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Consortium News Fights Back w/ Legal Action: "We are Defending Independent Media" Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

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, “Enough.”
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 organization’s leadership dismissed his report’s 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.
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 “Russian asset” in an interview. Meanwhile, other Democratic candidates and major media outlets have lined up to criticize Clinton’s 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.
James Mitchell, who along with Bruce Jessen created the CIA’s 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 “for the 9/11 victims and their families, not for you,” referring to the terror suspects being held at the base. The topic of yesterday’s hearing was to suppress statements by 9/11 suspects made during the torture that Mitchell and Jessen were carrying out.
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 “ Islamophobia, Race, and Global Politics”, joins Brian and John.
Wednesday’s 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.
Wednesday’s 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.

What the Heck is a “High Crime and Misdemeanor”? Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

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 Trump’s 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?
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 “trading one over-promising, divisive for another.” The Times also called his support for things like an increase in the minimum wage and universal healthcare “radical.” 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 Sanders’ career was “all just baloney.” 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 “participating in a criminal organization” 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 “No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.”
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 Paris’s southern suburbs in solidarity with transport workers. Steve Hedley, the senior assistant general secretary of the UK’s Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union, joins the show.
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 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 “high certainty” 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.
On the biggest economic news of the week, including the Davos conference, Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek joins the show.
Tuesday’s 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 Women’s Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a women’s magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

Will Former FBI Director James Comey Be Indicted after New Revelation? Jan 17, 2020

Show notes

As the first day of President Trump’s 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 Department’s 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.
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, “no casualties, no friendly casualties, whether they are US, coalition, or contractor.” 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.
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. King’s legacy is being softened. Certainly, schoolchildren are taught about Dr. King’s 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 “Race to Revolution: The U.S. and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow.”
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.
It’s Friday! So it’s time for the week’s 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 & Clear’s 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 administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, and much more. Brian and John are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.

Is the New Impeachment “Bombshell” Just Another Dud? Jan 16, 2020

Show notes

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?
The dispute between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is continuing as so-called “hot mic” audio is released of an exchange between those two Senators following this week’s 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 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 doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, it’s 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 “Vladimir Putin Prepares His Succession.”
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 EU’s top diplomat had what he called “frank talks” 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.
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 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.
Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” 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.

Did Elizabeth Warren & CNN Team Up to Promote a Lie About Sanders? Jan 15, 2020

Show notes

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 “Comrade.”
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.
In a televised cabinet meeting today, Iranian President Rouhani said that European troops “could be in danger” 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 “Debunking Economics” and the world’s 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 Trump’s 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--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War,” joins 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 “Disaster Capitalism,” joins Brian and John.
Wednesday’s 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.
Wednesday’s 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.

With Sanders Surging, He Faces New Round of Lies from Democratic Elites Jan 14, 2020

Show notes

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 “Comrade.”
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.
The Trump Administration’s 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 agreement’s final demise. Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins 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.
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 country’s 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.
Today is Loud & Clear’s 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 “Understanding Socialism,” joins the show.
Tuesday’s 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 Women’s Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a women’s magazine, which you can find at patreon.com/BreakChainsMag; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

Political Fallout in Iran after Ukraine Civilian Airliner Downing Jan 13, 2020

Show notes

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.
Incumbent Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen won a convincing victory in last weekend’s 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 Sputnik’s 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.
Monday’s segment “Education for Liberation” takes a look at the state of education across the country. What’s 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 “An Empty Seat in Class: Teaching and Learning after the Death of a Student”, 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 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.
Monday’s 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.

Shifting Narratives: What Caused the Ukrainian Plane Crash in Iran? Jan 10, 2020

Show notes

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 & Clear’s 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.
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, “The Plot to Attack Iran: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran,” and Mazda Majidi, an author, journalist and anti-war activist, join the show.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued a lot of statements lately. He condemned last week’s 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.
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 “The Orwellian Empire,” 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 Sputnik’s 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.
It’s Friday! So it’s time for the week’s 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.

Trump “Succeeds” in Uniting Iraqis & Iranians Against the United States Jan 09, 2020

Show notes

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 “Moderate Rebels.”
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 week’s dramatic developments?
After losing his bid for re-election as head of Venezuela’s National Assembly -- the basis on which he proclaimed himself the country’s 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.
Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” 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.

Trump Huffs & Puffs But Doesn’t Retaliate for Iran Strikes on US Bases Jan 08, 2020

Show notes

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 Thursday’s 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 Washington’s 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 “Redacted Tonight,” on RT America, and a new book out called “Bullet Points & Punch Lines”
Anya Parampil, a journalist for The Grayzone who hosts the new show Red Lines
Mazda Majidi, an author, journalist and anti-war activist
Wednesday’s 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.

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