Loud & Clear

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“Progressive” Warren Thinks More Americans Should Belong to Pentagon Nov 21, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, a contributor to Businessweek, The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, and whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net.
Democrats squared off last night in Atlanta for their fifth formal presidential debate. Ten candidates participated. Elizabeth Warren called for the expansion of the military, Joe Biden once again had an embarrassing performance and the MSNBC moderators set up an attack on Tulsi Gabbard. And as usual, critical issues were left out of this corporate media-controlled spectacle.
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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted today on three felony counts of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. It is the first time in Israeli history that a sitting Prime Minister has been charged with crimes. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, will now begin the process of stripping Netanyahu of his parliamentary immunity. Brian and John speak with Miko Peled, the author of “The General’s Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.”
Today was Day 5 of the House impeachment hearings. Former National Security Council senior director Fiona Hill, a Russia expert, testified that it was Russia, not Ukraine, that meddled in the 2016 presidential election. And David Holmes, a senior staff member in the US Embassy in Kiev, testified about the presidential phone call that he overheard while in a restaurant there. President Trump, meanwhile, criticized Holmes on Twitter and called House Intelligence Committee Democrats “human scum.” Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War,” joins the show.
Scott Warren, an Arizona public school teacher, was found not guilty in federal court yesterday on two felony charges of “harboring illegal immigrants.” What Warren had actually done was to provide food, water, and a place to sleep to two migrants who had crossed the border. He faced 10 years in a federal prison. Warren’s attorney told the court that “being a good Samaritan is not a felony. Practicing the golden rule is not a felony.” Kate Morgan, a longtime activist and volunteer with No More Deaths, the organization Scott Warren works with, joins the show.
The US Senate yesterday unanimously passed a resolution on Hong Kong that China says is a blatant act of interference in its internal affairs. The House later in the day passed an identical resolution by a vote of 417-1. The measure now goes to the White House, and President Trump has indicated that he will sign it. It would provide for economic sanctions against Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Trump tweeted yesterday that trade talks with China are not going as well as originally expected. KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, joins Brian and John.
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.

Sondland Throws Trump Under Impeachment Bus But Will it Matter? Nov 20, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.”
US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testified before the House Intelligence Committee this morning that President Trump premised US aid to Ukraine on that country’s willingness to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. When asked if there was a quid pro quo, Sondland responded, “Yes there was.” The testimony was notable. But was it anything new? Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper and Undersecretary of State David Hale testified later in the afternoon.
With less than 11 weeks to go before the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, the top 10-ranked Democrats will square off in a debate tonight in Atlanta. Four Democrats are vying in the top tier--Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg. But the field was recently shaken up with the announcements that former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick would jump into the race. Neither will participate in tonight’s debate. Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek joins the show.
At least six people were killed yesterday in Bolivia after the military raided a fuel depot that had been blocked by supporters of exiled President Evo Morales. A New York Times reporter said he saw soldiers open fire on unarmed men outside the depot at El Alto, a majority Indigenous working class city outside the capital La Paz. Morales supporters had been able to keep the depot, which provides gasoline to La Paz, blocked for more than a week as part of the resistance to the military coup. Brian and John speak with Ben Norton, a journalist with Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast.
At least two civilians were killed and several others wounded overnight in Israeli air attacks against targets in Syria. An Israeli military spokesman, in an unusual move, publicly confirmed that Israel hit Iranian and Syrian targets in retaliation for a Syrian rocket attack on Israel a day earlier. Meanwhile, Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz has told President Rivlin he is unable to form a government. Now Israel could see a weak right-wing coalition government with Benjamin Netanyahu as its leader or, yet again, new elections. Are these two developments related? Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins the show.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attacked each other on Brexit, health care, and the economy last night in a televised debate that, according to the British press, probably did little to change the minds of many voters. This was the first-ever head-to-head debate held in advance of a British election. Steve Hedley, the senior assistant general secretary of the UK’s Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union, 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.

Trump OK’s Israeli Settlement Construction on Palestinian Lands Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

