Loud & Clear Interviews: Recent Episodes
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Tune in to Loud and Clear with Brian Becker for the latest news, commentary and searing political analysis. We bring you independent experts, activists and political writers.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including âBlows Against the Empire: U.S. Imperialism in Crisis,â and his latest book, which is called âThe Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism and Capitalism in the Long 16th Century.â
Protests continued over the weekend across the country against racist police violence in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. President Trump focused in on Portland and threatened to send federal troops to the city.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including ongoing anti-racism protests and Trumpâs threat of a renewed federal crackdown, the 2020 election, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the United States are nearing 6 million, with more than 183,000 deaths. President Trump, though, retweeted a story saying that there were only 9,000 Covid deaths. That was one of 89 tweets that he released in a barrage between 5:49 am and 8:04 am on Sunday. In other tweets, he called for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to be arrested and he threatened a military takeover of Portlands, Oregon, saying that protestors there were organizing a coup to overthrow him. Ted Rall, an award-winning columnist and political cartoonist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Greece and Turkey are gearing up for yet another armed conflict. Turkish president Erdogan appears to be lashing out at his neighbors Greece, Cyprus, Syria, and even Libya, and he is warning Greece, Cyprus, and Israel that oil exploration in the Mediterranean will be a causus belli for Turkey. At the same time, Turkish fighter jets violate Greek airspace on a daily basis, Turkish warships are in the Aegean Sea off the coast of the Greek islands, and Greece has called up its military reserves to prepare for war. Brian and John speak with Dr. Gönül Tol, the founding director of The Middle East Institute's Center for Turkish Studies, and a former professor who has taught courses on Islamist movements in Western Europe, Turkey, world politics, and the Middle East.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
China yesterday fired a barrage of missiles into the South China Sea in response to rising tensions with the United States. The US, for its part, has repeatedly sent ships into the South China Sea, has improved relations with Taiwan, Beijingâs arch-rival, and initiated an arms race with China. President Trump says that heâs the man to shepherd relations with China into a new, more militarized, era. But is that just a recipe for war? Brian and John speak with Mike Wong, the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on Trumpâs speech accepting the Republican nomination last night, the RNC event as a whole, the vigilante who killed two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the professional sports strikes going on this week, and more.
In a presidential nomination acceptance speech as dark and angry as any ever given, President Trump last night said that Joe Biden, if elected president, would destroy the nation and would cede it to anarchists, extreme leftists, looters, rioters, and criminals. He said that Biden would destroy Americaâs suburbs, apparently by allowing African-Americans to live there, and he ridiculously accused Biden of âignoring science.â Pundits are calling the speech, âa grinding monotoneâ and âlow energy.â Others are calling it âone of the most sustained displays of propagandizing in the modern history of Western democracy.â Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, host of the television show âRedacted Tonight,â on RT America, whose latest book is called âBullet Points & Punch Lines,â and whoâs at leecamp.com, joins the show.
Prominent Indian civil liberties defender Prashant Bhushan defended himself from possible imprisonment for insulting the countryâs Supreme Court this week, the latest in what activists say is a wave of repressive actions by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Draconian new laws, such as the Public Safety Act, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and tight internet curbs have resulted in real pressure on the most basic civil rights like freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Dr. Ania Loomba, a literary scholar and the Catherine Bryson professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania who teaches English literature and early modern culture and the history of colonialism and postcolonialism in South Asia, joins the show.
Professional basketball is in turmoil, but for all the right reasons. NBA playoff teams went on strike yesterday to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI. Blake had broken up a fight between two women, but then police shot him in the back seven times as he entered his car and while his children screamed in the back seat. The protest began in the Milwaukee Bucks-Orlando Magic game and quickly spread to other playoff teams. All NBA games are now canceled, and the protest has spread with the WNBA, MLB and professional tennis. Even sports journalists and commentators have walked off the job. Jamarl Thomas, host of the show Fault Lines, on Radio Sputnik every Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and host of the show Progressive Soapbox, joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny was likely poisoned according to doctors in a Berlin hospital where he is being treated, though the exact substance has not yet been identified. Navalny fell ill during a trip to Siberia and was medically evacuated on Saturday. Weâll discuss this controversy and the effect itâs having on Russian politics. Brian and John speak with Bryan Macdonald, a journalist who specializes in Eastern Europe and Russia.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the strike by professional athletes in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the struggle for justice for Jacob Blake, the Republican National Convention and more.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Israel fired on Hezbollah observation posts yesterday in Lebanon, escalating the conflict between the two countries. Israelâs air attacks against Lebanon went on in the same week that Israel has increased the attacks and the siege on Gaza, where two million Palestinians are living on just four hours of electricity a day. Dan Cohen, a journalist and a documentary filmmaker, most recently of the film Killing Gaza, joins the show.
Workers from across the country are converging on Washington, D.C. tomorrow at noon to hold a march on the mansion of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos -- the richest person in the world. They will demand that Amazon take a range of measures to protect employees from the Coronavirus pandemic. Brian speaks with Chris Smalls, founder of The Congress of Essential Workers and organizer of tomorrowâs march on Jeff Bezosâ mansion. Chris Smalls was fired by Amazon after organizing his fellow warehouse workers in New York City to demand health protections amid the pandemic.
The Republican National Convention last night was more like a presidential press conference, mostly located at the White House, featuring Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaking from Jerusalem on a diplomatic trip, and with a naturalization ceremony for new U.S. citizens. What does last nightâs theatrics say about the state of democracy in the U.S.? Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including âBlows Against the Empire: U.S. Imperialism in Crisis.â
Two protesters were killed and one injured last night in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in ongoing demonstrations against police shooting Jacob Blake in the back. The shooter, who was part of a vigilante group, has now been arrested and charged with murder. The policeâs bullets went through Blakeâs spinal cord and severed it, and Blake is now being paralyzed from the waist down. The governor of Wisconsin has declared an emergency called in hundreds of National Guard soldiers.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society, with todayâs special edition dedicated to the militant struggle for the right to vote for all women. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Yesterday saw Day 1 of the Republican National Convention. And although the likes of Breitbart, the One America Network, and other right wing media lauded the evening as the single best day in the history of Republican politics, the mainstream media condemned it as a hate-filled night of half-truths and outright lies about President Trumpâs record. Democratic nominee Joe Biden got no bump in the polls from his convention. How will Americans react to Donald Trumpâs week in the limelight? Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with a special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
Last Thursday, the US notified the U.N. Security Council that it would demand a reimposition of all previous U.N. sanctions against Iran under Resolution 2231. The Trump administration cited what it called significant violations of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which the United States withdrew in May 2018. All Security Council sanctions against the country were lifted under Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal. Less than 24 hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo submitted the notice to the Security Council, 13 of the councilâs 15 members expressed opposition to US efforts to reimpose the sanctions. They said that because the Trump administration had withdrawn from the agreement, it had no right to invoke the deal to return the sanctions. Meanwhile, Pompeo is in Bahrain as part of his Middle East tour to shore up opposition to Iran and support for the peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Brian and John speak with Miko Peled, the author of âThe Generalâs Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,â and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.â
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Democrats have completed their virtual nominating convention and have formally nominated Joe Biden to be president of the United States. The Republicans will have their turn beginning tonight. The RNC lineup is filled with nods to the far right and the presidentâs so-called âlaw and orderâ campaign messaging. Biden is leading in the polls, but Trump is hitting the campaign trail while Biden retreats to his home out of the public eye, and Republican strategists are counting on the enthusiasm gap to overcome their weak position in the polls. Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award-winning columnist and political cartoonist whose work is at www.rall.com.
The number of new coronavirus cases across the country are down, as mask rules are being more stringently enforced, school districts are closing en masse, and doctors begin using a new plasma treatment. But a Hong Kong man is the first person known to be infected with the coronavirus twice, indicating that antibodies are either short-lived or are not a protection against the disease. Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging and reemerging viruses, joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the Republican National Convention, the political effect of the Democratsâ convention, the latest on Coronavirus, protests against racist police violence, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Kofi Ademola, an activist and organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Police over the weekend shot two more black men, killing one, and anti-police violence protests have begun anew. 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin was shot from behind in Lafayette, LA at a gas station. In Kenosha, WI, Jacob Blake remains in stable condition after being shot in the back as many as seven times. A video shows Blake walking around his SUV and trying to enter it while a police officer tries to pull him out, and then opens fire while Blakes children scream in the back seat. It is unclear how many police officers fired, and an investigation is underway.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.
The US military announced last night that Iran had briefly seized a Liberian-flagged oil tanker near the Straits of Hormuz. The ship was released five hours later. But today, Trump Administration officials say they have seized gas and oil from four Iranian tankers on their way to Venezuela. The Administration is also seeking the legal forfeiture of the ships and cargo in federal court. Tehran, however, is calling the reports fake news and is saying that no such seizures have taken place.
The governments of Israel and the United Arab Emirates came to a historic peace agreement yesterday, apparently brokered by the Trump Administration. Israel will open an embassy in Abu Dhabi and the UAE will open an embassy in Tel Aviv. At the same time, Israel will end its plans to annex Palestinian territory. Egypt and Bahrain cheered the move and congratulated both sides. Iran and Turkey called the deal âa stab in the back of Muslims,â and all Palestinian political factions denounced the tmove as a maneuver to normalize the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Brian and John speak with Tamara Nassar, associate editor of Electronic Intifada.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
The Trump Administration is launching a historically unprecedented attack on the US postal service in order to prevent or to hamper voting by mail. The Postmaster General, a Trump appointee, has ordered that sorting machines be removed by postal facilities to slow the mail process, and that mailboxes be removed from street corners and other public places. Constitutional attorneys say that the presidentâs move is patently illegal and that the Constitution gives the states sole discretion over how to conduct elections, even presidential elections. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the selection of Kamala Harris to be Joe Bidenâs running mate, the spread of the pandemic especially among children, stalled efforts by Congress to pass a stimulus package, the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell join the show.
Presumptive Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appeared together yesterday for the first time since Harris joined the ticket. Harris gave a speech outlining the differences between the Democratic and Republican tickets, while President Trump responded by calling Harris âmeanâ and âa nasty woman.â And what can we expect in terms of the political relationship between Biden and Harris, considering that many donât expect Biden to complete a full term in office? Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, and Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers, joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Aislinn Pulley, an organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Protestors in Bend, Oregon last night were sprayed by ICE agents with pepper spray, the use of tear gas has resumed in Portland and activists are denouncing what appears to be a coordinated crackdown. Meanwhile, protests and police attacks continued in Richmond, Chicago and elsewhere, and cops and politicians are demanding heavier and heavier charges and elsewhere.
Covid-19 continues to spread through recently reopened schools, especially in the southern United States. Many school districts there reopened two weeks ago, only to see thousands of new infections and then to close again. Meanwhile, cruise ship employees say that after passengers departed, they were stranded on the ships for months. Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Americaâs Global Health Committee, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Large-scale protests continue in Bolivia against the decision by the coup-installed government of the country to once again postpone elections. As strikes and roadblocks bring the country to a standstill, right-wing paramilitary groups are being mobilized by pro-coup forces to violently repress demonstrators. Brian and John speak with Arnold August, a journalist, the author of three books on Cuba, Latin America, and US foreign policy, and a Fellow at the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Margaret Kimberley, an activist, columnist, and author, whose latest book is called âPrejudential: Black America and the Presidents,â and KJ Noh, a San Francisco activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden yesterday chose California Senator Kamala Harris to be his vice presidential running mate. Harris is the first African-American and Indian-American woman to appear on a major-party ticket. But not everybody is celebrating. Harris is a former prosecutor and state Attorney General, and she is responsible for imprisoning thousands of people under Californiaâs drug laws. She has a conservative voting record on foreign affairs and issues of war and peace. And leaders of Wall Street banks are telling their clients that there is now no cause to worry about a Biden win in November.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced today that Russian scientists have developed a vaccine for the coronavirus and that it has received regulatory approval after two months of testing on humans. Frontline medical professionals will be the first to receive the vaccine, and Putinâs own daughter already has received it. Russian doctors plan to begin mass vaccinations in October. Bryan Macdonald, a journalist who specializes in Eastern Europe and Russia, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Kofi Ademola, an activist and organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Protests continued overnight and over the past weekend in both Portland and Chicago, and Chicago saw intense clashes, resulting in more than 100 arrests.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist who is senior editor of The Grayzone and co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels.â
Four days ago, Twitter announced that it would begin identifying what it calls âstate sponsors of informationâ on the platform. What that means is that when Sputnik, RT, Telesur, or any number of similar outlets post a tweet, Twitter will add a tag saying that the information comes from a foreign government. The implication is that reads should take what they read with a grain of salt. But the warning label will not be attached to tweets and news from the BBC, Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, Radio or TV Marti, or the Voice of America, all of which are government owned and operated.
We continue our segment âEducation for Liberationâ where we look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Brian and John speak with Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and author, and host of the new podcast: âUnder the Tree: A Seminar on Freedom with Bill Ayersâ
We continue our weekly half hour segment Technology Rulesâa weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the National Surveillance State are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa, and Patricia Gorky, a software engineer and technology and security analyst, joins Brian and John.
In The Week Ahead, the panel looks at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world including Trumpâs executive orders on Coronavirus relief, the spread of the pandemic among children, and more. Walter Smolarek, Sputnik News analyst and one of the producers of Loud & Clear, joins the show.
Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are still at loggerheads when it comes to a new coronavirus stimulus package. So President Trump this weekend took matters into his own hands. In a move that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called âabsurdly unconstitutionalâ and that was even condemned by the conservative Wall Street Journal, Trump issued executive orders this weekend that cuts the payroll tax, deferrs student loans, and provides Americans with an unemployment supplement of $400 a week. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âThe Scourge of Neo-Liberalism: US policy from Reagan to Trump,â joins the show.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the huge number of coronavirus cases and deaths, the problem US media has with Russia getting to a vaccine quickly, Bidenâs comments about the African American community not being diverse, and more. Brian and John speak with Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall. Heâs an award-winning columnist and political cartoonist and you can check out his work at www.rall.com.
Discussions between the White House and Congressional Democrats on a coronavirus relief package are on the brink of collapse, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now saying that there may be light at the end of the tunnel, but that light may be an oncoming train. Even after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell relented on continuing the $600 weekly supplement for the unemployed, the White House and Democrats are so far apart that no coronavirus aid bill is expected at least through the weekend.
Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the US atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, Japan. And Sunday marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The bombings killed as many as 226,000 people, almost all of whom were civilians. Even after 75 years, these two attacks are the only times that any country in the world has detonated a nuclear weapon against another. Brian and John speak with Greg Mello, the Executive Director of the Los Alamos Study Group.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog.
President Trump yesterday issued executive orders that would ban popular apps TikTok and WeChat from operating in the United States if they are not sold to a US company in the next 45 days. The Wall Street Journal says that the executive orders are unprecedented in American history. Trump earlier in the week told Microsoftâs CEO that if the company buys TikTok, he expects âa great deal of money to go to the Treasury.â That, too, is unprecedented. John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
New York Attorney General Leticia James tweeted last night that she would make a major national announcement today at 12:45. Well, she made that announcement. And it was that she would charge the National Rifle Association, the NRA, as a criminal organization. The Attorney General alleges that the NRA and four of its top executives mismanaged funds and violated both state and federal laws, resulting in a loss of more than $64 million over the past three years. Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Pete Dolack, an activist and writer with Trade Justice New York Metro, who focuses on human rights, social justice, and environmental and trade issues and is the author of âItâs Not Over, Learning from the Socialist Experiment.â
The so-called economic recovery has hit a roadblock with another 1.2 million Americans filing for unemployment benefits in the past week. And at the end of the week, the governmentâs $600 bonus to the unemployed expired. Meanwhile, farm bankruptcies rose eight percent over last year, a number that is lower than expected because of federal intervention. And in Washington, Democrats in the House and Republicans in the Senate are apparently no closer to a compromise on a new coronavirus relief bill than they were a week ago.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Rania Khalek, a journalist and political activist whose work has appeared in The Nation, The Intercept, Aljazeera, Salon, VICE, and elsewhere.
Lebanonâs capital, Beirut, experienced a massive explosion yesterday that killed at least 100 people and wounded more than 4,000. The government said that a warehouse containing ammonium nitrate, the same compound that was used in the Oklahoma City bombing, was ignited after a neighboring warehouse containing fireworks or some similar explosives, caught fire. Many countries around the world have offered assistance, but aid will not help with the broken political system and dysfunctional government that allowed the accident to happen.
There is no national testing plan for the coronavirus and no plans to implement one. As a result, seven states recently banded together to create their own. Marylandâs Republican Governor Larry Hogan negotiated the deal, which includes two other Republicans and four Democrats, when the White House refused to recommend national standards to combat the disease. Theyâve already negotiated a deal with a testing company that can conduct a Covid test and provide results in 30 minutes. Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging and reemerging viruses, joins the show.
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, of COHA, yesterday published a report saying that a recently leaked document from USAID, the Agency for International Development, provides a glimpse into the breadth and depth of the US governmentâs policy and plan to interfere in Nicaraguaâs internal affairs up to and after its presidential election next year. The Trump Administrationâs policy in Nicaragua has been a simple one: to overthrow the government of President Daniel Ortega. Brian and John speak with Jill Clark-Gollub, assistant editor and translator at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, and special guest Ian Zabarte, Principal Man of the Western Bands of the Shoshone Indians, the secretary of the Native Community Action Council, at NativeCommunityActionCouncil.org, and a leading voice nationally against the Yucca Mountain dump, join the show.
Races in Missouri and Kansas saw upsets yesterday for both parties, as Rep. Lacy Clay, who replaced his father in a congressional seat in St. Louis, was ousted by progressive activist Cori Bush. Missouri voters also approved a referendum that would implement that toughest anti-abortion rules in the country. In Kansas, former Secretary of State Kris Kobach was defeated in the Republican primary for US Senate, virtually ensuring that the Republicans will retain the seat. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration sued the state of Nevada yesterday over the issue of voting by mail. Ted Rall, an award-winning columnist and political cartoonist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; special guest, Moira Casados-Cassidy, a member of the board of directors in the Denver Classroom Teachers Association; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Richard Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest Prof. Wolff.
Several states have primary elections today with heavily contested races. In Kansas, former Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an immigration hardliner and failed candidate for governor, is now running for a Senate seat that has been Republican for 66 years. And in Michigan, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is facing a stiff challenge from former Rep. Brenda Jones, an African-American woman. Meanwhile, Joe Biden still has not made a decision on his Vice President, with six vetted candidates still in the running. Biden apparently will now make a decision late this week or early next week. And concerns are growing over the political turmoil that could come from long delays counting mail-in ballots. Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare. He is a journalist and author of three books--The Frozen Republic, The Velvet Coup, and America's Undeclared War.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The coronavirus continues to spread, with 35 states across the country logging more cases last week than the week before. President Trump, however, is insistent that schools reopen. With that said, some governors are ignoring the president and are ordering that students return to school online only. And in an interview yesterday with the news outlet Axios, the president insisted that the United States has the best coronavirus record in the world. Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest film is âKilling Gaza.â He is also the senior editor of Grayzone and co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels,â joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world. Sputnik News analyst and producer of this show Nicole Roussell joins the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations.
Microsoft CEO spoke with President Trump recently about its desire to purchase TikTok. Trump last week said that he would seek to ban TikTok, one of the most popular apps in the world, saying that it secretly collected data and sent it to China. Is the Microsoft CEO in favor of political gangsterism over the infamous free market that corporations usually espouse?
The Russian government announced over the weekend that it would begin a coronavirus vaccination program in October, the first country to do so. But rather than optimism or support, the media is fearmongering about the vaccine, equating speed with haphazard safety protocols. Indeed, some outlets are comparing the Russian vaccine to Sputnik, the first man-made satellite in space. And the media are doing the same thing with news of an upcoming Chinese vaccine. Brian and John speak with Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast.
Congress and the Trump Administration are so far apart on another Covid relief bill that there is no chance of an agreement. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that she and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have not agreed on any major points that would be in a bill. They are farthest apart on direct aid to the unemployed, with Mnuchin saying that he would not support any bill that pays people to stay home doing nothing. Meanwhile, the coronavirus continues to spread quickly around the country with nearly 155,000 Americans dead and tens of millions remain unemployed. Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show âRedacted Tonight,â on RT America, and his latest book is called âBullet Points & Punch Lines,â available at leecamp.com, joins the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Chicago Teachers Union member and activist Nick Stender joins Brian and John.
The withdrawal of federal agents from frontline policing of demonstrations in downtown Portland significantly reduced tensions in the city overnight. Protesters in support of Black Lives Matter rallied near the federal courthouse that became a flashpoint with federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Bureau of Prisons. But in the absence of those federal agents, the night passed peacefully. President Trump says the federal agents will be redeployed to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee. Eugene Puryear, an author, activist and host of the new program BreakThrough News, joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer, the author of the book âThe Plot to Control the World: How the US Spent Billions to Change the Outcome of Elections Around the World,â and Sputnik News analyst and producer Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the governmentâs coronavirus response; the Vietnamese governmentâs coronavirus response; the waning access to healthcare as millions lose their jobs; labor unionsâ effects on healthcare access; the federal, state, and local police agreement in Portland; the renewed attempts to crush and privatize the post office, and more.
The 16th century was an era when the roots of slavery, white supremacy, and capitalism became inextricably tangled into a complex history involving war and revolts in Europe and the conquest of the Americas by European settler colonialism. Colonial powers fought each to dominate the land, labor and resources for what was later dubbed the New World. They also invoked god and religion giving these initial conflicts a strong element of religious war. Brian and John speak with Dr. Gerald Horne, the author of a new book, his latest book titled: âThe Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism and Capitalism in the Long 16th Century.â
The Commerce Department today reported that Gross Domestic Product shrank by 9.5 percent in the second quarter of the year, and at an annualized rate of 32.9 percent, easily a record in the history of the country. Although most economists say the second quarter numbers are a disaster, they are unlikely to be this bad in the third of fourth quarters, even if the nascent recovery has been thrown into jeopardy. Meanwhile, 1.4 million people filed for unemployment last week, the second week in a row with more than a million applications. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âThe Scourge of Neo-Liberalism: US Policy from Reagan to Trump,â whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com, joins the show.
President Trump wrote a provocative tweet this morning, wondering aloud if the November presidential election should be postponed âuntil people can properly, securely, and safely vote.â Without any evidence whatsoever, the president said the November election will be âthe most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA.â
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space, today focusing on the multiple missions to Mars launched in the last week, including the US launch today. Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including President Trump's idea to delay elections and what it might portend, the state of unemployment this week, the testimony of the tech monopolies CEOâs yesterday, and more.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
An unmarked Kia van drove up to a crowd of protestors yesterday in New York City, at least five men jumped out, they grabbed a protestor, threw them in the van, and drove off. The men, it turns out, were New York police officers. But it appears theyâve learned these new tactics, which is little more than kidnapping, from the federal agents sent to Portland and elsewhere. And the protestor, we now know, was facing five misdemeanor counts of damaging a police camera. Meanwhile, the F.B.I.âs No. 2, declared the demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd âa national crisis,â and wrote that in addition to investigating what he called âviolent protesters, instigatorsâ and âinciters,â bureau leaders should collect information with ârobust social media exploitation teamsâ and examine what appeared to be âhighly organized behavior.â He also suggested that the bureau make use of the Hobbs Act, put into place in the 1940s to punish racketeering in labor groups, to charge the protesters. Brian and John speak with Heidi Boghosian, the executive director of the A. J. Muste Memorial Institute and the former Executive Director of the National Lawyers Guild.
The CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are testifying before a House antitrust subcommittee today about whether their companies have too much power. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, in his first-ever Congressional testimony, began the hearing saying that he was raised by a single mother and adoptive father and that he created Amazon 26 years ago from nothing. He and the others argued that they are not monopolies and are the only companies large enough to hold off Chinese ventures. Ted Rall, an award-winning columnist and political cartoonist, whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
The spread of Covid-19 is worse in the United States than it is in any other country in the world. And the US has more deaths than any other country. Why is this the case? Is it because we have no national policy on masks? Or because governors reopened their states too early? No. Itâs because of the Russians. The Associated Press reported today that Russian intelligence services are using three English-language websites to spread disinformation about Covid. The US Intelligence Community has just declassified the information so that we can talk about it in advance of the US presidential election.
The Trump Administration announced yesterday that it would continue to reject all new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, and it would shorten renewals for the more than 600,000 immigrants already enrolled in the program while the government conducts a review. The move comes after the Supreme Court earlier this summer blocked the Trump Administrationâs attempts to end the program, which shields young immigrants brought to this country without documentation from deportation. Juan Carlos Ruiz, cofounder of the New Sanctuary Movement, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ajamu Baraka, the National Organizer, Black Alliance for Peace and a longtime human rights activist, organizer, and political activist, and the 2016 Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States.
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is going to make his vice presidential pick soon, maybe as early as this coming weekend. But all of them are pro-war candidates, many with ties to the racist policing that millions are protesting.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Attorney General William Barr testified before the House Judiciary Committee this morning, his first such testimony since being named Attorney General. Testimony focused on the federal crackdown on protests, and the aftermath of the Russiagate campaign. Julie Hurwitz, a civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James, and Vice President of the Michigan chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the expiring coronavirus unemployment insurance, the bipartisan military spending bill larger than the next 8 countriesâ military budgets combined, Julian Assange in court today, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Lillian House, an organizer with the Denver Liberation Center and has been deeply involved in protests across Colorado.
In Denver, Colorado, this weekend, two white men drove a Jeep at top speed, possibly as high as 80 miles an hour, into a crowd of people protesting racist police violence, severely injuring several people. The police found the culprits who attempted to murder and maim these protesters, but reportedly let them go. In a similar racist attack, the driver who drove his car into an anti-racism protest in Austin, Texas, shot and killed an activist who tried to stop the car.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberationâ is about at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Rick Ayers, a professor of education at the University of San Francisco and author, joins Brian and John.
Senate Republicans have finalized their version of a new stimulus bill to address the fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic. Under the plan, the enhancement to unemployment benefits would be slashed, and a major push is underway to shield corporations from legal consequences if their employees get sick. The bill also includes another round of one-time checks equivalent to those disbursed under the CARES Act. Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen, joins the show.
Tesla owner Elon Musk caused outrage over the weekend by apparently admitting that his company's demand for lithium played a role in the coup against democratically-elected Bolivian president Evo Morales. Musk tweeted, "We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it." This comes as the de-facto government of Jeanine Añez postpones the election once again as the candidate of Morales' party leads in the polls.Brian and John speak with Patricio Zamorano, an academic and international analyst and Co-Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, COHA, Ollie Vargas, a Bolivian journalist and writer who has contributed to teleSUR, Morning Star, and other media outlets.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Today, China ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu, in response to the Trump Administrationâs closure of Chinaâs consulate in Houston, Texas, for which they cited alleged Chinese theft of US intellectual property. The move was a serious escalation in the tit-for-tat between the US and China. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on Trumpâs reversal in his approach to the pandemic, the latest US moves and escalation of rhetoric against China, the federal police crackdown on anti-racism protesters, the 2020 presidential election, and more.
President Trump said yesterday that he would send federal agents into Chicago, Albuquerque, and Kansas City as part of what heâs calling âOperation Legend.â In Portland, these agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Bureau of Prisons, have harassed peaceful protestors, theyâve snatched demonstrators off the streets into unmarked rental cars, and theyâve detained protestors without charge. Mayors and governors are up in arms, and theyâve filed multiple lawsuits against the administration. But the president is undaunted. Brian and John speak with Wyatt Reed, the producer of By Any Means Necessary, which is on Radio Sputnik every weekday from 2pm to 4pm.
The corporate media make a lot of the work being done internationally by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We routinely see news reports about the Foundationâs involvement in the development of a vaccine for Covid-19, for example. But the Gates Foundation is leading the charge in privatizing global public health policy. Michele Greenstein, a journalist and the author of âWhy the Bill Gates Global Health Empire Promises More Empire and Less Public Health,â at The Grayzone, and the producer of a series on the technology war between the U.S. and China and a documentary from the field on 2019âs anti-government movement in Hong Kong.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
President Trump yesterday threatened to send federal agents to cities all around America, ostensibly to protect federal buildings. We know from what weâve seen in Portland, Oregon, though, that these agents are perpetrating violence on peaceful and unarmed protestors. The agents appear to be from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Bureau of Prisons. They are dressed in military fatigues and they donât wear nameplates or insignia. And theyâve been snatching people off the streets, throwing them into unmarked vehicles, and detaining them without charge. Dari Rodriguez, an organizer with the Bronx Justice Center, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âThe Scourge of Neoliberalism: US policy from Reagan to Trump,â at www.jackrasmus.com.
1.4 million Americans filed new unemployment claims last week, the first increase in months, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to weigh on the labor market. Meanwhile, Republicans in the Senate came closer to a unified position on a new stimulus package. They scrapped the presidentâs demand for a payroll tax cut, but they also proposed dramatically lower benefits for the unemployed.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Federal agents wearing military fatigues but no name tags or identifying insignia have been snatching protestors off the streets of Portland in rented black vans, and they are now reported to be in Chicago. President Trump said that he will send these agents, who are apparently from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Bureau of Prisons, to any city in America where protestors are damaging statues or property. But civil libertarians are crying foul and say that there are serious constitutional violations being committed. Brian and John speak with Medea Benjamin, a legendary peace activist and the co-founder of the peace group Code Pink.
The White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill are in disarray over a Covid-19 spending plan just as benefits from the last bill are set to expire. The Washington Post reports that the White House and Congressional Republicans canât even agree on policy goals, spending parameters, or even deadlines. And thereâs not yet even talk about reconciling whatever the Republican bill will look like before itâs reconciled with the Democratsâ bill. Pete Dolack, an activist and writer with Trade Justice New York Metro, who focuses on human rights, social justice, and environmental and trade issues and the author of âItâs Not Over, Learning from the Socialist Experiment,â joins the show.
