Loud & Clear

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US War with Iran Will Open the Gates of Hell in the Middle East Jun 21, 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 narrowly avoided U.S. attack on Iran last night and the ongoing danger of a devastating regional war as well as the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to North Korea.
President Trump tweeted today that US forces were 10 minutes away from launching a missile attack on Iran, but that he canceled the attack after learning that there likely would have been 150 Iranian casualties. The statement, simple on its face, reveals serious splits within the Administration. And the real question mark is what would the Iranian response have been? Kevin Zeese, the co-coordinator of Popular Resistance, whose work is at popularresistance.org, joins the show.
Hero pilot Sully Sullenberger’s testimony before the House Transportation Subcommittee said that the design of the Boeing 737 Max-8 jet was flawed and should never have been deemed airworthy. He said later that he participated in a re-creation of an accident flight in a Max-8 simulator, telling members of Congress, “Even knowing what was going to happen, I could see how crews could have run out of time before they could have solved the problems. Prior to these accidents, I think it is unlikely that any US airline pilots were confronted with this scenario in simulator training." Brian and John speak with Lori Bassani, the National President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, and Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association and an American Airlines pilot trained on Boeing 737 planes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Pyongyang today, where he reaffirmed his support for negotiations on denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was prepared to work with China to make progress in the talks. Emanuel Pastreich, founder and director of The Asia Institute, a pan-Asian think tank, 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.

If U.S. Attacks, Iran's Retaliation will be "Relentless" Jun 20, 2019

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.
Iran announced this morning that it had shot down a US military drone the size of an airliner this morning near the Strait of Hormuz. The US acknowledged the shoot-down, saying that the drone was in international airspace. The Iranians countered that it was in Iranian airspace. Meanwhile, a rocket struck a building housing the headquarters of international oil companies in Basra, Iraq, including ExxonMobil. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which injured two Iraqi workers. Top Trump administration officials are now engaged in high-level international and domestic consultations, raising fears of all-out conflict.
Joe Biden says some dumb things. He once told reporters, “I’ve done some dumb things. And I’ll do dumb things again.” Well, earlier this week, Biden felt compelled to defend himself against accusations that he may be too “old fashioned” for today’s Democratic Party. He tried to turn that into a positive, saying that his old traditionalism harkened back to a better era, where gentility reigned in the US Senate. That wasn’t good enough, though. Biden felt compelled to give an example. And so he said, with a completely straight face, that when he was first elected to the Senate in 1972 he became friendly with two of the most rabid segregationists in the body—Senators James O. Eastland (D-MS) and (“the meanest man I ever met”) Herman Tallmadge (D-GA). According to a reporter for the New York Times who heard the words directly from Biden’s mouth, “I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland. He never called me ‘boy.’ He always called me ‘son.’” And Biden told this story with a southern accent. It apparently never occurred to him that Eastland never called him “boy” because he was white. Today, Senator Cory Booker said that Biden’s comments were hurtful. And now Biden has called on Booker to apologize. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is in North Korea, the first visit of a Chinese president to the DPRK in 14 years and only the second time a chief of state has met Kim Jong Un on his home turf. According to an op-ed that Xi wrote for the front page of a North Korean newspaper, he is in Pyongyang to strengthen strategic communication and exchanges. The more likely scenario is that he is there to discuss Chinese and North Korean relations with the United States and how to deal with President Trump. Brian and John speak with Jude Woodward is the author of the book “The US vs China: Asia's new Cold War?”
Hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger testified on Capitol Hill yesterday that an automated flight control system on the Boeing 737 Max-8 jet was “fatally flawed and should never have been approved in the first place.” The House Aviation Subcommittee is investigating the crashes of Boeing 737 Max-8 jets in Indonesia last fall and in Ethiopia in March that killed 346 people. The panel is also examining what role, if any, Boeing's rush to develop the latest version of its popular 737 and the FAA's process of certifying the new model as airworthy may have played in the tragedies. Bijan Vasigh, a professor of air transportation at Embrey-Riddle University, an expert on aviation issues, a consultant to some of the biggest airlines in the world, and the author of dozens of academic papers and books, joins the show.
Veterans for Peace is Thursday’s regular segment about the contemporary issues of war and peace that affect veterans, their families, and the country as a whole. 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.
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.

