Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Solidarity in the face of fascism: Updates from Gaza to SCOTUS
87 Plays4 months ago
Monologue by Dr. Fitzgerald. Free Dr. Khaled Alter. Protect European Hospital in Khan Younis.
Music by
Tribe Called Quest
Dave Brubeck
SWV
George Benson &
John Legend
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Trauma Code and Hosts
00:00:14
Speaker
Trauma code to New York City trauma code to WBAI. I am Dr. Simon Fitzgerald, a Brooklyn trauma surgeon and surgical intensivist. ah And I am Dr. Cassandra Fayel, an adult and child psychiatrist. Welcome to trauma code. Together we will focus on healing of mind, body, and community from trauma. We'll discuss how wellness fits into the culture at large. Join us on Monday at 2pm on WBHI.
Societal Issues Through Lyrics
00:01:19
Speaker
living in a fishbowl gentrify Boy, we hate you, here now it's how to shout it whole Wade. All you fat folks, you must go. The fog and the smog of the media, the logs, false narratives of guys that came up against the odds. We're not just rappers with the bars. It's kids with that because we're with the song. You bastards overlooking street art, better hit street smart, but you keep us on the job. So much for fucking numbers and your status low. Hope y'all know about you, down the road.
00:01:54
Speaker
You're on there talkin' about a hittin' The only one who's hittin' are the ones that's currently spittin' We got you missin' smittin' up and on a little kitten Dreamin' of a world that's equal for women Who's the vision? Boy, I tell you that's vision Like Tony Romo when he hittin' the vision To try and be the best and ain't the vision I don't know why my momma cut it with a stitch ball Who can come back years later still with the shot And still I'm tryin' to move you off of your block Babylon blood clock You up on your head
00:02:46
Speaker
All you bad folks, you must go.
Healthcare Issues and Worker Solidarity
00:02:50
Speaker
welcome back to the trauma code that was just ah excuseing tribe called quest was that called we the people that was the intro that we had on our first show and this is dr simon fitzgerald live and in studio for today monday July 1, 2024. I you know i'd had um some guests that we were working on to come on ah to talk about a couple of interesting things going on in healthcare care right now. um and I think ah there were some people on Bob Henley's show this morning talking about the um contract ah campaign right now for physicians at
00:03:28
Speaker
the city public hospitals. um We're talking with someone who's also involved in healthcare care workers for Palestine solidarity, also about those crossovers. And also ah there was a campaign recently of nurses with the American Nursing Association basically trying to put forward a divestment from apartheid kind of movement, trying to move their group of nurses um to take a stand against violence against healthcare workers that's going on right now um in Gaza in particular and across Palestine West Bank as well. Excuse me. um and ah They didn't quite work out, felt through at the last minute. um and i excuse I thought about having on a repeat of of the last episode, our interview, if you're interested, definitely check it out with West Baltimore organic farmer and photographer Shay McCoy talking about her book, West Baltimore Ruins and her organic farming practices.
Divestment Movement and Global Violence
00:04:24
Speaker
in west baltimore in the same neighborhood ah where freddie gray was arrested and ultimately lost his life um but there's so much going on right now i feel like it it was necessary i couldn't ignore it to have a little bit of a trauma code check-in i have a whole agenda of the news to kind of check up on ah including you know um today but actually all this last week there's been a lot coming out of the supreme court it's been asserting it's The Supreme Court justices, particularly those appointed by um Donald Trump and those like ah Clarence Thomas that are part of that same movement, have been asserting their authority um and and really laying out um a bit of, ah of ah you know, if if we're um you know, if we're paying attention to what the other justices like Sotomayor are saying, really ah kind of a terrifying um roadmap for the future. um So I want to get to that, but I also, you know, one of the things I've talked on here about um some work that I've done, I've published in The Guardian, have an upcoming publication in The Lancet um about surgical solidarity with a surgeon in Con Eunice by the name of Dr.
Impact of Supreme Court Decisions on Healthcare
00:05:35
Speaker
Khaled al Sur,
00:05:37
Speaker
who remains at this time ah in communicado basically forcibly disappeared by the Israeli military in Gaza. um It's possible that you know he's in one of the mass graves that that have been found around Nasser Hospital where he worked. um But based on conversations with um the Israeli physicians for human rights and others, we have reason to believe that he's in Israeli custody. you know and people keep you know People who have spoken to me about this, who are checking in, have often asked any word on on Dr. Khalid, what's going on. Basically, the answer is no.