President Trump yesterday reinstated Covid-19 medical briefings from the White House press room. But instead of Drs. Fauci or Birx leading the event, the president appeared by himself. Trump had a moment of clarity when he said that Covid-19 infections would get worse before they get better, and indeed, more than 1,000 people died yesterday for the first time in 50 days. And Trump has begun wearing a mask after saying that they were unpatriotic. Ted Rall, an award-winning columnist and political cartoonist and you can check out his work at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations.
The Trump Administration today ordered China to close its consulate in Houston amid deteriorating relations between the two countries. China denounced the move as âan unprecedented escalation.â The State Department said the closure is punishment for the Chinese theft of American intellectual property.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show âRedacted Tonight,â on RT America, and his latest book is called âBullet Points & Punch Lines,â which you can find at leecamp.com.
An annual Washington ritual has begun again. Thatâs debate and passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. But this year itâs more ominous. While much of the defense-related press focuses on money for troops in Germany or additional destroyers in Spain, the measure also authorizes and funds military action against American citizens in American cities. Weâve seen it in Portland. Chicago is next. And this isnât just an invention of Donald Trump. It began during the Obama Administration. In the meantime, how many masks, gowns, and gloves could be purchased for frontline medical personnel with the money used to put down peaceful demonstrators?
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
A long-awaited report from the British Parliamentâs Intelligence and Security Committee accuses Russia to meddle in the UKâs internal affairs and to influence the Brexit referendum. Russian authorities have strongly disputed these allegations, calling them âgroundlessâ and impossible to substantiate. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including Trumpâs efforts to minimize his administrationâs mishandling of the Coronavirus crisis, the state of the 2020 presidential election, the kidnapping of protesters by unidentified federal agents in Portland, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mara Verheyden Hilliard, the executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund.
A viral video is making the rounds on social media and in the mainstream news that shows a Navy veteran and graduate of the US Naval Academy being brutalized by a federal officer in Portland, Oregon. The man is standing peacefully, when he is attacked by a federal officer in fatigues, who strikes him with a club multiple times, breaking his hand, while another officer sprays him in the face with pepper spray. Thatâs the situation in Portland, where these federal officers--with no name tags and no identifying features--have taken to the streets. They are even kidnapping protestors and taking them away in unmarked vans.
The 2020 presidential campaign seems to get crazier and crazier. President Donald Trump gave an interview over the weekend to Fox Newsâs Chris Wallace that became combative and called into question whether Trump can maintain his base as we get closer to the election. Meanwhile the latest national polls show Joe Biden leading Trump by 15 percentage points. Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton," joins the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
The coronavirus continues to spread at an increasingly rapid rate, especially across the southern United States. Nationally, Covid-19 is infecting 20 people per 100,000 residents. But the infection rate is far higher in many states, with Florida at 55 people per 100,000 residents, Arizona at 44, Louisiana at 41, and Nevada at 39. And deaths stand at nearly 141,000. Meanwhile, the European Union announced that it would not allow Americans to travel there at least until July 31. Brian and John speak with Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Americaâs Global Health Committee.
The UKâs Equality and Human Rights Commission, the countryâs official equality watchdog, finds itself in the center of a controversy over its impartiality. That controversy began when two pro-Israel lobbying groups in the UK asked for an investigation into alleged anti-semitism in the British Labour Party. But the Equality and Human Rights Commission never revealed that it had named one of the pro-Israel lobbying groups to its legal advisory board. And it also hadnât revealed that one of its senior members had donated thousands of pounds to the Conservative Party and had hosted a fundraiser for the party. Asa Winstanley, an investigative journalist and an associate editor of the Electronic Intifada, joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jim Kavanagh,veditor of thepolemicist.net, and Walter Smolarek, Sputnik News analysts and producer.
In The Week in Review, we take a look at the biggest stories of the week, including the latest controversies over the response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the shakeup in the Trump campaign, the latest U.S. threats against China, recent developments in the economic crisis gripping the country, and more
The Supreme Court yesterday refused to consider an Appeals Court decision to uphold the disenfranchisement of as many as one million ex-felons in the state of Florida. Florida voters had passed a referendum allowing ex-felons who had completed probation and parole to register to vote, except if they had been convicted of murder or sex crimes. But the stateâs governor sued, and the state legislature passed a law saying that ex-felons also had to have paid all fines, fees, and restitution before registering. Brian and John speak with Ruth Beltran, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Tampa, and Kofi Ademola, an activist and organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Again this week weâll look at the worst, most misleading, funniest, and just plain wrong headlines of the past week. Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News, at lefti.blogspot.com, joins the show.
The number of Covid-19 infections broke another record yesterday, its ninth in 11 days, with 77,255 new cases reported. Another 943 Americans died yesterday. Medical professionals in Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Arizona, and southern California warn that Intensive Care Units are full or almost full, and there are no signs that the spread of the disease is slowing. Meanwhile, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp lifted an Atlanta rule that residents must wear masks. Kemp said, disingenuously, that while he wants people to wear masks, he doesnât want to mandate it. Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter whose writings can be found at ThisCantBeHappening.net., joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and Sputnik news analyst Nicole Roussell.
Until recently, the Japanese island of Okinawa, which is home to several different US military bases, had no Covid-19 cases at all. But in the past two weeks, nearly 100 servicemen have been infected and all US facilities on the island have gone into lockdown to try to prevent the disease from spreading to the population. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo escalated tensions with China this week. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including new studies showing that coronavirus antibodies may only exist temporarily, the European Court of Justiceâs ruling on US violations of data privacy, the hack yesterday into famous Twitter accounts, the new footage of George Floydâs death and what the cops said as they killed him, and more.
The UK has banned Chinese telecom giant Huawei from its 5G network, reversing a January decision that would have allowed the tech company to have a role in building the countryâs super-fast wireless infrastructure. President Trump is claiming that it was he who convinced the British government to take the decision. Meanwhile, Apple won a major EU court victory yesterday when a 2016 decision to force Apple to pay $16 billion in taxes was overturned. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning columnist and political cartoonist whose work is at www.rall.com.
2020 is taking some odd political turns. Last night in the Alabama primary, former senator and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions lost his comeback attempt handily--61 to 39--to former football coach Tommy Tuberville. President Trump complained in a Rose Garden press conference that Joe Bidenâs environmental plan to reduce greenhouse gasses would mean that new houses would be built without windows.
Armenian and Azerbaijani troops clashed along their border this week, killing an Azeri general and at least 10 other people. Both sides accuse each other of shelling civilians. The fighting is a result of a long-time dispute over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is claimed by both sides. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, negotiated a fragile ceasefire in 1994, but Azeri President Aliyev called any further diplomacy âpointless.â Mark Sleboda, a foreign affairs and security analyst, joins the show.
President Trump today unilaterally weakened one of the nationâs bedrock conservation laws, the National Environmental Policy Act, limiting public review of federal infrastructure projects to speed up the permitting of freeways, power plants, and pipelines. Gutting the 50-year-old law is one of the most significant measures the administration has taken. And to date, Trump has either weakened, suspended, or canceled more than 100 environmental protection laws and regulations. Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Ann Marie Kernen, a Washington, DC anti-war organizer; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
A major battle is brewing between the White House and states, municipalities, and school districts around the country over whether, when, and how to reopen schools in the fall. The President and his Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, are adamant that schools must reopen fully and on-time or risk losing federal aid. But epidemiologists and educators say itâs too dangerous and a fight is likely in the courts. Rick Ayers, a professor of education at the University of San Francisco, the author of âAn Empty Seat in Class: Teaching and Learning after the Death of a Student,â and co-author of the book âYou canât fire the bad ones: And 18 other myths about teachers, teachers unions, and public education,â and Karla Reyes, a teacher in New York Public Schools and a managing editor of the womenâs magazine Breaking the Chains, joins the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
Ghislaine Maxwell, the woman accused of procuring and grooming young girls for the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, appeared in court today, charged with perjury and conspiracy. Maxwellâs attorneys are expected to base their legal defense on an unprecedented sweetheart deal Epstein received from prosecutors in Florida in 2007 that shielded his co-conspirators from legal consequences. But what Maxwell is accused of doing is just as horrifying as the accusations against Epstein.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the huge and growing coronavirus numbers, the Washington football team abruptly changing its name during the current protest movement after years of campaigns against the name, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The federal government was just prohibited from beginning executing death row prisoners again today. As if thatâs not controversial enough, the government has been secretly experimenting with pentobarbital as the execution drug without telling the companies that manufacture it and without telling the people of St. Louis, MO that experiments in advance of the executions are taking place in the center of their city. Miriam Gohara, a Clinical Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School who spent sixteen years representing death-sentenced clients in post-conviction litigation, as assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and then as a specially designated federal public defender with the Federal Capital Habeas Project, joins John.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand theImpossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian.
Major unions representing academic workers are organizing protests today in cities across the country in opposition to ICEâs new policy of deporting international students whose universities do not resume in-person classes. Tomorrow, a court in Massachusetts will hold a hearing on a major lawsuit brought by Harvard and MIT seeking to block ICE. Neal Sweeney, the Vice President of UAW Local 5810, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra!, and Salon.com, and whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net.
States across the country yesterday reported record numbers of Covid-19 infections, 57,789, with marked increases in 35 states. Florida alone reported 15,300 new cases on Sunday. And perhaps even more troubling, the average age for those people newly-infected has declined. Experts say this is a result of bars and beaches opening and younger people refusing to practice social distancing and to wear masks. Meanwhile, the White House appears to have turned on Dr. Anthony Fauci, calling into question his ability to continue leading the fight against the disease. And a new report has shown even more abuse of pandemic assistance programs by the ultra-rich -- this time by wealth management firms.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analyst and producer Nicole Roussell and, in the second half hour, special guest Kym Smith, an South Carolina organizer in the ongoing protest movement.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on record-breaking counts of new coronavirus cases in six of the last ten days, deaths due to coronavirus beginning to increase, the Supreme Court cases this week that ruled on Trumpâs taxes and womenâs right to health care, and a special report from Columbia, South Carolina, about the escalating level of police repression against the protest movement.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
The unemployment rate in the UK is expected to soar to more than 15 percent in an expected second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thatâs according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. Such a rise in unemployment would put the British rate above unemployment levels in France, Germany, and Italy. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
Immigration detention facilities have been hit hard by the coronavirus. Last week, more than 100 of the 412 detainees at an ICE facility in Farmville, Virginia tested positive for the coronavirus, which is spreading rapidly throughout the facility, and detainees say the real numbers are far worse. ICE, meanwhile, continues to transfer people from other states into the Farmville facility, further endangering everyone. And those who are sick are merely handed Tylenol. Danny Cendejas, an organizer with la ColectiVa, a social justice organization in Northern Virginia campaigning for the release of everyone at the immigration detention center in Farmville, Virginia, where covid-19 has started spreading, joins the show.
Many Americans followed the story of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen. She was the soldier from Fort Hood, Texas who was brutally murdered and dismembered by a fellow soldier in April. Her remains were found two weeks ago. The murderer was Guillen's supervisor, and she had been harassed by him previously. Now Guillen's family and a group of female veterans are demanding systemic changes and a congressional investigation into the failure of the military to protect Guillen and other female soldiers. Brian and John speak with Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers.
The Supreme Court ruled today that New York City prosecutors may have access to President Trumpâs tax returns for use with a grand jury, but that Congress may NOT have access, at least until after the election. Even with a partial victory, Trump is furious, and he spent much of the day tweeting his anger. Meanwhile, likely Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden issued an underwhelming economic plan advocating small tax increases on corporations and what Biden loosely called âcommon senseâ taxation. And the Democratic Partyâs âunity commissionsâ submitted their recommendations.
The Department of Labor this morning released its latest unemployment numbers today, and the 600-dollar a week enhancement to unemployment benefits is set to expire soon. Pete Dolack, an activist and writer with Trade Justice New York Metro, who focuses on human rights, social justice, and environmental and trade issues and the author of âItâs Not Over, Learning from the Socialist Experiment,â joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden have agreed to hold three presidential debates in the fall, one less than Trump had sought. The New York Timesâs Thomas Friedman suggests that Biden not debate unless Trump agrees to release his 2016-2018 tax returns and agrees to a real-time truth tracker. For his part, Biden has kept a low profile, making it difficult for Republicans to attack him. And all national polls show Biden winning in a landslide if the election were held today. Brian and John speak with Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show âRedacted Tonight,â which you can see on RT America. His latest book is called âBullet Points & Punch Lines,â and you can find it, and more of his work, at leecamp.com.
Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun arrived in Seoul South Korea yesterday for talks on stalled nuclear diplomacy hours after North Korea said Kim Jong Un had âno intention of sitting face to face with the United States.â President Trump had said earlier in the day that he was willing to have yet another summit with the North Korean leader. But Biegun reiterated the US position that North Korea must give up all of its nuclear weapons, something North Korea has always maintained it would not do unilaterally without concurrent sanctions relief. Gregory Elich, a member of the Solidarity Committee for Democracy and Peace in Korea and an author of many articles and books, whose work is at gregoryelich.org, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Chicago Teachers Union member and activist Nick Stender.
Covid-19 is continuing to spread rapidly, with 34 states reporting record numbers of cases yesterday, the same day that the President announced the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Nearly 132,000 Americans already have died of the disease this year, and current projections from the Centers for Disease Control say that we should expect to see 200,000 to 250,000 dead by November 1. But Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are unfazed by these numbers. Trump yesterday tweeted an untruth that schools across Europe already are open and are reporting no problems. Itâs the middle of the summer. And DeVos said that she would withhold federal funding for all schools that do not open physically when the new school year starts.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador flew to Washington yesterday to meet with President Trump. It's his first foreign trip since winning in a landslide two years ago. Meanwhile, in Mexico, nearly six years after 43 college students disappeared in a rural area of the country, investigators have identified the remains of one of the missing, known as the Ayotzinapa 43. Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Paul Erickson, the Republican operative and former boyfriend of Maria Butina, the Russian student who was convicted of failing to register as a foreign agent, was sentenced to seven years in a federal prison yesterday for defrauding investors over the past 20 years. But critics argue that similar practices are commonplace among Washington lobbyists. The case had nothing to do with Butina, but prosecutors targeted Erickson after he refused to cooperate in the case against his girlfriend. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--The Frozen Republic, The Velvet Coup, and America's Undeclared War, joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Eugene Puryear, an author, activist and host of the new program BreakThrough News.
Major cities in the United States have suffered from serious gun violence for a very long time. All of a sudden, in newspapers across the country these tragic shootings are becoming front page news. Democratic Party politicians and corporate media outlets are implying that this is a consequence of the movement to defund the police. But these shootings, and others in cities like New York and St. Louis, had nothing to do with protests. So why are authorities trying to tie them together?
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including coronavirus numbers exploding, what President Trump said in his inciting and racist speech at Mount Rushmore over the weekend and what effects it may have, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
President Trump over the weekend gave a threatening and incendiary speech at Mount Rushmore that dispensed with any questions about whether he was going to launch a war on progressives in the presidential campaign. The event was protested by Native Americans whose land Mt. Rushmore is carved into. Among other things, Trump said that, âAngry mobs are seeking to unleash a wave of violent crime in our citiesâ and that those seeking to deface monuments want to âend America.â He called protestors, âmembers of the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, and people who have absolutely no clue what they are doing.â Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, whose latest article on CounterPunch and The Polemicist titled âOver the Rainbow: Paths of Resistance after George Floyd,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Robert Gallo, MD, the Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, co-founder and director of the Institute Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and co-founder and international scientific adviser of the Global Virus Network.
What would you think if someone told you that we already have a vaccine that at least helps fight Covid-19? That may already be the case. Two American scientists, Dr. Robert Gallo and Dr. Konstantin Chumakov, are positing that decades-old live vaccines for things like polio and tuberculosis strengthen the immune systemâs first line of defense a more general way to fight infection. And the history books show us that that sometimes translates into at least some cross-protection against completely different viruses.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Abby Martin and Mike Prysner have filmed a new documentary titled âAfghanistan War Exposed: An Imperial Conspiracyâ, that shows the totality of the US conflict in Afghanistan, from CIA covert action in the 1980s until today. They argue that the occupation of Afghanistan has become so normalized and mostly serves as background noise to Americans. Itâs even referred to as the âForever War,â accepted as just a constant reality. You can support the journalism of Mike and Abby Martin at patreon.com/EmpireFiles, and check out their work at YouTube.com/EmpireFiles. And check out an earlier documentary on Afghanistan by Abby and Mike titled âThe Forever War: From the Killing Fieldsâ. Mike Prysner, the documentaryâs producer, and the co-host of the podcast Eyes Left, a military podcast hosted by two anti-war Army veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including âThe Counterrevolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America.â
The successful 1776 revolt against British rule in North America has been hailed almost universally as a great step forward for humanity. But the Africans then living in the colonies overwhelmingly sided with the British. Gerald Horne argues that in the prelude to 1776, the abolition of slavery seemed all but inevitable in London, delighting Africans as much as it outraged slaveholders, and sparking the colonial revolt. The so-called Revolutionary War was in part a counter-revolution, a conservative movement that the founding fathers fought in order to preserve their right to enslave others.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? John speaks with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning commentator and editorial cartoonist whose work you can find at www.rall.com.
New coronavirus infection cases are surging across the country, with marked increases in 45 states over the past 14 days. Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that he would not be surprised to see 100,000 new infections per day in the coming weeks. Even the Republican governors of Texas, Florida, and Arizona said yesterday that they had reopened their states too soon. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he was considering a third coronavirus stimulus bill that would extend unemployment benefits.
Supporters of Medicaid expansion won a narrow victory in conservative Oklahoma yesterday where a ballot measure passed with slightly over 50 percent of the vote. In Colorado, an right-wing insurgent congressional candidate who is a follower of the conspiracy group Q-Anon, defeated incumbent Republican Congressman Scott Tipton, despite being outspent 4-1. Meanwhile, mail-in ballots in Kentucky have been counted and Amy McGrath has won the Democratic nomination for Senate. She will take on Mitch McConnell in November. John speaks with Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net.
The Israeli government was widely expected to present to the cabinet today a plan to annex as much as 30 percent of the West Bank. Thatâs what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuâs deal with Knesset Speaker Benny Gantz allowed for. But it didnât happen, even after a meeting yesterday between Netanyahu, a White House envoy, and the US Ambassador to Israel. Miko Peled, the author of âThe Generalâs Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,â and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,â joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Accusations continue to fly that Russian military intelligence paid the Taliban a bounty to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, although there is little in the way of evidence. The Wall Street Journal reported that NSA strenuously objected to the report, saying there was no evidence that it was true, while former National Security Advisor Susan Rice offered an opinion in the New York Times that it was true and that both President Trump and Vice President Pence live in a state of denial. Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today that now is the time to lay out an ambitious economic plan to bring the UK out of its coronavirus recession. Plans set out in a new Tory election manifesto call for a New Deal and 5 billion pounds of new spending on homes and infrastructure, as well as investment in new schools, green buses, and upgraded broadband. The Opposition Labour Party said the plan was not new and not much of a deal. John speaks with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
Accusations flew in Washington over the past two days about what President Trump was told about allegations that Russia paid bounties for the Taliban to kill American soldiers. But an equally intense debate is taking place over whether the information is even true in the first place. We donât know much about the source and we have no idea if the information was vetted. Bryan Macdonald, a journalist who specializes in Eastern Europe and Russia, joins the show with John.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show with Brian.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Matthew Hoh, who worked for 12 years in United States Marine Corps and the Departments of Defense and State and resigned in 2009 from the State Department over the American escalation of the war in Afghanistan, whose writings have appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Defense News, the Guardian, the Huffington Post, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, and who won the Ridenhour Prize for Truth Telling.
The New York Times over the weekend reported an explosive story saying that the Russian government paid a bounty for Taliban militants to kill Russian soldiers in Afghanistan. President Trump says he was never briefed on the report, and the intelligence community has used language indicating that they have no actual proof or corroboration. And the Pentagon says that Defense Department leaders were briefed on the report, but they, too, have not corroborated it. Former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who would have been briefed on the issue, seemed to not know anything about it when he was interviewed on the weekend news shows.
Covid-19 continues to spread rapidly, with Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California setting new infection records over the weekend. The governors in those states have begun scaling back and reversing reopenings and two of them, in Texas and North Carolina, said they erred in opening too early. Coronavirus deaths have topped 126,000 so far in the United States. And there are more than a half a million dead worldwide. Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging and reemerging viruses, joins the show with John.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the supreme court decision today in favor of abortion rights for many many women who were at risk of losing further access to care; new articles out in several major papers about Russia allegedly putting bounties on American soldiers while they occupy Afghanistan, despite no hard evidence former National Security Adviser John Bolton not knowing about it, and having low casualties; and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show with Brian and John.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Boeing has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin test flights of its 737 Max jet to demonstrate that it can fly safely with new flight control software. The 737 Max was grounded in March 2019 after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people. No Boeing executives were held accountable for those deaths. John speaks with Mary Schiavo, the former Inspector General at the Department of Transportation, an aviation attorney, an aviation professor, and an on-air consultant on aviation matters for CNN.
The House of Representatives today is voting on a landmark bill to make Washington, DC, a state. The bill wonât pass the US Senate, and President Trump has vowed to block it due to the additional anti-Trump representatives the measure would bring. Georgia Republican Rep. Jody Hice said of the vote âThe District is not prepared to shoulder the burden of statehood. This would apply economically, fiscally as well as a host of other ways.â This is an extension of the long racist history of the federal governmentâs rule over the District of Columbia. Maurice Cook, the founder and executive director of Serve Your City and a co-founder and co-chair of March for Racial Justice, joins the show with Brian Becker.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Americaâs Global Health Committee.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. John speaks with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog.
Russians have begun voting on a wide range of constitutional reforms that would rebalance the relative powers of different branches of the government. The vote is taking place over the course of a week as a measure to reduce overcrowding during the pandemic. What do the constitutional reforms tell us about the future of Russian politics? Brian speaks with Bryan Macdonald, a journalist who specializes in Eastern Europe and Russia.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the near-record-breaking surge of Coronavirus infections being detected across the country, protests against racism and the brutal police repression of those protests, the controversy over racist statues and monuments, the latest attack on the Affordable Care Act, and moreSputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell join Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."
The Justice Department yesterday released a superseding indictment against Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange. The indictment doesnât add to the 18 felony charges with which Assange has already been charged. But it adds detail to allegations that Assange attended hacker conventions in Europe, where they say he solicited hackers to help Wikileaks procure US secrets. Assangeâs US attorney said the indictment is a direct attack on journalists.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Americans filed 1.5 million new unemployment claims last week as the economy sputtered and coronavirus cases surged. As states try to reopen, officials are also forced to deal with this surge. Is it possible to reopen an economy and still protect citizens? And meanwhile, the IMF issued a dire warning that the global economic contraction will be far worse than it initially expected. Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen, joins the show with John.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the protest movement and the reactions in the political class, the strong pushback from the park service, Native nations, and others against president Trumpâs planned visit to Mount Rushmore, the anniversary of the Korean war, and more. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show with John.
We continue our regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, where we look at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare. He is a journalist and author of three books--The Frozen Republic, The Velvet Coup, and America's Undeclared War.
A federal appeals court ruled today that the criminal case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn must be dropped. This is a major victory for Flynn and it points to chaos in the Justice Department. Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing this afternoon to discuss alleged political interference in the Trump Justice Department. The star witness is Aaron Zelinski, a senior member of the Mueller team during the Russiagate probe, and a former Obama Justice Department official, who said that he was pressured to cut Roger Stone a break because of his ties to the President.
We continue with our segment In the News, where we discuss the most important political, economic, and social issues of the day. Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek, Sputnik News analysts and the producers of this show, join Brian and John.
The Biden and Trump campaigns apparently have agreed to three presidential debates in the weeks before the November election. But in a case of role reversal, it is the Trump campaign that is demanding even more, not fewer, debates. President Trump has said that Biden is sequestered in a bunker and does not want to debate him. He has commented on what he called Bidenâs poor mental condition and said that itâs âvery sadâ that Bidenâs handlers wonât let him out in public. But what is the truth here? Why is Biden so consistently out of the public eye? Is that his campaign strategy? Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Confirmed coronavirus across the country are spiking, with troubling surges in at least 26 states. In Florida, the number of cases is doubling every two weeks. In Texas, Gov. Abbott encouraged all residents to remain in their homes. And in Arizona, all intensive care hospital beds are full. But President Trump has ordered that federal testing for the virus be slowed. Despite the fact that White House officials have said that the president was joking, he told campaign supporters in Tulsa last weekend that he had ordered that testing slow. And he confirmed to a CNN reporter yesterday that he was not joking. Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com whose writings can be found at ThisCantBeHappening.net, joins the show.
There were a number of surprising political upsets in primary races in Kentucky, North Carolina, and New York yesterday. In Kentucky, the race between establishment Democrat Amy McGrath and progressive state legislator Charles Booker to take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is too close to call. But in New York, Jamaal Bowman, a progressive middle school principal appears to have defeated Congressman Eliot Engel. Engel has been a member of the House since 1988 and is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. And in North Carolina, a 24-year-old real estate investor, Madison Cawthorn, defeated a Trump-endorsed candidate to win the nomination to succeed Rep. Mark Meadows, who is now White House Chief of Staff. Heâll face Guantanamo whistleblower Col. Morris Davis in the general election. Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the latest easing of Britainâs coronavirus lockdown today, ditching the two meter social distancing rule, allowing pubs, restaurants, and hair salons to reopen. Gyms will remain closed. While non-essential retailers were allowed to reopen last week, many businesses, especially in the hospitality and leisure sector, have remained closed. The countryâs economy has been devastated by the pandemic and lockdown. Brian and John speak with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
The State Department yesterday issued an edict that designated the US operations of China Central Television, China News Service, the Peopleâs Daily, and the Global Times as foreign missions. This follows the February 18 designation of Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily Distribution Corporation, and Hai Tian Development USA as foreign missions. Mike Wong, the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace, joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including . Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
President Trumpâs much-touted kickoff campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday ended up having not the hundreds of thousands of people the campaign expected, but a grand total of 6,611. It turned out that the campaign was trolled by children and teenagers, who reserved nearly a million tickets and then didnât show up. The President is reportedly furious. He blamed âradical leftists,â demonstrators, and the âfake mediaâ for the debacle. But on a serious note, this colossal failure has to call into question the current state of the campaign, just four-and-a-half months before the election. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show with John Kiriakou.
For generations African-Americans have been told they have what is now said to be more than one trillion dollars of "buying power." But a new book argues that commentators have misused this claim largely to blame Black communities for their own poverty based on squandered economic opportunity. âThe Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Powerâ exposes the claim as both a marketing strategy and myth, while also showing how that myth functions simultaneously as a case study for propaganda and commercial media coverage of economics. Brian speaks with Dr. Jared Ball, a professor of communication studies at Morgan State University, the editor of âA Lie of Reinvention: Correcting Manning Marableâs Malcolm Xâ and the new book âThe Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power,â and his writings are at www.IMixWhatILike.org.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.
China two weeks ago announced that it had a Covid-19 hotspot in an outdoor market in Beijing. The government quarantined the area and snuffed out the virus. South Korea dealt with the coronavirus as soon as it hit and was able to control infections. Australia barely had any coronavirus infections after it went into lockdown. And Greece had a lower Covid-19 infection rate than any other country in the European Union. Why are other countries so good at addressing this pandemic and the US is so bad?
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show with John.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the commemoration of and meaning of Juneteenth, what Juneteenth means for the ongoing protest movement today, the tens of millions who have become suddenly unemployed in the last few months, the labor strikes going on today, and more. Brian and John speak with Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Eugene Puryear, an author, activist and host of the new program BreakThrough News; and Estevan Hernandez, an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition who has been in the streets helping to organize recent protests.
Today marks the commemoration of Juneteenth. This is a major holiday for the African American community, and it is celebrated as a state holiday in 47 of the 50 states. President Trump, who apparently had never heard of Juneteenth until just a few days ago, tweeted, âI did something good. I made Juneteenth very famous. Itâs actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it.â Meanwhile, President Trumpâs first post-Covid-19 campaign rally is scheduled to take place in Tulsa, Oklahoma tomorrow. The mayor of Tulsa already has declared a state of emergency and instituted a curfew for today and tomorrow, saying that âstragglers would be arrested.â This was after reports that protesters also would descend on the city. Meanwhile, the White House said that it has no concerns that the 20,000 people expected to pack into the rally venue might be at increased risk of contracting the coronavirus.
California utility PG&E, which stands for Pacific Gas & Electric, has agreed to plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of unlawfully starting a fire. You heard that right. The utilities giant has admitted in court that its faulty and outdated equipment was the cause of a horrific 2018 blaze that destroyed the town of Paradise, California and much of the surrounding area. Besides the dead, 19,000 buildings burned to the ground. The utility will pay a $3.5 million fine, the maximum allowed by law, and a $28.5 billion settlement to the victims, their families, and Butte County, California. Brian and John speak with Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, at www.patreon.com/BreakChainsMag.Brian
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Former National Security Advisor John Boltonâs memoir is supposed to come out on Tuesday. The White House is asking a federal court for an injunction against the book, but excerpts are already being widely reported in the media. Is arch-neocon John Bolton now about to be embraced by the centrist establishment that once despised him? And how shocking really is the information being reported as âbombshellsâ in the media? Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition.
The Supreme Court today, in a landmark 5-4 decision, ruled that the Trump Administration's efforts to dismantle the DACA program, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protects undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children, was unconstitutional. This is a major defeat for the White House, and it protects some 650,000 young people known as "Dreamers." In the final decision, Chief Justice John Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee to the court, joined the court's four more progressive justices.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
An internal CIA report prepared by then-director Mike Pompeo and his deputy, Gina Haspel, that was obtained by the Washington Post, concludes that the 2016 theft of top secret computer hacking tools known as Vault 7 was the result of a culture in which the Agencyâs elite hackers âprioritized building cyber weapons at the expense of securing their own weapons. The CIA did not even know that the information had been stolen until it appeared on the Wikileaks website in 2017. Officials call it the biggest unauthorized disclosure of classified information in the CIAâs history. Brian and John speak with Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show. The webinar for comments on the proposed radioactive waste dump affecting Native and Latino communities in New Mexico is on Tuesday at 5pm EDT, with information posted at beyondnuclear.org.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, who is at www.rall.com.
