Party in the U.S.A.: The long wait for relief

10/12/20 • 37 min

It's been a quiet week in the U.S. presidential race, relatively speaking, considering the dizzying drama of the last few. But even still, there have been plenty of news stories that under normal circumstances would dominate headlines for weeks — the Senate confirmation hearings of Amy Coney Barrett for a seat on the Supreme Court, the cancellation of a second debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and Trump's first public appearance since his COVID-19 diagnosis are just a few. This gives us a chance to dig into something that had been simmering in the background and exploded into view again last week — the negotiations over a new stimulus bill to help people and businesses impacted by COVID-19. What is the holdup? And what are the consequences of this political impasse for the average American? Elamin calls up BuzzFeed News reporter Paul McLeod for the politics, and the Star Tribune's Marissa Evans for a view from the ground.

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Introducing: Pop Chat

Elamin Abdelmahmoud and the Pop Chat round-table invite you in to the group chat to help make sense of the cultural drama blowing up the internet. Bringing their hottest takes to the table, join them every week as they debate, discuss and work through the pop culture discourse. The Pop Chat panel consists of: Shireen Ahmed, Angelina Chapin, Kevin Fallon, Sarah Hagi, Hussein Kesvani, Stacy Lee Kong, Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Amil Niazi and Andrea Warner. More episodes are available at http://smarturl.it/popchat

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Canada-China relations frayed at 50

“This is something which we shall never forget.” Those were just some of the strong words Canada’s new ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae, shared last week in reference to China’s treatment of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The two Canadians have been detained in Chinese prison for well over 600 days, and just last weekend received their first consular visit since January. On a week that also marks 50 years since Trudeau Sr. established diplomatic ties with the country, Rosie and Elamin wonder: what might Canada-China relations look like from here on in? Continuing with their break from pandemic politics, the two also examine the federal government’s recent announcement regarding single-use plastics. The feds plan to finalize a ban before the end of 2021 — but is it a top-of-mind priority for people right now?