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A new feature film, "The Mauritanian," tells the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held without charge for 14 years at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo and repeatedly tortured. We speak with Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who says the film is not just about his struggle. "This is not my movie. This is the movie of so many people," he says. "Some of the people who were kidnapped after 9/11 were tortured to death. They did not have a chance to tell their story." We also speak with Kevin Macdonald, director of "The Mauritanian"; Nancy Hollander, the lead lawyer for Mohamedou Ould Slahi; and actor Tahar Rahim, whose portrayal of Slahi earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

President Joe Biden is facing new calls to close the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an enduring symbol of U.S. abuses in the "war on terror." Since 2002, about 770 men and boys have been held at the prison, and only eight have been convicted of a crime. Three of the convictions were later overturned on appeal. Today the prison's population is down to 40, and shortly after Biden's inauguration, seven former prisoners penned an open letter to the new president pleading with him to finally close the facility. One of the seven authors was Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held without charge for 14 years, during which time he was repeatedly tortured, before his release in 2016. He says he also wrote a personal letter to Biden asking him to close the prison. "I really believe he's a good man," Slahi says. We also speak with Slahi's lead defense attorney, Nancy Hollander, who says there is no justification for keeping "forever prisoners" at the facility. "If the political will is there, President Biden can get Guantánamo closed," Hollander says.

Millions of women around the world are taking to the streets today to mark International Women's Day — in a year where women have been disproportionately impacted by rising poverty, unemployment and violence during the pandemic. We hear voices from protests in the Philippines, Mexico and Guatemala.

FEATURING JOE DINKIN – The United States Senate on Saturday passed by a 50-50 vote and Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie breaking vote, the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill backed by President Joe Biden. After weeks of wrangling over the details of the American Rescue Plan, including a battle to include an increase to the...

FEATURING SUKHI SAMRA – A new study based in Stockton, California of a “guaranteed basic income,” found that over the course of two years, the study’s participants benefited significantly from having a no-strings-attached monthly stipend of $500. Participants who were unemployed found jobs at twice the rate of non-participants. And, they experienced better mental health...

Senate Democrats passed the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill on Saturday without a single Republican vote. The New York Times characterized the bill as, “an extraordinary increase in safety net spending in the largest antipoverty effort in a generation.” The bill, called the American Rescue Plan, was buffeted by relentless efforts at amendments before being...

Moderate Democratic Senators Now Consider Getting Rid of the Filibuster | A Leading Economist Assesses the $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan | Harry and Meghan Use the Tabloids That Have Been Used Against Them backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

The GOP is Going the Way of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union | Biden Should Deal With the Source of the Problems at the Border, Starting With the Corrupt Regime in Honduras | Could The Derek Chauvin Trial End With an Eruption Like the Rodney King Verdict? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

"How the Party of Lincoln Has Become the Party of Alex Jones" | Christopher Miller and Ryan McCarthy Must Explain Why The Pentagon Waited Over Three Hours to Rescue the Capitol | How One Crackpot Conspiracist is Holding Up Help For Millions of Americans backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

It's not only in the U.S. where democracy is now under attack. Unfortunately, as discussed with our guest on today's BradCast, when freedom and democracy begin to collapse here, it gets even worse everywhere else. [Audio link to show follows below this summary.] But, first up today, a quick word or two on Harry and Meghan [...]

Nick Anderson, who founded Counterpoint, was interviewed by Houstonia Magazine about his cartooning career post-newspapers: "(A)rtists from all political leanings are providing takes on today’s biggest headlines as contributors. Of the 18 satirists, ten --- like Anderson --- saw their jobs cut. It’s too soon to know if Counterpoint will hit it big (at the [...]

Prepare to be outraged by some gobsmacking and maddening numbers from today's guest on The BradCast. [Audio link to show is posted below summary.] But first, speaking of startling numbers, statistics from this year's flu season prove that masks and social distancing do indeed help to prevent viral transmission and death. That, of course, is bad [...]