Coronavirus cases are surging in parts of the country with Florida, Texas, and Arizona yesterday setting new records for the number of confirmed new cases. Indeed, hospital beds in Arizona, Alabama, Texas, and elsewhere are filling quickly. But Vice President Pence, in a call with governors, suggested that governors should stop testing their citizens, which would cause the number of âconfirmedâ cases to decline. And he told those governors to tell their constituents that the Administration has the pandemic under control.
The Trump Administration yesterday filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block next weekâs expected publication of former National Security Advisor John Boltonâs memoir. Bolton has been working for months with the NSCâs publications review board to ensure that the book does not contain classified information. But once he got the book cleared, someone at the White House, presumably the President, put the final clearance on hold. Bolton then said that, clearance or not, he was publishing the book. Itâs supposed to come out on June 23. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âThe Plot to Control the World: How the US Spent Billions to Change the Outcome of Elections Around the World,â joins the show.
President Trump yesterday signed an executive order on policing reforms calling for additional police training and a new database to track police misconduct. Progressive groups immediately dismissed it as not worth the paper it is written on. Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing their own reform bill but it appears to be stalled in the Senate, where Republicans are suggesting reform measures wonât be voted on until after Congress gets back from its July 4th vacation. Daryle Lamont Jenkins, executive director of the organization One Peopleâs Project, joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Special guest Juliana Moraes, Executive Director of the Washington Brazil Office, a project of the US Network for Democracy in Brazil; Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show. You can read more about the Brazilian favelas that Juliana talks about from Rio On Watch, UNEAfro, and MTST.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Two weeks have now passed since the infamous attack on anti-racism protesters in front of the White House to clear the way for Donald Trump to have a photo-op at a nearby church, and more information continues to come out about how the crackdown was executed and which officials were involved in the fateful decision. Will those who carried out this wanton violation of civil liberties be held to account? Mara Verheyden Hilliard, the executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, joins the show.
A coalition of progressive organizations have nominated the Cuba-based organization called the International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics for the Nobel Peace Prize for their humanitarian work around the world during the Covid-19 outbreak. The group, which is better known as the Cuban Medical Brigade Henry Reeve, is working against Covid-19 for free in 26 countries. Brian and John speak with Medea Benjamin, a legendary peace activist and the co-founder of the peace group Code Pink.
A former Marine by the name of Paul Whelan was convicted of espionage in Russia and sentenced to 16 years at hard labor today. Whelan maintained that he was framed, and his Russian attorney said that, while at a wedding in 2018, a friend handed him a flash drive that contained state secrets. Whelan told his attorney that he expects to be exchanged for a Russian pilot in a US prison on a cocaine conspiracy charge and, perhaps for arms dealer Victor Bout. Brian and John speak with Bryan Macdonald, a journalist who specializes in Eastern Europe and Russia.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by community organizer Monica Johnson who attended the protests over the weekend and Sputnik news analyst Nicole Roussell.
Peaceful protests continued across America over the weekend, with large marches in Washington, Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, and abroad. In Atlanta, the police chief resigned after an officer shot and killed Rayshard Brooks, who was shot twice in the back and killed by police in a Wendyâs parking lot. The cops were fired and an investigation was initiated. Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva is meeting today to discuss systemic racism, police brutality, and violence against peaceful demonstrators in the United States.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including . Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Coronavirus cases are spiking in 20 states, mostly in the Deep South and the Midwest, with Florida seeing 2,000 confirmed new cases every day for the past three days. Critics are blaming governors and state leaderships for reopening too quickly. And they say that many residents are no longer practicing social distancing and are not wearing masks. So far, nearly 115,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 in the past three-and-a-half months. Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging and reemerging viruses, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the ongoing protest movement sweeping the country, the victories against racist monuments and memorials, divisions between the White House and the military, and more.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. John speaks with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Confirmed cases of Covid-19 are skyrocketing in a dozen states, mostly in the Deep South and the Midwest as governors insist that their states reopen. In those 12 states, confirmed cases are up more than 50 percent over what they were two weeks ago. Only Utahâs governor announced that the state would delay its reopening to deal with the new cases. Four of those states--North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Nevada--are now seeing a record number of new coronavirus cases. Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Americaâs Global Health Committee, joins the show with John.
Large-scale peaceful protests continued across the country this week, and there are plans for more over the weekend. Protesters in Seattle took control of a local police precinct and began handing out free food and water. And statues commemorating confederate leaders continue to be toppled. Meanwhile, President Trump announced yesterday that the Republican National Convention would be moved to Jacksonville after the governor of North Carolina would not allow delegates to attend without wearing masks. Even more controversially, the White House announced that the Presidentâs first post-Covid-19 campaign rally would be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the site of the worst anti-black massacre in the countryâs history. And that rally will be held on June 19th, also known as Juneteenth, the day on which the entrance of Union troops into the last bastion of slavery is commemorated. Brian speaks with Estevan Hernandez, an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition who has been in the streets helping to organize recent protests.
Eleanor Goldfield has just completed a long-form documentary that is unlike anything thatâs been done on the issue of fracking and the environment in West Virginia. Hard Road of Hope introduces you to the people of West Virginia and shows you the toll that more than a century of coal mining and fracking has taken on the land and the people of that beautiful state. The film was just selected by the Rome Independent Prisma Awards. Creative activist and journalist Eleanor Goldfield, host of the podcast Act Out!, which airs on Free Speech TV, whose work is at ArtKillingApathy.com, and who is the writer, director, and producer of Hard Road of Hope, joins the show with Brian.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Rebecca Keel, Virginia organizer with Southerners on New Ground.
Anti-racism and anti-police protests are surging across the country with protesters demanding action to address the problems more quickly than elected officials seem willing or able to do. Marchers in Richmond, Virginia tore down a statue of Jefferson Davis last night, a statue of Christopher Columbus on Tuesday night, and another Confederate general on Saturday. Other Columbus statues in Houston, St. Paul, and Miami were defaced or torn down. Marchers in Seattle took control of a police precinct and declared it an âautonomous zone.â NASCAR announced that he would ban all Confederate flags from its races. And on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she would seek the removal of all Confederate statues from the Capitolâs Statuary Hall.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The top commander of the US armed forces, General Mark Milley, struggled to explain the role of the military as demands for a crackdown grew from the White House. The Pentagon and the National Guard are currently engaged in something called a âhot wash.â Thatâs an after-action investigation of their conduct during the protests in Washington a week and a half ago. The early indications, according to the New York Times and the Washington Post, are that the Pentagon leadership and the National Guard acted improperly in confronting peaceful demonstrations. Jeremy Kuzmarov, a professor of American history whose latest book is âThe Russians Are Coming, Again: The First Cold War as Tragedy, the Second as Farce,â joins the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daryle Lamont Jenkins, executive director of the organization One Peopleâs Project.
Democrats in the House of Representatives on Monday introduced broad police reform legislation aimed at boosting law enforcement accountability, changing police practices, and curbing racial profiling. However, Democratic officials sought to distance themselves from progressive activists seeking to defund police departments.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
John Gleeson, a former judge leading a review of the Department of Justiceâs handling of the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, released a brief today expressing strong disapproval of the Department of Justiceâs effort to drop the prosecution of Michael Flynn after he already pled guilty. Also, Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testified last week before a Senate Committee on the origins of the Russia investigation. What he had to say was devastating for those pushing the narrative that there was collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. Rosenstein told the committee that the FBI never had any evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, but that he had asked Robert Mueller to lead an investigation because he had already determined that the FBI had lied to him. Rosensteinâs testimony contained a half-dozen bombshells that turn the entire Russiagate affair on its ear. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
A top Harvard chemistry professor was indicted yesterday by a grand jury on felony charges of lying to federal investigators about his ties to a Chinese-run academic program. Dr. Charles Lieber maintains his innocence, and civil liberties advocates have warned that his case represents a sign that any academic or professional collaboration is being criminalized by federal authorities. Brian and John speak with KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.
Pro-Israel lobby groups are struggling to appear supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement. But privately, they are warning that Black Lives Matter is a threat to the status quo that is Israelâs racist system. Some of those lobbyists are not so subtle. Morton Klein, head of the Zionist Organization of America, went so far as to ask the Southern Poverty Law Center to designate Black Lives Matter as a hate group. He said, âBlack Lives Matter is a Jew-hating, White-hating, Israel-hating, conservative Black-hating, violence-promoting, dangerous Soros-funded extremist group of haters.â Ali Abunimah, the co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of the book The Battle for Justice in Palestine, joins the show.
The New York Times is embroiled in controversy as its opinion page editor resigned for publishing a piece by Senator Tom Cotton advocating the use of violence against protestors. But is this just hollow lip service to progressive ideas? Media critics have long pointed to the Timesâ role pushing war and militarism, and just two days ago an article appeared titled, âIs This the Trump Tipping Pointâ in which columnist Jennifer Senior criticizes Trump for being âpartial to Slavsâ. How is the corporate media faring in a time of mass uprising? Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
In the wake of the police murder of George Floyd, many communities are now calling for the defunding of their police departments. The Minneapolis City Council last week took a veto-proof vote to do just that. And in the past 15 years, the communities of Trenton, NJ and Compton in Los Angeles, CA also have done away with their local police departments and instead joined reformed county departments. But Joe Biden is sticking to his guns. He says that he does not--and will not--support the defunding of police departments. Anywhere.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including . Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state--where this week they focus on the technologies and surveillance tactics that the government has already been using at all levels to suppress the protests for Justice for George Floyd, manipulate the narrative, and criminalize dissent. This is your guide to whatâs going on behind the scenes of the nationwide protests demanding justice for George Floyd and the countless people killed by police. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show with John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by producers Walter and Nicole, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality Michelle Gross, Bronx Liberation Center organizer Dari Rodriguez, Philadelphia MC for Saturday Mecca Bullock, ANSWER LA organizer Kameron Hurt, and journalist Neil Clark.
Peaceful demonstrations against police violence and racism continue to spread around the country and the world. Altogether several million were estimated to be in the streets with protests held in more than 100 cities and towns around America. The Minneapolis City Council, by a veto-proof margin, voted to disband the police force there and restructure it. Similar demonstrations took place around the world, all in solidarity with anti-racism and anti police violence protesters here. Tens of thousands of people joined demonstrations across the UK yesterday, marching against racism and police violence. In Bristol, marchers pulled down the bronze statue of a 17th century slave trader and threw it in the harbor.
Todayâs âEducation for Liberationâ is education for liberation at a time of mass uprising. Our guest has been fighting for economic, racial, and social justice in the streets for decades. Brian and John speak with Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author or co-author of many books, including âAbout Becoming A Teacherâ and âYou Canât Fire the Bad Ones: And 18 Other Myths About Teachers, Teachers Unions, and Public Education,â and a 1960s central national leader of Students for a Democratic Society, whoâs at www.BillAyers.org.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the historic mass protest movement sweeping the country and the world against racist police violence. Donald Trump and Democratic Party city officials alike are cracking down on the movement, but the protests continue to gain huge momentum. Brian and John speak with Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Before Trumpâs public announcement that he would be sending U.S. military into U.S. states, he had a private conference call with the countryâs governors. Trump showed his true colors there, as did Attorney General Barr, Secretary of Defense Esper, and several Democratic political leaders. And as a result, the burgeoning movement for racial justice and against racist and brutal policing has only grown. Mara Verheyden Hilliard joins the show, the executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Nino Brown, an activist with the Boston Teachers Union, Terra Oliveira, a Philadelphia-based writer, the founder and editor of Recenter Press, and an organizer with the Philadelphia Liberation Center, and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Major demonstrations are expected this weekend in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC, and elsewhere as the protest movement against police in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder expands. Tens of thousands--and perhaps hundreds of thousands--of people will march in New York and Philadelphia, while Washingtonâs chief of police said yesterday that the city expects one of the largest demonstrations in its history on Saturday.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Kameron Hurt, an organizer with ANSWER Coalition LA, Dari Rodriguez, an organizer with the Justice Center and a speaker & organizer at last nightâs protests in the Bronx, Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges whose latest book is called âComrade,â and producer Walter Smolarek.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Protests against police violence continued across the country last night, but were largely more peaceful than the night before. In New York, police arrested a handful of demonstrators who they say violated the cityâs 8:00 pm curfew. And police stopped a large crowd from crossing the Manhattan bridge after a lengthy standoff. But earlier in the day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo pointedly and publicly criticized Mayor DeBlasioâs handling of the demonstrations. Police were very aggressive against peaceful demonstrators, attacked members of the media, and used the technique of âkettlingâ against marchers. The New York Times reports that there was little overall violence because it was the marchers discouraging it, not police. Sasha Murphy, a long-time activist against police brutality and an organizer with the Justice Center, joins the show.
Huge crowds of thousands of people marched through Denver yesterday in solidarity with George Floyd, who was murdered by a policeman in Minneapolis nine days ago. For the most part, police kept their distance, and there were no reported incidents. This was in contrast to the marches in Denver over the weekend, where Denver Police used riot gear and SWAT units to corral marchers in what became a night of repeated clashes. Brian and John speak with Lilian House, an organizer with the Denver Liberation Center, and by Bruno, an activist against police brutality, who have both been deeply engaged in the protests in the city.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the massive protests continuing all across the country, the police brutality that shocked the nation on Monday night at the white house for a photo opp, whatâs different about these protests compared with the large-scale protests of years past, and more.
Protests are nothing new in American society. And protests for racial justice are certainly nothing new. But has America not learned any lessons from the civil rights movement? Have we learned nothing from decades of the police clashing with peaceful marchers? Why is this still happening in America in the year 2020? Why are our police departments militarized and so willing to use violence against citizens? Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including âRace to Revolution: The U.S. and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow,â joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik journalists Nicole Roussell and Sean Blackmon, Philadelphia Liberation Center organizer Erik Vargas, Mara Verheyden Hilliard, executive director of Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, and Ben Norton, a journalist with The Grayzone and Moderate Rebels podcast.
The first full hour of the show is dedicated to the protests that continued across America yesterday in the wake of last weekâs police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The governors of 26 states and the District of Columbia have deployed the National Guard, which has been quick to use force against unarmed protestors. And there have been sympathetic demonstrations in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, and elsewhere. President Trump yesterday threatened to invoke the Insurrections Act to deploy active duty troops to cities across America. And Congress has been largely silent, except for Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cottonâs statement urging the president to use lethal force.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
The country is in the midst of an uprising not seen since the 1960s, with anti-police marches, demonstrations, and violence taking place in hundreds of cities and towns across America. The protests began when a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota knelt on the neck of George Floyd and killed him. But frustration and anger have bubbled over, and in many cities, the violence is now out of control. Twenty six states and the District of Columbia have activated the National Guard, many for the first time since World War II. For his part, President Trump has been notably silent, except on Twitter, where he has threatened retaliation against demonstrators. Last night he did that from a bunker underneath the White House, to which he was evacuated during demonstrations in Washington. Eugene Puryear, an author, activist and host of the new program BreakThrough News, joins the show.
Todayâs âEducation for Liberationâ is education for liberation at a time of mass uprising. Our guest has been fighting for economic, racial, and social justice in the streets for decades. Brian and John speak with Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author or co-author of many books, including âAbout Becoming A Teacherâ and âYou Canât Fire the Bad Ones: And 18 Other Myths About Teachers, Teachers Unions, and Public Education,â and a 1960s central national leader of Students for a Democratic Society, whoâs at www.BillAyers.org.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state--where this week they focus on the technologies and surveillance tactics that the government has already been using at all levels to suppress the protests for Justice for George Floyd, manipulate the narrative, and criminalize dissent. This is your guide to whatâs going on behind the scenes of the nationwide protests demanding justice for George Floyd and the countless people killed by police. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show with John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest film is âKilling Gaza,â and who is also the senior editor of Grayzone and co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels.â
Former Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice made a wild and unsubstantiated accusation over the weekend, saying that Russia and Vladimir Putin were behind the uprising in Minneapolis and subsequent nationwide rioting following the police murder of George Floyd. She offered no evidence for the accusation and went on to say that the Trump Administrationâs decision to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization was âfine.â
President Trump tweeted over the weekend that he intends to designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, a move that constitutional scholars already are declaring unconstitutional. Antifa, which stands for anti-fascism, is a broad-based group of people who support oppressed communities and who protest the amassing of wealth accumulated by corporations and elites. Another tactic that governments use to try to suppress protesters is to slow the wheels of justice against police who kill and carefully craft any indictments against police who kill to be able to wait out the protests and let the police off the hook later on, like Daniel Pantaleo, the policeman who choked Eric Garner to death but who emerged from several investigations years later without criminal charges. Mara Verheyden Hilliard, the executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the uprising in Minneapolis demanding justice for George Floyd, protests in other cities across the country against racist police violence, the failed renewal of FISA, Iranian tankers arriving in Venezuela, and more.
The American taxpayer has paid handsomely to develop a drug called Remdesivir which media reports say could become a major player in the fight against the coronavirus. Remdesivir was developed by the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences with tens of millions of dollars from three federal agencies, but it was a failure among anti-virals. Well, now it shows promise, as well as profitability. And Gilead is keeping that money and not refunding taxpayers. Annette Gaudino, State & Local Policy Director at the Treatment Action Group, joins the show with John.
Pharmaceutical companies around the world are scrambling to develop a vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus and nine separate vaccines are currently being developed. But thereâs a big difference in the way American and Chinese pharmaceutical companies are addressing the challenge. The Chinese government has already announced that its vaccine would be âfor the public goodâ and would be shared around the world. US vaccines would be given only for profit. Brian speaks with Ian Goodrum, a writer and digital editor for China Daily.
A court in Vancouver Canada this week ruled that the âdouble criminalityâ requirement was met in the extradition case against Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou constituted a crime in Canada, opening the way for her to be sent to the United States. Meng was arrested in December 2018 at the request of the United States, which claimed that Meng had helped the company evade US sanctions. The Chinese government has expressed outrage at the case, calling it a clear case of the US government attempting to apply its laws extraterritorially. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins Brian.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Michelle Gross, the president of Communities United Against Police Brutality in Minneapolis, and Jordan Kushner, a Minneapolis criminal defense and civil rights attorney.
Protests over the police killing of George Floyd continued in Minneapolis overnight, with at least one person dead. Most of the demonstrations continue to take place near the cityâs 3rd precinct station, near the site where police officers killed Floyd by kneeling on his neck for an extended period. Protestors also appear to have set fire to numerous businesses in the area, and the mayor has asked the governor to call out the National Guard. Minnesotans from all walks of life continue to question why none of the policemen have been arrested.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
House Democrats last night adjourned, rather than take a vote on a controversial bill to reauthorize surveillance tools as part of the FISA Act. The measure had broad bipartisan support in March, but Republicans began turning against the measure in March as FBI malfeasance in the Michael Flynn case came to light. President Trump also had said that he would veto the measure. Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers, joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
The European Union is planning an unprecedented $826 billion stimulus package to bring the organizationâs member countriesâ economies out of their coronavirus malaise. The package is the biggest in Europeâs history, far outstripping the post-World War II Marshall Plan. But is it enough to save Europeâs economy? Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
The Gwangju Uprising in Korea, ended in a massacre 40 years ago today. The uprising began on May 18, 1980, when South Koreaâs martial law government attacked university students marching for democracy by killing at least 2,000 and beating and raping thousands more. The uprising and massacre is seen as a defining moment in South Koreaâs modern political history. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, today focusing on the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota last night to protest yesterdayâs police killing of George Floyd. Floyd was pinned to the ground by police officers, one of whom knelt on Floydâs neck until he stopped breathing. A witness videoed the incident and it quickly went viral. After nationwide outrage, the officers were fired, but many Minnesotans are demanding that they be tried for murder. John is joined by Michelle Gross, the president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, and Noah McCourt, executive director of the Minnesota Disability Justice Network, which focuses on criminal justice and police brutality against people with disabilities.
The first two of five Iranian tankers have arrived in Venezuela carrying much needed refined gasoline in the face of military threats by the Trump administration, which has carried out a major naval deployment in the Caribbean to âsurroundâ Venezuela. The move represents a deepening of economic relations between Iran and Venezuela, both of which are under intense economic pressure by the United States. Brian and John speak with Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the reopening of some states despite increases in coronavirus case numbers, state and local officials shielding meatpacking corporations from transparency in coronavirus case numbers, and the police killing of George Floyd who was suffocated until he died, saying âI canât breathe,â in a repeat of Eric Garnerâs police murder that sparked massive uprisings across the US. Sputnik news analyst Nicole Roussell joins the show.
President Trump has ramped up pressure on governors around the country to reopen their states and economies, going so far as to threaten the Democratic Governor of North Carolina with moving the Republican National Convention out of the state if he doesnât allow mass gatherings without masks. With that said, though, the president also is forcing governors to take on the cost and responsibility for testing for the coronavirus. Critics see it as an attempt to deflect criticism for the administrationâs coronavirus response failures and to push the costs of testing onto the states. Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Richard Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
More than 60 activists, academics, writers, workers, and students from more than 20 countries have come together to form the Covid-19 Global Solidarity Coalition. The purpose of the group is to bring ordinary people together to seize the opportunity to overthrow global structures of inequity and violence and to build a better world. The coalition launched the manifesto this weekend. Dr. Peter Kuznick, a professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, and the co-author with Oliver Stone of the book and the hit Showtime television series âThe Untold History of the United States,â joins the show.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the chaotic and deadly push to reopen the countryâs economy, the 2020 election, exploding unemployment, a developing housing crisis, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell join Brian and John.
Unemployment in the United States is likely in the 25 percent range with some 40 million Americans having filed for unemployment benefits in the past month. In real terms, itâs almost certainly higher, perhaps significantly, as many people have dropped out of the labor market or their benefits have run out. Like the US, the UK has struggled with its response to the coronavirus. But the official UK unemployment rate is less than four percent. Thatâs ridiculous, of course. Unofficial figures put it at around 20 percent. As Mark Twain once said, there are three kinds of lies: Lies, damn lies, and statistics. Is that what weâre seeing in the UK? John speaks with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. John speaks with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations.
Chinaâs biggest political gathering of the year is finally taking place after a two month delay because of the coronavirus pandemic. Called âTwo Sessions,â the first meeting was yesterday and was a gathering of top political leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. Todayâs meeting is of the National Peopleâs Congress. Premier Li Keqiang will lay out the countryâs economic goals and the policies needed to achieve them. And the U.S. government is lashing out at a new proposed Hong Kong security law.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers nationwide have been hot spots for coronavirus, where people are forced into close quarters and detained. Organizers and families are leading protests all over the country to release people from these prisons. Brian speaks with Danny Cendejas, an organizer with la ColectiVa, a social justice organization in Northern Virginia campaigning for the release of everyone at the immigration detention center in Farmville, Virginia, where covid-19 has been spreading.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including still rising unemployment in the US, whoâs at fault for the thousands of lives that could have been saved had the US locked down earlier that new data is showing us, the newest update in the propaganda war the US media and politicians are waging against China, and more.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing an uprising in her own party over fears that Germany will end up footing the bill for the economic disaster wrought by the coronavirus in Europe. The EU is currently looking at a number of different stimulus packages to get Europeâs economy back on track. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron lost his parliamentary majority when several of his party members left and created a new party. They complained that Macron had failed to unify the center and the left, as he had promised to do during his campaign. Gilbert Mercier, Editor in Chief of News Junkie Post and the author of âThe Orwellian Empire,â joins John.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join John.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join Brian and John.
President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in recent days have repeated false information that the coronavirus was created in a Chinese lab in Wuhan. The two have said repeatedly that they have âenormous evidenceâ and âa significant amount of evidenceâ that this is the case. But the statements are not true. Pompeo, in an interview with Breitbart yesterday, backed off and said he doesnât know where the virus originated. But Trump has doubled down, saying falsely that the US had given the lab $7.5 million as part of a 5-year grant and that he âended it.â KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and heâs a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins Brian.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Tara Smith, an epidemiologist and professor at the Kent State University College of Public Health, where she specializes in zoonotic infections and molecular epidemiology.
So much of the media has been focused on the coronavirus pandemic in the countryâs urban hotspots. We hear a lot of news about the outbreaks in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and elsewhere. But we donât hear much about what is happening in rural America. How is the pandemic hitting rural counties across the country?
Last week, Senator Richard Burr, a Republican of North Carolina, stepped aside from his role as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee because he was being investigated by the FBI for insider trading. Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell named Florida Republican Marco Rubio as the acting chairman of that committee. Rubio, a former presidential candidate is a well-known conservative and war hawk who has advocated the use of US military force around the world, including against Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and other countries. John speaks with Ben Norton, a journalist with The Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join Brian on the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show with Brian and John.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show with Brian and John Kiriakou.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join Brian.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Eddie Conway, Executive Producer with The Real News Network who was a leading member of the Baltimore branch of the Black Panther Party and a political prisoner for 44 years, and Dr. Jared Ball, a professor of communication studies at Morgan State University, the editor of âA Lie of Reinvention: Correcting Mannin Marableâs Malcolm X,â and the author of many writings at www.IMixWhatILike.org.
On this day 95 years ago, Malcolm X was born. He would go on to become an icon of the fight for Black liberation before being assassinated in 1965. Malcolm X remains a beloved figure and an inspiration to peopleâs movements around the world.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Leo Cuello, an attorney and the director of health policy for the National Health Law Program.
The Department of Health and Human Services recently began distributing portions of $175 billion allocated by Congress to healthcare providers as part of the four coronavirus relief bills. The largest share of the initial outlay will be to hospitals that accept Medicare. Although the money was appropriated weeks and months ago, it has been slow to reach hospitals, and many are now threatened by bankruptcy.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show with Brian and John.
Israel finally has a government. After an 18 month-long political stalemate, the Knesset voted confidence into the new unity government led by none other than Benjamin Netanyahu. In his acceptance speech, Netanyahu said that he will turn over the Prime Ministership to his political partner, Benny Gantz on November 17, 2021. He also vowed to begin annexing the West Bank. John speaks with Dan Cohen, a journalist and a documentary filmmaker, most recently of the film âKilling Gaza.â
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show with John.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the coronavirus aid bills that would guarantee worker pay (sponsored by progressives in the House but left out of Nancy Pelosiâs bill, and pushed by two conservative Republicans in the Senate), the death of Ralph McGehee, a former CIA officer who told the truth from on the ground about the real missions of the CIA in Vietnam and elsewhere, New York Governor Cuomo protecting the profits of the nursing homes in New York whose negligence killed thousands of elders, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell join the show.
Republican Senator Richard Burr stepped aside yesterday as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee after the FBI showed up at his office with a warrant and took his cell phone. Burr is alleged to have engaged in insider trading after having sold hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock after receiving a confidential briefing from the intelligence community in the days before the start in the United States of the coronavirus pandemic. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, whose latest article on The Polemicist and CounterPunch is titled âJoe or No?,â joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including âRace to Revolution: The U.S. and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow.â
Commemorations are taking place across the country to mark the 50th anniversary of the Jackson State massacre. Frequently left out of the history books, two students were killed and 12 wounded when 75 state and local policemen opened fire on a dormitory at the predominantly Black Jackson State College in Jackson, Mississippi. The police said there was a sniper on the roof of the dorm. That turned out to be a lie. There were no arrests in connection with the deaths at Jackson State, although the Commission concluded "that the 28-second fusillade from police officers was an unreasonable, unjustified overreaction...A broad barrage of gunfire in response to reported and unconfirmed sniper fire is never warranted."
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.â
By a 4-3 vote, the Republican-dominated Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the governorâs stay-at-home orders were illegal and ordered that the state reopen. Bars and restaurants did so immediately and now scientists will watch the state to see if coronavirus infections spike there. Meanwhile, Department of Health and Human Services whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright testified before Congress today, saying that the Trump Administration simply does not have a master plan to respond to the coronavirus and to save American lives.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
The official unemployment rate currently stands at 14.7 percent, a number not seen since 1937. Economists believe it will go even higher next month, probably hitting or surpassing 20 percent. Thatâs a number associated with the Great Depression. But the real rate of unemployment is likely even higher. Unemployment is calculated by counting the percentage of the labor force that is without a job. But the definition of what it means to be in the labor force is very narrow. And economists are now saying that the real unemployment number is more likely around 23 percent. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âThe Scourge of Neo-Liberalism: US Policy from Reagan to Trump,â which you can find at www.jackrasmus.com, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Brazil yesterday suffered its deadliest day yet from the coronavirus, with 881 confirmed deaths in 24 hours and nearly 178,000 confirmed cases. President Jair Bolsonaro has been criticized heavily for not taking the disease seriously as it sweeps through poor neighborhoods, prisons, and, scientists worry, through the indigenous population. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro is under increasing political pressure because of multiple corruption cases against friends, political supporters, and family members. Aline Piva, a journalist and a member of Brazilians for Democracy and Social Justice, joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Vijay Prashad, the Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, the author of âThe Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution,â and his most recent publication is âRed Star Over the Third World.â
Economies around the world are taking an unprecedented hit from the coronavirus pandemic. And third world economies are particularly hard hit. In many cases, poor countries turn to the International Monetary Fund for assistance. But the IMF, along with the World Bank, usually impose crushing austerity measures on weak economies, making it even tougher for them to rebound. Thatâs happening right now--in the midst of the pandemic.
The FBI, in a recent court filing, has accidentally revealed the name of an official in the Saudi Embassy in Washington who allegedly dealt directly with the 9/11 hijackers. Saudi Islamic Affairs attache Musaed al-Jarrah, who went on to serve in Morocco and Malaysia, met personally with two middlemen to provide funds and an apartment for the hijackers when they were in Los Angeles. The FBI, including former directors Robert Mueller and James Comey, worked for years to keep the name a secret. Ali al-Ahmed, the Director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Israelâs annexation of the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu wants the annexation to move forward before US elections because he has the support of the Trump Administration and the US evangelical movement. Meanwhile, three United Nations officials are calling on Israel to release Palestinian children in Israeli prisons. Those children are at a much higher risk of coronavirus infection, which is sweeping through prisons in the country. Tamara Nassar, associate editor of Electronic Intifada, joins the show.
