Frontline Voices with Rebecca Myles – 8/13/25
Listen HereCan the World Rescue Gaza? Plus: AI Über Alles? Trump DC Overreach – NYC Judge Chills ICE
Rebecca speaks with Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN, on calls for an international protection force for Gaza. Also featured: WBAI intern Jarred Collis's series on Artificial Intelligence and how it’s shaping our work and private lives.
Headlines at Noon
National Debt
The U.S. gross national debt has surpassed $37 trillion, driven by pandemic-era borrowing and recent spending legislation. The Congressional Budget Office projects an additional $4.1 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Consequences include higher borrowing costs, lower wages, and rising consumer prices. Transit agencies and local governments are also impacted by increased interest rates.
Gaza
123 Palestinians, including 21 aid seekers, were killed in 24 hours, and hunger deaths have reached 235. Protests erupted worldwide following Israel’s assassination of Al Jazeera journalists and media workers.
Israel has banned foreign media from Gaza. Over 270 journalists have died since October 7. Palestinian reporters remain the only source documenting the war’s toll.
Trump and Washington, DC
Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner rebukes Trump’s attempt to seize control of D.C. policing. ACLU-DC's Alicia Yass weighs in. Under law, federal control is limited to 30 days without congressional approval.
NY Judge Chills ICE
Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan orders better conditions for ICE detainees at 26 Federal Plaza: more space, clean mats, meals, hygiene access, and legal contact. The ruling lasts through August 26.
ICE is also under fire for detaining immigrants with no pending criminal cases. Meanwhile, AI-programmed drones are being used by law enforcement on the U.S. border, while Mexican cartels deploy their own. DHS reports thousands of cartel-operated drone flights into U.S. airspace.
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