00:06:14
Speaker
Um, still silence from, um, the Israeli military, from the American government, from anybody else who would be in a position to try to find out what happened to our partner and our surgical solidarity efforts in Khan Yunus, Dr. Khalid Al Sur, the only surgeon, uh, leading the trauma teams at Nasser Hospital when it was, um, laid siege and, uh, raided by the Israeli military. um and And I think the question i when people ask me, I appreciate because I do think even though I don't have a great answer, you know, day after day, week after week, we get ah word news um about healthcare care workers in Gaza.
00:06:55
Speaker
uh... that it you know that is not good i think on the last show i mentioned that honey i'll draw frannie who had been that the head of the ambulance corps basically in gaza was just killed uh... we'd also recently found out that that uh... the head of orthopedic surgery at the largest kind of tertiary care hospital in gaza city doctor adnan alberish after four months in israeli custody uh... was killed in israeli custody he was the chair of orthopedic surgery and he's the fifth department chair from the main tertiary care center in gaza city for that whole region under israeli siege he's a fifth department chair to have been murdered uh... and we also found out that uh... doctor on t c who had been the head of a woman's hospital uh... at not only been murdered by while in shin bet custody i d f custody but by judicial order it had been kept secret for six months and they're just letting us know now
00:07:51
Speaker
um and Although we did have a a small ah bit of, I guess, good news, you know, there are people who are being released. um Dr. Mohammad Abu Somaya, who was a leading pediatrician, had been released after 222 days in custody, and he's reporting abuse, maltreatment, and torture. um And so I think you know the question that people are asking me is a question all of us should be asking every day, and I wish are you know our medical institutions, our organizations, our leadership, our representatives were pushing the American government, pushing the Israeli government, pushing these militaries on the question of
00:08:29
Speaker
Where are these health care workers? Where is Dr. Khaled Elsir, the lone surgeon leading the trauma teams at Nasser Hospital, when it was assaulted, ah who when he returned to Nasser Hospital in communist to try to reform, um you know, some semblance of standard of care for people in Gaza who are suffering not only just tremendous levels of violence, right, you can't even keep up With the numbers of killed, probably closer or more than 40,000, the number of children, probably around or more than 15,000, many more uncounted in the rubble, over 1,000 pediatric traumatic amputations, right ah ah widespread famine and starvation because of the you know the denial of food and and nutrition and calories as part of the war effort.
00:09:19
Speaker
And when they tried to reestablish Nasser Hospital as a center for care in Con Eunice, the hospital was attacked again. And that's when Dr. Khaled El Sur, around March 25, was forcibly disappeared. And we've had no proof of life since then. And he's going to be the lead author on an article in the medical journal, one of the leading medical journals, The Lancet, that has been accepted and and all but cleared. I expect any day now that to be published.
International Response to Dr. Khaled al Sur's Disappearance
00:09:46
Speaker
uh... and i and i think that's you know every day that i come on the radio this opportunity to say free college and i think that's gonna be a campaign that we're gonna have to step up amnesty international has joined the campaign if you look up college elsewhere in addition to the article from the intercept you're gonna see on this campaign from uh... uh... uh... amnesty international uh... to free college and uh... i'm gonna take a a musical break in a minute but while we're on the topic i also you know
00:10:15
Speaker
While looking on social media, I also saw a picture of a friend of mine. um I joked that almost all my Israeli friends are either surgeons or or anarchists, and one of those, probably my best friend from Israel who's living there right now, is his name is Koby. He's one of the sort of ah founding activists and anarchists against the wall movement has done a lot of solidarity work, particularly in the West Bank, trying to um listen to communities that have been assaulted and abused by not only Israeli military but paramilitary forces, what are often just called settlers, um right, by that are people who are armed that can make acts acts of violence. um And ah he was, um my friend Kobe was,
00:10:56
Speaker
yeah in the West Bank from his home in Israel with a group of um of shepherds trying to give them some kind of ah semblance of safety as they were trying to take care of their herds and let them graze um when not only were the the shepherds were attacked but my friend Kobe was assaulted um and as sent to the hospital. Luckily no major injuries um but I just ran across his face on my social media uh... and you know just uh... is someone that i really look up to is someone that's willing to fight fascism and in all of its forms and willing to fight it until the end and willing to you know risk even his own safety uh... in his sense of solidarity and i think we're gonna be talking about what's going on in our supreme court and i think it's worth thinking about what what has been happening uh... in israel uh... in terms of you know the rise of
00:11:49
Speaker
these kind of paramilitary forces the rise of of you know pro-war military forces as well as what's been going on domestically in the courts and basically uh... what i understand is sort of a rise of fascism and understanding how we know what what is what's going on
Fascism's Rise and US Political Implications
00:12:05
Speaker
in the u.s. how do what we see in places like hungry or israel uh... or elsewhere uh... what does that mean for us as we confront our future in this moment um But why don't we take a moment, Reggie? Why don't we play a little bit of music? We got some music lined up for today, and then we'll come back and talk a little bit more about those new news from the Supreme Court. Stay tuned to Trauma Code. You're listening on WBAI 99.5 in New York City.