The US and China are currently engaged in a new missile race, the US Navy is frequently positioned in the South China Sea, and President Trump is accusing China of trying to steal research related to a coronavirus vaccine. And the escalation against China is bipartisan in nature. Peace activists in the US are urging the administration to make a âpivot to peace,â however. And they say that itâs not too late to turn away from the language and actions of war. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
On February 23, 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was jogging through a neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia. He paused momentarily to look at a house under construction, and then he continued with his run. But two white men, Gregg and Travis McMichael, decided that Arbery was a burglar. They armed themselves and chased him. Travis McMichael tussled with Arbery briefly and then shot him in cold blood. Arbery died moments later. Glynn Countyâs prosecutor decided that the killing wasnât worth prosecuting. That is, until a video emerged. Now the McMichaels have been arrested and charged with murder and the Justice Department is considering a hate crime enhancement. Activists have been voicing their outrage and demanding that authorities move faster. Brian and John speak with Atlanta community organizer Monica Johnson.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed his country today to talk about a gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions and about getting the countryâs economy moving again. He said that Britons should return to work if they cannot work from home, that they should wear face masks--even homemade ones--in public places, and that they can now go to public parks, exercise as much as they want, and travel. Brian and John speak with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
A leaked document obtained by The Grayzone shows that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons made false and misleading statements about two veteran inspectors who challenged a coverup of their investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Syrian city of Douma. Grayzone found that OPCW leaders engaged in a pattern of deception that minimized the inspectors' senior roles and prestige in the organization. Aaron Maté, a journalist with The Grayzone and The Nation, and host of the podcast Pushback with Aaron Maté, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the controversy over the reopening of the US economy and the latest US accusations against China.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Unemployment has been arguably one of the most important problems coming out of the coronavirus pandemic. The latest figures show 14.7 percent unemployment across the country. And thatâs just months after the Labor Department reported record LOW unemployment. Now, President Trumpâs own economists are predicting a 20 percent unemployment rate. Thatâs a number unseen since 1937 and the Great Depression. How do we get ourselves out of it? Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen, joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
The Justice Department yesterday dropped all charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Flynn had agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of making a false statement, but his new attorneys found that the FBI had plotted against Flynn before interviewing him in a way that many Americans believe amounted to entrapment. President Trump had been under some pressure to pardon Flynn. Now thatâs not necessary. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
Until last week, Dr. Rick Bright was the deputy assistant secretary of Health and Human Services for preparedness and response and Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Today heâs a whistleblower. Bright says he was demoted after he pushed back on the Trump Administrationâs efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by people with White House connections. Bright has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging gross mismanagement at HHS and abuse of authority. Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the premature reopening of much of the country in the midst of the pandemic, charges being dropped against Michael Flynn, newly released documents related to the Russiagate conspiracy theory, the ongoing explosion in unemployment, escalating US hostility towards China, and more. Brian and John speak with Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Aaron Maté, a journalist with The Grayzone and The Nation, and host of the podcast Pushback with Aaron Maté.
After a long delay, the House Intelligence Committee just released 57 transcripts of interviews that the committee conducted in the Russiagate probe. These include interviews with former DNI head James Clapper, Crowdstrike CEO Shawn Henry, and more.
A young black man, Ahmaud Arbery, was jogging through a neighborhood in February in a Georgia suburb. As he jogged past one house, the resident there called out to his son, and the two got into their pick-up truck, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, and they followed him. After a brief confrontation, they shot Arbery and killed him. Although this incident took place in February, it only became public this week. And nobody has yet been charged with any crime. Atlanta activist Estevan Hernandez joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mark Sleboda, a foreign affairs and security analyst.
The United States and China are involved in an arms race, this one over missiles. Washington announced this week that it would roll out new weapons and a new strategy in a bid to close what it calls a dangerous missile gap with China, which has upgraded its missile systems over the past decade. Beijing, meanwhile, is warning Washington to âstop playing chessâ around the region, to stay out of the South China Sea, and to think before it acts.
Yemenâs Houthi rebels have reported the first coronavirus death in the part of the country they control. The internationally-recognized central government reported its first case on April 10 and now says that Yemen has 21 cases of coronavirus, with three deaths. Yemen has been transparent about its infection rates, but the country is isolated and mired in civil war, and it does not have significant exposure to foreign travelers. And concerns are growing that the virus is spreading through the country undetected. Brian Terrell, a long time peace activist and a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
An amateurish coup attempt was launched against Venezuela by a group of American and Venezuelan mercenaries. Not surprisingly, the evidence of who initiated the coup is now pointing directly at Juan Guaido and the US government. Patricio Zamorano, an academic and international analyst and Co-Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, COHA, who has put together the facts of the case in a new article, entitled, "Guaidó and the Failed Military Operation against Venezuela: A Story of Betrayal and Financial Corruption," joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net.
The Senate is back in session and the House of Representatives is preparing to reconvene to consider a new coronavirus relief bill. That bill would provide additional small-business relief and would extend the loan forgiveness period of the so-called Paycheck Protection Program. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, is not concerned with relief bills. Instead, he is laser focused on filling every single judicial vacancy with Trump appointees, just in case Joe Biden finds himself as president-elect in November.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Millions of people around the world are demanding action and are actively seeking solutions to the climate crisis. The dialogue at the top is confined to solutions that align with the laws of capitalism and unbridled economic growth. But what if we look to solutions beyond how we currently structure our economies? A new book called Climate Solutions Beyond Capitalism, by Tina Landis, makes the case that socialism provides the framework for solving the crisis and demonstrates how capitalism acts as a barrier to a shift in our relationship to each other and the planet. Brian and John speak with Tina Landis, an organizer in the environmental and social justice movements who writes for Liberation News, and Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, whose latest book is called âComrade.â
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Eight mercenaries were killed and two Americans captured after they landed on shore in Venezuela with the intent to overthrow the government of President Nicolas Maduro. Responsibility for the coup attempt was claimed by another American, a retired Green Beret named Jordan Goudreau. Goudreau made a premature announcement that what he called Operation Gideon, âhas been launched deep in the heart of Caracasâ and that other armed cells have been activated throughout the country. That never happened. The terrorists were all captured and the coup failed. Brian and John speak with Paul Dobson, a writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
The Trump administration is further embracing conspiracy theories about the Chinese military being responsible for the Coronavirus outbreak, but some analysts are raising a very different concern -- Could US military personnel, who travel around the world in close confines bypassing normal border checks, function as âsuperspreadersâ for the pandemic? KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, and Dr. Claudia Chaufan, a non-practicing Argentine physician and critical health policy scholar who directs the graduate program in health policy at York University, join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
People in Ukraine and around the world marked the sixth anniversary of the massacre of over 40 people in Odessa, Ukraine over the weekend. On May 2nd, 2014, a mob that included members of neo-Nazi organization Right Sector trapped anti-fascist activists inside a trade union headquarters and burned the building down. And the far-right continues to wield great influence in Ukraine today. Brian and John speak with Phil Wilayto, a journalist and a member of Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality and coordinator of the Odessa Solidarity Campaign.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ken Hammond, an undergraduate at Kent State University before and during the Kent State Massacre, a speaker at the May 4, 1970 rally on the Commons, and an eyewitness to the shooting who was questioned and arrested by the FBI as one of the Kent 25 and went on to co-found the Kent Legal Defense Fund.
Fifty years ago today, on May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired 67 rounds in 13 seconds into a group of unarmed, peaceful students protesting the illegal US bombing of Cambodia. Four students, Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Bill Schroeder, and Sandra Lede Scheuer, were killed and another nine were wounded. One was permanently paralyzed. The shootings led to protests against the Vietnam War at colleges and universities across America. But no National Guardsmen were ever punished for the murders.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the anniversary of the Kent State massacre, surging unemployment and intensified US-China tensions. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
A new report by the International Energy Agency concludes that the coronavirus pandemic is delivering the biggest shock to the international energy system in more than seven decades. Global energy demand is down six percent this year. Thatâs ten times more than the drop in demand from the 2008-2009 recession. And demand for coal is down eight percent. Thatâs the biggest drop since World War II. This huge decline in energy demand has led to an eight percent drop in greenhouse gas emissions, the largest decrease ever recorded. But the United Nations says we would have to have similar decreases every year for the next decade in order to reverse the effects of climate change. Fred Magdoff, professor emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont and the co-author of âWhat Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalismâ and âCreating an Ecological Society: Toward a Revolutionary Transformationâ from Monthly Review Press, joins the show.
President Donald Trump has ordered the Intelligence Community to find evidence that shows that the coronavirus originated in a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan, despite being told repeatedly by the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that it did not. The Washington Post reports that Trump intends to âpunishâ China in advance of the presidential election for creating the virus, and Secretary of State Pompeo has criticized China harshly in recent days. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
Today is May Day, also known as International Workersâ Day, created to celebrate workers and the working classes around the world. The holiday was originally suggested in 1889 by the Marxist International Socialist Congress and pushed by the American Federation of Labor, which was then lobbying and demonstrating for an 8-hour work day. This celebration of labor subsequently became a national holiday in most countries around the world. But not in the United States. Yasemin Zahra, a labor organizer and chairperson of US Labor Against the War, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on strike actions for International Workers Day, Joe Biden finally speaking publicly about former staffer Tara Readeâs allegation that he sexually assaulted her, the Trump administrationâs potential next moves against China, and more.
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of a series of emails between FBI agents preparing to interview former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and their supervisors that imply the agents were preparing to entrap Flynn or to trick him into committing a crime. President Trump immediately took to Twitter to condemn the FBI and the agents, and he compared the FBI to 15 buses and Flynn to a man standing in the middle of a highway. Brian and John speak with Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
New unemployment numbers are out this morning showing that yet another 3.8 million Americans sought jobless benefits last week as the economy slid further into the most devastating crisis since the 1930s. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, 30.3 million Americans have lost their jobs, and the economy contracted by 4.8 percent in the first quarter of the year. Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen, joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Peter Kuznick, a professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and the co-author with Oliver Stone of the book and the hit Showtime television series âThe Untold History of the United States.â
Activists, academics, and political figures from around the world have begun circulating a document called the COVID-19 Global Solidarity Manifesto that calls for a series of basic rights for all people, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Those rights run the gamut from basic universal healthcare to an end to war to respect for life, biodiversity, and the environment. There are hundreds of signatories, including a number of very prominent people.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has returned to work after recovering from a serious coronavirus infection, which saw him placed in a hospitalâs intensive care unit. He said that being infected by the coronavirus was like, âan unexpected and invisible mugger.â He said the British people had begun wrestling that mugger to the floor , but that the country was not yet ready to reopen. And, by the way, Johnson and his fiance became the proud parents of a baby boy this morning. Brian and John speak with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Andrew Stacy, a worker at Target who is part of Target Workers Unite and is taking part in a sickout this Friday organized by Target Workers Unite.
A Target warehouse in northern New Jersey is the first in the companyâs nearly 60-year history to face a public campaign to form a union. Meanwhile, Target warehouse workers in Perth Amboy say they are fed up with frequent firings, steep production quotas and flex schedules, and they say they are treated as robots, not as people. Workers across the chain are preparing for a major May 1st action to protest this type of mistreatment.
Intense protests in Lebanon continued last night as people take to the streets to express outrage over the economic crisis the country is facing and the role of the financial elite. At least one person has been killed and dozens wounded as fierce clashes with the armed forces break out.
Jana Nakhal, an independent researcher and a member of the central committee of the Lebanese Communist Party, joins the show.
The coronavirus has put science at the forefront of the US presidential election. It has placed political pressure on Donald Trump and it even may be changing the way we conduct our elections. Yesterdayâs Ohio primary, for example, was conducted by mail. But what is the pandemic doing to Donald Trump? Can he overcome allegations of mismanaging it? Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton," joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The conservative Daily Caller, in an exclusive investigation, has found that Christopher Steele, the author of the infamous Steele Dossier, had previously undisclosed meetings with attorneys for the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. One of the attorneys in those meetings provided Steele with the now-debunked tip that a Russian bank had a secret channel of communications with the Trump campaign. That tip set off a chain of events that led to Steele publishing a memo saying that the bank, Alpha Bank, had illicit ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, an allegation that was untrue. Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Georgiaâs governor, Brian Kemp, last week ordered the state to begin reopening, despite the fact that the coronavirus continues to spread. On Friday, the state reopened salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, gyms, bowling alleys, and massage parlors. Yesterday, movie theaters and restaurants reopened. But mayors in cities big and small around Georgia are warning that their number of coronavirus cases is rising, and itâs too soon to return to normal. Community organizer Monica Johnson, and Brad Lathem, a writer for Liberation News, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend that he was âconfidentâ the US would soon allow the annexation of the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu and his governing partner Benny Gantz, who is now speaker of the Knesset, plan to ask the United States for its support in annexing at least those Israeli settlements that are on Palestinian lands in the West Bank before July. Netanyahu has told confidants that he believes the Trump Administration will give him whatever he wants. Ariel Gold, a peace activist and a member of Code Pink, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Amanda Starbuck, senior food researcher and policy analyst on the food team at Food & Water Watch.
The economic aid bill that Congress passed last week would open Small Business Administration loans to some farmers. The move came after big banks steered the earlier $500 billion that Congress had appropriated to large corporations that used up all the money before most actual small businesses could even complete their applications. An existing $10 billion aid package provided funding for aquaculture, nurseries, and cooperatives, but allotted nothing for small farms with fewer than 500 employees.
Brazilâs right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, is facing a perfect storm of political crises that could force him from office. Bolsonaro was already a president without a political party. He was under fire for his responses to massive fires in the Amazon and to the coronavirus pandemic. Then his two sons found themselves under criminal investigation for money laundering and promulgating false campaign information. Now, Bolsonaroâs star Minister of Justice resigned dramatically and called the president a criminal. Can Bolsonaro survive? Brian and John speak with Aline Piva, a journalist and a member of Brazilians for Democracy and Social Justice.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including ongoing controversy over the reopening of businesses in states throughout the country and Donald Trumpâs bizarre medical advice. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on Trumpâs latest bizarre medical advice, the growing economic crisis, and the international implications of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Car caravan protests are planned in nearly 50 cities across the country tomorrow to demand the cancellation of rent and mortgages. Participants in the actions, who will be respecting all social distancing and other public health requirements, are calling on the government to not only declare a moratorium on evictions, but to declare that no debt will accumulate to landlords and banks while the pandemic is going on and tens of millions are out of work. Brian and John speak with Nino Brown, an activist with the Boston Teachers Union and an organizer for tomorrowâs Cancel the Rent action, and Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek.
Politics are an important factor in reporting on the coronavirus, not just in the United States, but around the world. President Trump said in his daily press conference yesterday that the pandemic is serious only in what he called âDemocrat states,â and not in Republican ones. Elsewhere around the world, governments are downplaying their rates of infection, or in some cases, pretending there are none at all, in an attempt to show that they are fully in control at home. At the same time, the United States is threatening Iran, Venezuela, and other countries. Is it just to distract the American people from the virus at home? Mark Sleboda, a foreign affairs and security analyst, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mike Wong, the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace.
The Attorney General of Missouri has filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government and several Chinese institutions, arguing that they covered up information about the spread of the coronavirus, silenced whistleblowers, and did little to try to control the disease. Beijing has responded by calling the suit âabsurdâ and pointing out that as a sovereign entity, it cannot be sued.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Thereâs no end in sight for the UKâs coronavirus lockdown because, according to the British press, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is so frightened because of his own coronavirus experience that he doesnât dare ease up. Meanwhile, the establishment is fawning over the Labour Partyâs new leader, Keir Starmer, after his first appearance as leader during Prime Ministerâs Questions. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Amanda Starbuck, senior food researcher and policy analyst on the food team at Food & Water Watch.
President Trump yesterday temporarily suspended all immigration applications, saying that the action was necessary to protect Americans from the coronavirus. Civil liberties groups immediately said they would file suit. And a group of migrants in an ICE facility have been on a hunger strike. Those hunger strikes are expanding. Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, joins the show.
Donald Trump has once again threatened to carry out an act of war against Iran, this time by destroying its ships in the Persian Gulf. Is this an exercise in the politics of distraction as the Coronavirus ravages the United States? Brian and John speak with Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
The U.S. government at all levels is consumed by infighting over how to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. A right wing mobilization supported by President Trump is demanding that the economy reopen against the guidance of public health experts, but is the Democratic Partyâs single-minded focus on the personality of Donald Trump drawing attention away from the systemic changes needed to save lives? Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, whose latest article in The Polemicist and forthcoming on CounterPunch is âJoe or No,â joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
As the nation was preoccupied by President Trumpâs impeachment last fall and early winter, and then with the coronavirus, several states across the country were busy purging their voter rolls, most commonly for the false reason that they had changed their residences. More than 16.5 million voters from Wisconsin to Georgia to Ohio to North Carolina and Texas were dumped from the voter lists and are not eligible to vote. The move, with no due process, is illegal. So why have the courts been reluctant to take up the issue? Brian and John speak with Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show âRedacted Tonight,â on RT America, his latest book is called âBullet Points & Punch Lines,â and his work is at leecamp.com.
Intense battles took place yet again last night in working class suburbs of Paris with large migrant populations. French authorities have been brutalizing migrants, most of whom come from North and West Africa and the Middle East for years. But now, a combination of cramped quarters, a lack of economic opportunity, police abuse, and the coronavirus is inflaming tensions. Gilbert Mercier, Editor in Chief of News Junkie Post and the author of âThe Orwellian Empire,â joins the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, whose latest book is called âComrade,â and Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com.
President Trump on Friday wrote several provocative tweets, saying, âLiberate Michigan,â âLiberate Minnesota,â and âLiberate Virginiaâ and urging residents of those states to protest in favor of their 2nd Amendment rights. Those tweets led to thousands of protestors marching on statehouses demanding an end to the coronavirus quarantine. Meanwhile, debate continues in Congress over the next steps on Coronavirus relief and economic recovery, and all conventional logic about the 2020 presidential election has been upended.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Coronavirus is ravaging the economies and societies of countries all across Latin America. Peru on Sunday reported 15,000 cases, the second most in Latin America behind Brazil, and the Finance Minister in Lima said that the economy there is in shambles. The virus is spreading through Brazilâs favelas and through the poor neighborhoods of Mexico City. Guatemala is trying to cope with a new outbreak caused when infected deportees arrived from the United States. Some governments in the region have acted proactively, but other politicians, especially Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, refuse to even acknowledge the seriousness of the pandemic. Patricio Zamorano, an academic and international analyst and Co-Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, COHA, joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the anti-China sentiment being launched by both corporate political parties, the anti-shutdown protests in a few places, and the economy. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
President Trump has said repeatedly over the past several weeks that he wants to reopen the country--and the economy--sooner, rather than later. But medical experts say thatâs not realistic, or safe. The President has even named a panel, that includes Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, to restart the economy. But governors have rebelled and many have said they would refuse to entertain the Presidentâs demands. Now they are coming up with their own plans to restart their economies. Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Americaâs Global Health Committee, and Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging and reemerging viruses, joins the show.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought Chinaâs amazing economic track record of nearly a half century of continuous growth to an end. Beijing announced yesterday that the economy had shrunk by a massive 6.8 percent in the first three months of the year, ending a streak that had survived Tiananmen Square, SARS, MERS, and even the Great Recession. Brian and John speak with John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the mediaâs bent against China even and especially in these serious times, Trumpâs unrealistic and dangerous plan to reopen the country, and Bernie Sanders endorsing Joe Biden for president.
Bernie Sanders this week formally dropped out of the Democratic presidential race and endorsed Joe Biden for president. Elizabeth Warren, who had been uncommitted, did the same thing. The endorsements are a result of a hard push by Democratic National Committee officials to unify the party around Joe Biden, a longtime moderate with a solid pro-war, pro-capitalist record. What do the endorsements mean for the American left? Was there a quid pro quo in the endorsements or will they be left in the cold? Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the biggest recent developments related to the pandemic and the economic crisis it has sparked. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has broad powers to detain and hold people indefinitely at the country's borders. It has the power to imprison them, to expel them, or to release them to their families in the United States. In the age of the coronavirus, however, ICE also has the power to decide who lives and who dies. It has the power to decide who enters the country and who must deal with the ravages of the disease in the agency's teeming, filthy, and overcrowded border prisons. That's what's happening in California, where some detainees are on a hunger strike.
President Trump continues to blame China for the spread of the coronavirus and for the concurrent downturn in the global economy. The conservative media, meanwhile, has pushed a steady anti-China narrative. It appears that the President is preparing to launch a cultural war against China this election season. And he thinks itâs a winning strategy. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Krissy Kasserman, the Factory Farm Organizing Manager at Food & Water Watch.
Smithfield Foods is the largest pork processor in America and is the largest employer in the state of South Dakota, accounting for an astounding 130 million servings of meat every day. Yesterday the company announced that it would close indefinitely after scores of employees tested positive for the coronavirus, accounting for half of all coronavirus cases in the state. Meanwhile, farmers around the country are being forced to destroy fruits, vegetables, and dairy products because they canât sell them. The Trump administration is working to slash the wages of migrant farmworkers, even as it works to send direct aid to farmers and ranchers hurt by the coronavirus pandemic.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
An unreleased dossier written by the British Labour Party says that party officials opposed to Jeremy Corbyn worked to lose the 2017 election in the hope that a resultant backlash would trigger a leadership move to oust him. The report shows that those officials, who worked at the partyâs headquarters, became increasingly despondent as Labour rose in the polls, despite their secret efforts to sabotage the campaign. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
While the rich are fleeing to secluded mansions and beach houses, poor and working class people are being left behind to bear the brunt of the Coronavirus crisis. And the widening inequality thatâs been put on full display by the pandemic may be leading to a resurgence for the labor movement. And on a global scale, U.S. sanctions are making matters worse. Brian and John speak with Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.â
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff.
Israeli politics has undergone a dramatic realignment, with the main opposition alliance breaking apart and the once-dominant Labor Party effectively dissolving itself. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Resilience Party leader Benny Gantz said last night that they had made âmajor progressâ in talks toward a coalition government. Talks are now extended until midnight Wednesday. Miko Peled, the author of âThe Generalâs Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,â and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,â joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Our friend and frequent guest Steve Hedley was recently suspended from his position as the senior assistant general secretary of the UKâs Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union after making a joke on his Facebook page about Boris Johnson contracting the coronavirus. He was predictably attacked by Britainâs right-wing media, and when he didnât apologize for the joke, the attacks became more severe and sustained. Brian and John speak with Steve Hedley, the senior assistant general secretary of the UKâs Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union.
President Trump has gone out of his way to blame China for the spread of the coronavirus, which in turn has led to violence against Asian-Americans. The conservative media, meanwhile, has pushed a steady anti-China narrative. And the blogosphere has even suggested the possibility of war with China. With a presidential election coming up in November, will China be the defining issue? KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including . Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including âRace to Revolution: The U.S. and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow.â
The global pandemic and economic depression is reshaping the world in fundamental ways. Facing a choice between destitution and risking their lives, workers are rising up across the country. Once again, Black working class neighborhoods are being left behind by the government in a time of crisis. And globally, the old international order between world powers is fraying and the neo-liberal model of capitalism may be on its last legs.
Nearly 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past three weeks--numbers not seen since the Great Depression. Congress, the White House, and the Federal Reserve have all moved to soften the blow by spending vast amounts of borrowed money and trying to provide a buffer for businesses small and large alike. But is it enough to stop the country from going into another depression? Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âThe Scourge of Neo-Liberalism: US policy from Reagan to Trumpâ whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com, joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the huge unemployment numbers, the difficulties workers and small businesses are dealing with right now while Boeing gets a bailout, whether insurance companies are going to pay for pandemic expenses, Bernie dropping out of the presidential race, where the socialist movement is headed, and more.
Most states are encouraging healthy residents to leave the house to walk, bike, or run for exercise, provided that they remain six feet away from anybody else to slow or stop the spread of the coronavirus. But many city sidewalks are not six feet wide themselves. Some cities are closing off some streets to cars so that walkers, bikers, and runners can move around safely. But many haven't -- at the risk of their own residents. Brian and John speak with Katy Lang, a pedestrian safety advocate who is an expert in city planning & transportation.
Loud & Clearâs series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, whose latest book is called âComrade.â
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out of the Democratic presidential race yesterday, saying that he was suspending his campaign. Sanders seemed to be merely an accidental figure for the emerging socialist movement in the United States. Where will this movement head now?
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Healthcare workers across America are struggling to treat the tidal wave of coronavirus patients and theyâre doing so with shortages of basic necessities, like gloves, masks, and gowns. How can the United States, the wealthiest country in the world, the country that brags about its healthcare system, not have the bare basics to provide to its first responders and frontline medical personnel? Satya Vatti, an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Joe Biden apparently won a resounding victory in yesterdayâs Wisconsin primary, an election made controversial by a federal judgeâs refusal at the behest of the state Republican Party to postpone it until July because of the coronavirus. At least, thatâs if exit polls are to be believed. Voters waited in lines for as long as three hours before making it into a polling station. We donât yet know what happened in the stateâs most controversial race, the hotly-contested Supreme Court race, Trump-endorsed Judge Daniel Kelly, and the stateâs electoral commissioner said he wonât release results until April 13. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders ended his campaign for president today. Brian and John speak with Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Todayâs In the News is about Sanders dropping out of the race, the movement that propelled him continuing onward, and the racialized health disparities in the United States becoming even clearer in the coronavirus pandemic.
Unfounded accusations against the Chinese abound--that Beijing has stolen medical supplies destined for the United States, that the coronavirus was created in a Chinese military intelligence lab, and that the pandemic is part of a Chinese plan for world domination. Is this anti-Chinese bias new or has the pandemic just given media outlets an opportunity to promote it? KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
Every country around the world has a plan to bring its economy out of the coronavirus recession, but will it be enough to avert the biggest economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. In the United States, Congress already has passed a multi-trillion dollar bailout package, mostly for big companies, and the Federal Reserve has cut its interest rate to zero. In the European Union, many countries are fully covering unemployed workersâ salaries, but there are fierce debates between wealthier Northern European economies and the harder-hit south. And in Japan, the parliament has allocated $4 billion to be distributed mostly among small and medium-sized businesses. Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest Prof. Richard Wolff.
Brazilâs far-right president Jair Bolsonaro is still telling reporters that the coronavirus pandemic is a result of media hysteria, saying that the disease is âjust a little fluâ and that âwe all die someday anyway.â He has even urged Brazilians to return to work and to ignore the World Health Organization. As a result, 24 of Brazilâs 27 governors have announced that they will ignore Bolsonaroâs pronouncements and will act independently of the president on coronavirus. Aline Piva, a journalist and a member of Brazilians for Democracy and Social Justice, joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs series, IIn the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
New York remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, with more than 130,000 confirmed cases in the state and more than 3,000 people dead there. But the disease is just now showing signs of leveling off. Are the lockdown and social distancing finally working? Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been hospitalized with the coronavirus, some 11 days after testing positive. Johnsonâs office said that he is comfortable and undergoing tests, but that his illness has been lingering and so it was prudent to seek further testing. Meanwhile the Labour Party has elected a new leader to replace Jeremy Corbyn. Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, received 56 percent on the first ballot in the partyâs leadership vote. He has promised to respect the basic tenets of the Labour platform, but he is expected to be more conservative than Corbyn, and his election was celebrated by Corbynâs detractors in the party. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
Spain has seen more than 12,000 deaths due to coronavirus, a catastrophic total in a country with a population of 47 million people. But the death toll over the weekend seems to have leveled off, showing perhaps that the disease has peaked there. There are more than 80,000 active cases of coronavirus in Spain, but the rise over the weekend was the smallest since March 20. Still, Spainâs state of emergency will continue until at least April 26. Brian and John speak with Dick Nichols, the correspondent for Spain and Catalonia for Green Left Weekly.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com.
Congress last week appropriated $2 trillion in new spending in an effort to keep the economy afloat during the coronavirus crisis. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she is amenable to another spending package. This kind of government spending is seen around the world as âresponsibleâ in order to prime the pump and keep people working. Why is it seen as a âleft wingâ approach here in the United States?
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the expected spike in Coronavirus fatalities in the United States and how the US government is prioritizing its geopolitical goals over the lives of its own people. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the scarcity of essential medical goods, the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, exploding unemployment, essential workers standing up for safety on the job, and more.
Syria is still mired in civil war. The country reported its first coronavirus case last week and has already begun reporting deaths from the pandemic. How does a country at war, with fragmented and limited healthcare, protect itself and save its citizens with no medicines, few qualified healthcare workers, no money, and almost no equipment, all under the heavy hand of international sanctions? Brian and John speak with Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Literally every country in the world is fighting the coronavirus, some with more success than others. But some countries are dealing with extreme added difficulty as they try to mount a defense against the virus. Why? Because of US sanctions. Health care professionals in Iran, Venezuela, and elsewhere are struggling to provide for the public health because the United States will not allow for the importation of medicines or supplies. Anya Parampil, a journalist for The Grayzone who hosts the new show Red Lines, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mohammad Marandi. He is an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.
Although the Coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc inside the United States, Donald Trump is lashing out at Iran once again. The sanctions regime the United States has imposed on Iran is pushing the countryâs public health system to the brink, but now Trump is ludicrously accusing Iran of plotting to attack the United States.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Coronavirus cases continue to worsen on an exponential basis, with nearly one million cases now documented around the world. The United States now has nearly a quarter million documented cases and now a single county or municipality in America has been spared. But there may be some good news. Social distancing and quarantines appear to be helping to slow the spread of the disease in places like Washington State and California. And even Italy has seen a two-day decline in the number of new cases. Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Americaâs Global Health Committee, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
The Trump Administration said yesterday that it would lift crippling sanctions against Venezuela if both President Nicolas Maduro and Washingtonâs hand-picked coup leader Juan Guaido stepped aside in favor of a transitional government led by members of both the socialist party and the opposition. The move comes in the immediate aftermath of criminal charges against Maduro for conspiracy to commit narco-trafficking and conspiracy to commit narco terrorism. Maduro has rejected the idea outright. Paul Dobson, a writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, and Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, join the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The Justice Departmentâs Inspector General said yesterday that his investigators found errors in literally every single FBI application to the secret FISA court as part of an ongoing review. The statement suggests that problems exposed in the FBIâs probe of the 2016 Trump campaign extend far beyond just that case. It also raises questions about the validity of countless other FBI investigations. Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
We have all read and heard the stories about the critical shortages of surgical masks and other personal protective equipment across the country necessary for healthcare workers confronting the coronavirus. But garment workers, the ones who can solve this problem, are grappling with unsafe working conditions and exploding unemployment. Daisy Gonzalez, Lead Member Organizer at the Garment Worker Center, and Magdalena Utuy, a garment worker activist, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.
