Dangers of Israel-Hezbollah Conflict; Trump's Deadly Abortion Ban; Consequences of Expired Pandemic Safety Net; Billy Bragg on Politics, Hope and Power of Music

Counterpoint with Scott Harris

1) Escalating Conflict Between Israel and Hezbollah Could Erupt into Regional War

Jennifer Loewenstein, former associate director of Middle Eastern Studies and senior lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides analysis of Israel's two waves of attacks targeting Hezbollah via pagers and walkie-talkie explosions that killed at least 14 and injured 2,800, the escalation of missile and airstrikes across the Israeli and Lebanese border, that could lead to all-out war, as well as the ongoing slaughter in Gaza, and stalled progress on cease fire talks there.

2) Trump's Abortion Ban is Now Literally Killing Women

Amy Littlefield, the abortion access correspondent with The Nation magazine and a freelance investigative reporter who focuses on the intersection of religion and health care, discusses her new Nation article, "An Abortion Ban Killed Amber Thurman—and Likely Many More," with a focus on how women at the local level are fighting back, and the ways in which these deaths may impact the outcome of the 2024 election.

3) US Poverty Rose When Federal Pandemic Safety Net Programs Expired

Karen Dolan, director of the Criminalization of Race and Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies discusses recent U.S. Census Bureau data which finds that U.S. poverty rates have increased, leading advocates to urge lawmakers to enact and expand the anti-poverty solutions that have been proven to work during the pandemic, so the nation can decrease rather than increase the number of American families experiencing poverty.

4) Singer Songwriter Billy Bragg on Politics, Hope and the Power of Music

Part #2 of Scott's interview with rebel singer/songwriter Billy Bragg, who, in 2023 celebrated 40 years of making music and political activism with the release of a 14-CD box set titled, The Roaring Forty, 1983 – 2023. He talks about political activism, his optimism about the future and getting older. Billy Bragg will be playing a show at Norwalk, CT's District Music Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 15.