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 “The Battle for Justice in Palestine.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced yesterday that the US government would no longer recognize the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The policy change comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life and desperate for anything he can present as a victory for his hardline policies.
Impeachment hearings continued today with the Intelligence Committee hearing testimony from two National Security Council staff members--Jennifer Williams, a Foreign Service Officer assigned to Vice President Pence’s staff; she was listening in on the now-famous phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky; and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the NSC’s top Ukraine specialist. Vindman has been the subject of recent attacks from Republican lawmakers, particularly Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson. Vindman was also on the call and raised concerns with the White House Counsel. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, whose latest article on CounterPunch and The Polemicist is “Trump’s Syrian See-Saw: From Pullout to PIllage”, joins the show.
A Swedish prosecutor this morning said that he has discontinued investigating a sexual assault case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and has dropped the charges. The Swedish case was the impetus for Julian’s refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for six and a half years, but he now faces multiple espionage charges in the United States. Brian and John speak with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.
Bolivia’s self-proclaimed president, Jeanine Anez, was supposed to be a caretaker until new elections were called. But in the past 9 days, since the military and police overthrew President Evo Morales, Anez has replaced Bolivia’s top military leaders, sacked the cabinet, and thrown out the heads of major state-owned companies. She is also overseeing the murder of indigenous people and leftists opposed to her coup. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, protestors at the polytechnic university have armed themselves and are heading toward a violent clash with police. Tighe Barry, longtime peace activist and member of Code Pink, joins the show.
The US and the Taliban exchanged prisoners this morning. Two professors, one American and one Australian, were turned over to US authorities, while three senior Taliban militants were turned over to Qatari authorities. Meanwhile, a British television program, Panorama, found evidence of a cover-up of British war crimes in Afghanistan. That information has been turned over to the International Criminal Court. And Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday about the prisoner swap and about what he is called the defeat of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins Brian and John.
The hosts talk about the biggest news so far this week, including the coup in Bolivia, democratic presidential candidates’ comments about the coups or attempted coups in bolivia and venezuela, and the US announcement that it no longer considers Israeli settlements illegal. Brian and John are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.
Today’s 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 Women’s Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a women’s magazine; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

Impeachment Hearings: Washington Elites Gasp, Public Yawns Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com.
Impeachment hearings continue today with the Intelligence Committee scheduled to hear eight witnesses in the next three days. Tomorrow will see testimony from two National Security Council staff members--Jennifer Williams, a Foreign Service Officer assigned to Vice President Pence’s staff; she was listening in on the now-famous phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky; and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the NSC’s top Ukraine specialist. He was also on the call and raised concerns with the White House Counsel. And Donald Trump has now suggested that he might testify.
Roger Stone was convicted on seven felony counts of obstruction of justice, contempt of Congress, and perjury. Stone faces up to 50 years in prison, but will likely be sentenced in February to something under five years. But Stone is asking for a delay in sentencing, likely hoping that Donald Trump will pardon him in the meantime. 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.
Hong Kong police surrounded a university yesterday after demonstrators shot a policeman with an arrow and began super gluing bricks and stones to the pavement to prevent the movement of police vehicles. Protestors also have been hoarding and practicing with Molotov cocktails on the university campus. Police arrested at least 400 protestors yesterday when they tried to leave the campus. With that said, the near absence of deadly police violence is a major contrast to demonstrations in France, Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere. John speaks with Mike Wong, he is the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace.
The Chilean Congress has reached an agreement to reform the constitution, which would become “100 percent democratic,” compared to the current constitution, which was passed during the dictatorial regime of Augusto Pinochet. Protesters are debating the way forward as the government prepares to organize a referendum in April. Patricio Zamorano, an academic and international analyst and Co-Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, COHA, joins the show.
Monday’s segment “Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers” is where Bill helps us 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? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,” joins 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 impeachment testimony, protests around the world, and ongoing developments in the Democratic presidential primary. 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.

"We Don't Care": Swing State Voters React to Impeachment Hearings Nov 15, 2019

Show notes

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 & Clear’s weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the impeachment inquiry, Ukrainian election interference, a new agreement in Chile, the Bolivian protests against the ongoing coup, and the mass killings in Gaza this week.
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovich testified today before the House impeachment committee. Yovanovich said that she was encouraged to tweet supportively about President Trump and when she didn’t do so, she was recalled and her career effectively ended. That was apparently at the urging of presidential pal Rudy Giuliani. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book “The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the US is Orchestrating a Coup for Oil.” joins the show.
The public is beginning to learn more about Bolivia’s interim president Jeanine Añez. She declared herself president after all of Bolivia’s constitutional successors resigned in what was a military and police coup that overthrew President Evo Morales. Añez is a born again evangelical Christian and opponent of participatory democracy, but only if you happen to be indigenous or leftist. Meanwhile, in Chile, the Congress has reached an agreement to reform the constitution, which would become “100 percent democratic,” compared to the current constitution, which was passed during the dictatorial regime of Augusto Pinochet. Brian and John speak with Patricio Zamorano, an academic and international analyst and Co-Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, COHA.
UK nationals voted three and a half years ago to leave the European Union, an action that has become known as Brexit. The decision has upended British politics and has polarized the country. Now we’ve learned of an unpublished UK government report on alleged Russian influence in the Brexit vote. The report was compiled by the British intelligence services. But why keep it a secret? Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley planned an event at George Washington University this week to promote her new book -- and her future political career. But students activists used the event to denounce her record as a strident defender of U.S. war and aggression around the world. Hajira Asghar, a George Washington University student and steering committee member with Students Against Imperialism, joins Brian and John.
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.