00:13:25
Speaker
I'm
00:14:33
Speaker
Welcome back to The Trauma Code. This is Dr. Simon Fitzgerald, live and in the studio for Monday, July 1st, and that was just Dave Brubeck, Blue Rondo, a la Turk.
Healthcare Transitions and Impact
00:14:43
Speaker
That's just a great song. I love a little bit of Dave Brubeck, like in the operating room. No no space for controversy or distraction. um Just some good vibes, some good music, um and a good feeling, and a little lively to listen to. um And while I'm talking about it, to today, July 1st, is that um yearly holidays so first of all welcome to the big leagues everybody that graduated and is stepping up into residency or graduate you know just graduated residency everybody stepping up to the next level um and you know there's always a little bit ah of maybe a little bit of uh you know bumps along the way on july 1st new people show up
00:15:22
Speaker
The badge doesn't work yet or they don't have the right access. They got to go to the office and and get things figured out administratively. And I think some people have some anxiety saying don't be in the hospital on July 1st. And it can be a little bit of ah of a nervous time, but I think um July, July 1, especially, there's a lot of extra supervision and a lot of eyes on everybody. And definitely if you're working in the hospital today, if you're doing supervision, appreciate you. And, you know, this is just a part of the process. And I think that is our our challenge to make sure that as everybody steps up and takes on new roles, we in make sure that all of our patients have the standard of care, have
00:16:03
Speaker
uh... the best care that we would want for our families and our friends and you know that's why we do the solidarity work like we're doing in Gaza believing that everybody has a right to uh... you know the excellent the best medical care that we can provide no matter the circumstances no matter the time of day or the day of the year uh... or the citizenship or the color of your skin or where you happen to be born or where you find yourself ah at any given moment where you become you know sick or injured so just a little ah tip of the hat a recognition for everybody whose hard work got them to the next level today
00:16:37
Speaker
and if you're listening you listen to this and you're the beginning of your intern year it's not easy but it gets better and it's worth it you know a lot of hard work and if you're working with people or happen to be a patient or a nurse or someone working with those new people. As we do do have to hold them you know to a high bar and make sure they understand that that everyone's going to be held accountable, also extend some grace and let everybody know that they're supported. And and you know we're in this together to take care of patients and and to be able to provide that health care. um
00:17:09
Speaker
So just just a a small aside, um but you know one thing that I did want to talk about, as I mentioned, there's a lot coming out of the Supreme Court, um and and I think there's a way in which our Supreme Court has been becoming an increasingly political body.
Supreme Court's Political Influence and Rulings
00:17:24
Speaker
you know was I think the bench has never been apolitical, and I think efforts to make it so are sometimes disingenuous, but I think there's a way in which um And um'm I'm not a historian of the court. People like Ellie Mustalka probably describe it better. But certainly from Clarence Thomas on to the present day, write a break from that Warren court that had been willing to, um based on ah the law, ethics, morals, and best practices, had been willing to challenge the politics of those who put them and into that position of power.
