Topic: Conflict Minerals

Actor Ryan Gosling has become an ambassador for the Eastern Congo, campaigning against "conflict minerals" like coltan used in electronics. A British journalist reports that over five million people have died in the Congo war, which is driven by Western and Chinese corporate demand for cheap minerals. The hosts criticize the lack of mainstream media attention compared to the intervention in Libya, noting that the Congo is three times the size of Texas.

The Dodd-Frank Act includes a consumer protection provision requiring manufacturers to certify that their products are free of "conflict minerals" from the Congo. In a separate observation, a clip from the 1994 miniseries "The Stand" is highlighted for its background radio chatter mentioning "swine flu" years before the 2009 pandemic. This is presented as an example of the "global elite" placing clues about future events in popular media.