Cyberwar with Russia, War with Iran? US Military Machine in Full Gear Jun 19, 2019

Show notes

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, and Sputnik News analyst and producer Walter Smolarek.
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 U.S. cyber attacks on the Russian electrical grid and the latest US moves against Iran.
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.
Former Vice President Joe Biden caused outrage when he fondly noted what he called the “civility” of the US Senate of the 1970s and 1980s by invoking by name two of the body’s most polarizing segregationists--Senators James Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia. Is Biden trying to lose the Democratic nomination for President on purpose? Brian and John speak with Jacqueline Luqman, editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which livestreams every week on Facebook and Youtube, and a journalist with The Real News Network.
The White House is actively considering launching airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to press reports quoting Pentagon insiders. The plans are at an advanced stage and could be initiated at any time. 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 “The Untold History of the United State,” joins the show.
Today is Juneteenth. It is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that Union soldiers, led by MG Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that all enslaved people were free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on Texans due to the miniscule number of Union troops in Texas to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance. C. R. Gibbs, an author and co-author of six books and a frequent national and international lecturer, joins Brian and John.
President Trump kicked off his reelection campaign yesterday with what was supposed to be a campaign rally in Orlando, Florida. In the end, it looked more like a white supremacist rally. Lee Stranahan, co-host of the Sputnik News program Fault Lines, joins the show.
The race to succeed Theresa May is entering a crucial stage. In the next two days, Conservative Party members will narrow the field of candidates to two, and party members will choose between them. The winner will become Prime Minister and will serve out the remainder of May’s term or until new elections are called, whichever comes first. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is still the frontrunner. But Rory Stewart, a virtual unknown, as shown the greatest strength and may actually have a chance to defeat the frontrunner. Brian and John speak with Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star.

Trump Plans to Arrest Tens of Thousands in Mass Deportation Raids Jun 18, 2019

Show notes

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.
President Trump said yesterday that his administration plans a sweeping immigration enforcement crackdown on undocumented migrants that could see coordinated raids in multiple cities across the country. The move comes ahead of Trump’s official re-election campaign launch, but grassroots activists are vowing to fight back.
The Justice Department has admitted that the FBI relied on information provided by the private company Crowdstrike concluding that Russia was to blame for hacking into the Democratic National Committee’s servers, even though that information had been heavily redacted by the company. The FBI never had access to any of the original documents. That news was just made public yesterday in a filing by Roger Stone’s defense attorneys. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
The Pentagon announced yesterday that it would send an additional 1000 to the Middle East, a potentially dangerous move that could greatly increase the chances for war between the United States and Iran, even by accident. Brian and John speak with 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.
Facebook released information today on its new cryptocurrency, called Libra, which is supposed to be less volatile than Bitcoin and the other hundreds of cryptocurrencies already available to the public. Facebook wants Libra to be used as a legitimate way to purchase goods and services, unlike Bitcoin, which is more speculative. 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 massive embezzlement scandal is threatening the political future of Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido. Media outlets in the region are reporting that two people appointed by Guaido to manage aid meant for Venezuelan soldiers who have defected to Colombia instead have been stealing it. Both the Government of Colombia and the Organization of American States, known for their strong support of Guaido, have called for an investigation. Ricardo Vaz, a writer and editor at Venezuelanalysis, joins Brian and John.
Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Brian and John speak with financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey.
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, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