00:17:59
Speaker
a way in which the bench has now become a way of projecting power um for you particularly the Federalist Society and people who have been really organizing basically a team ah to go up onto the court and and to um to rule in ways that are supporting of of the ruling coalition, the ruling fact faction. And ah there's a way in which I think it was at last week, or earlier this week, there was supposedly a leaked and accidental draft of a ruling um that and that was leaked onto the court's website that was stating that um that the court was going to be ruling in favor of emergency medical care for pregnant people whose pregnancy was risking their life. you know Basically allowing medical abortion, the standard of care, um when a pregnant person's life was at risk because of that
00:18:49
Speaker
um pregnancy and in places like Idaho where the laws had not allowed that. and There are stories of you know people being medevaced out of Idaho um just because the law didn't seem to allow for them to get the standard of care and people who had the means were um were kind of bending the medical system to send those people out of the state and get necessary medical care. um and and I think you know obviously everybody, whether you're pregnant or not, deserves to have the standard of medical care that will save your life if you have complications from any condition.
00:19:21
Speaker
um and And I think, you know, obviously that that should be the case, and there's a ah political movement that is not really caring about, you know, the the health of an individual in that situation. um But I think there's a way in which that leaked opinion um ah regarding abortion care in Idaho, you know, allowing a little more space in states that had completely forbid any kind of termination of pregnancy, even when the mother's life was at risk, um was ah you know politically um chosen the time and and place that that was going to be leaked to make that the news story, rather than a couple of other um important cases that we're going to talk about later in the show.
00:20:05
Speaker
um uh... the reversal of this of the so-called chevron deference and again i'm not uh... a historian of the court or or a lawyer and i've been trying to get some of these legal uh... minds on the show and i think we're gonna have to do that as well as i'd like to get uh... ah obstetrics specialists, gynecologists who are familiar with the legal and and practical implications you know on the care of not only pregnant people, but also the the the way in which that has impacted the training, you know lessening the the amount of training for people in states where that standard of care, termination of pregnancy, has not been allowed.
00:20:43
Speaker
um But even, you know, despite my limitations of knowledge, I think this is ah such an important moment that I wanted to take this moment and this opportunity to pay attention to what is going on at the Supreme Court and how that fits in to what's going on right now and that in this moment in this country. And and i I don't want to overstate the case and I hate the sound. um you know, trite or something, but what does look like kind of kind of a rise of fascism and and how a political power play at the Supreme Court is playing into that. um So um we're going to have some more music. I'm going to take another ah little musical break in a minute. Let's see how we're doing on time.
00:21:23
Speaker
ah Yeah, it's about right. Why don't we play, you know what, there was a, why you said it, why don't you set up that, can you set up the SWV Tiny Desk Concert, we're just gonna listen to the beginning of it. And you know, I probably, listeners, there's probably a big overlap between NPR and WBAI, but there's probably also a lot of people who are very critical of NPR that choose to listen to BAI, but I have to appreciate how ah NPR has situated themselves to be um kind pretty important, I think, in in American culture, musical culture in this moment, and how this kind of strange tiny desk concert has become a marker of an accomplishment. um And I guess also as is now I reach a certain age, it's the same people are making decisions over there looking back nostalgically of the 90s and early 2000s. But let's listen to a little bit of the SWV Sisters with Voices tiny desk concert. Take a little break, a breath, and we'll come back and talk a little bit more about what's going on in the Supreme Court of the United States.
00:22:27
Speaker
So into you You think you go, you're telling me that you love me
00:23:08
Speaker
For me, but I know I need something to take you I don't know what I'm gonna do Oh, you got me so confused I ain't so confused I don't know what I'm gonna do I don't know The reason why I do the things I do is all because you're always
00:24:16
Speaker
So fine. So fine. So fine. You're so fine. You're blowing my mind. You're a angel. Angel and you.
00:24:33
Speaker
Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.
00:24:52
Speaker
Welcome back to the trauma code. This is Dr. Simon Fitzgerald live and in studio for July 1st and that was a little throwback SWV sisters with voices getting their tiny desk concert and I don't know there's just a moment there and almost like a little bit of surprise but a little joy shared by um by the performers and the audience in the room and that's what I love about live music that that that dynamic that back and forth so anyway despite the um serious situation that we are um facing, there's a little bit of space, make a little bit of room for some joy and some music. and So I just wanted to share that and definitely check out those Tiny Desk Concerts, I don't know. I think they have a little bit ah of that ah that joy, of that dynamic of live performance.
