Loud & Clear

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Angry with Trump, Macron Calls for European Army: Real or Theater? Nov 13, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Peter Kuznick, a professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and the co-author with Oliver Stone of the book and TV show “The Untold History of the United States,” and Alexander Mercouris, the editor-in-chief of The Duran.
President Trump went to Paris over the weekend to attend a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of the first World War. By the time he left France on Monday, he was being scorned from several quarters. As U.S. relations with its European allies have dramatically shifted during the past two years, French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders have introduced the idea of the creation of a “European Army.”
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.
Midterm elections were held a week ago today, but more than a dozen races are yet to be decided. The most inflammatory fight is in the Florida Senate race, where Governor Rick Scott, who is leading by only 12,500 votes out of more than eight million cast, accused incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of voter fraud for asking for a recount. Scott is going with a scorched earth strategy to secure the seat, while in Arizona, Republican Senate candidate Martha McSally gracefully conceded to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema after falling behind by 38,000 votes out of more than two million cast. Brian and John speak with Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter and founder of This Can’t Be Happening!, as well as a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to the London Review of Books, The Nation, Extra! Tarbell, and Salon.com.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller could issue new indictments in the so-called Russian investigation as early as today. Jerome Corsi, a figure on the right-wing fringe, told his followers in a YouTube video that he expects to be indicted on perjury charges today. Meanwhile, the media is speculating that several people close to President Trump and other friends of Republican consultant Roger Stone also could be indicted. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books—“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War,” joins the show.
Wildfires in northern and southern California continued to spread over the holiday weekend, resulting in 44 deaths and becoming the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in the state’s history. More than 200 people are still missing. Meanwhile, President Trump tweeted that the fires are so severe only because of mismanagement by state fire prevention officials. That tweet was roundly condemned on both sides of the political aisle. Fred Magdoff, professor emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont and the co-author of “What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism” and “Creating an Ecological Society: Toward a Revolutionary Transformation” from Monthly Review Press, joins Brian and John.
A botched Israeli commando raid into Gaza late last night brought Israel and the Palestinians to the brink of war before Egyptian mediators convinced both sides to step back from the brink. Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians last night, an action which led to the largest-scale rocket fire into Israel since 2004. An Israeli officer was also killed. Daoud Kuttab, an award-winning Palestinian journalist, joins the show.
Last week, John sat in Athens with former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and renowned UBS whistleblower Brad Birkenfeld. They recorded their conversation about whistleblowing in the financial and banking sectors and about Varoufakis’s experience standing up to the Troika of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank, which was then in control of the Greek economy. Additionally, Varoufakis discussed his plans with Senator Bernie Sanders and other international progressive leaders to found a new international progressive movement.

On the Way Out, Sessions Gives Green Light to Unfettered Police Abuse Nov 09, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and author of “Blows Against the Empire: U.S. Imperialism in Crisis,” and Dr. Alex Vitale, an associate professor of sociology at Brooklyn College and author of “The End of Policing.”
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions took a parting shot at communities affected by police violence and civil libertarians on his way out the door when he severely limited the ability of federal law enforcement officials to use court enforced agreements, or consent decrees, to overhaul local police departments accused of abuses and civil rights violations.
Friday is Loud & Clear’s regular segment on the midterms, today taking a look at the just-completed political races around the country and some of the marquee races still yet to be decided. Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which hosts a livestream every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook, joins the show.
President Trump signed a new executive order yesterday denying migrants the right to ask for asylum when they are caught crossing the border without a visa. Immigrant rights organizations say the new executive order targets Central Americans almost exclusively. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court yesterday blocked the Trump Administration from ending DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Brian and John speak with Juan Carlos Ruiz, cofounder of New Sanctuary Coalition.
A federal judge late last night blocked construction of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, saying that the Trump Administration had “simply disregarded” the effect that the pipeline will have on climate change. The President said today that he will take the issue to the Supreme Court. Andrea Carmen, executive director of the International Indian Treaty Council, joins the show.
Utah, Nebraska and Idaho, three Republican-dominated states, all voted to expand Medicaid in midterm election ballot measures. What will this mean for the residents in those states? And what will it mean for the fight for the right to healthcare across the country? Leo Cuello, an attorney and the director of health policy for the National Health Law Program, joins Brian and John.
Four inmates in Tennessee are on death row, and are suing the state to let them choose to be killed via firing squad rather than the electric chair or lethal injection. Both methods have had many legal challenges, and the last lethal injection execution in Tennessee, which took place on August 9, took more than 20 minutes to complete. Deborah Golden, an attorney with Human Rights Defense Center and a national expert in prisoner human rights litigation, 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 blog Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producers Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.