Iran Renews the Enrichment of Uranium After Trump Rips Up Nuclear Deal Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Massoud Shadjareh, the founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission.
The Iranian government has announced that it will break the uranium stockpile limit agreement agreed to as part of the JCPOA nuclear deal in the next 10 days. The move came in response to the Trump administration’s decision to scrap the deal. Iranian President Rouhani said that his country would not withdraw from the JCPOA, but would reduce its commitments to the deal. He also urged European countries to mediate between Iran and the United States as tensions between the two countries continue to flare in the aftermath of explosions that hit two tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week.
A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia said on Saturday that Chelsea Manning would be fined $500 per day for refusing to testify before a grand jury looking into Wikileaks cofounder Julian Assange. If Manning still does not testify after one month, the fine will be $1000 per day. Manning has been steadfast in her refusal to speak to the grand jury. Kevin Gosztola, a journalist with Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, joins the show.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that the United States had deployed computer code inside the Russian electrical grid system that would disrupt it in the event of hostilities. The Times went on to say that the move was done in response to allegations that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election. President Trump tweeted that the article was “a virtual act of treason.” But later in the article, The Times acknowledged that the operation had begun in 2012, at the end of Barack Obama’s first term in office, and during the tenure of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Brian and John speak with 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.”
Boeing executives attending the high-profile Paris Air Show today apologized for the hundreds of deaths caused when two of their 737 MAX-8 jets crashed in separate incidents last October and last March. But no one in the company has been held criminally liable and Boeing is even looking to loosen its safety testing requirements. Dr. Alan Diehl, an award-winning aviation psychologist and safety consultant, 1990s air safety whistleblower, and the author of the book “Air Safety Investigators,” 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 Brian and John.
In this segment, which we call 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 Democrats and Republicans working together to escalate tensions with Iran, the Pentagon deploying cyber weapons against Russia’s electrical grid and Chelsea Manning being subjected to huge fines. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Monday’s regular segment Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa 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.

War with Iran? A Closer Look at U.S. Strategy Jun 14, 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 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 Middle East oil tanker attack and escalation between the US and Iran, Julian Assange’s extradition hearing today, the leak of documents this week showing the political imprisonment of former Brazilian president lula da silva, and the rebellion in memphis after cops shot a young Black man.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday that US intelligence showed that Iran was responsible for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. He showed a Pentagon video that he claimed showed Iranian sailors removing an unexploded magnet mine from the side of a Japanese ship. Iran’s Foreign Minister dismissed the accusation as “sabotage diplomacy and warmongering.” Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, joins the show.
A hearing was held in London this morning related to the US request for the extradition of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange. The British magistrate scheduled a formal five-day extradition hearing to begin on February 24, 2020. That would be 45-and-a-half weeks into his 50-week sentence for bail-jumping. With British politics currently in turmoil, what does this mean for Julian’s chances to regain his freedom? 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 Defense Department’s Inspector General and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service report that $21 trillion of the taxpayers’ money is unaccounted for. That’s 21 thousand billions of dollars. It’s the amount of the entire national debt. If you spent a million dollars a day starting on the day Jesus was born, you wouldn’t even have spent $1 trillion yet. So how does $21 trillion just disappear and no Pentagon heads roll? Lee Camp, a writer, actor, activist, journalist, and host of the television show “Redacted Tonight,” which you can see on RT America, joins the show.
Nearly four years after the City of Flint, Michigan declared a state of emergency over the condition of its drinking water, and three years after the first criminal charges were filed against government officials responsible for the crisis, prosecutors have dropped all charges and said that they’ll start the entire investigation over again from the beginning. Will there ever be justice for Flint’s residents? Julie Hurwitz, a civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James, 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.