00:25:37
Speaker
But what we were talking about right before we cut to that musical break was the updates from the Supreme Court, a lot going on
Chevron Decision and Regulatory Power Shift
00:25:45
Speaker
in the last week. We talked a little bit about a ruling in you know in favor of pregnant People in id places like Idaho whose life with life was threatened by a pregnancy, the Supreme Court is is appears to be ruling um in favor of their right to have basically the standard of medical care termination of pregnancy um for saving the life of of the mother of the pregnant person. But the other big news that came out before today, we're going to get to today's announcement.
00:26:14
Speaker
was something that um people are have all often been referring to as the Chevron decision or the Chevron um deference. And the case is also that Loper-Brite ruling. And basically, um and again, I'm not an expert on the court, but I think we need to pay attention to legal minds who understand what's going on and just and are describing what's going on as one of the largest power grabs by um by any political body, in this case judicial, and we know that both our executive right now and our legislative branch are not in a position, don't have themselves together enough to respond in an organized way, um that the court is basically, you know, in the past what the Chevron deference in a case, you know, entitled Chevron
00:27:04
Speaker
Basically recognize that um you know executive branches that have regulatory agencies, especially that are defined by statute, um by the legislative body, have the right to regulate you know the environment, public safety, things like this. And the court has basically decided, despite 40 years of of precedent, that that that no longer holds true and that the the Supreme Court has the ability um to just challenge any um expertise, the the specialties of those people and those regulatory agencies ah to arbitrarily you know knock down those um you know regulatory bodies, basically strip power from um from those regulatory agencies, right? um and And those of us
00:27:50
Speaker
who don't have a not ah lot of knowledge or experience with either the law, the courts, or the regulatory regulatory bodies. That may not mean a whole lot for us, but I think people are paying attention, are really saying, for example, the ability for the government um to regulate pollution or to to regulate private industry with regards to things like climate change, or I imagine public safety, gun violence, things like this, um is really gonna limit any ability to um restrain private enterprise and the you know and the cause for the cause of public safety. um and And that is really ah a huge ruling in a lot of ways that has not been described well, I think, by the media that we rely on to give us that information and is not probably understood well by the majority of people. And the way there's a way that that ruling was slipped in between this Idaho abortion ruling
00:28:47
Speaker
And then the ruling of today that I want to get into, which is of course, I don't know how much people have seen this, um but the court ruled on ah the ability for ah Donald Trump you know to be prosecuted for criminal acts that he engaged in while president.
Trump's Immunity and Political Ramifications
00:29:03
Speaker
And I want to get into a little bit of the details of that case, recognizing my limitations as I'm not a legal scholar, um but paying attention to those who are the implications of that. um But there's a way in which this court is really exercising a tremendous power grab in this moment. And not only that, but
00:29:21
Speaker
orchestrating it you know politically to be the most effective as possible, um I think that really shows. And if you read the dissenting opinions from people like Sotomayor or Jackson, ah which I encourage you to do, to to to you know look these up, go online and read Sotomayor, I think in the Chevron case, but certainly in ah the Trump case, read a summary of her dissent from the bench. And I wish, I don't know why they didn't just broadcast it even on C-SPAN or something. I wish I was playing her, read her dissent. At some point, I'm going to read a little bit of of what she wrote, but it would be so much better.
00:29:58
Speaker
um in her voice, um but and definitely there's there's a way in this acting as a political body and really a dangerous moment um in our country's history. um And I don't want to get to that in a minute, but before I talk about um the Trump case, why don't we have another little musical break, if you guys don't mind. I'm going to go back to a little bit of Dave Brubeck, that take five, he always has a little bit of Turkish rhythm in there, that five-four timing. um Why don't we play that, Reggie, cue that up.
00:31:04
Speaker
Oh.
00:31:47
Speaker
Oh,
00:32:18
Speaker
Bye!
