In India, the death toll amid the government's crackdown on widespread protests has risen to at least 27 people, and over 1,000 more have been arrested. The protests are against a controversial new citizenship law, which provides a path to Indian citizenship for undocumented immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan — unless they are Muslim. Opponents of the law say it's a step toward the official marginalization of India's 200 million Muslims. Paramilitary and police forces were deployed in response to the demonstrations in Muslim-majority districts in Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi, and the internet was shut down. We go to Mumbai for an update from Rana Ayyub, global opinions writer for The Washington Post, where her latest piece is headlined "India's protests could be a tipping point against authoritarianism."

The United Nations says a quarter of a million people have fled the Russian-backed Syrian government offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib. Aid groups are now warning the offensive in Idlib could become the worst humanitarian crisis in the nine-year war in Syria. Nearly 200,000 Syrian civilians have fled toward the Turkish border as Syrian government ground troops advance into Idlib, the last major rebel-held territory, where about 3 million people live. Displaced civilians have sought refuge in several camps along the border, where they struggle with harsh winter conditions, flooding and mud due to heavy rainfall. We get an update from Yassin al-Haj Saleh, a Syrian writer, dissident and former political prisoner, and Loubna Mrie, a Syrian writer, photographer and activist who worked in Idlib from 2012 to 2014 for Reuters. "The genocidal regime is still in power," Yassin al-Haj Saleh says. "It is more powerful now than ever because now it is a protectorate of the Russians and the Iranians."

In Iraq, Iran-backed militia members withdrew from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone on Wednesday after being tear-gassed by American security forces. Their withdrawal ended a tense standoff that began Tuesday when militia members broke through the embassy's reception area chanting "Death to America" while thousands rallied outside to protest a slew of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria that killed at least 24 members of the Iranian-backed militia Kata'ib Hezbollah. The U.S. airstrikes came after an American contractor was killed in a rocket attack in Kirkuk, Iraq, Friday. The embassy withdrawal was ordered by militia leaders, who said they agreed to leave after Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi pledged to pursue legislation to force U.S. troops out of Iraq. We speak with Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, a correspondent for The Guardian newspaper.

Iranian-Backed Militia Withdraws After Standoff at U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Reports: 9 Civilians Killed in Syrian Government Strike on School in Idlib, Wildfires Rage in Australia; Floods Kill 16 in Indonesia, Tens of Thousands Protest in Hong Kong on New Year's Day, Thousands March in Santiago, Chile, Against Austerity on New Year's Day, French Rail Workers' Strike Now Longest Since 1968, Netanyahu Asks Parliament for Immunity in Corruption Cases, 16 People Killed in Prison Riot in Zacatecas, Mexico, Pope Francis Condemns Violence Against Women in New Year's Day Speech, Scores of New Laws Take Effect Across the United States

An Examination of the Health of Our Democracy; The Survival of Democracy and the Rule of Law in Our Regressive and Reactionary World

The Elite Charade of Changing the World; An Adviser to AOC and Senators Sanders and Warren; The Realities of Our Sociopathic Economy

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Why Crooks and Thieves Rule Our World; The War Against Reality; The Country's Leading Expert on Russia

FEATURING CHERRÍE MORAGA –  The United States today is grappling with becoming a majority minority nation, leading to a growing fear among white supremacists of a loss of power. Our varied pasts, instead of being considered part of the nation’s rich diversity, turn into targets of hate. We turn next to the famed feminist Cherríe...

FEATURING CHERRÍE MORAGA –  The United States today is grappling with becoming a majority minority nation, leading to a growing fear among white supremacists of a loss of power. Our varied pasts, instead of being considered part of the nation’s rich diversity, turn into targets of hate. We turn next to the famed feminist Cherríe...

FEATURING DOLLY CHUGH – Our news reports are filled with stories of people who engage in racist behavior but are horrified at the idea of being called racist. Most of us are socialized to harbor racist ideas subconsciously and those biases present themselves whether we realize it or not. Now a new book written by...

FEATURING ROBERT GREENWALD – It is no secret that Republicans have worked concerted at the state level for years to make it harder for Democratic-leaning voters to cast ballots. People of color and young people have been dramatically impacted by the various voter ID laws that claim to be fighting voter fraud. Except that voter...

It's NICOLE SANDLER, back again to guest host today's BradCast. It's not only a new year, but a brand new decade. So we decided to get a bit ethereal and start the year by looking at a unique way to deal with the insanity in our world, and to look back at how the hippies [...]

While surfing the web I came upon an article posted on Christmas Eve by Jason Hopkins, of the rightwing outlet called "The National Interest." It cites a "study" by another rightwing outlet, the Center for Immigration Studies, as cause for alarm. The article and the cited study falsely claim that the counting of illegal immigrants in [...]

On today's BradCast, guest host NICOLE SANDLER looks back on the year 2019, shining a spotlight on some of the biggest stories along with some that deserved much more attention. So farewell 2019. May 2020 bring us all peace, love, prosperity, happiness, and the end of Donald Trump. Happy New Year! Download MP3 or listen online [...]

It's NICOLE SANDLER, today's guest host for another edition of the BradCast. There wasn't a whole lot of news to report, but I began the show with the latest. Then I settled in for a long conversation with CENK UYGUR. Most people know Cenk as the founder and one of the hosts of The Young Turks. [...]