administration’s response to the Coronavirus has said he would like to see a 14-day national shutdown to prevent the spread of the disease. He explained in an interview, “if it looks like you’re overreacting, you’re probably doing the right thing.” His words came as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new national guidelines against gatherings of 50 people or more for 8 weeks. President Trump’s message has contradicted his own administration’s recommendations, saying on Sunday at a White House Press briefing, “Relax, we’re doing great…It all will pass.”

Over the weekend attempts at social distancing were hampered at US airports as Trump’s latest travel ban resulted in massive delays and crowds of travelers were forced to wait in line for hours at about a ...

FEATURING CHUCK COLLINS – As President Trump declares a National Emergency over the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and readies a bipartisan aid package to provide relief, the big question arises: will the government once more prioritize help for the wealthiest individuals and institutions over the needs of the public?

Author Naomi Klein termed it “the Shock Doctrine.” If past crises are any indication, it is to be expected that the corporate stranglehold of our political system will ensure that banks and profitable industries will weather the Covid-19 storm even as ordinary American lose jobs and homes and accrue unsustainable debt. 

Chuck Collins, senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies where he directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good. He has written a number of books including 99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do About It, and Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good.

FEATURING DAVID ENRICH – One of the world’s largest and most successful banks, Deutchebank, has a history that is as sordid as one can imagine. The same bank that has loaned the Trump Organization billions of dollars has bene implicated in aiding terrorist regimes and defrauding investors. Now, that story is told in a remarkable new book.

David Enrich is the Finance Editor at the New York Times. He previously was the Financial Enterprise Editor of the Wall Street Journal, heading a team of investigative reporters. His new book is Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction.

The reality of the global coronavirus pandemic has hit the United States full force and across the country communities are implementing so-called “social distancing” measures as President Donald Trump declares a national emergency. Trump will be invoking the “Stafford Act” which apparently allows Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster responses. His emergency declaration also enables him to access $40 billion of funds allocated by Congress. The move came after leading healthcare groups including the American Hospital Association and the American Nurses Association publicly called for it.

Meanwhile the state of Louisiana became the first to postpone its primary election which was set to take place on April 4th. Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio will be voting in primaries on Tuesday March 17th and as of this recording those primaries are still on. The next Presidential debate, featuring the top two front runners, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, is still scheduled for this Sunday but has been moved from Phoenix, Arizona to Washington DC. Both campaigns have moved to the digital realm asking their staffers to telecommute. 

Trump on Friday announced his administration has awarded $1.3 million to two companies to speed up the development of virus testing kits. Trump explained on Twitter that, “The changes have been made and testing will soon happen on a very large scale basis. All Red Tape has been cut, ready to go!” He also slammed his own government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which has taken the lead in the fight against the infections. Trump said the CDC has, “always be inadequate and slow for a large scale pandemic.” The number of tests being conducted across the country is incredibly low with states testing fewer than 100 people a day and the CDC testing about 77 over the entire week. Meanwhile on Thursday California Representative Katie Porter at a hearing challenged CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield to use his authority to make virus testing free to all Americans, doing the math in full view.

As of Friday morning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House were reportedly near an agreement on a bill to tackle the impact of the coronavirus. The Associated Press explained that, “Central to that effort is free testing for the virus and guaranteed sick pay for workers who are taking time away from jobs, along with an infusion of dollars to handle unemployment benefits and boost food programs for children, families and seniors.” The bill will be an aid package that complements the $8.3 billion bill passed earlier to deal with the virus.

FEATURING RICHARD WOLFF – In the face of the Coronavirus pandemic, the US’s extreme wealth inequality, lack of nationalized health care system, lack of a federal paid sick leave law, and other related issues have shown the nation’s severe vulnerability. In a New York Times Article Farhad Manjoo wrote, “Everyone’s a socialist in a pandemic. But the laugh catches in your throat, because the only joke here is the sick one American society plays on workers every day.” 

In this dangerous new world, we just happen to be in the middle of a critical primary election where one of the two front runners is a self-described democratic socialist who has been touting Medicare-for-All as the central plank of his domestic policy. Is Bernie Sanders the President we need in a pandemic like this?

Richard Wolff, visiting professor at the New School University, New York and professor of economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, author of a number of books including ‘Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism’, ‘Occupy the Economy: Challenging Capitalism’, ‘Imagine: Living in a Socialist USA’, and ‘Capitalism’s Crisis Deepens: Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown.’ His latest book is called Understanding Marxism.