Escalating Healthcare Crisis in Gaza
00:32:23
Speaker
Welcome back to the Trauma Code. This is Dr. Simon Fitzgerald in studio for July 1st. We're going to talk about the Trump ruling at the Supreme Court today. But actually, since I've been on the air, I've just gotten an emergency alert, breaking news that the Israeli military is force evacuating European hospital in Khan Yunis. And we talked about how Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, the main hospital there, had been
00:32:53
Speaker
Um, laid siege, attacked, um, literally bombed, uh, patients killed in their beds by live fire, but also by cutting off of electricity, water, and oxygen. Um, when I was providing, um, telemedicine support to Nosso Hospital in Con Eunice, our surgical nurse was shot in the chest while in the surgical theater. Um, our partner, Dr. Khaled Al Sur, was kidnapped, presumably he's forcibly disappeared, perhaps would be the more precise term, March 25th from Nasser Hospital, ah when after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, they tried to reestablish care at Nasser Hospital, the hospital was reinvaded, and Dr. Kolodowser and others ah were then disappeared.
00:33:40
Speaker
We don't know if he's alive or dead, no proof of life since March 25th, but we have reason to believe he's in Israeli custody and you know we've been demanding his freedom, ah you know his right for habeas corpus. um But now the Israeli military has now turned their sights on evacuating, attacking, and dismantling a European hospital, which was one of the last functioning hospitals almost in the and entire Gaza Strip, but certainly within Khan Yunus, the second largest city in that region. um And so ah for whatever it's worth, I think we have to raise our voices. And I wish that our medical you know institutions and leadership and organizations and partners ah would
00:34:25
Speaker
uh... would call out despite you know the you know the accusation that this is being political uh... i think if we're gonna engage in politics it should be in some form of solidarity to protect other health care workers so we have some space to take care of our patients and i think right now the health care workers at european hospital in khan units are in grave danger of an imminent attack uh... by the israeli uh... military and now their patients uh... who are you suffering from just a tsunami of you know ah trauma of of violence in addition to starvation and scarcity of medical care and the absence of clean water and just rampant diseases from things like that, i have absence of clean water, things like hepatitis A or just right now endemic in the region um as you know part of this weaponry of war of attacking and dismantling healthcare care and the
00:35:19
Speaker
um infrastructure of life as we know it of the 21st century, right? I think there was just an article in The Economist where the trauma a trauma surgeon said basically that the warfare, the violence in Gaza has knocked it back to the 19th century, destroying things like ah clean water, access to clean water and food that we've largely taken for granted in in much of the world in in the 21st century. So definitely wanted to, if if anyone is in a position to to lend some solidarity, to raise their voice in support of health care workers at European Hospital in Con Eunice, just know that they are under attack right now and there's a threat um for forced evacuation. And what is followed at in hospital after hospital from the north to the south from Gaza City to Con Eunice and Rafa has been the physical assault, the bombing, the use of armed drones, the execution and abduction of
00:36:15
Speaker
of medical staff and patients at hospital after hospital like Shifah and Nasser and now that threat is being targeting ah the European hospital in communist and where until recently ah foreign physicians and like our our friend and colleague the American trauma surgeon for Sidwa who's a guest on our show who works and in, who's from Flint, Michigan and works in Stockton, California, was in March, was there providing care and just really um devastating stories of of ah violence as well as the humanitarian catastrophe and including some of his patients have included healthcare care workers who are kidnapped and literally tortured by the Israeli military only to be dropped off who had to sort of crawl and stumble and make their way to European hospital and get care for a neglected, you know, open fractures and and with um external fixator hardware on and things like this.
00:37:16
Speaker
So, a little bit bit of distraction, but some breaking news about the threat being leveled against European Hospital and ConUnice right now. And what I had been ah just about to talk about, it and really had been kind of the crux of today's show, is the ruling today by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case, ah the Trump case, I forget what the full name of it is, basically um providing ah the President of the United States, in this case, Donald Trump, with immunity for prosecution from criminal acts that were um that were committed, quote, as part of the official duties of the President of the United States. um And I did. it's It's really an extraordinary ruling. um And again, I'm not a legal scholar, so I wanted to defer to the legal scholars who had the most um exposure and and and invested in this case.
00:38:14
Speaker
And you know, if you guys forgive me, I actually wanted to read from the dissenting opinion um by Justice Sotomayor. I guess a New Yorker, right? Is she from the Bronx? um i'm sorry Sotomayor, she's from the Bronx? Yes, she is. um So this is her dissent, which you can find online in in some of the court documents from today. Looking beyond the fate of this particular prosecution, the long-term consequences of today's decision decision are stark. The court effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding. This new, quote, official acts immunity now
00:38:57
Speaker
quote, lies about like a loaded weapon for any president that wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain above the interests of the nation. The president of the United States is one of the most powerful people in the country and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way under the majority's reasoning, meaning the majority of the court, he will now be insulated from criminal prosecution. If he orders the Navy SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political rival, immune. Organizes a military coup to hold on to power, immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon, immune. Immune, immune, immune. Let the president violate the law. Let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain. Let him use his official powerful evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be.