The New York Times published an article that attacked China because it allegedly did not utilize a virus database created in 2002 after the SARS epidemic entitled, âChina Created a Fail-Safe System to Track Contagions. It Failed.â The mainstream mediaâs portrayal of the pandemic has been deeply anti-China, even when it means missed lessons for the U.S. healthcare system.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Eugene Puryear, host of news show BreakThrough News; Karina Garcia, organizer with Justice Center en el Barrio; Karla Reyes, managing editor of womenâs magazine Breaking the Chains; and Riya Ortiz, lead organizer and case manager at Damayan Migrant Workers Association.
New Yorkâs struggle against the coronavirus is arguably the toughest in the world. The city has more cases than anywhere else in the world and is under a strict lockdown. Still, though, the virus is spreading among health care workers, inmates in the cityâs jails and prisons, and among the homeless population. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that the virusâs apex will not arrive for another two to three weeks. Worker strikes and walkouts are scheduled among Amazon, Instacart, and Whole Foods workers in NYC.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The Coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed that of China today, despite the United Statesâ much smaller population. However, the New York Times is once again criticizing Chinaâs response to the coronavirus outbreak, this time on its front page. The Times this week published an article entitled, âChina Created a Fail-Safe System to Track Contagions. It Failed.â It argues that after the SARS epidemic in 2002, China created a system to track future viral diseases but failed to use it. Brian and John speak with KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.
The coronavirus continues to hit the UK hard, with even Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the countryâs health minister testing positive for the disease. So far, the UK has seen more than 20,000 confirmed cases of the disease and more than 1,250 deaths. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including . Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Israelâs Blue & White Party leader Benny Gantz shocked his supporters last week when he announced that he would enter into a unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuâs Likud Party. Netanyahu will continue on as Prime Minister for the next 18 months and then Gantz will replace him as Prime Minister for 18 months. In the meantime, Gantz will serve as Speaker of the Knesset. Gantz head earlier said that he would not take part in a unity government with Netanyahu under any circumstances, and he called for the Prime Ministerâs imprisonment on corruption charges. So what happened? Miko Peled, the author of âThe Generalâs Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,â and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jimmy Williams, General Vice President At Large for Organizing with the Painters and Allied Traders International Union.
Construction work is the 6th largest employment sector in the country. These are the workers employed on projects, rather than as salaried employees. They are construction workers, painters, laborers, and tradesmen. Without the benefit of steady employment or corporate backing during the coronavirus outbreak, how are they handling the hardships being foisted on them, even with the temporary respite of unemployment benefits?
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
World Water Day was commemorated earlier this week as a way to focus attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The day took on renewed significance amid calls for a moratorium on utility shut offs as the country and the world is gripped by the Coronavirus pandemic. Mary Grant, the director of the Public Water for All Campaign at Food & Water Watch and a policy analyst on US water utility privatization, joins the show.
The United States greatly stepped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday when the Justice Department charged him in federal court in New York City with narco-terrorism and conspiracy to commit international cocaine trafficking, with prosecutors maintaining that he led a violent drug cartel even as he rose to the leadership of his country. At the same time, the State Department offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Maduroâs capture.The Venezuelan denounced the move as âmiserable, vulgar and baseless accusations.â Brian and John speak with Leo Flores, a member of the peace group Code Pink, where he is the Latin America campaign coordinator.
The United States yesterday overtook both China and Italy in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. But Italy far exceeds the rest of the world per capita in the number of deaths from the coronavirus to the point where bodies canât be buried quickly enough and health care providers are becoming infected and are dying at an alarming rate. Guido Salza, a leading member of the Italian political organization Fronte Popolare, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the rapid spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, Washingtonâs efforts to bail out Wall Street, the state of the presidential election, and more.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Loud & Clearâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the coronavirus aid bill that congress is working on. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Vijay Prashad, the Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, the author of âThe Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution,â and his most recent publication is âRed Star Over the Third World.â
The Coronavirus pandemic has set off a global economic catastrophe of historic proportions, shaking the very foundations of capitalism. The world is scrambling to address the profound health and economic fallout and discontent is rising. Meanwhile, many are looking to the model set by the Indian state of Kerala as an example of a humane, people-first approach to the crisis.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Joe Biden has been virtually incommunicado for the past two weeks. He did give one short statement on the coronavirus, but he appeared to become confused and he just walked away from the podium. So he tried again yesterday to insert himself in the coronavirus debate. But in a statement on the television show The View, he said disingenuously that the coronavirus cure would be worse than the disease itself. Whatâs wrong with Joe Biden? Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com.
The coronavirus has now been detected in at least 189 countries around the world. Just this week it was detected in Gaza, Syria, Afghanistan, west Africa, and other areas that have large numbers of refugees and people affected by conflict. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed Monday for an "immediate global ceasefire" to protect vulnerable civilians in conflict zones from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show âRedacted Tonight,â on RT America, and his latest book is called âBullet Points & Punch Lines,â available at leecamp.com.
The Senate this afternoon approved a $2 trillion spending bill that would flood the US economy with money in an effort to stabilize households and businesses hit by the fallout from the coronavirus. The House passed its own measure a week ago. But senators were stuck because Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not negotiate with Democrats, and he focused the first draft of the bill solely on corporate bailouts with little in the way of regulations. The latest version of the bill sends the lionâs share of money to the largest corporations in America. Thatâs on top of the trillions -- yes, trillions -- already promised from the Federal Reserve Bank to the biggest banks in the country.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Loud & Clearâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Tara Smith, an epidemiologist and professor at the Kent State University College of Public Health, where she specializes in zoonotic infections and molecular epidemiology.
The coronavirus is, in large part, a testing crisis, at least in the United States. We read about tests, we talk about tests, the news networks report on tests. But where are the tests? Are they readily available? Are there different tests in different countries? Why do some take weeks to read when others take hours or even minutes? And is there any change on the horizon?
China has seen 81,093 cases of coronavirus and 3270 deaths since the disease was first identified. The country now seems to have turned a corner, with no new cases reported on Friday or Saturday and only two cases of infected travelers entering China on Sunday. Now China is trying to help other countries affected by the coronavirus, shipping masks, gloves, and medical equipment around the world, including to the United States. Peter Miller, a China correspondent for the Canadian magazine Rebel Youth, joins the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
The first two cases of coronavirus appeared in the densely populated Gaza strip over the weekend, as fears mount that the pandemic may spread through some of the most vulnerable populations in the Middle East. Gaza has two million people packed into only 140 square miles, and authorities there have already closed markets, schools, and event halls. Dan Cohen, a journalist and a documentary filmmaker, most recently of the film âKilling Gaza,â joins the show.
Cuba sent doctors and medics to Italy over the weekend after more than 800 people died there on Saturday. The Cuban government has sent its doctors around the world for decades, and they have fought outbreaks of disease in Haiti, Angola, west Africa, and elsewhere. This is the sixth medical brigade that Cuba has sent overseas since the coronavirus outbreak began, with Cuban doctors now working in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Suriname, and Grenada. Dr. Helen Yaffe, an Economic History Fellow at the London School of Economics and author of the book âChe Guevara: The Economics of Revolution,â joins the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including coverage on the coronavirus spread, the governmentâs woefully inadequate response, and more.
The economic outlook for Americans has plummeted in just the past few days the most since the 2008 financial crisis as the coronavirus threatens to push the United States and most of the rest of the world into recession. Meanwhile the government is considering in short order corporate tax cuts and massive industry bailouts to keep the economy afloat. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âThe Scourge of Neo-Liberalism: US policy from Reagan to Trumpâ whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com, joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on allegations of insider trading ahead of the Coronavirus outbreak by members of the Senate, efforts to bail out big business, the urgent need for 100% unemployment benefits for all, the international dimensions of the pandemic, and more.
London is the epicenter of a growing coronavirus outbreak in the UK with more than 900 cases in the city. Thatâs one third of all the cases in the country. 50 of the UKâs 137 deaths from coronavirus have been in London, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that neither London nor the UK as a whole will go into lockdown. Brian and John speak with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
L&Câs regular segment, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the Coronavirus pandemic and the latest developments in the Democratic 2020 primary.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Tomorrow marks the 17th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. President George W. Bush said at the time that the invasion was meant to âdisarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Husseinâs support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.â Instead, the invasion has led to nearly two decades of death, destruction, and economic ruin for the Iraqi people. And all these years later, US troops are still fighting there. Brian and John speak with Dr. Peter Kuznik, a professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and the co-author with Oliver Stone of the book and the hit Showtime television series âThe Untold History of the United States.â
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Joe Biden swept yesterdayâs races in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona, putting himself over 1,000 delegates. Biden won 62 percent in Florida and 59 percent in Illinois, and he beat Bernie Sanders in Arizona by 12 percentage points. The Sanders campaign now must win 60 percent of all remaining delegates to win the nomination. Meanwhile, Congressman Daniel Lipinski, one of the few remaining anti-abortion Democrats in the House, lost his primary race to a political upstart endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, and Mike Wong, the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace.
Deaths in the United States from coronavirus topped 100 yesterday as infections increased exponentially and West Virginia, the last state to be disease-free, reported multiple cases. Local and state governments took even more drastic actions, including orders to close restaurants, bars, and gyms in many states. New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio warned that an order to shelter in place would come soon, similar to what has been done in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Rep. Devin Nunes and the Republican Governor of Oklahoma are urging residents to take their families out to restaurants because thereâs no wait.
The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran today even as Tehran grapples with one of the worst Coronavirus outbreaks in the world that has so far left over 1,000 dead. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that Tehran was even considering the release of American prisoners, but said the US would choke off Iranâs ability to export its oil. The sanctions target three specific Iranian citizens involved in the oil industry, as well as companies based in South Africa, Hong Kong, and China. Brian and John speak with Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
L&Câs regular segment, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, and Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism.â
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. He discusses the economic impact of the coronavirus.
In a surprise announcement yesterday the Justice Department dropped its case against two of the 16 defendants in the so-called Russian troll farm case brought by Robert Mueller. A DOJ spokesman said that the companies were âexploiting the case to gain access to delicate information that Russia could weaponize.â What that means, in English, is that they have a right to discovery to see exactly what evidence the Justice Department has against them. Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
Democratic primary elections are taking place today in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona. Polls show likely big wins there for John Biden. Voting was supposed to take place there and in Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana, but governors in those states postponed the elections because of the coronavirus outbreak. New York officials are considering whether to postpone their upcoming primary, and Wyoming is suspending in-person caucuses and asking residents to vote by mail. Other states are taking similar precautions. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests,â joins the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the coronavirus pandemic, yesterdayâs debate in the race for a democratic presidential nominee, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of an Infectious Disease Society of America committee, and Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging viruses.
Public institutions across the country are shutting down and the stock market continued to collapse at its open as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the country and the world. However, Coronavirus tests remain scarce and many workers remain without paid sick leave due to huge exemptions written into the relief bill passed at the end of last week.
Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden faced off in their first one on one debate last night. The candidates faced questions about the coronavirus crisis, healthcare, foreign policy and more ahead of another round of crucial primaries scheduled for Tuesday. Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net, joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
The Dow Jones Industrial Averages saw their biggest decline yesterday since the epic 1987 Black Monday crash, and all major indices moved into bear market territory, bringing to an end the longest period of economic expansion in American history. The market has fallen nearly 30 percent in the past three weeks. Meanwhile, Americans are panic-buying and hoarding essentials like toilet paper, water, and canned foods, expecting the coronavirus pandemic to worsen and to continue spreading across the country. Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen, joins the show.
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning was released from jail yesterday after a federal judge ruled that continued incarceration was unlikely to force her to testify before a federal grand jury in the Julian Assange case. Manning is currently hospitalized following a suicide attempt on Wednesday. Hacker and activist Jeremy Hammond also was ordered released, but he will return to federal custody to serve out the remainder of a 10-year sentence for computer hacking. Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, joins the show.
The Democratic presidential debate scheduled for Sunday will be moved from Arizona to Washington DC because of coronavirus concerns, according to the Democratic National Committee. And one of the moderators, Univisionâs Jorge Ramos, has dropped out because he was recently exposed to the virus. The debate will be limited to Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. The only other declared candidate still in the race, Tulsi Gabbard, was not invited. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net whose most recent piece is âThe Party's Over: Bernieâs Last Dance With the Dems,â on thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, joins Brian and John.
The US launched multiple airstrikes in Iraq overnight targeting the al-Kataâib Hizballah militia group and, according to Iraqi military leaders, killing six people. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that strikes were in retaliation for the killing a day earlier of two Americans and a British national, although it is unclear who was responsible for those killings. The Iraqi military condemned the US action, saying that it would only further destabilize the region. Brian and John speak with Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the Coronavirus outbreak, the accompanying economic situation, Chelsea Manningâs release from prison, and more.
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning is in a hospital in suburban Virginia today following a suicide attempt. Manning was due to appear before a federal grand jury tomorrow in the Julian Assange case, although she has steadfastly refused to testify against the Wikileaks cofounder. Manningâs attorneys again called on a federal judge to release her from prison, where she has been held in contempt of court since last May. Brian and John speak with Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."
The House of Representatives last night passed a bipartisan bill preserving key FBI surveillance capabilities while instituting limited protections. The measure, which passed by a vote of 278-136, allows the FBI broad access to the private electronic records of American citizens, while denying that access to NSA analysts. It was opposed by civil libertarians of both parties, but supporters said President Trump will sign it into law when it reaches his desk. Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers, joins the show.
President Trump last night gave a nationally-televised speech on the US response to the coronavirus that did little to quell public fear over the maladyâs rapid spread. The President announced that all international travel to the United States from many European countries would be banned for 30 days beginning tomorrow. But he exempted the UK. And we donât really know why. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging and reemerging viruses.
The National Basketball Association has suspended the remainder of the season, the NCAA has banned fans from attending the national tournament for the first time ever, a government coronavirus conference in New York was cancelled, and even actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, his wife, announced that they have tested positive for coronavirus. The US response to the outbreak so far has been one of confusion and ad hoc actions. How does that compare to Italy, China, or Canada?
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Two Americans and one British national were killed yesterday and 12 were injured in a rocket attack on a US base in Iraq, which the US quickly blamed on Iran. The United States retaliated by striking an Iran-backed militia in eastern Syria, killing at least 25 people. Medea Benjamin, a well-known peace activist and the cofounder of the peace group Code Pink, joins Brian and John.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning columnist and editorial cartoonist, whose work is at www.rall.com, and Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, whose latest book is called âComrade.â
Joe Biden won sweeping victories in primaries and caucuses yesterday in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho. Bernie Sanders pulled out a win in North Dakota, with Washington state neck and neck. Biden is now ahead of Sanders by some 150 delegates, but the Democratic Party establishment is moving to essentially end the primary and deliver a coronation to Joe Biden.
Reports of coronavirus cases in the United States topped 1,000 yesterday as the economic fallout from the disease continued to take a toll around the world. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo instituted a one-mile wide safe zone around New Rochelle New York after a hotspot coronavirus outbreak there. And Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said yesterday that the US must become far more aggressive in its efforts to contain the virus. Dr. Saskia Popescu, an infection prevention epidemiologist whose research focuses on the poor utilization of infection prevention and control within the United States, joins the show.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has approved the release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners as part of efforts to reach a peace deal with the insurgent group. The Taliban in turn will release 1,000 captured Afghan government troops. Ghaniâs presidential decree compels released Taliban prisoners to sign a promise saying that they would not take up the fight again. The US had asked him to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, a number at which he balked. Brian and John speak with Brian Terrell, a long time peace activist and a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Michele Greenstein, a correspondent with RT America.
Today is Super Tuesday 2.0 with primary elections in Michigan, Washington state, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho, and North Dakota. Michigan is a must-win state for Bernie Sanders, which he carried over Hillary Clinton in 2016. And all eyes are on Mississippi as pundits look to the numbers of African American voters who will go to the polls for Joe Biden.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a surprise visit to Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus outbreak began. Xi announced that the virus had been contained as cases in Wuhan drop dramatically. As the number of coronavirus victims skyrocket around the world, the number has plummeted in China. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
There was no disguising the tension today at the European Commission during talks between Turkish President Erdogan and the two EU presidents on Turkeyâs new policy of pushing Syrian and other refugees across the Greek border by force. The Europeans insisted that the Turks abide by an earlier agreement providing Ankara with funding to handle the refugee crisis inside Turkey. Erdogan skipped the post-meeting press conference and went straight to the airport. Brian and John speak with Ambassador Robert Pearson, a former US Ambassador to Turkey and former Director General of the US Foreign Service and a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, focusing on US-Turkish relations.
Julian Assangeâs extradition hearings in London are on hiatus while US authorities regroup and hone their strategy to have the Wikileaks co-founder sent to the United States for trial on espionage charges. In the first round of hearings, the British judge exhibited disturbing bias in favor of US and British authorities. The next round will begin in a little more than a month. But what is the role of the European Court of Human Rights? Steve Poikonen, host of the Slow News Day podcast and cohost of the Free Assange online vigil series, joins Brian and John.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
As the coronavirus spreads across the United States and around the world, Italy has literally closed. The entire country has put itself in quarantine. International flights and cruises are being canceled. People are hoarding toilet paper, canned food, and water. And we still donât have enough test kits available to health professionals. Is the government response enough to keep Americans safe? Should we be doing more? Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Americaâs Global Health Committee, joins the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Senators and former presidential contenders Cory Booker and Kamala Harris endorsed Joe Biden over the weekend, while former presidential contender Rev. Jesse Jackson endorsed Bernie Sanders. Tomorrow we see primary elections in Michigan, Washington state, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho, and North Dakota. Michigan is a must-win state for Bernie Sanders, which he carried over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Brian and John speak with Julie Hurwitz, she is a civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James.
A federal jury in New York said today that they are hopelessly deadlocked in their deliberations in the Vault 7 CIA leak trial of Joshua Schulte. Schulte was accused of providing Wikileaks with the CIAâs most secret and sensitive hacking tools. Deliberations will continue.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dean Baker, the co-director of the Center for Economic Policy and Research.
Chaos reigned on Wall Street today as trading was halted just 12 minutes into the session with the Dow Jones Industrial Averages down over 2,000 points. Meanwhile, an oil pricing war between Russia and Saudi Arabia couldnât have come at a worse time for producers as prices took their biggest fall since the outbreak of the 1991 Gulf War. The price of West Texas Crude fell below $30 for the first time in 29 years.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the economic crash and coronavirus crisis, and the 2020 Democratic primary. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The coronavirus is now being reported in 34 states and the District of Columbia. But Seattle seems to have been the location of the genesis of the outbreak in the US with nearly all domestic deaths coming from the area. Indeed the death toll just in Washington State is now 19 with a reported 136 cases. And yesterday, after Governor Jay Inslee complained about a lack of leadership on the outbreak coming from the White House, he was attacked by President Trump.Jane Cutter, the editor of LiberationNews.org, joins the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Federal prosecutors have once again subpoenaed Chelsea Manning to testify before a federal grand jury in the Julian Assange case, despite the fact that Manning has steadfastly refused to testify against the Wikileaks co-founder. She has been jailed for more than six months and is being fined $1000 per day for her refusal. But why call her to testify in the first place? Is it because the case against Assange is in trouble? Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, joins the show.
Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the presidential race yesterday, leaving Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and, many people forget, Tulsi Gabbard as the only remaining candidates. Warren declined yesterday to endorse anybody else, but in an interview with MSNBCâs Rachel Maddow last night, she didnât miss an opportunity to attack Sanders and his supporters. Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, editor of thepolemicist.net.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus is beginning to have an economic impact around the world, with some economists predicting that it could push the United States into recession. Economic slowdown and recession have real impacts on the lives of workers, with many in the US not having sick days and others financially unable to miss work. What does that mean for workers and for the economy? Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âThe Scourge of Neo-Liberalism: US Policy from Reagan to Trump.â You can check out his work at www.jackrasmus.com, joins the show.
In the 1980s, when Bernie Sanders was mayor of Burlington, Vermont, he traveled to the Soviet Union to promote the idea of pairing Burlington with a Russian city as part of the âsister citiesâ program, something that was common around the world at the time. But now the New York Times is accusing Sanders of having been a communist dupe. And NPR has jumped on the bandwagon, accusing Sputnik and RT of supporting Sandersâs presidential campaign. Brian and John speak with Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.â
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the 2020 election, a new red-baiting smear against Bernie Sanders, the latest mainstream media attack on Sputnik, the Coronavirus outbreak, and more.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Leo Cuello, an attorney and the director of health policy for the National Health Law Program.
Vice President Pence said yesterday that coronavirus testing and treatment will be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies. But what about those Americans who donât have insurance coverage? Will they elect to not get tested at all?
After spending some $700 million of his own money and winning only a handful of delegates, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg dropped out of the race and endorsed Joe Biden. And now Bloomberg is putting even more money where his mouth is. He is transferring all of his prepaid assets--campaign offices, staff, and even advertising--to Biden. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren announced that she was dropping out of the race. Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, and whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net, joins the show.
The International Criminal Court greenlit an investigation of war crimes committed in Afghanistan since 2003 by Afghan forces, US forces, and the Taliban. The decision is the first involving US forces in the courtâs history. The ICCâs chief prosecutors said she has evidence that US forces âcommitted acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape, and sexual violenceâ in Afghanistan and in clandestine CIA facilities. Jeremy Kuzmarov, a professor of American history whose latest book is âThe Russians Are Coming, Again: The First Cold War as Tragedy, the Second as Farce,â joins the show.
Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan met in Moscow today to try to hammer out a deal that avoids further violence in Syria. Faced with increasing military losses in Idlib Province and a wave of refugees, Erdogan is eager for a ceasefire, and western European leaders are eager for Putin to step up pressure on the Turks to stem the flow of refugees. Brian and John speak with Mark Sleboda, a foreign affairs and security analyst.
Psychologists working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement are using confidential therapy notes from their conversations with detained immigrants against them in court in order to hasten their deportation. The Trump administration argues that the policy is legal. And while it may be, professional therapy organizations say it is unethical and immoral. Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, joins Brian and John.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including Super Tuesday, the coronavirus outbreak, the war in Syria, and the war in Afghanistan. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The coronavirus continues to spread and, according to the World Health Organization, is now deadlier than the flu virus. It does not, however, transmit as easily as the flu, and scientists around the world are working on a vaccine. Meanwhile, new cases of the virus have been confirmed in New York City, Florida, and California. And for the first time, there have been more deaths from coronavirus outside China than in. Brian and John speak with Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Americaâs Global Health Committee.
The peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban appears to have lasted about a few days. The US carried out an airstrike this morning against Taliban fighters who had apparently attacked an Afghan National Defense and Security Forces checkpoint. The airstrike came hours after President Trump called Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to warn him not to resume violence against the Afghan government. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com, and Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.â
Yesterday was Super Tuesday and it was a very big day for Joe Biden. Two weeks ago it looked like the former Vice Presidentâs campaign was all but dead. But yesterday he became the clear frontrunner, besting Bernie Sanders in 10 of the 14 state contests. Biden won in Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Sanders won in California, Colorado, Utah, and Vermont. Mike Bloomberg took American Samoa and then dropped out of the race this morning. But in the end, is it Donald Trump who was really the big winner?
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; and Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag, join the show.
The Democratic Party establishment is going all-out to deny Bernie Sanders a victory on Super Tuesday. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race to endorse Joe Biden, and a string of other high-profile establishment endorsements quickly followed. Walter Smolarek, a Sputnik News analyst and producer, joins the show.
A federal judge has ordered Hillary Clinton to sit for a sworn deposition for the first time in connection with her use of a private email account during her tenure as Secretary of State. The order is in response to a five-and-a-half year old Freedom of Information Act suit brought by Judicial Watch seeking emails related to the attack in Benghazi, Libya. Clinton had earlier submitted written responses, but the judge ruled that they were âincomplete, unhelpful, and cursory.â Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--The Frozen Republic, The Velvet Coup, and America's Undeclared War, joins the show.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks set to remain on as the countryâs leader, as his Likud Party took 59 seats of the 61 necessary to govern. Netanyahu will now seek to form a coalition with a smaller party to create a governing bloc. The Labour Party, long the dominant party in Israeli politics, won only seven seats. But the Joint List, the party of Arab Israelis, won a record 15. Brian and John speak with David Sheen, he is an independent writer and filmmaker and you can check out more of his work at www.davidsheen.com.
The coronavirus continues to spread across the United States, and six more people died from it yesterday in Washington State. People have now tested positive for coronavirus in 18 states, and the Centers for Disease Control estimates that as many as 70 percent of Americans eventually will become infected. Hospitals already are preparing for a pandemic, and schools, theaters, and other gathering places are making contingency plans to close. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia who is a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Nicole Roussell, a Sputnik News analyst and producer.
Today is Super Tuesday, and voters in 14 states and American Samoa or going to the polls to choose a Democratic candidate for president. Fully one third of all the delegates necessary to win the nomination will be chosen today. Thereâs been a lot of movement in the race in the past day or two. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race and they and Beto OâRourke all endorsed Joe Biden.
The Trump Administration has ordered four Chinese state-owned media outlets to slash the number of staff that they have working in the United States. This move comes after China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters last month after the US announced Chinese journalists would need to register under the Foreign Missions Act. Sixty Chinese journalists will have to leave the country. And this morning, Beijing vowed to retaliate. John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, joins Brian and John.
A second American has died of the coronavirus, this time a man in his 70s from Kirkland, Washington. The virus apparently is more virulent than previously thought, and its victims likely have been undercounted in the United States because of delays in testing. Meanwhile, the disease is spreading across Europe and the United States. Mike Wong, the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, whose latest book is called âComrade.â
Super Tuesday is tomorrow, with voters in 14 states and American Samoa going to the polls to cast votes for Democratic candidates for president. California and Texas are the big prizes, with about a third of all delegates necessary for the nomination between them. The Democratic Party elite are desperate to stop Sanders.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
The United States and the Taliban signed an agreement over the weekend laying out a 14-month timetable for full US troop withdrawal in exchange for the prevention of attacks against the US and allied foreign forces. Both sides pledged to support a lasting peace between the Taliban and the Afghan government. But this morning, Taliban forces attacked a football match in Khost Province and said that they had no intention of ceasing operations against government forces. Brian and John speak with Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, the Scholar-in-Residence and director of the Middle East Instituteâs Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including Joe Bidenâs victory in south carolina, why Pete Buttiegeg actually dropped out of the race just two weeks after CNN proclaimed him the front runner, tomorrowâs Super Tuesday vote, the intensifying conflict between Turkey and Syria and Russia, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Turkey shot down two Syrian fighter jets over the weekend hours after Syria shot down a Turkish drone. The Syrian Army also captured a major highway in Idlib Province that had been controlled by extremists. Turkish president Erdogan announced that he would meet with Russian president Putin in Moscow on Thursday to discuss Syria. And in the meantime, Turkish police arrested and harassed a Sputnik News journalist and released him only after intervention from President Putin. Ambassador Peter Ford, the former British Ambassador to Syria, joins the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ben Norton, heâs associate editor and journalist with The Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, and Sputnik News analyst and producer Walter Smolarek.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including economic effects of the coronavirus, the 2020 primary and establishment attack on Bernie Sanders, and more.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Israel will hold its third election in 18 months on Monday and, if the latest polls are to be believed, Benjamin Netanyahu will come out ahead of his main challenger, Benny Gantz. The Israeli media have noted Gantzâs recent move to the left, causing Netanyahu to widen his lead from the right.
Still, forming a new government will be the result of protracted negotiations. David Sheen, an independent writer and filmmaker whose work is at www.davidsheen.com, joins Brian and John.
Pedestrian fatalities on US roads have increased by more than 50 percent over the past decade, while deaths of people riding in vehicles remained unchanged, according to a new analysis by the Governors highway Safety Association. The Association estimated that pedestrian deaths totaled 6,590 last year, the most in three decades. Katy Lang, a pedestrian safety advocate who is an expert in city planning & transportation, joins the show.
Thirty three Turkish soldiers were killed in an air raid early this morning in Syriaâs Idlib Province, raising tensions to an unprecedented level. The Russian government said that it was not responsible for the attack, and Turkish President Erdogan said his government would do anything and everything to protect Turkish troops. Meanwhile, NATO called an emergency meeting to discuss the development, and France sent two battleships to the eastern Mediterranean. Brian and John speak with Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement.
The South Carolina primary is tomorrow and the latest polls show that Joe Biden is surging in the state. He has 36 percent to Bernie Sandersâ 16 percent and Tom Steyer at 15. Sanders is leading in just about every Super Tuesday state, meanwhile, and he is campaigning today in Massachusetts, trying to win that from Elizabeth Warren. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âthe scourge of neo-liberalism: US policy from Reagan to trump,â whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof.
Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), joins the show.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this week his plans to build 3,500 homes for Jewish settlers into the occupied West Bank region. Building in this region, the E1 area, would eliminate any possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state, despite the claims of Trumpâs so-called Peace Plan. Tamara Nassar, associate editor of Electronic Intifada, joins Brian and John.
Newly declassified accounts of the CIA torture program show that CIA interrogators were essentially using detainees in human experiments. James Mitchell, one of the psychologists who was paid millions to develop "enhanced interrogation techniques," has recently claimed in court that interrogators were supposed to practice techniques on each other. But nonetheless, these accounts provide new details showing otherwise. Brian speaks with co-host John, CIA whistleblower on the torture program.
Today is Day 4 of the Julian Assange extradition hearing in London. With Julian still inside a bulletproof box, attorneys argued over whether international or domestic UK law would determine whether the Wikileaks cofounder is extradited to the US. Brian and John speak with Walter Smolarek, a Sputnik News analyst and producer at the courthouse where the hearing is taking place.
