US Life Expectancy Fell 1.5 Years in 2020, Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Deal Expected Soon

The Critical Hour

In the biggest decline seen in generations, the US life expectancy plummeted by 1.5 years due to COVID, drug overdoses, homicides and chronic diseases.
Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi, professor of Medicine at GW University Hospital and founding director at Rodham Institute at George Washington University, to discuss the effects of Covid on last year's death toll. The US life expectancy fell by 1.5 years last year, in part to hundreds and thousands of covid deaths.
Martin Sieff, senior fellow at the American University in Moscow, joins us to discuss Nord Stream 2. Both US and German officials announced that the two respective countries reached an agreement allowing for the completion of the Russian natural gas pipeline.
Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss the Iran Security Council rejecting the draft proposal to restore the nuclear deal. According to a spokesman for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Iran's Supreme National Security Council rejected the draft agreement that was negotiated in Vienna "indirectly with the US to restore the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.
Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to talk about the economy. News reports indicate the economy is having a harder time rebooting itself this summer than this past spring when many in the US were getting vaccinated and receiving stimulus checks.
Dr. Sharon Anderson, former professor of law at Georgetown, Harvard and Howard Universities, CEO of CSG Consulting Services, and author of the new book, Emotional Civility--The New Standard of Global Success, joins us to discuss new reports that FBI informants entrapped those charged in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Nino Pagliccia, activist and writer, joins us to discuss Cuba. A responsiblestatecraft.org article states the "excuses for why the US can't lift Trump restrictions on the cash Americans send their families there are outdated and inaccurate."
KJ Noh, writer and peace activist, joins us to talk about China. In a joint statement with Japan, Britain has announced that they have plans to permanently deploy two warships to Asia.
Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to talk about the Russian Zircon missile. Top priority has been given by the Kremlin to modernize the country's arsenal