“Debunked”? Not Really: What Was Ukraine’s Role in 2016 Elections? Nov 14, 2019

Show notes

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, and Jeremy Kuzmarov, a professor of American history whose latest book is “The Russians Are Coming, Again: The First Cold War as Tragedy, the Second as Farce.”
The way yesterday’s first day of impeachment hearings went depends on your political viewpoint. CNN and MSNBC say that the testimony included bombshells about President Trump and his quid pro quo from two career diplomats that have upended the entire story. Fox says the hearings were boring and pointless and didn’t tell us anything important or that we didn’t already know. There were no hearings scheduled for today, but former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovich, whom President Trump recalled as ambassador months ago, will testify tomorrow.
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.
Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday that he would enter the Democratic presidential race. This is just days after former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg did the same. And a new poll from Iowa has shocked the race by showing South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg in first place there. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden released his infrastructure plan and attacked Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, calling her “angry” and thus unfit to be President. Brian and John speak with Jacqueline Luqman, the editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, whose livestream is on every week on Facebook and Youtube.
The situation in Bolivia continues its sharp move to the right, as self-proclaimed president Jeanine Anez, along with military and police leaders, continue to crack down on indigenous people and leftists. With thousands of protestors in the streets, exiled President Evo Morales urged Anez not to “stain herself with the blood of Bolivians.” And despite talk that Morales may seek to return to Bolivia, countries around the world are beginning to recognize the Anez government. Gerry Condon, a Vietnam-era veteran and war resister who has been a peace and solidarity activist for almost 50 years, currently as national president of Veterans for Peace, joins the show.
Police in Washington yesterday tried unsuccessfully yesterday to arrest our friend Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of the peace group Code Pink. They failed because they had no arrest warrant. But they made the ridiculous allegation that Medea had assaulted Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz at a press conference Wasserman Schultz attended in support of Venezuelan presidential pretender Juan Guaido. This action by the Washington DC police fits a new pattern, whereby truthtellers are being falsely arrested and charged with crimes after a massive show of police force just to silence them and to frighten others. Medea Benjamin, a well-known peace activist and the cofounder of the peace group Code Pink, joins Brian and John.
Violence in Hong Kong continues to worsen, with protestors making and practicing throwing petrol bombs in a dry swimming pool on a university campus. The level of unrest and destruction in the almost six-month-long protest has reached new heights in recent days, with the Chinese state media warning protestors that they are “at the edge of doom.” KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, 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.

Impeachment Train Leaves the Station Nov 13, 2019

Show notes

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.
Public impeachment hearings began today on Capitol Hill as House members consider whether to impeach President Trump for his actions in seeking a Ukrainian government investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. Career State Department diplomats testified today on the alleged quid pro quo of an investigation for military aid.
Jeanine Anez, a right-wing rival of Bolivia’s ousted president Evo Morales, declared herself President of Bolivia yesterday as anti-coup protesters tried to storm the Congress building. The heads of the army and national police vowed to support her, but Morales loyalists in the legislature boycotted the legislative session in which she declared herself president. Morales, meanwhile, is now in exile in Mexico. Chuck Kaufman, the National Co-Coordinator of the Alliance for Global Justice, joins the show.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meeting at the White House today with President Trump. It’s the first meeting between the two since Turkey invaded Syria that angered members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. Trump and Erdogan discussed Syria, the fight against ISIS, and, according to the media, ways in which Turkey can weaken US military sanctions against it. Brian and John speak with Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement.
Israeli forces bombed targets in Gaza overnight and Gazans retaliated with rocket attacks after Israelis killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader yesterday. The clash is threatening to escalate into a major conflict despite Egyptian efforts to mediate between the two sides. The Palestinian death toll continues to rise, meanwhile, with 24 dead and at least 70 wounded. Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst, joins the show.
Demonstrations in Hong Kong escalated to an unprecedented level over the past several days as clashes between police and demonstrators paralyzed the city’s transportation networks and closed schools and universities. The Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized a Congressional resolution supporting the demonstrators and urged the US to mind its own business. And a Hong Kong police spokesman said the rule of law is “on the brink of collapse.” KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, 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, including impeachment, the supreme court, and global protests. 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.

