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North Korea has always been a source of mystery for the American public. While news coverage about the northern peninsula has been frequent over the years, never has one been exact about what it is that truly goes on behind their borders. But when TMZ decided to break the outrageous story that North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jon Un, had passed away, the New Voice couldn’t help but cover it as well.In this week’s episode, New Voice analyst Juliette Reyes and Outbreak Co-host Leyla Hagen interview Regan Copple, an assistant researcher at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment, on the matter. Diving into the facts and existing research, Regan, who is also a graduate student at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, gives her perspective on the unfolding situation. Also trending in this week’s episode, our reporters ask, “Is what China’s doing to the international community during this pandemic acceptable?” and “How Should the US respond to China’s increasing influence over the World Health Organization (WHO)?” Regan, an avid follower of the issue, gives us her take and warns us of the test China has to face in the geopolitical arena. In other events, our anchors will also be discussing the rapid recovery of Vietnam and whether it is too soon to call out our bets on the Southeast Asian Country.

Donald Trump is no stranger to the revolving door of the government: his presidency has marked peak firings of government officials and bureaucrats. Nevertheless, Glenn Fine’s replacement from his inspector general for the Pentagon position outraged many. Not only did it stripe a qualified general of his pandemic oversight duties, but it also created a problematic situation for Sean O’Donnel, the current inspector general for the Environmental Protection Agency. Many believe that the appointment of Mr. O’Donnel was a strategic move by President Trump to disarm both agencies and replace an outspoken general. Even more envigorating has been the demotion of Rick Bright, a director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. The demotions didn’t come out of nowhere though, Mr. Bright was one of the most outspoken advocates against a dangerous anti-malarial drug that has has been pushed as “COVID-19 cure” by the Trump administration.These two are just a couple of examples of major Trump firings throughout the pandemic, tune in for more stories in episode 4!Next, the hosts discuss the upcoming presidential election. The issue is two-fold: first, there is the question of the vote-by-mail option. How will the vote-by-mail election affect the turnout and the results? Is it going to be implemented at all? Some studies show that it will attract more young voters, some even predict a higher turnout, according to the example of Colorado. Lastly, the podcast turns to Bernie Sanders or rather his impact on this presidential election. The hosts introduce the concept of the Overton window that has to do with shifting the way new ideas are viewed by the general population. Has Bernie Sanders moved that window for his main campaign points, such as universal healthcare?

hat is more deadly than a global pandemic? Well, many things, including a decades-long humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan under the militarized Taliban regime. Despite what one might assume about the Taliban’s response to the coronavirus, taking into account it’s a long history of violence, the group took surprisingly effective measures. From hygiene workshops to Whatsapp communications with the citizens – the Taliban is enforcing every measure accessible to them. Why is the Taliban acting so out of character? Could there be a more complex reason other than simply playing the good Samaritan? How will Afghanistan’s split government be able to centralize power to battle this pandemic? Tune in for answers from hosts Juliette and Leyla in episode 5!The second topic on the agenda is Yemen. The country was hit one of the hardest with the COVID-19 outbreak but only 85 cases have been reported to international authorities. The reason may hide in a political divide between Houthi Muslims and the Arab-backed forces. No matter how many COVID-19 cases Yemen actually has, throwing in a global pandemic into a country suffering from cholera and malnourishment cannot end well.Next, the hosts discuss Syria. If the situation in Syria wasn’t complex enough already, with an on-going proxy war, rebellions, and terrorist organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic has added a whole new layer to the problem. One part of this includes ISIS that, even almost territory-less, has managed to grow as an ideology. Can this pandemic aid ISIS in regaining its power? Another layer includes Turkey and the irregular migration that is coming from Syria in its direction. Many migrants end up trapped between Turkey and Greece, both unwilling to take in more refugees.Finally, is Tiktok a national security threat? The popular app is owned by a Chinese corporation that may or may not be using private information from Tiktok users. Think about China next time you are renegading.