FEATURING ELISE GOULD – After Democratic Senator Patty Murray introduced a bill to require 14 days of paid sick leave for American workers, GOP Senate chair Lamar Alexander immediately blocked the bill saying it should be funded by taxpayers not the private sector. The spread of the coronavirus has highlighted the gaping holes in the US economy including the lack of paid sick leave across the nation. 

Even aside from the new virus, millions of Americans contract the seasonal flu each year and tens of thousands die. Paid sick leave is strongly correlated with fewer infections and deaths. With this new highly infectious and deadlier disease at hand, will the government do the right thing?

Elise’s article ‘Amid COVID-19 outbreak, the workers who need paid sick days the most have the least,’ HERE.

Elise Gould, Senior Economist with the Economic Policy Institute focusing on issues of wages, poverty, inequality, economic mobility and health care. She recently wrote the piece, “Amid COVID-19 outbreak, the workers who need paid sick days the most have the least.”

President Donald Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday evening from the Oval Office on the coronavirus pandemic. Trump announced a 30-day travel ban on Europe. His exempting of the United Kingdom, whose own health minister has been diagnosed with Covid-19 was immediately criticized. Politico pointed out that the key spots on the European continent that were spared from the travel ban are where Trump owns resorts. There were also three major errors in Trump’s speech. Although he said that “We will be suspending all travel from Europe,” a Homeland Security spokesman later corrected the president saying the travel ban does not apply to, “American citizens or legal permanent residents or their families.” Additionally Trump said trade and cargo from Europe was prohibited, and then corrected himself on Twitter later saying, “The restriction stops people not goods.” Trump also said health insurance companies, “have agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments.” But an industry spokesperson said it only applied to co-payments for coronavirus testing – not treatments. 

Meanwhile, a Brazilian official who just days ago met with Trump and was seen standing alongside the President and Vice President Mike Pence in photos, has tested positive for the disease. The man, who is the Brazilian President’s Communications Director was in the US with Jair Bolsonaro visiting Trump at his Florida resort. Those infected with Covid-19 can take up to 5 days to show symptoms and the virus can live up to 9 days on metal, plastic, and glass surfaces. It is not clear if Trump or Pence have been tested for the virus. Before the Brazilian official’s test results were available Trump told reporters when asked about his contact, “Let’s put it this way I’m not concerned.” On Thursday Trump met with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. There are so far 43 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ireland. 

Trump’s Oval Office address appears to not have had the calming effect he might have hoped. After his speech European nations took umbrage at the 30-day travel ban between the US and Europe with one official complaining, “There was no heads-up, no coordination as the president claimed.” And on Thursday morning stocks once more slid so fast that for the second time this week, the drop in prices triggered an automatic halt in trading. The Washington Post reports that on Monday Trump, “in an explosive tirade,” “urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to encourage Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell to do more to stimulate the economy…revealing the pres...

FEATURING ARUN GUPTA – Despite numerous calls for him to suspend his Presidential campaign, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in a speech on Wednesday remained firm. Acknowledging his campaign’s failure to garner enough votes in four of the six races on Tuesday, he lamented the idea that his rival Joe Biden had benefitted from the argument of “electability” in spite of evidence to the contrary. 

Sanders also issued a warning to the establishment Democratic Party that it is ignoring younger voters thirsty for progressive change at its peril. Sanders also laid out just what he would be challenging Biden on during Sunday’s debate in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Arun Gupta is a regular news correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali. He’s an investigative journalist who has written for dozens of publications including the Washington Post, the Guardian, The Nation, Salon, and Raw Story. He is also author of the forthcoming book, “Bacon as a Weapon of Mass Destruction.”

FEATURING EITAN HERSH – These days everyone with a Facebook account is a political pundit. We constantly read the latest polls, consume the sage ruminations of experts in our newspapers, and offer up defiant opinions on every issue. Scouring our Twitter newsfeeds or watching Sunday cable news shows is considered part of the civic duty of an informed electorate living in a democracy. But, my next guest calls the obsession with news consumption simply “political hobbyism” and warns that unless more Americans move beyond reading the news and complaining about politics toward grassroots political activism, our democracy is doomed.

Eitan Hersh, Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University. His research focuses on civic participation, US elections, and voting rights. His earlier book Hacking the Electorate focused on the use of campaign microtargeting in the Obama years. His new book is called Politics is For Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change.