With the South Carolina primary coming up this weekend, and Super Tuesday just around the corner on Tuesday, the 2020 race for the Democratic Party nominee is heating up. Bernie Sanders is the frontrunner and is being attacked from all sides, including other candidates, of course, but also the corporate-owned media and the DNC. Darren Gibson, a host of the radio show and podcast Southpaws, a political analysis show focusing on social & economic issues, on Pacifica and also on Global Community Radio Mondays at 9:00 pm, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Saskia Popescu, an infection prevention epidemiologist whose research focuses on the poor utilization of infection prevention and control within the United States.
President Trump yesterday tried to downplay the spread of the coronavirus as he appointed Vice President Trump to lead the countryâs efforts to contain the outbreak. But as the virus spreads, can the US healthcare system keep up?
After 10 months of silence, UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has again called for the UK government to drop extradition proceedings against Julian Assange. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to comment specifically on the Assange case, but instead said that the current extradition treaty with the United States is âunbalanced.â Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins Brian and John.
The House Judiciary Committee yesterday introduced a bill to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act, or FISA, court. But there are some changes to the legislation. Among other things, the draft legislation would repeal authority to access call detail records on an ongoing basis, and would also require the declassification review and public release of significant decisions, orders, and opinions within 180 days of being issued. The proposed legislation would expand mandatory reporting on the number of search terms and queries concerning a U.S. citizen to include reporting on search terms and queries that are âreasonably likely to identify a United States person.â Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
The House Judiciary Committee yesterday introduced a bill to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act, or FISA, court. But there are some changes to the legislation. Among other things, the draft legislation would repeal authority to access call detail records on an ongoing basis, and would also require the declassification review and public release of significant decisions, orders, and opinions within 180 days of being issued. The proposed legislation would expand mandatory reporting on the number of search terms and queries concerning a U.S. citizen to include reporting on search terms and queries that are âreasonably likely to identify a United States person.â Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the further-right foreign policy in the Democratic debate last night, the ongoing Julian Assange extradition trial in London this week, and more. Sputnik News analyst and producer of this show Nicole Roussell joins the show.
Syrian Arab Army forces yesterday attacked towns in Idlib Province in an attempt to push rebel forces out of the area. But Turkish President Erdogan said that his own forces would force the Syrians away from Turkish outposts in the area. Erdogan decried Russian control of the airspace over Idlib and said, âOur biggest problem is that we cannot use the airspace over Idlib. We hope to have a solution soon.â Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com.
Last nightâs Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina was a free-for-all, with six candidates attacking frontrunner Bernie Sanders and a resurgence of the pointed fight between Elizabeth Warren and Mike Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Joe Biden did his best to convince viewers that he has the most experience and the best chance of beating Trump.
Today is Day 3 of the Julian Assange extradition hearing in London. Julianâs attorneys today continued laying out their defense of the Wikileaks co-founder, arguing that his prosecution is political in nature and that he should not be extradited to the United States. Walter Smolarek, a Sputnik News analyst and producer who is at the courthouse where the hearing is taking place, joins the show.
Another Democratic debate is scheduled for tonight, this time in South Carolina. Media commentators are unanimous in their belief that just about everybody will attack frontrunner Bernie Sanders tonight, with challenger Mike Bloomberg announcing earlier in the day that he will focus all of his upcoming media spend on hitting Sanders. Meanwhile, the latest polls show Joe Biden slightly ahead of Sanders. Bloomberg is not on the ballot. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Our friend Lee Camp has a new book out, and a LOT of people are talking about it. Bullet Points and Punch Lines is a hilarious collection of writing on the most current and devastating issues of our time, like the Pentagon failing its first and so-far only audit, the nuclear doomsday clock ticking ever closer to midnight, and Wall Street analyzed as a Ponzi scheme. Brian and John speak with Lee Camp, a comedian, activist, journalist, host of the television show âRedacted Tonightâ on RT America, and whose latest book is called âBullet Points & Punch Lines: The Most Important Commentary Ever Written on the Epic American Tragicomedy,â available at leecamp.com.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Walter Smolarek, a Sputnik News analyst and producer at the courthouse where the hearing is taking place.
Today is Day 2 of the Julian Assange extradition hearing in London. Julianâs attorneys today began laying out their defense of the Wikileaks co-founder, arguing that his prosecution is political in nature and that he should not be extradited to the United States.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the Assange extradition hearing that will be ongoing this week, the Nevada caucus results and where the race is going this week as the South Carolina primary comes up, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
South Korea raised its official virus alert to the highest level as health officials there announced 833 new cases of coronavirus. Health authorities in Iran reported 12 new deaths related to the virus, and Italy reported four, prompting Italian authorities to implement nationwide quarantines and to cancel public events. John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, joins the show.
The extradition hearing of Julian Assange begins today in London and is expected to last into July, with a break of about a month. The United States has asked that Assange be sent to Alexandria, VA to face 18 counts of espionage and computer hacking for the revelations that Wikileaks have made over the years. Brian and John speak with Walter Smolarek, a Sputnik News analyst and producer who is in London for the hearing this week.
The blame game continued over the weekend, as CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and other outlets accused Russia of somehow âinterferingâ in the 2020 election. The accusations came out of a statement that a senior intelligence official apparently made last week in a closed meeting of the House Intelligence Committee, when he said that Intelligence Community analysis indicated that Russia âpreferredâ Donald Trump. Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of âManufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Henry Williams, executive director of the Gravel Institute and the former co-director of the Mike Gravel for President Committee.
Bernie Sanders won the Nevada caucuses convincingly on Saturday, setting himself apart as the candidate to beat for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Sanders finished with 46.8 percent, followed by Joe Biden at 20.4, Pete Buttigieg at 13.9, and Elizabeth Warren at 9.8. They all now move to South Carolina for that stateâs primary on Saturday, which will follow a debate mid-week.
Salvador Romero, the head of Boliviaâs electoral commission, said yesterday that former president Evo Morales was ineligible to run for a Senate seat in an upcoming May rerun of an election that was overturned in a military coup late last year. Morales found asylum in Mexico and then in Argentina and is leading his partyâs campaign from exile. Adrienne Pine, an associate professor of anthropology at American University and a member of the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective, joins the show.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the attempt to resuscitate the Russiagate narrative, the 2020 election and Mike Bloombergâs appalling record, the Bernie Sanders movement, the science of social change and movement building, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell join the show.
Nevada voters will caucus on Saturday and will decide who they want to be the Democratic nominee for President. The latest polls show Bernie Sanders with a commanding lead in the state. Heâs at 31 percent, with Pete Buttigieg at 17 percent, Joe Biden at 16, Elizabeth Warren at 12, Amy Klobuchar at 11, Tom Steyer at 10, and Tulsi Gabbard at 2 percent. The candidates will then focus on the South Carolina primary, which takes place a week later. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Aaron Maté, a journalist with The Grayzone and The Nation. Check out his podcast Pushback with Aaron Maté.
A senior US intelligence official told lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week that Russia wants to see President Trump reelected. The comment infuriated the President and sent shockwaves through Washington. But what, exactly, is it based on? It appears to have been an off-handed comment by a CIA analyst. And Acting Director of National Intelligence John McGuire apparently did not offer any intelligence to support the statement.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Syrian troops, backed by the Russian air force, have been battling to eliminate the last rebel strongholds in the Idlib region, while Turkish forces are actively fighting the Syrian government. Brian and John speak with Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Roger Stone was sentenced today to 40 months in a federal court in Washington DC. Judge Amy Berman Jackson sided with prosecutors in their demand for real prison time for Stone, and she read several of Stoneâs text messages to his friend Randy Credico into the record, including messages where Stone threatened Credico and his dog. This is despite the fact that Credico wrote to the judge and asked not to give Stone any prison time at all, saying that he never took Stoneâs threats seriously. Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers, joins the show.
The U.S. government issued harsh new restrictions on Chinese public media outlets this week that would put them in the same legal category as foreign missions. This dramatic move is being denounced as yet another escalation of the war on alternative media. In retaliation, several Wall Street Journal reporters in China had their credentials revoked. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
Fighting broke out in Syriaâs Idlib Province today after two Turkish soldiers were killed and five wounded in a Syrian Army air attack. The Turks responded, saying later that they killed more than 50 Syrian troops. A Turkish government spokesman said that move does not constitute a Turkish attack on Idlib, while a Russian government spokesman said that both sides need to stand down. Meanwhile, reports circulated that were denied by Turkey that it had asked the US to deploy two Patriot missile batteries on its southern border to protect Turkish troops from Syrian air attacks. Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins Brian and John.
One of Julian Assangeâs London-based attorneys said yesterday that President Trump had authorized former Congressman Dana Rohrbacher to tell Assange that he would be pardoned if he showed proof that Russia was not behind the hack of DNC computers in 2016. Assange has repeatedly said over the years that no state actor was involved. But Rohrbacher issued a statement several hours later saying the report was not true, and that he had made the offer on his own volition. Brian and John speak with independent journalist Diani Barreto, and Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell.
There was a bare-fisted street brawl in Las Vegas last night, and a Democratic presidential debate broke out. Indeed, the New York Post called last nightâs debate âthe single best debate in the history of American politics.â That may be a stretch, but Mike Bloomberg looked unprepared, angry, and defensive. Elizabeth Warren looked like the big winner of the evening, as she relentlessly pummelled Bloomberg. Pete Buttigieg seemed to hold his own, and Bernie Sanders appears to have come out on top with no real damage other than over his medical records.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek joins the show.
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg will face his opponents in the Democratic primary on the debate stage for the first time tonight. His extreme wealth has helped insulate him from criticism so far. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders is dominating the polls. Darren Gibson, a host of the radio show and podcast Southpaws, a political analysis show focusing on social & economic issues, on Pacifica and Global Community Radio Mondays at 9:00 pm., joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Carolyn Gomez, a healthcare labor organizer in Southern California.
Workers across the country are in ascension. A group of Walmart employees this week marched in New York to the luxury penthouse of Walmart heiress Alice Walton, where they protested the companyâs treatment of its workers. Indeed, in 2005, 20 percent of the retail giantâs workers were part-time. Now that number is 50 percent. That has allowed the Walton family to drastically cut costs and add to its $191 billion fortune. Meanwhile, hospital and healthcare workers across the country are launching union drives and organizing protests for better wages and working conditions, saying that they canât afford their own healthcare.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, joins the show.
There is a fascinating new documentary short out on the Iraq War called âWorth the Price? Joe Biden and the Launch of the Iraq War.â The film reviews the role of then-Senator Joe Biden in leading the US into the most devastating foreign policy blunder of the past generation. And it features a half-dozen of the most prominent critics of the war, including our next guest. Matthew Hoh, a veteran and peace activist who in 2009 resigned from the State Department over the American escalation of the war in Afghanistan, whose writings have appeared in a wide variety of publications, and who is a winner of the Ridenhour Prize for Truth Telling, joins Brian and John.
An open letter signed by 117 physicians and psychologists in the medical journal The Lancet calls for an end to what it describes as âthe psychological torture and medical neglectâ of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange. Assange is being held in Londonâs maximum-security Belmarsh Prison in advance of the start of a February 24 extradition hearing. Heâs been charged in the United States with 18 counts of espionage for publishing information that exposed US war crimes. Dr. Bill Hogan, a medical researcher and educator at the University of Florida and one of the signatories of the letter, joins the show.
After a string of pardons and an increasingly public dispute with Attorney General William Barr, where is Trump heading as he battles his own Justice Department? Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
Another day, another hit piece against Sputnik Radio in the mainstream corporate media. This time, CBS News decided to essentially repeat an earlier New York Times piece about Sputnik operating in Kansas City, MO. They even interviewed the same person as the New York Times, who repeated her ridiculous assertion that Sputnik was responsible for dividing the country on health care. Why does the media feel so threatened by Sputnik? Mindia Gavasheli, editor-in-chief of Sputnik Newsâ bureau in Washington, D.C., joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, and at ThisCantBeHappening.net.
Nevada voters will caucus on Saturday in the first test of strength in the West for Democratic presidential candidates. The big question mark is whether a counting app, or counting tool as the DNC is now calling it, is going to work after failing so spectacularly in Iowa. In the meantime, Bernie Sanders has surged to a double-digit lead in national polls, followed by Mike Bloomberg. Joe Biden has dropped to third nationally. And Democrats will debate on Wednesday. It is the first debate for which Bloomberg qualifies.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
The US and the Taliban are preparing a peace deal that now appears imminent in Afghanistan. That peace deal seems to be moving forward, despite the fact that two more US soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in recent days and that Afghan President Ashraf Ghaniâs opponents are protesting the election results declared today showing Ghani scoring a narrow victory. Brian Terrell, a long time peace activist and a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, joins the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of âThe Scourge of Neo-Liberalism: U.S. Policy from Reagan to Trump,â at www.jackrasmus.com, joins the show.
Our friends David Paul, Adrienne Pine, Margaret Flowers, and Kevin Zeese were on trial last week on charges of âinterfering with certain federal protective functions.â Thatâs because they were protecting the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington from the reactionary forces of presidential pretender Juan Guaido, who in turn was supported by the State Department. Well, on Friday, the judge in the case declared a mistrial. The jury was simply unable to come to a verdict. David Paul, a member of the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective, joins John.
More than 2,000 former Justice Department officials have signed a letter urging Attorney General William Barr to resign, with one former prosecutor and friend of 40 years saying, âEverything he touches dies.â All of this is in response to the resignation of all the prosecutors involved in the Roger Stone case. They resigned because they say President Trump meddled in the sentencing and Barr did nothing to support them. John speaks with Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist at www.rall.com.
The National Health Law Program today won a unanimous appeal in the federal Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia against the Trump Administration. What was at stake was the Trump policy of trying to force work requirements or other barriers on recipients of Medicaid. Leo Cuello, an attorney and the director of health policy for the National Health Law Program, joins the show.
A group of House Democrats criticized the Federal Communications Commission yesterday for not taking action to put Sputnik radio out of business in the United States. The members said in a letter to the FCC that they feared Sputnik would try to influence the 2020 presidential election. This same group of Democrats earlier accused Sputnik Radio of impacting the 2016 election, despite the fact that we were not on the radio until 2017. Brian and John speak with Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.â
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by activist, author of âShackled and Chained,â and journalist Eugene Puryear and Sputnik News analyst and producer Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on Attorney General William Barrâs seemingly planned pushback against President Trump, Roger Stoneâs sentencing, New Hampshire and the surging Sanders campaign, the myriad racist and deeply conservative statements and policies that Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg has made over the years, several Democratsâ focus on taking Radio Sputnik off the air instead of issues their constituents care about, Trumpâs proposed budget for 2021, and oligarchs in the form of Microsoft and Amazon fighting over public money.
A federal judge in Washington yesterday ordered Microsoft to halt all work on a $10 billion cloud computing contract for the Pentagon. This is a major victory for Amazon, which had contested the awarding of the contract. The judge said there should be no work on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI) system until Amazonâs legal challenge had been resolved. Brian and John are joined by Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by activist, author of âShackled and Chained,â and journalist Eugene Puryear and Sputnik News analyst and producer Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on Attorney General William Barrâs seemingly planned pushback against President Trump, Roger Stoneâs sentencing, New Hampshire and the surging Sanders campaign, the myriad racist and deeply conservative statements and policies that Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg has made over the years, several Democratsâ focus on taking Radio Sputnik off the air instead of issues their constituents care about, Trumpâs proposed budget for 2021, and oligarchs in the form of Microsoft and Amazon fighting over public money.
Stanford Universityâs Internet Observatory (SIO) is part of a growing network of cybersecurity groups policing the activity of social media users while towing the federal governmentâs political line. SIO is not a part of one of the myriad neoliberal think tanks. Instead, it remains attached to the university. So why is it monitoring our social media usage? And what is it doing with the information? Morgan Artukhina, a journalist with Sputnik News in Washington, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has implemented a minor cabinet change, replacing the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Paymaster General, and the Northern Ireland Secretary. More interestingly, though, the head of the BBC warned that the governmentâs intention to slash the broadcasterâs budget would embolden what he called âdemocratic disruptionâ by Russian and Chinese media outlets and even, God forbid, by Fox News. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins Brian and John.
President Trump has conditionally approved a peace deal with the Taliban that would withdraw the last remaining troops in that country, in exchange for a Taliban promise to reduce violence over a test period of seven days to be held later in the month. If the Taliban do reduce hostilities, the US will begin to gradually withdraw troops, and the Taliban and Afghan government will begin negotiations over the future of the country. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show.
The New York Times today published a stridently anti-Sputnik article accusing the network of âagitprop,â or agitation propaganda, and saying that we are spreading that propaganda through our new sister station in Kansas City, Missouri. The Times specifically criticizes our colleagues Lee Stranahan of the morning show Fault Lines, and Sean Blackmon of the afternoon show By Any Means Necessary on completely spurious grounds. Brian and John speak with Mindia Gavasheli, editor-in-chief of Sputnik Newsâ bureau in Washington, D.C.
Troy Price, the chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, resigned yesterday in the aftermath of the vote-counting debacle that shook the presidential caucus more than a week ago. And it wasnât just the failure of a vote-counting app that forced Price out. The caucus was also rife with counting errors and inconsistencies that could still affect the outcome of the race. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Medea Benjamin, a well-known peace activist and the cofounder of the peace group Code Pink.
A bipartisan bill that would limit President Trumpâs ability to wage war against Iran is likely to pass in the Senate. The resolution is sponsored by Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine, and in a procedural vote on Tuesday, gained the support of all Democrats and eight Republicans, including Senator Rand Paul, a Trump confidant. Kaine says that the measure is an important reassertion of Congressâs power to declare war, but still voted with the vast majority of senators to approve a higher military budget than President Trump asked for.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
All four prosecutors in the Roger Stone case resigned yesterday after a public dressing down from senior Justice Department officials over the prosecutionâs desire to sentence Stone to 7-9 years in prison. The DOJ officials said that the prosecutors had lied to them about seeking a much shorter sentence. And now rumors are rife that President Trump will soon pardon Stone anyway, making the entire issue moot. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
Venezuela coup leader Juan Guaido returned to Venezuela today after illegally leaving the country to conduct a world tour, where he attempted to rally support for his failing bid at regime change. Paul Dobson, a writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, and her latest book is called âComrade.â
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary last night, narrowly edging out former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar finished a strong third, with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden finishing poorly. All other candidates were in the lower single digits, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang formally dropped out of the race. No candidate has ever won the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire primary and failed to become the partyâs nominee. So it looks like Bernie Sanders is the candidate to beat.
While the Chinese government moved into public action after identifying and sequencing the coronavirus the reactions around the world vary greatly. The World Health Organization has given China a highly favorable rating for its response. In fact, the WHO has said that China has âset new standards for disease response.â But the coverage in the western media has been extremely negative and hostile. China condemns the western media coverage for treating this public health emergency as a political tool. Brian and John speak with KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.
Russia and Turkey are headed for serious diplomatic problems as both sides appear to be headed toward a clash over Syria. The Syrian Arab Army has pushed into the countryâs last rebel stronghold, Idlib, in recent days, and fighting left 13 Turks dead. The Turkish military responded by attacking 115 Syrian military positions, and now the Russian government has warned the Turks to back off. Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Today, in federal court in Washington, DC, four people, including Adrienne Pine, David Paul, Margaret Flowers and Kavin Zeese, will go on trial on charges of âinterfering with certain federal protective functions.â Thatâs code for refusing to leave the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington so that it could be handed over to coup plotters and followers of presidential pretender Juan Guaido. They were removed by force in a SWAT-style raid on May 16, 2019. Wyatt Reed, the producer of By Any Means Necessary, which is on Radio Sputnik every weekday from 2pm to 4pm, joins Brian and John.
Syrian opposition leaders said today that a counteroffensive against government forces in the countryâs northwest could begin at any moment, amid escalating tensions. The warning came yesterday just hours after five Turkish troops were killed in shelling by the Syrian Army. The Turkish Army retaliated by hitting more than 100 Syrian military targets. Meanwhile, a Russian diplomatic delegation arrived in Ankara to try to head off the fighting. Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins the show.
Our friend and guest Abby Martin was scheduled to give the keynote address at an upcoming conference at Georgia Southern University. Before the event took place, however, she was told that she had to sign a contractual pledge to not support the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement against Israel. Abby refused and her talk was canceled after other scheduled speakers supported Abbyâs position. She is now taking the issue to the courts. Brian and John speak with Abby Martin, host of The Empire Files.
Roger Stone is facing prison time for lying to Congress and witness tampering in the Russia investigation. President Trump immediately took to Twitter, calling the prosecution of Stone unfair and saying, âI cannot allow this miscarriage of justice.â And now the Justice Department seems to be backing off. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jamarl Thomas of Progressive Soapbox, and soon of Political Misfits, which will be on from 12:00-2:00 starting next Tuesday right here on Sputnik Radio.
The New Hampshire Primary is today with voters heading to the polls until 7:00. 33 Democrats are on the ballot, and every poll released today shows Bernie Sanders leading by 7 or 8 percentage points, followed by Pete Buttigieg. Some polls show Amy Klobuchar in third place, while others have Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden tied for third.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net.
Voters will go to the polls tomorrow in New Hampshire to make their choice for the Democratic nominee for president as the Iowa Democratic Party remains mired in controversy after announcing official results that are sure to be challenged. And as Democrats attack each other on the campaign trail, polls are showing a more clearly defined race with Bernie Sanders in the lead, followed by Pete Buttigieg. Amy Klobuchar is third, with Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden tied for fourth. No other candidates are in double digits.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Ireland is in the midst of an historic election. With more than half of the 160 contested seats filled in the Doyle Eric, or Parliament, Sinn Fein, the political arm of the former Irish Republican Army, had won 24.5 percent, followed by 22 percent for opposition party Fianna Fail (Fina Foil), and 21 percent for the ruling Fine (Finna Gail) Gael. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called the vote âa revolution at the ballot boxâ and said that forming a government would be âchallenging.â Journalist Andy Brennan joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the New Hampshire primary, continued controversy over the result of the Iowa caucus, fighting in Syria, a political crisis in Germany, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
President Trump today proposed a $4.8 trillion dollar federal budget that includes massive cuts to social safety net programs, including huge cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and the Childrenâs Health Insurance Program. The budget also calls for a 26.5 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, a nine percent cut to the Department of Health and Human Services, and large reductions to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. Democrats in the House will surely reject the proposals, setting up a fight over priorities, both on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail. Julie Hurwitz, a civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James, joins the show.
The South Korean film Parasite last night became the first foreign language film ever to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Besides best picture, the film also won Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Film. The comedy-thriller about class struggle in South Korea won at a time that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has struggled against accusations that it is biased in favor of white men. So while writer-director Bong Joon Ho did well for himself last night, none of the actors in the film were even nominated for anything. Brian and John speak with Sputnik News Analysts, Producers, and Film Critics Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Today is Loud & Clear's 1,000th show. The team has been proud to provide listeners with a progressive take on the news that doesn't exist in the mainstream media. Brian and John celebrate the milestone with some of the most esteemed guests and friends who have been regular guests on the show:
· Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author, most recently of "The Management of Savagery," the senior editor of The Grayzone, and co-host of the podcast "Moderate Rebels"
· Paul Wright, the Executive Director of the Human Rights Defense Center and the editor of Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News magazines
· Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure
· Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist at www.rall.com
· Joe Lauria, editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton"
· Professor Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including "Race to Revolution: The U.S. and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow"
· Heidi Boghosian, the executive director of the A. J. Muste Memorial Institute and the former Executive Director of the National Lawyers Guild
· Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show "Redacted Tonight," on RT America, whose latest book is called "Bullet Points & Punch Lines," and at leecamp.com
· Ann Wright, a retired United States Army colonel and former U.S. State Department official in Afghanistan, who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq and became an anti-war activist
· Professor Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran
· Professor Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and a member of the Korean Peace Network
· Professor Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, whose latest book is called Comrade
· Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos
· Anya Parampil, a journalist for The Grayzone who hosts the new show Red Lines
· Leonardo Flores, a member of the peace group Code Pink, where he is a Latin America campaign coordinator
· Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers
· Mike Wong, the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace
· Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria
· KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice
· Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst
· Diani Barreto, independent journalist
· Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer & author of the book "No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests"
· Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News, at lefti.blogspot.com
On the 1,000th episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the Iowa caucus fiasco, Donald Trumpâs acquittal in the impeachment trial, the State of the Union address, charges in Brazil dropped against journalist Glenn Greenwald, and more.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest film is âKilling Gaza,â senior editor of The Grayzone, and co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels.â
As the Iowa caucus debacle continues to deepen, more and more people are asking: Who and what is behind Acronym, the company that developed the âShadowâ app at the heart of the vote counting disaster? Brian and John discuss the role of tech billionaire Reed Hoffman, one of the key financial backers of the company.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaido was an honored guest at the State of the Union address this week and was granted a meeting with President Trump yesterday. Today, Guaido also sat down with Nancy Pelosi, demonstrating that establishment politicians remain united in their support for regime change in Venezuela. Leonardo Flores, Latin America campaign coordinator for the peace group Code Pink, joins Brian and John.
Attorney General William Barr yesterday issued new restrictions over the opening of politically sensitive investigations, a move meant to avoid upending the political season, as former FBI Director James Comey did in October 2016, when he helped shaped the outcome of the race. The announcement came after a scathing report from the Justice Departmentâs Inspector General that showed that FBI agents ignored protocols and falsified information in their bid to investigate Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
One day after the impeachment trial ends and President Trump is acquitted, he took a victory lap with a long, bragging, off-script speech. The president was introduced with a rendition of Pomp and Circumstance and walked down a red carpet to the microphone. Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award winning journalist and editorial cartoonist, whose work is at www.rall.com.
It now appears that Bernie Sanders is headed for a victory in Iowa no matter what metric is used. But the corporate media still managed to deliver an undeserved victory to Pete Buttigieg, whoâs enjoyed fawning coverage in the press since the caucuses despite his false claim to have won. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests,â joins the show.
President Trump last night delivered his State of the Union address, turning the traditionally dull event into a re-election spectacle pushing far-right politics from every angle. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou discuss the final impeachment vote.
The Senate today voted to acquit President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, putting an end to the impeachment drama. The vote was predictable and along party lines, with only Republican Senator Mitt Romney voting to acquit on one of the charges. Pundits are saying that the President comes out of the experience stronger politically, with Democrats the ones taking the hit.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Joshua Schulte is a 31-year-old former CIA computer engineer who today will go on trial, accused of leaking whatâs known as the Vault 7 documents, the most highly classified computer hacking secrets that the CIA possessed. When the documents went public in May 2017, Wikileaks said in a statement that the whistleblower âwanted to raise policy questions that need to be debated in public, including whether the CIAâs hacking abilities exceeded its mandated powers.â And his supporters allege that authorities even set him up on fake child pornography charges. Brian and John speak with Bill Binney, a former NSA technical director who became a legendary national security whistleblower.
A new report published by the National Center for Homeless Education has found that there are more than 1.5 million public school students who were homeless at some point during the 2017-2018 school year. Itâs the highest number in 12 years, and it points to the ongoing failure of local, state, and federal governments to address housing affordability. And just as importantly, homelessness has a ripple effect among children, causing developmental delays and poor health. Derek Ford, an assistant professor of education studies at DePauw University and a community organizer whose latest book is âEducation and the Production of Space,â joins Brian and John.
The results of the Iowa caucuses are still not completely in. The real news here, though, is that the Democratic Party has fallen flat on its face when it comes to actually carrying out one of the most important elections in a presidential campaign. Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show âRedacted Tonight,â on RT America, whose latest book is called âBullet Points & Punch Lines,â and whose work is at leecamp.com, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Ian Zabarte, Principal Man of the Western Bands of Shoshone, and Secretary, Native Community Action Council; Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear; and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â Bob Schlehuber, a Sputnik News analyst and the producer of the Sputnik News show By Any Means Necessary, and Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author, the senior editor of Grayzone and co-host of the podcast Moderate Rebels.
As of this recording, the nation still doesnât know who won yesterdayâs Iowa caucuses. The Iowa Democratic Party used a new app this year to tally votes and to calculate delegate apportionment. But the app simply didnât work, and no numbers were forthcoming from the Party. Donald Trump took to Twitter to mock the Party and the entire process, and even Democratic insiders concede that they are in the middle of an unmitigated disaster. The candidates, meanwhile, pretended to not be bothered by the debacle, and they all flew to New Hampshire during the night to begin campaigning there in advance of next weekâs primary.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with a special new guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Turkey deployed F-16 fighter jets against Syrian government forces today, a sharp escalation of the conflict there, after six Turkish soldiers were killed by artillery fire. Turkey retaliated by shelling Syrian troops and reportedly killing 35. Turkish President Erdogan meanwhile warned Russia not to get involved in Ankaraâs dealings with Damascus over the shelling, saying, âDo not stand in our way.â Brian and John speak with Ambassador Peter Ford, the former British Ambassador to Syria.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
It seems that panic is spreading among governments in their reactions to the coronavirus. Vietnam banned all travel to and from China, while Australia, the United States, France, the UK, and other countries are blocking entry to all Chinese nationals and to anybody who in the past two weeks has been to Wuhan, apparently the virusâs place of origin. But compared to other, routine illnesses, is the severity of the coronavirus outbreak being blown out of proportion for political reasons? KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Bob Schlehuber, a Sputnik News analyst.
Iowans will caucus this evening to make their choice for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Des Moines Register, which has accurately predicted every caucus winner since 1988, controversially cancelled its poll this year for technical reasons, but other polls show a tight race, with Bernie Sanders leading, and Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren close behind. Some polls also show Pete Buttigieg in the mix.
The UK withdrew from the European Union only a few days ago, and already there are problems, especially on trade. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said over the weekend that there was âno needâ for the UK to follow EU trade rules, and he called for a Canada-style free trade agreement to be negotiated. An EU spokesman said that the body would only negotiate trade âon a level playing field.â Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is in Kiev, met with President Volodymir Zelensky, but refused to speculate over whether the impeachment process at home had affected US-Ukraine relations. Pompeo called Ukraine âa bulwark between freedom and authoritarianism in eastern Europeâ, but made no announcement related to US military aid to Ukraine. Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst, joins the show.