Who’s Blowing Up Oil Tankers in the Middle East? Jun 13, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria.
Two oil tankers came under suspected attack in the Gulf of Oman today. Both the US and Iranian navies responded to distress calls, and the vessels’ crews were safely evacuated. The attacks come amid heightened tension because the US and Iran and in the middle of a visit to Tehran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The Justice Department has asked US Attorney John Durham to investigate the origins of the Russiagate case. Durham said yesterday that he is seeking testimony from two CIA officers--one a counterintelligence expert and the other a senior analyst. CIA director Gina Haspel said that her people will cooperate, but would “protect sources and methods.” Aaron Maté, a journalist for The Grayzone and The Nation and a former host and producer at Democracy Now and The Real News, joins the show.
Authorities in Memphis, Tennessee claim that 24 police officers and two journalists were injured in a melee last night that began when US marshals in a Memphis suburb shot a man 20 times and killed him while allegedly trying to serve him with an arrest warrant. It is unclear how many protestors were injured, but the event is yet another example of the volatility of confrontations with the police all across the country. Brian and John speak with Kym Smith, a community organizer involved in struggles against police brutality and mass incarceration.
Boris Johnson finished first in today’s first round of voting for a new leader of the UK’s Conservative Party. The field of 10 hopefuls is now winnowed to seven. The second round of voting will be held next week, and then the top two vote-getters will face off on July 22. Meanwhile, British authorities confirmed that the Department of Justice has formally requested the extradition of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
President Trump yesterday said that he will transfer 1,000 US troops from Germany to Poland after Polish President Andrzedj Duda said he would spend $2 billion to build a new US military base in his country. Trump said that he liked the idea, but was not sure if he wanted to commit to a permanent presence in Poland. But he did like Duda’s quip that he would name the facility Fort Trump. Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst, joins Brian and John.
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.

Battle Rages Between Attorney General Barr and House Democrats Jun 12, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou and Nicole Roussell (sitting in for Brian Becker) 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 House of Representatives yesterday approved a resolution authorizing the Judiciary Committee to go to court to enforce its subpoena for former White House Counsel Don McGahn’s testimony and to seek grand jury information from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report. The resolution also authorized the Committee to take its subpoena of Attorney General William Barr to court, but an agreement struck with the Justice Department on Monday will put that action on hold for now.
Scott Warren is an activist with an Arizona group called No Mas Muertes, or No More Deaths. He was arrested last year for providing food, water, and shelter to migrants crossing the Sonoran desert. Supporters call him an apostle of humanitarianism. Prosecutors call him a criminal and asked that he be sent to prison for 20 years. Indeed, in closing arguments, the prosecutor said, “He gave them food. He gave them water. He gave them shelter. He’s a very dangerous man.” But a jury deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial. Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler, the media coordinator for No More Deaths, joins the show.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, visited the demilitarized zone between the two countries today to deliver a condolence message over the death of a former South Korean First Lady who had promoted unity between North and South. Kim Yo Jong is a trusted aide to her brother, and she held talks with the South Korean National Security Advisor. Johns speak with Henri Feron, Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy.
A new study says that the world’s oceans will lose one-sixth of their fish and marine life by the end of the century if climate change continues on its current path. The study comes on the heels of an Australian study last week that found that the world faces an existential risk from climate change by 2050. William Cheung, professor at the University of British Columbia and an author of this study, joins the show.
Just days before a law protecting renters and tenants was set to expire, New York lawmakers reached a deal to strengthen those protections. The new law keeps more housing units in the rent regulatory system, adding inventory for the poor and middle classes. And it makes the change permanent so that the legislature neve again has to take up the issue. Why is housing so expensive across the country? And why is it central to the entire U.S. economy? Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of “Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression,” whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com, joins 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 analyst Walter Smolarek joins 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, joins the show.

