Bonus on how Rania overcame the Facebook ban https://www.patreon.com/posts/25084293 Journalist Rania Khalek talks to me about being investigated by CNN at the behest of a Neo-liberal-Neo-Con think tank and censored by Facebook.  She also presents U.S. regime change wars in 4 steps. 1. Paint leader as cartoon villain. 2. Impose sanctions to destroy economy & create humanitarian crisis. 3. fund & recognize opposition 4. Overthrow government, country goes to s***

194. Regime Change in 4 Steps with Rania Khalek

“Woman Sues TripAdvisor After Falling off Runaway Camel,” reports the Associated Press. “Red Bull Paying Out to Customers Who Thought Energy Drink Would Actually Give Them Wings,” eyerolls Newsweek. “Tennessee man sues Popeyes for running out of chicken sandwiches,” scoffs NBC News.

We see “frivolous lawsuit” stories all the time and have for decades. Seemingly absurd cases of get rich quick schemes often with catchy headlines, a caricature of a plaintiff friendly legal system run amok. These stories play into faux-populist tropes of a country full of lazy poor people looking to cash in and a sleazy legal system that leeches off hard-working Americans.

But how organic are these “pop torts”––or popular stories of frivolous lawsuits––and more importantly, how true even are they? What organizations are behind cherry-picking and teeing up these shameful tales of greed for uncritical writers, editors and producers? Who’s backing them, and what, perhaps, may be their ulterior motives?
Moreover, what are the human stakes to so called “tort reform” and how did it come to be that the vast majority of Americans came to accept the premise that, at some point in the 1980s, we all became amoral lawsuit happy scumbags out to shutdown mom and pop stores and grab a quick buck?

We are joined by the Center for Justice & Democracy's Joanna Doroshow.

Episode 107: Pop Torts and the Ready-Made Virality of ‘Frivolous Lawsuit’ Stories

I interview William Perry, former Secretary of Defense, Stanford professor of international relations, co-host of the podcast At The Brink, and Tom Collina, Director of Policy at the Ploughshares Fund, previously Research Director of the Arms Control Association, about their book "The Button. The new nuclear arms race and presidential power from Truman to Trump."  

Recorded on June 5th, 2020

https://www.benbellabooks.com/shop/the-button/

https://www.wjperryproject.org/perry 
https://atthebrink.net/

https://ploughshares.org/about-us/staff/tom-z-collina
https://ploughshares.org/

Image: Cover of The Button
Used with Permission

"The Button." William Perry and Tom Collina on Their New Book

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I have studied Classics in Göttingen, Edinburgh and London. 
Now, I am a journalist. You can find me on Twitter at v_zilber.

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"The Button." William Perry and Tom Collina on Their New Book

Conversations with Slava

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