In an unprecedented study American and British scientists have discovered warm ocean water underneath a massive glacier in western Antarctica. That warm water could speed its melt in a region with the potential to eventually unleash more than 10 feet of sea level rise. The scientists also found that the glacier is melting at a rate of about 50 billion tons of ice per year. Brian and John speak with Eric Rignot, a co-investigator for the organization that conducted this study, the MELT project at the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, and the Chair and Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California Irvine.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on Jeff Bezos making $12 billion yesterday, the Trump administrationâs move to kick people off of Medicaid, the coronavirus and anti-China rhetoric thatâs coming with it, 2020 elections, impeachment, the Brexit deadline today, and more. Brian and John speak with Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
The UK will leave the European Union at 6:00 pm Eastern Time today after nearly half a century in the body and 1,317 days after a divisive referendum that has plunged the country into an angry three-year-long debate over its future. Very little will change immediately. A transition period will last until December 31, during which time London and Brussels will negotiate what a new relationship will look like. Mindia Gavasheli, editor-in-chief of the Sputnik News bureau in Washington, D.C., and Garland Nixon, co-host of the Sputnik radio show Faultlines, on 105.5FM and 1390AM in the Washington, D.C. area Monday through Friday from 7am-10am, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers.
Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican of Tennessee, announced last night that he would vote against allowing witnesses in President Trumpâs Senate trial. Alexander was seen as a key swing vote on the issue after Senators Mitt Romney and Susan Collins said they would vote with Democrats to allow witnesses. Alexanderâs decision appears to pave the way for a quick acquittal of the President, possibly as soon as this evening.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
The Trump administration released details today of how states can turn their expanded Medicaid programs into block grants, allowing the states to impose restrictions and limits on who receives the health care benefits. This comes along with a cap on the amount of funding the states receive from the federal government. Brian and John speak with Leo Cuello, an attorney and the director of health policy for the National Health Law Program.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ali Abunimah, the co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of the book âThe Battle for Justice in Palestine.â
After Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu released a so-called âpeace planâ earlier this week, Palestinians worldwide have slammed the document its one-sidedness. Meanwhile, Trump aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner is urging Israel to defer annexing even more of the Palestinian West Bank until the newest Israeli election is finished.
Following a formal vote in the European parliament, the UK is all set to leave the European Union tomorrow. But the saga is not over -- tough negotiations will continue over a post-Brexit trade deal and the status of Northern Ireland. Alexander Mercouris, the editor-in-chief of The Duran, joins the show.
A leaked document is providing new insights into Bernie Sandersâ plans for his potential presidency. The document details a series of executive orders Sanders could immediately issue to take action on the environment, immigrant rights, a living wage, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaidó is continuing his world tour in an effort to recover from serious political setbacks at home. Guaidó most recently met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he will wrap up his tour with a visit to Miami on Saturday. Arnold August, a Montreal journalist, author and speaker currently on an international speaking tour entitled "US-VENEZUELA-BOLIVIA-CUBA-CANADA: The Geopolitics," joins Brian and John.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the massive giveaway to Israel the Trump administration is touting as a âpeace planâ, the impeachment trial and the role of John Bolton, the 2020 election, and more. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Thereâs a little-known arrangement dating back to the feudal era that provides an enormous source of income for the UK royal family. The revenue the royals derive from the Duchy of Cornwall has come into the public spotlight following Prince Harry and Meghan Markleâs decision to split with the family. Meanwhile, Prince Andrew is coming under increasing criticism after the FBI said that he has not helped whatsoever in the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins Brian.
The Chinese government is taking extraordinary measures to protect public health and contain the outbreak of the coronavirus. But they are also facing a battle on the geopolitical front as their opponents seek to exploit the crisis to advance an anti-China agenda. John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, joins the show.
Syrian government forces have retaken the key town of Maaret al-Numan in its battle to expel fundamentalist militias from the northwestern province of Idlib. Idlib is the last major pocket of control still under the sway of extremist armed groups. Brian speaks with Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria.
The Pentagon now admits that 50 US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries during a retaliatory Iranian missile strike on a US base in Iraq earlier this month. Why was the truth concealed from the public for so long? Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show.
Both sides have now concluded their opening arguments in the impeachment trial. As the Senate now turns to the question of calling witnesses, John Bolton has taken center stage as leaked passages from his forthcoming book raise the prospect of Republican defections when the issue comes up for a vote on Friday.
As Chinese authorities grapple with the coronavirus outbreak, separatists in Hong Kong are taking advantage of the crisis to push their agenda. The public health crisis is being politicized by seemingly all opponents of China in order to destabilize the government. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins the show.
With the Movement Towards Socialism party of ousted Bolivian President Evo Morales in the lead in the polls, the coup government is taking measures to disqualify and even imprison its presidential candidate. But at the same time, the pro-coup far right appears more fractured than ever. Ollie Vargas, a journalist who has written for MintPress News, The Grayzone and TeleSur, joins Brian.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest book is âThe Management of Savagery,â who co-created the film âKilling Gaza,â is the senior editor of The Grayzone, and who is co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels.â
Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint press conference today to roll out the administrationâs so-called peace plan for the Middle East. But the two leaders caused outrage among Palestinians by supporting Israeli control over nearly all disputed territory and insisting that Palestinians âachieve the criteria for statehoodâ my meeting a series of political and security demands.
The Supreme Court has given the Trump administration approval to begin enforcing a new rule that immigrant rights advocates say will discriminate against immigrant workers living in poverty. Pending a final ruling on the legality of the policy, the administration will now be allowed to deny residency to immigrants on the basis of their use of government social services. Brian speaks with Juan Carlos Ruiz, cofounder of the New Sanctuary Movement.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with a special new guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Brian continues the conversation about the âpeace planâ that Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today. Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest book is âThe Management of Savagery,â who co-created the film âKilling Gaza,â is the senior editor of The Grayzone, and who is co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels,â joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington today to prepare for the official roll out of the Trump administrationâs so-called peace plan. Palestinian leaders have denounced the plan as yet another gift from Trump to the Israeli government. Brian speaks with Miko Peled, the author of âThe Generalâs Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,â and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.â
Pressure is mounting on US troops to leave Iraq. Several rockets struck in and around the US embassy in Baghdad yesterday, including one that hit a restaurant and raised fears of casualties. And last Friday, millions took to the streets to demand an end to the occupation. At the same time, voices that challenge the Trump administrations drive to war against Iran are being censored by social media giants -- including our guest, Mohammad Marandi. Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, joins the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Against the wishes of the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people, the Trump administration is insisting that thousands of US troops remain in the country. Now, there are even signs that the US could revive its old plans to partition Iraq. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Ted Rall, an award winning journalist and editorial cartoonist, whose work is at www.rall.com.
Just as the impeachment trial in the Senate was getting underway, new passages from John Boltonâs forthcoming book leaked to the media. Major outlets are labeling the passages about Trumpâs leveraging of military aid to Ukraine as another âbombshellâ, but will it really have an impact on impeachment?
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including impeachment and John Boltonâs forthcoming book, the 2020 presidential campaign and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
The race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the UK Labour Party is heating up as contenders seek endorsements to qualify for the ballot. Rebecca Long-Bailey is favored by the partyâs left who support a continuation of much of Corbynâs policies, but the centrist establishment appears to be coalescing around Keir Starmer. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins Brian.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian speaks with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Yesterday, the FISA court declassified and published a formerly secret order from the presiding FISA judge acknowledging that the Department of Justice had invalidated two of four FISA court applications to surveil Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The Justice Department did not take a position on the validity of the other applications, but will collect and sequester all material gathered from any of the four applications. This shows that both the secret FISA court and the Justice Department have said the applications and subsequent surveillance were unwarranted. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
Hundreds of thousands -- perhaps even millions -- of Iraqis held a massive demonstration in Baghdad today to demand the withdrawal of U.S. troops from their country. The Iraqi parliament voted to expel US troops following the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soliemani and Iraqi military leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, but the Trump administration has refused to comply. Brian speaks with Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of the peace group Code Pink.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, whose most recent piece is âAftermath: The Iran War After The Soleimani Assassination,â which is at thepolemicist.net and Counter Punch, and Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on new revelations about the FISA court authorization of surveillance of Carter Page, impeachment, the massive demonstration in Iraq demanding the withdrawal of US troops, the 2020 election, the anniversary of Juan Guaidoâs failed coup effort in Venezuela, and more.
While at the Davos World Economic Forum, billionaire George Soros gave a speech saying that Facebook is working to get President Trump reelected. How is social media impacting elections? And is Sorosâs criticism sincere? Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
The Trump Administration today finalized a rule that would strip away environmental protections for streams, wetlands, and other bodies of water, handing a victory to pesticide-using farmers, fossil fuel producers, and real estate developers. Half of the nationâs wetlands will be affected, as well as hundreds of thousands of small waterways. And landowners and developers will now be allowed to dump pollutants into those waterways and to destroy or fill in wetlands for development. Brian and John speak with Scott Edwards, co-director of the Food & Water Justice project at Food & Water Watch.
Two new political polls from yesterday and today put Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at the top of the heap in the Democratic race for president for the first time. Sanders widened his lead among likely voters in New Hampshire, where he has 29 percent, versus Pete Buttigieg at 17 percent, Joe Biden at 14, and Elizabeth Warren at 13. A CNN national poll shows Sanders leading Biden 27-24, with Warren at 14 and Buttigieg at 11 percent. Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to Businessweek, The Nation, Extra!, and Salon.com, and whose work is at ThisCantBeHappening.net, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ian Goodrum, a writer and digital editor for China Daily.
At least 17 people have died in China and more than 570 sickened by an outbreak of coronavirus, a virus that can lead to symptoms from a common cold to acute respiratory syndrome in both humans and animals. The Chinese government has restricted travel from six cities, including the industrial hub of Wuhan, where the outbreak seems to have originated, but in the past several days people in Malaysia, Thailand, and even Washington State have tested positive for the ailment.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Economic announced today that the Trump administration was considering yet another round of major tax cuts. Meanwhile, political leaders from around the world are attending the World Economic Forum, also called the Davos Summit, this week. But while President Trump lauded the US economy in his speech in Davos, he mocked climate scientists, calling them âfoolish fortune tellers,â and once again called climate change âa hoax.â Professor Richard Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday that his country had âcrossed the Brexit finish lineâ after parliament passed legislation implementing the Brexit deal. The EUâs top officials are expected to sign the deal in the coming days, and the European Parliament will vote on it in the next several weeks. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
A former lead investigator with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons testified yesterday at the United Nations, saying definitively that there was no gas attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. The investigator, a 12-year-veteran of the OPCW, said the organizationâs leadership dismissed his reportâs conclusions, fired the investigators, and published a new report saying that there was a gas attack. That false conclusion led to western airstrikes against Syria. Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
James Mitchell, who along with Bruce Jessen created the CIAâs torture program, testified yesterday in open court for the first time ever in a courtroom in Guantanamo. Mitchell was utterly unrepentant for the illegal program he created, implemented, and supervised, saying that he did so âfor the 9/11 victims and their families, not for you,â referring to the terror suspects being held at the base. The topic of yesterdayâs hearing was to suppress statements by 9/11 suspects made during the torture that Mitchell and Jessen were carrying out.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."
Joe Lauria has sent a libel notice on behalf of Consortium News against the Canadian NSA, which leaked information to the Canadian press last year saying that Consortium News is a Russian front organization. Nothing could be further from the truth. Consortium News, for which co-host John Kiriakou is a columnist, is one of only a handful of truly independent, popular, progressive sites for news and high quality commentary in America. Consortium News and Joe Lauria are standing up to power and saying, âEnough.â
Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard yesterday filed a $50 million libel suit against Hillary Clinton, saying that the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee defamed her when she called Gabbard a âRussian assetâ in an interview. Meanwhile, other Democratic candidates and major media outlets have lined up to criticize Clintonâs comments from Monday that Bernie Sanders was unlikeable and ineffective in the Senate and that she may not endorse him if he is the nominee. Clinton has since said that she would consider endorsing Sanders. Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net.
President Trump is expected to expand the existing travel ban to include seven more countries, making it far more difficult for nationals of those countries to enter the United States. The expanded list will include Tanzania, Eritrea, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Sudan. Dr. Nazia Kazi, an activist and professor of Anthropology at Stockton University, and author of the book â Islamophobia, Race, and Global Politicsâ, joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."
President Trumpâs impeachment trial begins today in the Senate, presided over by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. It is only the third time in American history that a president will face trial in the Senate. Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans have yet to agree on basic protocols. Will there be witnesses? Will additional documents be admitted into evidence? And a new CNN poll says that by a 51-45 margin, Americans want Donald Trump to be removed from office, and by a 69-21 margin, they want witnesses, including former National Security Advisor John Bolton, to testify. But does this simply reflect the fact that opinion on impeachment is unmoved since the process began, and unlikely to move as a result of the trial?
On the biggest economic news of the week, including the Davos conference, Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek joins the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
The State Department and a friendly reporter at the New York Times purports to show that, as protests roiled South America in the past few months, each uprising had something in common--they were supported by tweets that the Department says, he had âhigh certaintyâ of being linked to Russia. So, according to this report, Moscow "linked" social media accounts have "interfered" in Latin America by commenting on actual US/CIA imperialist led coups or by commenting on mass protests against social injustice. Brian and John speak with Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast.
The United States, Russia, Turkey, and a dozen other countries met in Berlin over the weekend to negotiate a cease-fire and an arms embargo involving both sides in the Libyan civil war. Attendees agreed to an arms embargo and encouraged both sides to stop fighting and move to the negotiating table. But neither Libyan faction officially attended the talks and Turkey has vowed to press ahead with its military intervention into the country, which appears to include troops from fundamentalist militias in Syria. Alexander Mercouris, the editor-in-chief of The Duran, joins Brian and John.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the longest transportation strike in French history has fizzled, giving President Emmanuel Macron a major victory. But the situation is not that crystal clear. The transport strike may be fizzling. But the leader of the main transport workers union has become the public face of the anti-Macron movement. And another left-wing union today turned off all electricity to Parisâs southern suburbs in solidarity with transport workers. Steve Hedley, the senior assistant general secretary of the UKâs Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union, joins the show.
The New York Times editorial board over the weekend endorsed both Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren for the Democratic nomination for president. The Times issued the endorsements simultaneously online and on television. But the more interesting thing was the vociferousness with which it criticized Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders, comparing him to Trump and saying his election would be âtrading one over-promising, divisive for another.â The Times also called his support for things like an increase in the minimum wage and universal healthcare âradical.â And the Times essentially ignored Joe Biden, the current national frontrunner. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton took a few potshots at Sanders in a new Hulu documentary, saying that Sandersâ career was âall just baloney.â Ted Rall, an award winning journalist and editorial cartoonist, whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Brazilian prosecutors have charged Intercept cofounder Glenn Greenwald with cybercrimes and âparticipating in a criminal organizationâ after he published articles based on leaked text messages that embarrassed prosecutors, the current Justice Minister, and an anti-corruption task force. Greenwald says that he received the texts a year ago from a whistleblower. Brian and John speak with Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.â
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, impeachment, the Trump administrationâs âmaximum pressureâ campaign against Iran, and much more. Brian and John are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Russia is poised to make significant changes to the structure of its government, rebalancing the relative powers of the presidency, parliament and prime minister. As part of this reform that took many observers by surprise, the government of Prime Minister Medvedev has resigned and he has been replaced by tax agency head Mikhail Mishustin. Mary Dejevsky, a writer, broadcaster, a former foreign correspondent in Moscow, Paris and Washington, and a special correspondent in China and many parts of Europe, joins the show.
Martin Luther King, Jr. would have celebrated his 91st birthday this week. But as we get farther and farther away from his 1968 assassination, it seems like Dr. Kingâs legacy is being softened. Certainly, schoolchildren are taught about Dr. Kingâs struggle for equality and justice. But schools largely ignore his words and actions in support of the poor or in opposition to the war in Vietnam. Brian and John speak with Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including âRace to Revolution: The U.S. and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow.â
The Pentagon confirmed yesterday that 11 US soldiers were indeed injured in Iranian missile attacks on their bases in Iraq a week ago. The soldiers were evacuated to US military medical sites in Kuwait and Germany to be treated for traumatic brain injuries after experiencing symptoms of concussion. The severity of these injuries is not clear. The Pentagon had released a statement on January 8 that the missile attacks had caused, âno casualties, no friendly casualties, whether they are US, coalition, or contractor.â Ann Wright, a retired United States Army colonel and former U.S. State Department official in Afghanistan, who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq and became an anti-war activist, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
As the first day of President Trumpâs impeachment trial begins in the Senate, federal prosecutors in Washington DC are looking at a different target. According to the New York Times, prosecutors from the Justice Departmentâs National Security Division are investigating whether a highly-classified document leaked to the Times in 2017 originated with former FBI Director James Comey. It is unusual for a leak to be investigated years after the fact, and critics are saying that the inquiry is nothing more than Donald Trump taking aim at his detractors.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
The United States and China agreed yesterday on what they are calling a Phase 1 trade deal. It includes a Chinese commitment to purchase $200 billion worth of US goods and services over two years, but it also preserves the majority of US tariffs on $360 billion of Chinese goods, and it more strongly protects US intellectual property. What does this mean for the long-term rivalry between the US and China? John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering deploying a range of unprecedented economic measures to further isolate Iran and entrench the U.S. troop presence in Iraq. Meanwhile, the EUâs top diplomat had what he called âfrank talksâ about the JCPOA in Delhi with Iranian Foreign Minister Javid Zarif. Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, joins the show.
The Russian Duma yesterday confirmed a new Prime Minister one day after the previous one, and his government, resigned. President Vladimir Putin, in his state of the union address, had proposed weakening the office of the president and strengthening the Duma and the state council. Critics are saying that this is an effort by Putin to remain in power after he is no longer president. But that doesnât seem to be the case. Instead, itâs an effort to pave the way for his exit from office. Brian and John speak with Gilbert Doctorow, an international relations and Russian affairs analyst, whose work is at GilbertDoctorow.com, including his latest article on this topic âVladimir Putin Prepares His Succession.â
The dispute between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is continuing as so-called âhot micâ audio is released of an exchange between those two Senators following this weekâs debate. With Sanders rising in the polls, is the media and the Warren campaign pulling a last ditch maneuver ahead of the Iowa caucus? Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to Businessweek, The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net, joins the show.
The impeachment trial of President Trump in the Senate has formally begun and those involved in the process have been sworn in. In addition, Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of presidential attorney Rudy Giuliani, has gone public saying that Trump, Vice President Pence, Attorney General Barr, and Congressman Devon Nunes were all involved in the conspiracy to take down Biden and his son Hunter. Is this a Watergate-style scandal, as Democrats maintain, or is it business as usual in Washington?
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her latest book is âComrade.â
Last night saw the final Democratic debate before the February 3 Iowa caucuses, and pundits agree--it was incredibly boring. There were no knockout blows, but there was an exchange set up by the moderators between Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Joe Biden went generally unscathed, and pundits said businessman Tom Steyer, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg delivered solid performances.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Australia is experiencing wildfires the likes of which have never before been recorded. As many as 500 million animals already have perished, and scientists say the fires are so bad that entire species may be wiped out. Authorities blame climate change for the driest and hottest seasons ever recorded, and they tell us that such epic fire seasons may become regular events in countries around the world. Antony Loewenstein, an independent journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the Guardian, and the author of many books, including âDisaster Capitalism,â joins Brian and John.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
In a televised cabinet meeting today, Iranian President Rouhani said that European troops âcould be in dangerâ after the UK, Germany, and France activated a clause in the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, that would reimpose sanctions on the country. Meanwhile, Iraqi political forces have called for a massive march to demand that U.S. troops leave the country. Medea Benjamin, a well-known peace activist and the cofounder of the peace group Code Pink, joins the show.
President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He today signed a phase one trade deal aimed at deescalating two years of trade tensions that have rocked global commerce. The deal includes a Chinese commitment to purchase $200 billion worth of US goods and services over two years, but it also preserves the majority of US tariffs on $360 billion of Chinese goods. It also more strongly protects US intellectual property. Brian and John speak with Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this morning named seven impeachment managers who will serve as de facto prosecutors in President Trumpâs upcoming Senate trial. Reps. Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler, the chairmen of the Intelligence and Judiciary committees respectively, will lead the effort and will be joined by Zoe Lofgren of CA, Hakeem Jeffries of NY, Val Demings of FL, Jason Crow of CO, and Sylvia Garcia of TX. Meanwhile, newly released documents show that an associate of Presidential attorney Rudy Giuliani was conducting hostile surveillance against the former US Ambassador to Ukraine. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
Talks between the rival governments of Libya -- the Government of National Accord in the west and forces aligned with General Khalifa Hafter in the East -- ended without a formal agreement for a ceasefire. But the Russian government, which was brokering the peace talks, is expressing optimism that such a deal could be finalized in the near future. Dr. Gönül Tol, the founding director of The Middle East Institute's Center for Turkish Studies, and a former professor who has taught courses on Islamist movements in Western Europe, Turkey, world politics, and the Middle East, joins the show.
Haitian President Jovenel Moise began his first day of one-man rule yesterday upon the end of the countryâs bicameral legislature. Haiti failed to hold legislative and local elections in October, so the lower chamber was disbanded. And two thirds of the upper chamber also left office. President Moise said that he would take the money that would have been spent on legislative salaries and spend it instead on education, but protesters accuse his administration of extreme corruption. Kim Ives, an editor of the newspaper Haiti Liberte, joins Brian and John.
The Trump Administrationâs narrative that General Qassem Soleimani was involved in planning for imminent attacks against US embassies and that this was the reason for his murder is beginning to unravel. President Trump said that attacks were imminent against four US embassies abroad. But Defense Secretary Esper said that was not true, and even Secretary of State Pompeo said that his department had not received word of any imminent attacks. So why did Donald Trump kill Soleimani? Meanwhile, European powers have triggered a clause of the Iran nuclear deal that could lead to the agreementâs final demise. Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with a special new guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her latest book is âComrade.â
Six Democrats will be on stage in Iowa tonight in the final debate before the Iowa caucuses. The latest poll shows Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in first place, followed by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former Vice President Joe Biden. The race appears to have turned nasty in recent days as Sanders and Warren have clashed and as Biden tries to reclaim a share of the lead that could take him into New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
President Trump is preparing to divert another $7.2 billion in Pentagon funds to border wall construction. That's five times what Congress authorized him to spend in the 2020 budget. This is the second consecutive year that the Administration has taken money away from military construction and counternarcotics and spent it on border wall construction. Brian and John speak with Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the countdown to the Iowa caucus, US-Iran tensions, and the Nord Stream pipeline. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mazda Majidi, an author, journalist and anti-war activist.
The Iranian government is embroiled in controversy following its announcement that its air defenses accidentally shot down a civilian airliner after troops mistakenly identified it as an incoming U.S. cruise missile. Meanwhile the Trump administration shows no sign of letting up in its aggression against the country despite growing skepticism about the supposedly imminent threat posed by assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberationâ takes a look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Rick Ayers, a professor of education at the University of San Francisco and author of âAn Empty Seat in Class: Teaching and Learning after the Death of a Studentâ, joins the show.
Incumbent Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen won a convincing victory in last weekendâs election, securing another term in office as well as a parliamentary majority. What factors caused her to win, and what does it mean for relations with mainland China, the United States and other regional powers? Bob Schlehuber, the producer of Radio Sputnikâs By Any Means Necessary, which is on from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day on 105.5 FM and 1390 AM in the Washington, DC area, and who is in Taiwan to cover the election, joins the show.
Voters in Taiwan are going to the polls tomorrow for presidential and parliamentary elections that could have a profound impact on world politics. The anti-mainland incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen is favored to win, setting the stage for possible confrontation with China. Bob Schlehuber, the producer of Radio Sputnikâs By Any Means Necessary, which is on from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day on 105.5 FM and 1390 AM in the Washington, DC area, and who is in Taiwan to cover the election, joins Brian.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets in France yesterday in support of the struggle against pension cuts pushed by President Emmanuel Macron. Strikes by transportation workers, the backbone of the anti-pension reform movement continue today and are among the longest in French history. Gilbert Mercier, Editor in Chief of News Junkie Post and the author of âThe Orwellian Empire,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, and Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the many dimensions of the crisis between the United States and Iran.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued a lot of statements lately. He condemned last weekâs vandalism of the US Embassy in Baghdad. He strongly supported the US murder of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. He warned against Iranian retaliation for that murder. Is Boris Johnson assuming the role that Tony Blair did before him? Is he simply a British mouthpiece for the US president? Brian speaks with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has now said the US must set up a mechanism to remove US troops from Iraq, though the state department has rejected the appeal. Meanwhile, there are accusations circulating about what happened to the Ukrainian commercial aircraft that crashed with 176 casualties. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book, âThe Plot to Attack Iran: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran,â and Mazda Majidi, an author, journalist and anti-war activist, join the show.
n today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, the senior editor of Grayzone, and co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels.â
Donald Trump appeared to step bank from the brink of all-out war yesterday, but tensions across the entire Middle East remain high in the aftermath of the US assassination of top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani. What comes next after the past weekâs dramatic developments?
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
After losing his bid for re-election as head of Venezuelaâs National Assembly -- the basis on which he proclaimed himself the countryâs President -- Juan Guaido has assembled a parliament of his own. Washington has recognized this farce, and said that it still considers Guaido to be the legitimate head of state of the country. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, and Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, the senior editor of Grayzone, and co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels.â
Donald Trump appeared to step bank from the brink of all-out war yesterday, but tensions across the entire Middle East remain high in the aftermath of the US assassination of top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani. What comes next after the past weekâs dramatic developments?
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Rania Khalek, a journalist who produces videos at In The Now and is on Twitter @RaniaKhalek, and Mike Prysner, the producer of The Empire Files and a co-host of Eyes Left, a military podcast hosted by two anti-war Army veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Iran last night launched a series of ballistic missiles aimed at two US military bases in Iraq in retaliation for Thursdayâs killing of Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani. No Americans were killed or injured in the attacks. President Trump this morning made a nationally televised statement, essentially declaring victory and threatening Iran with more sanctions and with military force if Tehran retaliates again. Meanwhile, the Iranian government has informed the governments of Russia, China, and the European Union that it does NOT intend to fully withdraw from the JCPOA, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, a signal that it is not seeking to match Washingtonâs aggressive posture. The hosts continue discussing the Iran crisis for another hour with the following guests:
Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria
Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone Project and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast
Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show âRedacted Tonight,â on RT America, and a new book out called âBullet Points & Punch Linesâ
Anya Parampil, a journalist for The Grayzone who hosts the new show Red Lines
Mazda Majidi, an author, journalist and anti-war activist
Russian President Vladimir Putin made an unannounced visit to Syria today, where he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at a Russian air base outside Damascus. Itâs his second trip to Syria since Assad invited Russian troops into the country in 2015. Putin will go on to Turkey for talks with President Erdogan, where the two will inaugurate a new oil pipeline. They are also expected to discuss Turkeyâs recent decision to send troops to Libya, where the two countries are on opposite sides. Ambassador Peter Ford, a former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins the show.
Today is Loud & Clearâs weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with a special new guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone Project and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast.
Millions of Iranians took to the streets today to participate in the funeral of General Qassem Soleimani, killed last Thursday by a US drone in Iraq. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Pompeo, in a press conference this morning, weakly defended President Trumpâs statement that he would bomb Iranian cultural sites--a war crime. This is despite the fact that Secretary of Defense Esper said the he would refuse to follow such an order. Pompeo also defended his own decision earlier today to deny a visa for Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif to address the United Nations.
A little over a year ago, the Trump administration declared Nicaragua to be part of a so-called âTroika of Tyrannyâ of left wing governments in the western hemisphere. Since then, U.S. efforts at regime change in the country have escalated. The hosts talk about a recently concluded conference in the country. Dr. Claudia Chaufan, attended the gathering and is a medical doctor and PhD researcher who specializes in how the global architecture of economic, military, and political/policy institutions, as well as the dynamics of imperialism, colonialism, and neocolonialism shape health and other social inequalities, and Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek, join the show.
Tuesdayâs regular segment is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
As if things werenât bad enough in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of two deadly hurricanes over the past 18 months and the U.S. governmentâs inability to fully rebuild its infrastructure, it was hit early this morning by a powerful earthquake that killed at least one person, caused an island-wide power outage, and destroyed roads and bridges. Governor Wanda Vasquez has declared a state of emergency. She said the quake was Puerto Ricoâs worst earthquake in the past 102 years. Brian and John speak with Dr. Mariolga Reyes Cruz, an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Puerto Rico and a founding and active member of PAReS, a collective of self-assembled public intellectuals and academic activists working towards preserving and transforming public higher education in Puerto Rico as part of a larger effort toward democratizing society.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Abby Martin, host of The Empire Files, at patreon.com/EmpireFiles and GoFundMe.com/keep-empire-files-going; Mike Prysner, the producer and co-host of the military podcast Eyes Left, hosted by two anti-war Army veterans; and Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek.
The Trump administrationâs drive to full-scale war with Iran is moving forward as the president threatens to destroy Iranian cultural sites and the Iraqi Prime Minister reveals that Iranian General Soleimani was in the country on a diplomatic mission to deescalate tensions in the region. In the face of this grave crisis, thousands of anti-war protesters took to the streets in 90 cities and towns across the United States last weekend.
After two deadly crashes involving the Boeing 737 Max, the Federal Aviation Administration has now required Boeing to complete an internal audit on Boeing systems. Results of the internal audit, done in December, show that the 737 Max issues may extend past software problems and include the wiring of the plane. Mary Schiavo, the former Inspector General at the Department of Transportation, an aviation attorney, an aviation professor, and an on-air consultant on aviation matters for CNN, joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including Iraqâs proclamation to expel US troops, the funeral and mourning of Iranian General Soleimani, the looming danger of a major regional and even global war, Harvey Weinsteinâs trial today, the widespread Australian wildfires, strike negotiations in France, and the Taiwanese election. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Juan Guaido has been ousted as president of Venezuelaâs National Assembly after a year of stinging defeats in his U.S.-backed effort to overthrow the government and become the leader of the country. With new legislative elections on the horizon and the opposition to President Nicolas Maduroâs government deeply divided, what comes next for Venezuela? Brian and John speak with Leonardo Flores, a member of the peace group Code Pink, where he is a Latin America campaign coordinator.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Nils Melzer, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture said yesterday that the US government was guilty of torture over the detentions of Wikileaks cofounder Julian Assange and Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning. Assange is being held without charge in the maximum-security Belmarsh Prison outside of London, and Manning is being held without charge in a prison in Virginia, solely because she is refusing to testify against Assange before a grand jury. Melzer said, âThe practice of coercive detention appears to be incompatible with the international human rights obligations of the United States.â Brian and John speak with independent journalist Diani Baretto.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Medea Benjamin, a well-known peace activist and the cofounder of the peace group Code Pink.