Secret Recording of Pompeo: US Plots to Stop Jeremy Corbyn Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jackie Walker, a life-long activist against racism and the former Vice Chair of the pro-Jeremy Corbyn organization Momentum.
The Washington Post yesterday reported that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a group of American Jewish leaders in a private meeting that the US would seek to block Jeremy Corbyn from becoming British Prime Minister if the US detected what Pompeo called “antisemitism.” He said the US government would “push back” against Corbyn and that “we won’t wait for him to do those things,” presumably meaning oppose Israel.
The Pentagon says that it is canceling Turkey’s involvement in the F-35 Stealth fighter program over Ankara’s plans to buy a Russian S-400 missile defense system. Turkish pilots will no longer be trained on the F-35, and they’ve been asked to leave a US Air Force base in Arizona. Turkish President Erdogan said that he is undeterred by the US action and will complete the purchase and installation of the S-400. Dr. Gönül Tol, the founding director of The Middle East Institute’s Center for Turkish Studies and a former professor, joins the show.
The Intercept is reporting that an enormous trove of secret documents reveals that Brazil’s most powerful prosecutors, who have spent years insisting that they are apolitical, instead plotted to prevent the Workers Party from winning the 2018 election by blocking or weakening a pre-election interview given by former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with the explicit purpose of affecting the outcome of the election. Dubbed Operation Car Wash, the prosecutors’ plot began in 2014. Brian and John speak with Aline Piva, she is a journalist and a member of Brazilians for Democracy and Social Justice.
Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, told a Japanese journalist shortly before his assassination in Malaysia in 2017 that he was in contact with the CIA. The Western media is saying that Kim was a “source” for the CIA. The revelation will soon appear in a new book. Emanuel Pastereich, a professor and the founder and director of The Asia Institute, a pan-Asian think tank, joins the show.
Jorge Ramos is arguably the best-known Spanish-language journalist in America. The chief anchorman of Univision is known as the Walter Cronkite of Latin America. As such, he interviewed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in February. But the interview was contentious. Ramos said Maduro walked out after Ramos started playing a video of Venezuelans eating out of trash cans. Univision announced last week that it had recovered the film and would air it soon. But it shows something completely different from what Ramos has said. What will the fallout be? Alex Rubenstein, a journalist for Mint Press News and on Twitter @realalexrubi, joins Brian and John.
Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Brian and John speak with financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey.
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, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

“Tariffs are a Beautiful Thing” – Deciphering Trump’s Strategy Jun 10, 2019

Show notes

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, which we call 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 political theater of Donald Trump’s threats of new tariffs against Mexico, the emerging Democratic party strategy of new hearings on Russiagate, a new outrage from Guantanamo, and much more.
Monday’s regular segment Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa 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.
House Democrats are pushing ahead with plans to hold hearings this week that would feature testimony--or a lack of testimony--by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff will hold a rare open session on what he calls the “counterintelligence implications” of the Mueller report. A parallel hearing before the House Judiciary Committee today will feature testimony by famed Watergate whistleblower John Dean. And Democrats also plan a vote tomorrow to hold Attorney General William Barr and former White House Counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress. Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist. You can check out his work at rall.com.
Nearly one million people protested in Hong Kong yesterday against a proposed law that would create an extradition system between semi-autonomous Hong Kong and mainland China. The law would allow for case-by-case fugitive transfers between Hong Kong and the Chinese provinces. Leaders of the protests say Beijing will use the measure to target activists, dissidents, and other political opponents. Hong Kong’s governor, however, says she will continue to push for passage of the bill to guarantee the unity of China rather than deepen the division between the city and the mainland that is a legacy of a century and a half of British colonial rule. Eugene Puryear, the co-host of the Sputnik News radio show By Any Means Necessary, which you can hear every day from 2:00-4:00 and as a podcast, joins the show.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has reopened the border with Colombia after a closure of four months. The situation on the Venezuela-Colombia border has been a central theme promoted by those who favor yet another so-called “humanitarian” regime change operation. Anya Parampil, a Washington-based journalist for The Grayzone, joins Brian and John.
Monday’s segment “Education for Liberation” takes 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? Dr. Kevin Kumashiro, former dean of the School of Education at the University of San Francisco, joins Brian and John.
Abdel Baset al-Sarout was arguably the most famous soccer player in Syria. He became something of western media star when he left the game to take up arms against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Sarout was killed in a battle in Idlib over the weekend and is being hailed as a hero in the western press. What the media don’t want you to know, however, is that Sarout was killed fighting on behalf a group sponsored by al-Qaeda and had pledged allegiance to ISIS. Brian and John speak with Dan Cohen, a journalist and a documentary filmmaker who made the mini-doc “The Syria Deception: Al-Qaeda Goes to Hollywood,” available at The Grayzone.

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