Show notes
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and a prolific author whose most recent piece, “America’s Permanent-War Complex,” is the subject of today’s interview.
Fifty-eight years ago, President Dwight Eisenhower warned us of a growing military-industrial complex. He said, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist.” All these years later, his prediction has come true. In a new article in The American Conservative magazine, Gareth Porter argues that the US has transitioned into a “permanent war complex,” where wars are now not meant to be temporary.
Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show.
A federal judge in California has temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from denying asylum claims made outside of legal checkpoints, dealing a setback to the president’s efforts to halt thousands of migrants making their way from Central America to the US border. Brian and John speak with Juan Carlos Ruiz, cofounder of the New Sanctuary Movement.
Airbnb announced yesterday that it would withdraw all listings for homes in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying that those settlements were “at the core” of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Israel’s tourism minister said he would sue the company immediately. Also yesterday, an Israeli sniper shot an AP cameraman with a press jacket on. Ariel Gold, a peace activist and the national co-director of Code Pink, joins the show.
The White House yesterday reinstated the press credentials of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, but not until drafting new rules saying that any reporter who asks a follow-up question without permission could then lose his or her press credentials. CNN has dropped its lawsuit against Trump. Meanwhile, the White House Correspondents Association, apparently bowing to Trump, announced that it would not have a comedian at its annual dinner this year, but instead will have a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian speak. Last year’s speaker, comedian Michelle Wolf, called the association “a bunch of cowards.” Tim Karr, the senior director of strategy and communications at Free Press, joins Brian and John.
The Trump Administration is preparing to add Venezuela to the list of state sponsors of terrorism in what would be a dramatic escalation of the conflict between the two countries. The list of state sponsors of terrorism is for countries “that repeatedly provide support for acts of international terrorism” and currently includes only Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. Jeanette Charles, a writer, editor, and solidarity liaison with Venezuelanalysis.com, joins the show.
President Trump yesterday picked a Twitter fight with Pakistan over what he called that country’s refusal to do “anything” to help the United States. Pakistan summoned the US Ambassador to protest, and Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter to rebut Trump’s allegations. Brian and John speak with Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, the Scholar-in-Residence and director of the Middle East Institute’s Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies.
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