The Trump Administration has deployed an additional 750 ground troops and 250 paratroopers to Kuwait in response to demonstrations at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and in the aftermath of U.S. airstrikes that killed 25 people. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled his trip to central Asia and Cyprus to monitor the situation in Baghdad.
Nearly three dozen journalists employed by Sputnik in Estonia resigned this week after being harassed and threatened with arrest by Estonian authorities. The Estonian government cited European Union sanctions as the reason for the threats. Jeremy Kuzmarov, a professor of American history whose latest book is âThe Russians Are Coming, Again: The First Cold War as Tragedy, the Second as Farce,â joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders announced that his campaign has raised a whopping $34.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 from 1.8 million donors. Thatâs an average donation of $18.53.Those figures soundly beat the $24.7 million raised by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and the $16.5 raised by entrepreneur Andrew Yang. Meanwhile, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro dropped out of the race this morning. The field is finally beginning to tighten in advance of the February 3 Iowa Caucus and the February 11 New Hampshire Primary. Ted Rall, an award winning journalist and editorial cartoonist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Taiwanâs President Tsai Ing-Wen, in her new yearâs speech yesterday, said that Taiwan would never accept a one country, two systems model of government, citing violence in Hong Kong and Chinaâs increased assertiveness in its policy of reunification with the island. Meanwhile, 400 protestors were arrested in Hong Kong after their march turned violent. David Ewing, the chair of the San Francisco chapter of the US-China Peopleâs Friendship Association, joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analyst and producer Walter Smolarek.
Protesters in Iraq stormed the compound of the U.S. embassy today in response to a series of air strikes carried out by the United States in the country targeting the Kataib Hezbollah militia. The dramatic escalation in tensions over the past few days in Iraq has sparked fears that the US could be headed for a disastrous confrontation with Iran. Weâll discuss that and other key issues in the news.
The panel take a look at the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society over the past year. Hannah Dickinson is a professor and organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly and Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist and the editor of the magazine Breaking the Chains, joins the show.
The regular segment Beyond Nuclear looks at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Today, the panel looks at the year in nuclear issues. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, joins Brian and John.
Our panel takes a look at the biggest economic news of the year, including recession fears, trade, strikes and more. Profesor Richard Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus at University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work. Prof. Wolffâs latest book is âUnderstanding Socialismâ, joins Brian and John.
As the year comes to an end, where are the whistleblowers who have revealed important wrongdoings by press, the CIA, the Pentagon, and more? Last week we discussed Julian Assange. Today weâll talk about Chelsea Manning, Jeremy Hammond, Jeffrey Sterling, and Daniel Hale. Where is the coverage of them and what does that say about the corporate-owned media? Brian and John speak with independent journalist Diani Baretto.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest film is âKilling Gaza.â He is also the senior editor of Grayzone and co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels.â
In the Week Ahead, the panel looks at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world. Sputnik News analyst and producer Walter Smolarek, joins the show.
We continue our weekly half hour segment Technology Rulesâa weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the National Surveillance State are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and Patricia Gorky, a software engineer and technology and security analyst, joins Brian and John.
We continue our segment âEducation for Liberationâ where we look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author or co-author of many books, including âAbout Becoming A Teacherâ and âYou Canât Fire the Bad Ones: And 18 Other Myths About Teachers, Teachers Unions, and Public Educationâ, joins the show.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on a new Rachel Maddow critique and a broader Russiagate wrapup, the history of American politics, CIA-funded propaganda and arts, the 2020 race, one positive Sanders piece, Warrenâs chameleon-like practices, Bidenâs standing, Israelâs Likud election, and the new interviews out with the Navy Seal accusers of Ed Gallagher. Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, editor of thepolemicist.net, and Sputnik News analyst and producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by independent journalist Diani Baretto and Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry.
As the year comes to an end, where are the whistleblowers who have revealed important wrongdoings by press, the CIA, the Pentagon, and more? Constantly under reported on, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning are both behind bars for their important work. Where is the coverage of them and what does that say about the corporate-owned media?
Itâs Friday! Today itâs time for the yearâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, host of the television show âRedacted Tonightâ on RT America, and author of the new book coming out in January called âBullet Points & Punch Lines,â which includes more about lost military spending, whose work is at leecamp.com.
The US government spent more money on defense and implements of war in 2019 than in any other year in the history of the country. Furthermore, defense spending was more than the defense spending of the next eight largest countries in the world--combined. Congress gave the Pentagon $686.1 billion for 2019. What was that money spent on and what do we have to show for it? And keep in mind that the Pentagonâs request for 2020 is $750 billion.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), joins the show.
Loud & Clearâs weekly roundtable, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analyst Nicole Roussell joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Vijay Prashad, the Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and Chief Editor of LeftWord Books and the author of âThe Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolutionâ and his most recent publication is âRed Star Over the Third World.â
2019 may go down in history as the year of the protest. Demonstrators for political change took to the streets in marches that often turned violent in places as disparate as France, Iraq, Chile, Haiti, Lebanon, and Ecuador. The demands were largely for political and economic reform, and the deaths and injuries coming out of these protests numbered in the tens of thousands.
Weâre nearing the end of 2019, but thereâs no end in sight for the war in Syria. Turkey crossed the border to attack Syriaâs Kurds this year, US troops entered the country, pulled back, and then moved to the oil fields, purportedly to âprotectâ them. And Syriaâs government, with Russian help, worked to take control of the countryside from fundamentalist groups. Meanwhile, thousands and thousands of refugees continued to flee the country. Brian and John speak with Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, and Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement.
Todayâs regular segment that airs every Tuesday is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
The improvement in relations between North Korea and the United States have stalled, as North Korean leaders have grown frustrated by an increasingly neoconservative foreign policy coming from the US and by a lack of sanctions relief. Washington, meanwhile, is angry that the North Koreans appear unwilling to give up their nuclear weapons program. And the North Koreans are promising a âChristmas presentâfor Washington. Emanuel Pastreich, founder and director of The Asia Institute, a pan-Asian think tank, and Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and a member of the Korean Peace Network, join the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the resignation of Boeingâs CEO, tensions in Korea, death sentences in the trial of the killers of Jamal Khasoggi, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
At the start of 2019, the White House and the State Department wanted us to believe that Juan Guaidó was the legitimate President of Venezuela. Chosen by Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and John Bolton, Guaidó was a minor opposition figure when he was arbitrarily installed as President and recognized by more than 50 countries. But then something unexpected happened. The Venezuelan economy began to stabilize. The army remained loyal to the legitimate president, Nicolas Maduro, and Guaido watched his support inside and outside the country wane and then disappear. What will 2020 bring? Brian and John speak with Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Aaron Maté, a journalist with The Grayzone and The Nation and the host of the show Pushback with Aaron Maté.
As the impeachment process continues as the news headliner, another story continues to unfold. US Attorney for the state of Connecticut John Durham confirmed last week that his investigation into the origins of the Russiagate story has turned into a criminal inquiry. Durham has requested that the CIA turn over all of the phone records, emails, and contemporaneous notes of former director John Brennan. The CIA said that it is cooperating, as has Brennan. Durham is known for his dogged pursuit of gangsters and corrupt FBI agents, and he investigated the CIA's torture program from 2009 to 2012.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
The coup government in Bolivia desperately wants to see President Evo Morales in prison, and has issued an arrest warrant this week seeking to bring him into custody. But today the new government of Argentina, where Morales has received asylum, firmly refused to hand him over. Wyatt Reed, a journalist whose writing can be found at Roanoke Times, Mintpress News, and the Grayzone Project, who just returned from Bolivia, joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the impeachment of President Trump, the John Durham investigation into the origins of Russiagate, the Democratic debate last night, the UK election and the status of Brexit, and who will be the next Prime Minister of Iraq.
Impeachment has been the big story of the week. But it seems to have ground to a half, as Democrats try to figure out if they want to actually send the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial or if they want to withhold those articles to accrue some sort of political benefit. Meanwhile, Special Prosecutor John Durham is investigating former CIA Director John Brennan and his role in how the intelligence community assessed allegations that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election. Durham, who announced publicly that his investigation was âcriminalâ in nature, has asked the CIA to provide him with Brennanâs emails, call logs, and other documents, including notes of his meetings and calls with former FBI Director James Comey. Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
Seven Democrats faced off last night in the latest presidential debate as voting in early states approaches. Pete Buttigieg was the target of well-deserved attacks and Joe Biden simply tried to stay out of the way, and yet again many of the key concerns of the American people were not seriously dealt with. Ben Norton, a journalist with Greyzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show.
Wikileaks cofounder Julian Assange testified yesterday via video link in a preliminary hearing relative to his extradition hearing and the judge acknowledged that the extradition hearing itself would now likely take as long as four weeks. Meanwhile, two doctors representing a group called Doctors4Assange and who wanted to wanted to observe Julianâs physical condition, were denied entry into the public gallery. Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, joins the show.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, andSputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
The House approved the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement today. This massive deal replaces NAFTA, an agreement that went into force in 1994 and has been a lighting rod for criticism by progressive and labor groups. Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning journalist and editorial cartoonist whose work is at www.rall.com.
President Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives last night to the surprise of literally no one. The vote was 230-197 to charge Trump with abuse of power and 229-198 to charge him with obstruction of Congress. Only two Democrats voted no on both measures and one vote yes on one and no on the other. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted present on both and later issued a statement saying that Trump should have been censured, but that an impeachment should have focused on his and every other presidentâs unauthorized use of force overseas. The action will soon move to the Senate, where Trump will go on trial.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party will finally pass a Brexit bill tomorrow that will ensure that the UK will withdraw from the European Union on January 31. What most British voters are not talking about, however, is the fact that what will follow will be at least a year of torturous negotiations over the terms of the departure. Remember the Irish border? Duties and tariffs? Travel to and from the continent? None of those issues have been resolved. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Wikileaks cofounder Julian Assange appeared at a preliminary extradition hearing via video as his UK attorneys argued that the US-UK extradition treaty specifically bars the extradition of defendants accused of political crimes. Todayâs hearing was to set guidelines for the formal hearing in February and to identify other relevant legal issues. Meanwhile, Chelsea Manning spent her 32nd birthday on Tuesday still locked up in a jail in Alexandria, VA for refusing to testify before the Assange grand jury. And the notorious federal court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled yesterday that CIA could seize all profits from Ed Snowdenâs new book, saying that it had not been cleared by the Agencyâs Publications Review Board. Brian and John speak with Dr. Margaret Flowers, co-coordinator of Popular Resistance at www.popularresistance.org.
Democrats will host another presidential debate tonight, this time in Los Angeles. And itâll be a lot smaller than previous debates, with only seven candidates participating. Tulsi Gabbard, the only candidate with a focus on ending U.S. wars abroad, will not be on stage however. That leaves Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, and Tom Steyer. Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books; Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net; Lee Camp, host of the comedy show âRedacted Tonightâ and whose work is at leecamp.com; and Sputnik News analysts Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.
The House of Representative is nearing the end of its debate on impeachment, and President Trump will likely be impeached in the next several hours. The battle lines have been drawn strictly along partisan lines, with almost all Democrats supporting impeachment and all Republicans opposing it. Once impeachment is approved, it will be sent to the Senate, where President Trump will stand trial. A two-thirds vote there to convict him his unlikely.
Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees joined Republicans this week to approve a 2020 military budget that includes an appropriation of a record $738 billion and authorization for a Space Force. The defense budget is $22 billion more than last year and even more than what the Pentagon asked for. The measure now goes to both houses of Congress for final approval and must be signed by the President before Friday, when the government is due to run out of money and close. Brian and John speak with Kevin Zeese, co-coordinator of Popular Resistance at popularresistance.org.
Prosecutors in Bolivia have issued a warrant for the arrest of former President Evo Morales on charges of sedition and terrorism. But supporters of the process of change his administration led are continuing to fight back against the coup government. Deliberations are now underway to choose Moralesâ partyâs candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Journalist Wyatt Reed, who is reporting from the site of a rally for MAS, Moralesâs political party, joins the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Prosecutors in Bolivia have issued a warrant for the arrest of former President Evo Morales on charges of sedition and terrorism. But supporters of the process of change his administration led are continuing to fight back against the coup government. Deliberations are now underway to choose Moralesâ partyâs candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Journalist Wyatt Reed, who is reporting from the site of a rally for MAS, Moralesâs political party, joins the show.
Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees joined Republicans this week to approve a 2020 military budget that includes an appropriation of a record $738 billion and authorization for a Space Force. The defense budget is $22 billion more than last year and even more than what the Pentagon asked for. The measure now goes to both houses of Congress for final approval and must be signed by the President before Friday, when the government is due to run out of money and close. Brian and John speak with Kevin Zeese, co-coordinator of Popular Resistance at popularresistance.org.
Today is our weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with a special new guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is âUnderstanding Socialism,â joins the show.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told the press that he supports the United States withdrawing troops from Afghanistan âwith or withoutâ a âpolitical agreementâ with the Taliban. The United States has been struggling to restart peace talks with the insurgent group after a deal was called off at the last minute earlier this year, but public frustration with the nearly two-decade long occupation is mounting ahead of an election year. Brian Terrell, a long time peace activist and a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, joins Brian and John.
As anti-government demonstrations in France continue to grow, the police are coming under increased scrutiny over their use of tear gas grenades to disperse crowds. France is the only country in Europe to use gas grenades, which explode after being fired and have caused both injuries and deaths. Even the manufacturer, Alsetex, is urging the government to stop using them. Gilbert Mercier, is Editor in Chief of News Junkie Post and the author of âThe Orwellian Empire,â joins the show.
Newly-released court documents reveal that the Sackler family, the founders of opioid maker Purdue Pharma, quietly transferred $10 billion out of the company and into private trusts over the course of the past 10 years and sent $1 billion of it to overseas accounts. The withdrawals came at a time that the company was accused of fueling the countryâs opioid epidemic and at the same time the family was being accused of hiding its wealth overseas as their company enters bankruptcy. Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award winning journalist and editorial cartoonist, whose work is at www.rall.com
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers.
Ex-Trump aide Rick Gates, the former right-hand man to former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, is to be sentenced today on multiple felony counts of lying to the FBI and conspiracy to commit tax fraud. When Gates originally pled guilty, he agreed to a sentence of 5-6 years in prison. But prosecutors last week said they would have no objection to Gates getting no prison time, and they cited what they called his âextraordinary assistanceâ in the Mueller investigation.
Todayâs regular segment that airs every Tuesday is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
Wikileaks on Saturday released a third batch of documents from the United Nations showing that 20 inspectors who investigated the alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria, concluded that the final report âdid not reflect the team members who were deployed to Syria.â The documents show further that there was no proof that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ordered any chemical attack on Douma. Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.
Former FBI Director James Comey said in an interview yesterday on Fox News Sunday that he had been âoverconfidentâ when he had defended the FBIâs use of the FISA court to investigate former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page. This admission comes just days after Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz found what he called 17 significant errors and omissions by the FBIâs investigative teams when applying for a FISA warrant on Page. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
Boeing shares traded lower today amid reports that the airplane manufacturing giant was considering scrapping altogether production of the 737 Max-8 jet after it failed to meet its own deadline for FAA recertification. Two 737 Max-8 crashes over the past 13 months have resulted in the deaths of 346 people. Steve Keen, the author of âDebunking Economicsâ and the worldâs first crowdfunded economist whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen, joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including impeachment and the 2020 election. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Mondayâs segment âEducation for Liberation with Bill Ayersâ is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. Whatâs happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book âDemand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,â joins Brian and John.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today that he would ask members of parliament to vote on his Brexit bill on Friday. This is the legislation that would enable the UK to leave the European Union on January 31. Johnson won a landslide victory in national elections last week and has a commanding majority in parliament. Brian and John speak with Alexander Mercouris, the editor-in-chief of The Duran, and journalist Andy Brennan.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."
As House Democrats prepare for Wednesdayâs impeachment vote, Democrats in the Senate are pushing Republican leaders there to allow testimony from former National Security Advisor John Bolton and Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, among others. Republicans, though, want a straight up or down vote on conviction without calling any witnesses. Meanwhile, a Democratic representative from New Jersey announced over the weekend that he would switch parties and vote no on impeachment.
Earlier this week we told you about secret Pentagon documents uncovered by the Washington Post that show that the Defense Department, the CIA, and other federal agencies have lied consistently over the past 18 years about US military progress in Afghanistan. While the government was telling the American people that we were winning the war in Afghanistan, the truth was that we were losing, and in fact, we werenât even sure who the enemy was. Brian and John speak with Peter Kuznick, a professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and the co-author with Oliver Stone of the book and hit Showtime television series âThe Untold History of the United States.â
Israel appears headed toward a record third election in the past year after neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his chief challenger, Benny Ganz, were able to form governments. The new election has been set for March 2. But this time, Netanyahu will have to campaign as a defendant in three criminal cases related to abuse of power and bribery. Miko Peled, the author of âThe Generalâs Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,â and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsonâs Conservative Party won British elections yesterday in the biggest landslide since 1987, guaranteeing that Brexit takes place on his terms next month. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said that he would not head the party in the next elections, but he has not yet set a resignation date. Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party won broadly, perhaps enough to push another referendum on Scottish independence.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the impeachment hearings,US-China tensions and the UK election. Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell join the show.
The House Judiciary Committee this morning voted 23-17 in a party-line vote to impeach President Trump. The two articles of impeachment now go to the floor of the House, and the entire body will vote on impeachment on Wednesday. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Britons went to the polls today to elect a new government. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is confident of victory and, although polls showed the race tightening in its final days, expects to have a working majority that he will need to lead the UK out of the European Union. But Jeremy Corbyn has mobilized an army of enthusiastic volunteers based on his program âFor the many, not the fewâ to close the gap. Steve Hedley, the senior assistant general secretary of the UKâs Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union, joins the show.
Several weeks ago, journalist Max Blumenthal was arrested and charged with assault after Washington DC police showed up at his house in an early morning raid. Max hadnât assaulted anybody, but that didnât stop Washington authorities from keeping him in jail for nearly two days. Well, the charges have now been dropped and the hosts talk to Max about his ordeal and next steps. Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest film is âKilling Gaza,â the senior editor of The Grayzone, and co-host of the podcast âModerate Rebels,â joins Brian and John.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
Michael Horowitz, the Justice Departmentâs Inspector General, testified about FBI malfeasance yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Horowitz described the F.B.I. as a dysfunctional agency that severely mishandled its surveillance powers in the Russia investigation, but he told senators that he had no evidence that the mistakes were intentional or undertaken out of political bias. Instead, he attributed the FBIâs behavior to âgross incompetence and negligence.â
The House of Representatives, led by the Democratic leadership, voted in favor of a new National Defense Authorization Amendment which funds a new arms race in space, reauthorizes NSA to spy on American citizens, and designates Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Previous NDAAs have authorized warrantless wiretapping of American citizens and even the murder of US citizens around the world without criminal charge and even with the use of drones. Why are so few members of Congress willing to stand up? Medea Benjamin, a well-known peace activist and the cofounder of the peace group Code Pink, joins the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Federal Aviation Administration investigators decided last year to allow Boeing Companyâs 737-Max8 jets to continue flying despite the fact that their own analysis indicated that the jet was prone to crashes and would be one of the most crash-prone jets in the world without design changes. The FAA analysis found that, without design changes, the 737-Max8 would have averaged one crash every two or three years, a substantially worse crash rate than either Boeing or the FAA had previously acknowledged. Brian and John speak with Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association and an American Airlines pilot trained on Boeing 737 planes.
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Alberto Fernández has been sworn in as the new president of Argentina. Hundreds of thousands packed the streets to celebrate the return of progressive rule in the country, and the new administration has already had a big impact on regional policies. Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek join the show.
Democratic presidential candidates will debate again a week from tomorrow, this time in Los Angeles. Tulsi Gabbard, who qualifies for the debate, is boycotting it, though, saying that she would rather spend the time meeting with voters in New Hampshire. The corporatist Democrats will all be on stage, though. They include Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren also will participate. Brian and John speak with Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to Businessweek, The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com. And you can find his writings at ThisCantBeHappening.net.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book âNo More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.â
The House Judiciary Committee today will begin debate over two articles of impeachment against President Trump. The President is accused of abuse of power and contempt of Congress. The measures will likely be approved by early next week and will go to the full House for a vote. Trump is the fourth president in American history to face the threat of impeachment.
The UK is scheduled to have a general election tomorrow, and if tightening polls are to be believed, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will win with a parliamentary majority of about 28. Thatâs up 21 seats compared to the last election. The Labour Party is projected to lose 31 seats. Pollsters caution, though, that a hung parliament, where no party has a majority, is still possible. Lee Stranahan, the host of Fault Lines, which is on from 7:00-10:00 am on Radio Sputnik, joins Brian and John.
Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz testified before the House Judiciary Committee today, saying that FBI agents âfollowed the rulesâ when they initiated a counterintelligence investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign, but that âsome policies need to be changed.â The conclusion has caused consternation among Republicans, including the Attorney General himself. And US Attorney John Durham will likely issue his own report soon, with a different conclusion. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
President Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov are meeting today at the White House to review relations between the two countries. But this diplomatic engagement is being presented by Russiagate conspiracy-pushing politicians and pundits as something much more sinister. And it comes after progress was made on peace in Ukraine during a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky brokered by France and Germany. Brian and John speak with Jeremy Kuzmarov, a professor of American history whose latest book is âThe Russians Are Coming, Again: The First Cold War as Tragedy, the Second as Farce.â
Todayâs regular segment that airs every Tuesday is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Womenâs Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a womenâs magazine; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award winning journalist and editorial cartoonist whose work is at www.rall.com.
Democrats in the House of Representatives this morning filed two Articles of Impeachment against President Trump, accusing him of Abuse of Power and Contempt of Congress. The articles will be voted on in the House Judiciary Committee and, after passage there, will go to the House floor for a vote there. Assuming the articles pass, the entire case will then be referred to the Senate for trial.
In Tuesdayâs regular segment, the hosts talk about the biggest economic news of the week. Professor Richard Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, founder of the organization Democracy at Work, and author whose latest book is âUnderstanding Marxism,â joins the show.
Large scale and general strikes continue in Colombia, as protestors march against right-wing President Ivan Duqueâs plans for economic reform and they demand that he do more to tackle corruption and police violence. For his part, however, Duque seems more interested in arresting as many demonstrators as possible and stonewalling reform. James Jordan, a member of the Alliance for Global Justice who has been deeply involved in supporting the Colombian peace process, joins Brian and John.
Secret Pentagon documents uncovered by the Washington Post show that the Defense Department, the CIA, and other federal agencies have lied consistently over the past 18 years about US military progress in Afghanistan. While the government was telling the American people that we were winning the war in Afghanistan, the truth was that we were losing, and in fact, we werenât even sure who the enemy was. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show.
Attorney General William Barr and US Attorney John Durham publicly broke with Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz yesterday, disputing the IGâs conclusion that the FBI acted without political bias in initiating a counterintelligence investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign. Media reports say that FBI Director Wrayâs days in office are now numbered, and the report also raises serious questions about how the FBI uses informants and the FISA process. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, which is where you can find his latest article titled âDefeat or Impeach? The (Il)logic of impeachment,â also on Counter Punch, joins the show.
Impeachment hearings continued today before the House Judiciary Committee, with chairman Jerry Nadler beginning the day saying that President Trump put himself before the country and the Democratic Counsel saying that the evidence of impeachable acts is overwhelming. But polls show that Americans are already getting tired by what they see as the same details being repeated over and over again. Once a vote is taken and impeachment is approved, the whole thing moves to the Senate for trial. But have Democrats already gone too far? Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War,â joins the show.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the impeachment hearings, the release of the Justice Department Inspector Generalâs report, the UK election, US-North Korea tensions and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Mondayâs regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers.
The Justice Department today released its long-awaited Inspector Generalâs report on the FBIâs investigation into possible possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. The report states that the investigation was initiated based âon the thinnest of suspicionsâ and points out fundamental flaws in the FISA warrant process that leaves the system rife with abuse.
In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the impeachment hearings, the release of the Justice Department Inspector Generalâs report, the UK election, US-North Korea tensions and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
This weekend marked the six month anniversary of the start of protests in Hong Kong, and the marches were among the biggest yet with more than 800,000 people participating according to opposition activists. How long will these demonstrations continue, what effect will they have on Hong Kong in the long term, and how will the Chinese central government react? Mike Wong, the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace, joins the show.
Calling President Trump âa heedless and erratic old man,â North Korea announced that it had conducted what it called âa very important testâ at its missile engine test facility in the countryâs north. Analysts said the test probably involved a new type of booster engine that could be used to propel a satellite-delivery rocket or an intercontinental ballistic missile. The North Korean leadership has become increasingly frustrated by the slow pace of progress in talks with the United States and the fact that sanctions against the country have not been lifted. John speaks with Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ben Norton, a journalist with The Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, and Sputnik News analyst and producer Nicole Roussell.
Friday is Loud & Clearâs weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the 2020 race, Hillary Clintonâs latest weird attacks on Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigiegâs history in Iraq with the infamous firm McKinsey, YouTube demonetizing Moderate Rebels and The Grayzone, and the hysterical but light-on-facts report from the Organization of American States on Boliviaâs presidential vote.
Itâs Friday! So itâs time for the weekâs worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his site Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Impeachment hearings continued this week, but that wasnât the most interesting political news. Joe Biden took the opportunity yesterday to call an Iowa farmer âfatâ and âa damn liarâ when the man asked him about Hunter Bidenâs role in a Ukrainian energy company. And the media are now telling us that Pete Buttigieg is âsurgingâ in California, where the latest polls have him going from 10 percent to 6 percent and then back up to 12 percent. Meanwhile, the same media largely ignore the fact that Bernie Sanders is leading the race in California. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
The American Legislative Exchange Council, a far-right group made up of conservative state lawmakers from around the country, is meeting this week in Scottsdale, Arizona. The purpose of the meeting is to come up with cookie-cutting right-wing legislation that members can sponsor in whatever state they come from. Think abortion, cutting food stamps, corporate taxes, and other Republican memes. Well, the group is being sued because the meeting violates Arizonaâs âopen meetings law,â which mandates that meetings of any public entity be open to the public. Brian and John speak with David Armiak, the research director at the Center for Media and Democracy.
At least 15 people were stabbed in a Baghdad square yesterday as Iran militia supporters clashed with anti-government and anti-Iran protestors. Protests against corruption and in favor of economic reform have worsened in Iraq, despite the fact that Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi resigned last week. The United Nations and human rights observers say that more than 460 people have been killed and more than 20,000 wounded, the vast majority of them by military and police forces. Eugene Puryear, the host of By Any Means Necessary, which is on every day from 2:00-4:00 pm here on Sputnik Radio, joins the show.
Every major city in France was shut down yesterday in a massive general strike called after unpopular French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would combine 42 separate public pension plans into one national system. The French people donât trust him to do that and, as a result, transportation was paralyzed, schools were closed, and protest leaders said they were willing to keep the strike going into next week. Gilbert Mercier, Editor in Chief of News Junkie Post and the author of âThe Orwellian Empire,â joins Brian and John.
The Trump administration is considering a significant expansion of the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East to counter Iran, including dozens more ships, other military hardware and as many as 14,000 additional troops, U.S. officials said. Brian and John speak with Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, and analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of âManufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.â
Thursdayâs weekly series âCriminal Injusticeâ is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
The House of Representatives yesterday, by a vote of 407-1, approved a bill that would heavily sanction China over allegations that it is forcibly detaining ethnic Uighurs. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. The Chinese government reacted with outrage at this intervention into its domestic affairs, saying that Washington is sullying its counterterrorism and anti-radicalization efforts. Eugene Puryear, the host of By Any Means Necessary, which is on every day, Monday through Friday from 2:00-4:00 PM here on Radio Sputnik, joins Brian and John.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on the Howard Stern show and said the Russians backed Bernie Sanders, among other things, including that Bernie âhurtâ her campaign. Joe Lauria, editor in chief of Consortium News, and author of the book âHow I Lost, by Hillary Clinton,â joins the show.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--âThe Frozen Republic,â âThe Velvet Coup,â and âAmerica's Undeclared War.â
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi today gave an official statement on the status of the Democratsâ efforts to impeach President Trump. She pledged to move forward with the process, which is expected to shortly produce formal articles of impeachment.
Workers in France are staging a massive general strike today against a pension reform plan pushed by the government of President Emmanuel Macron. Unions say that the proposed changes will force workers to stay in the workforce longer and leave retirees struggling to get by. Gilbert Mercier, Editor in Chief of News Junkie Post and the author of âThe Orwellian Empire,â joins the show.
Usually Wednesdayâs regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is on Thursday this week about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. A charismatic organizer beloved by the Black liberation and socialist movement, Hampton was gunned down as he lay in bed by Chicago police at the age of 21. But his legacy continues to inspire activists today. Aislinn Pulley, an organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement and Co-Executive Director of the Chicago Torture Justice Center, and Eddie Conway, Executive Producer with The Real News Network, was a leading member of the Baltimore branch of the Black Panther Party, and a political prisoner for 44 years, seven of which were in solitary confinement, joins the show.
Our regular Thursday segment is on Wednesday today, and deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Wednesdayâs weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the impeachment hearings, the NATO summit, and more. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Yet another general strike is taking place today in Colombia as protests against the anti-worker, anti-peace agenda of far-right president Ivan Duque continue. 5 people have been killed so far, and more repression is feared today. James Jordan, a member of the Alliance for Global Justice and has been deeply involved in supporting the Colombian peace process, joins Brian and John.