Complicity in Aleppo, A Flood of Opioids, The 14th Librarian of Congress

Coming up on today’s show:

• Though the United States has been notably absent from diplomatic talks in recent days, the last of those trapped in the Syrian city of Aleppo are expected to be evacuated today after discussions between Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Ryan Crocker served 37 years in the Foreign Service and is the former ambassador to Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Lebanon. He explores what’s next in the Syrian civil war. 

• Records obtained by The Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia show that pharmacies were flooded with 780 million pain killers in the state between 2007 and 2012. While deaths from overdoses climbed, drug wholesalers continued to ship massive amounts of pain pills. Eric W. Eyre, a reporter for Charleston Gazette-Mail, explains.

• Governor Pat McCrory will hold a special legislative session to consider repeal of HB2, the state’s “bathroom bill,” which has drawn fierce criticism and cost the state millions of dollars in business. Erica Lachowitz, a trans advocate for equality based in Charlotte, has the details.

• This year has been full of important moments that we all shared together collectively. Shaun King, the senior justice writer for The New York Daily News, reflects on how he has covered everything from police shootings to random acts of racism across the country.

• Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, was sworn in this past September. She is the first woman and the first African American to lead the Library of Congress, and she joins the program to discuss her plan to bring the library into the future.