The Real Story Behind the Military Coup in Bolivia Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Leo Flores, a Latin America campaign coordinator with the peace group Code Pink.
Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived in Mexico yesterday, where he was granted asylum after being overthrown in a military coup. The coup took place at the urging of right wing opposition leaders and mutinying police officers. Every constitutional successor has resigned, leaving the opposition Senator Jeanine Áñez in nominal charge of the country now effectively ruled by a military junta.
Attorneys representing presidential candidate and Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard have sent a letter to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanding that Clinton retract a statement she made several weeks ago calling Gabbard a “Russian asset.” When challenged about the assertion, Clinton responded, “If the nesting doll fits..” Gabbard’s lawyers say the statement was defamatory, and they want a retraction. Meanwhile, two new likely entrants are trying to upset the Democratic presidential primary. Jim Kavanagh, editor of thepolemicist.net whose latest article is “Trump’s Syrian See-Saw: From Pullout to Pillage,” joins the show.
Bill Ayers is Loud & Clear’s regular guest on “Education for Liberation” about the state of education around the country. But today he discusses the election victory of his son Chesa Boudin as district attorney of San Francisco, California. Against huge odds, and despite the fact that the police union spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat him, Chesa won the race and is expected to institute radical reforms that will bring a fairness in sentencing that has not been previously seen. Brian and John speak with Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto.”
Google over the past year has been secretly working with one of the largest health-care networks in America to collect and analyze personal health care data on millions of people across 21 states. In an initiative codenamed Project Nightingale, Google has collected lab results, diagnoses, and hospitalization records, patient names and dates of birth, among other information, all without the patients’ approval or even knowledge. Patricia Gorky, a software engineer and technology and security analyst, 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 ongoing right-wing coup in Bolivia, the protestors in Hong Kong, Israel’s killing of a Palestinian leader, and the upcoming public impeachment hearings. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Today’s 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. Dr. Dickinson is out this week. Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a women’s magazine; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

Bloomberg Throws His Hat in the Ring: Billionaires Vie to Rule America Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Lee Camp, a writer, actor, activist, journalist, and host of the television show “Redacted Tonight,” which you can see on RT America, and online at leecamp.com, and Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show 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 Democratic 2020 primary and the possible addition of Michael Bloomberg to the race, the ongoing mass demonstrations in Chile, tensions resulting from the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and more.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has indicated that he intends to enter the Democratic race for president. Bloomberg yesterday filed papers to contest the Alabama primary. Alabama has an unusually short filing deadline. Pundits are saying that Bloomberg has told friends that he doesn’t believe the current crop of Democrats has the wherewithal to defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election. But critics are ridiculing the move as yet another deeply unpopular intervention by a billionaire into politics. Richard Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work. Prof. Wolff’s latest book is “Understanding Marxism,” joins the show.
The Trump Administration this week sued Gilead Sciences, a pharmaceutical company that sells HIV prevention drugs that can cost up to $20,000 a year, saying the company is earning billions of dollars from research funded by taxpayers, without paying those taxpayers back. The government says Gilead has infringed upon patents owned by the Department of Health and Human Services and has fought attempts by HHS to license its patents and collect royalties. Brian and John speak with Jeremiah Johnson, the HIV Project Director for the Treatment Action Group.
A Chilean police officer was arrested yesterday after shooting two students in ongoing demonstrations. Other police officers have been accused of beatings and a sexual assault and more than 2,000 protestors have been injured. Protestors are demanding economic equality and an end to corruption. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, protests continued, and one demonstrator died after falling from a parking garage. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book “The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the US is Orchestrating a Coup for Oil,” joins the show.
Brazil’s top court ruled yesterday that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva must be released from prison because no Brazilian can be incarcerated until he or she has exhausted all appeals. The ruling could lead to the release of thousands of prisoners besides Lula, and it seriously weakens the hand of right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro’s Justice Minister. Arnold August, a journalist, author and lecturer currently on an international speaking tour “U.S.-Venezuela-Cuba-Canada: The Geopolitics,” which has already stopped in 7 Canadian cities and in Havana, with further appearances in Venezuela and Ireland, joins Brian and John.
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.

A First in U.S. History: Impeachment on the Eve of a National Election Nov 07, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.”
Open impeachment hearings start in the US House of Representatives in the inquiry into President Trump next week. The House Democrats likely have the majority they need to impeach Trump, but will that help their cause in the end?
The trial for Roger Stone, President Trump’s advisor, is on its third day. Stone, a self described “dirty trickster,” is being charged with obstructing the Mueller investigation. What actually happened? Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Two former employees of social media giant Twitter have been arrested. The ex-employees are accused of spying for the Saudi government, using their access to the company’s data to gather information on dissidents. Brian and John speak with Ali al-Ahmed, the Director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs.
Chinese and US negotiators appear to be within reach of an agreement that would result in the reduction of tariffs and lead to a final resolution to the trade war. But lingering doubts remain as officials from both sides scramble to find a suitable location for the “phase one” deal to be signed. Steve Keen, the author of “Debunking Economics” and the world’s first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen, 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.
The Democratic primary is heating up as the leading candidates sharpen their attacks ahead of the first primaries and party elites frantically search for an adequate pro-establishment candidate. And on the Republican side, ousted former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he will run for his old Senate seat in Alabama. Jacqueline Luqman, the editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, whose livestream is on Facebook and Youtube every week, 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) joins the show.

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