00:39:55
Speaker
That is the majority's message today. Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray that they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the president and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law. Never in the history of our republic has a president had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law. Moving forward, however, all formal former presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gri gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide by will not provide a backstop.
00:40:44
Speaker
with fear for our democracy, I dissent." And that was just a quote, several paragraphs of Judge Sotomayor's dissenting opinion in Trump versus the United States, um basically granting this former president, as well as others, immunity from criminal prosecution for criminal acts that were committed by the president while, quote, under part of his official duty. um and and so um I want to think about that a little bit more as as we get towards the end of the show because not only is Donald Trump a former president, right but he's also um running for president and there are ways that it looks like he might be me the next um executive in in charge of the United
US-Israel Relations Amid Middle East Tensions
00:41:30
Speaker
States. he's already
00:41:31
Speaker
um express an interest to be a dictator on day one of his presidency. He's already um been accused, he's already been impeached ah for undermining the peaceful transition of power right on the on the January 6th assault on the Capitol. um and ah And I want to talk a little bit more about right the recent debate that we just had, what's going on, and the a matchup for president between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. And as much as I'd rather not think about this um and just play some nice music and talk about surgical solidarity, I think There is a heightened moment of crisis that um is coming from from several angles and I think today the judicial branch of this kind of ah of this kind of coup almost basically of this um attempted rise of fascism I think ah The shots were fired from the judicial branch today in establishing the legal groundwork um for the rise of fascism in the United States, as well as you know the um the manufacturing of consent by creating a judicial
00:42:42
Speaker
a justification for that, you know, um expression of that assertion of power um by the by the President on behalf of, you know, whatever whatever powerful authority you know that he wishes. So why don't we do, let's let's set up a little bit more music and then we're going to have a talk a little bit more about the implications of that Trump versus the United States ruling and and how it plays into the upcoming election for president. And if you're just joining us, you're listening to the trauma code on WBAI on New York City, 99.5.
00:43:27
Speaker
Yeah!
00:45:13
Speaker
Welcome back to the Trauma Code. This is Dr. Simon Fitzgerald-Liven in studio for July 1st, and that was just ah George Benson breezing, some music recommended by my co-host who can't be here in studio, Dr. Cassandra Raphael. Tip of the hat to Dr. Raphael for that one. It's a nice vibe for the moment. ah Definitely a feels like a summer day with a little bit of a cool breeze. I'm definitely appreciating that. um But we're just talking about Some heavy topics, including the Trump versus United States um ruling by the Supreme Court, which has basically um found that ah the president, the former president, the um the ah candidate for the office of president has immunity for prosecution for criminal acts that he committed while he was acting as, quote, part of his professional official duty as president.
00:46:09
Speaker
And I think what's kind of scary is is that that um that finding, and and it's interesting even the justices such as Sotomayor rather, used that word fear in in the closing line of her dissent with fear for our democracy um because this comes right after right this debate performance in which on CNN in which Jake Tapper and his co-host did not push back at all against Trump's really just repeated lies, you know gaslighting, whatever you want to call it, just bad faith, dishonesty. And then on the other side, it just appeared that Joe Biden just didn't have the wherewithal um intellectually or whatever you want to call it um to strike back. At times it looked a little bit lost and had at least you know had people
00:46:55
Speaker
concern for his capacity to to remain in office, including at you know the New York Times, who wrote an editorial, not just an opinion, but editorial from their editorial staff calling for Joe Biden to step down as the candidate, which is really troubling for me. and All these people have been talking about how Joe Biden's the one candidate who can do it. at the same time that this just really awful genocidal violence has been happening in gaza with uh... just uh... you know unending support from the u.s. government you know every once in a while there's some words challenging it but the weapons and the money keep flowing to support right at the ammunition ran out i think we would see a cessation of violence real quick uh... in gaza in the ability to for example to provide
00:47:39
Speaker
uh... health care to patients instead of the uh... ongoing and renewed assault on health care institutions such as uh... european hospital right now which is at risk in communist not to mention the uh... the threats that have been levied against their neighbor to the north lebanon there's a lot of concern that Beirut, particularly the airport in Beirut, may be the next military target um of of the israeli um Israeli military forces. At the same time, Hezbollah, a military force with some role in the government there um that has a large presence in the south of Lebanon, has been releasing videos kind of menacing, threatening um ah cities like Haifa and North Israel. Just the heightened tensions there
00:48:29
Speaker
And there's been no interest in any um that I can think of American center of power in moving towards peace and de-escalation, but rather just continuing to arm a widening crisis. um And as is my as I mentioned, my friend Kobe, who was ah doing Solidarity work, looking to provide a little bit of space for Palestinians in the West Bank to do things like graze their herd, the shepherds, some space to earn a living and provide for their families. He was assaulted by a paramilitary force basically being supervised by the Israeli military.
00:49:07
Speaker
um i'm You know, I'm concerned that, you know, and and when, ah you know, part of what was in this Trump case um was the the hypothetical, what if the president, as part of his official duties, felt it was necessary um to commit acts of violence or or even to kill his political opponents, right? that That is not even an implicit, that is an explicit threat. that this court is leveling um as Donald Trump rises to power and is threatened to become a dictator. I think this is a very scary moment um in terms of just even the the sort of space that we've enjoyed for political discourse has limited as limited as it has been at times. um There is really the threat of widening
00:49:53
Speaker
a um you know a politics of fascism, and including, I think, paramilitary violence like we're seeing in places like Israel and its occupied territories in Palestinian ah lands, um that I think that it's very telling, I think, that that one of ah Biden's great political falls, that in many ways is his undoing, is his support for that fascist project, right the Likud Party project um in Israel. um and i think why you know I wonder why ah Joe Biden and the people around him are willing to sacrifice American democracy for that ah assertion of a violence of violence, of political power, of that sort of face of fascism there, and and why would they'd be willing to roll out a road towards fascism in the United States. And I think we'll have to think think ah think with that, sit with that for a minute, and what are really the roads to a brighter future right now?
00:50:54
Speaker
um I think is a rhetorical question that I don't have a great answer for. um But that is, I think, the gravity of the moment right now we see in this Trump versus the United States ruling granting a a former president and candidate for the presidency who has expressed not only an interest in dictatorship, but also has already tried once to thwart the peaceful transfer of power, granting him a mutiny from criminal prosecution. um by the judicial branch that largely many of them have been put into power by Trump and and his allies. um So that's a heavy thought to think with. We're moving towards the end of the show. Why don't we play a little bit of music for a moment and then we'll wrap it up here. Thank you for listening to The Trauma Code on WBAI.
00:52:08
Speaker
that you stay a little don't say bye-bye tonight say you'll be mine just a little bit of love is worth the moment of your time knocking on your door just
00:52:31
Speaker
Thanks again, New York, everybody, for joining us on the Trauma Code on WBAI 99.5 in New York City. and One thing that gives this show the space, the opportunity, the reach to do what we do is the resources at WBAI, our transmitter, so if you appreciate us, we We appreciate you and definitely you can support online at wbai.org, click the donate button, or give to wbai.org. Definitely, we look forward to having you as a supporter. And next week, we're having back on the show a friend of the show, a previous guest, Dr. Rob Gore, to talk about his book, Treating Violence, that was just released. So if you wanna catch up, get ahead of the show, and and listen, you can definitely go out and buy that book today, Rob Gore's Treating Violence.
00:53:16
Speaker
And while we have a moment Reggie, do you want to tell us what to expect from the soundboard tonight at midnight? pleasure Yes, sure. um I'm just going to continue on what I've been doing since October of 2023 by music, artists, and just programming in general that is related to a free Palestine. And this week I'm going to be focusing on this neo-sou group from Chicago called them calling themselves Basel and the Supernatural. So that's what's going to be coming on, as well as some opinions about
00:53:50
Speaker
uh about this past presidential election and well i'll just keep it as that thank you reggie and thank you again new york definitely support on wbai.org we appreciate you thank you new york city
00:54:32
Speaker
um Good afternoon. For WPFW Washington and WBAI New York, I'm Darnia Samuels. Here's some headlines for this hour.