Sessions is Gone: What Next in Washington’s Unfolding Political Drama? Nov 08, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Julie Hurwitz, a civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James, and Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer and the author of the new book “The Plot to Control the World: How the US Spent Billions to Change the Outcome of Elections Around the World.”
Jeff Sessions is out as Attorney General after a long period of tension with Donald Trump. Brian reviews the ultra right-wing policies that earned him the ire of so many millions of people across the country, and considers what his replacement by acting Attorney General Whitaker means for the future of the Mueller investigation.
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.
12 people were killed in a horrendous mass shooting at a bar in southern California last night. Details are still emerging, but news is now reporting that the shooter was a 28-year old combat veteran of the Marine Corps in Afghanistan. Mike Prysner, a U.S. veteran who served four years in the Army in Iraq, a documentary filmmaker, and co-host of the anti-war podcast Eyes Left, joins the show.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fell and broke three ribs late last night. With conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch in their 50s and Samuel Alito and John Roberts in their 60s, what could the court look like if Trump makes more appointments? Brian speaks with Deborah Golden, an attorney with Human Rights Defense Center and a national expert in prisoner human rights litigation.
Dangerous new anti-abortion ballot measures passed in Alabama and West Virginia this week, setting up for an intense and protracted court battle. Is the historic Roe vs. Wade decision in jeopardy? Mia Raven, an advocate for women at the Reproductive Health Services of Montgomery abortion clinic, and the cofounder of the nonprofit next door to the clinic called POWER House – People Organizing for Women’s Empowerment & Rights, joins Brian.
Intense fighting took place last night in the province of Takhar, killing 14 Afghan government soldiers. As the government loses ground, is there any hope for a negotiated peace? Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, the Scholar-in-Residence and director of the Middle East Institute’s Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies, joins the show.
The second half of this week’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Brian speaks with Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear.

Dissecting the Midterm Election Results: What’s Next for U.S. Politics? Nov 07, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation; Loud & Clear co-host John Kiriakou; Florida activist Juliana Musheyev; and Josh Hovey, communications director of the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Results from the midterms have been rolling in, and this first hour is what happened at the polls last night. First, the hosts talk about the federal races for Congress. The Democrats won the House and the Republicans strengthened their lead in the Senate. How will this affect the nation when those new congresspeople get into office? What will the 2020 map look like? Then the hosts move into state races, where there were several tight races for governor. Last will be a few of the many important amendments and ballot measures that voters weighed in on last night, including a few states legalizing medical or recreational marijuana and the felony disenfranchisement law in Florida.
Less than 24 hours after polls closed in the midterms, Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned at the request of President Trump. The relationship between Trump and Sessions soured early, following Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the Russiagate investigation. Trump named an acting attorney general, but no one knows yet who will permanently fill the seat. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of ThePolemicist.net, joins the show.
Speaking by video link to a conference in Israel, Edward Snowden denounced the use of Israeli software that he says was used to track Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi before he was killed. Snowden also went on to comment on mass surveillance in Israel in general. Brian speaks with Bill Binney, a former NSA technical director who became a legendary national security whistleblower, and journalist and filmmaker Dan Cohen.
According to new reports, Amazon will open not one but two new headquarters -- in Long Island City, Queens and in Northern Virginia. As municipal governments competed to offer the company enormous tax breaks and other incentives in the hopes of reaping the economic benefits of hosting the new headquarters, is this a historic instance of bait-and-switch? 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 the show.
The incoming far-right administration of Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro is taking shape, and the military is set to take a huge role in the governance of the country. But inside the country and around the world people are pushing back to defend democracy in Brazil. João Rodríguez, a longtime political activist in Brazil who is currently a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, joins Brian.
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.

What’s at Stake in U.S. Midterm Elections? Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, the co-directors of Popular Resistance, and from Philadelphia by Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to Businessweek, The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com.
Today millions of people across the country are lining up to vote in crucial local, state and federal elections, as well as a number of important referendums. What is at stake in the midterm election, and how will it affect the direction of the country?
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.
On the eve of the midterm election, Facebook announced that it had conducted another round of account deletions. How have social media purges and constant stories about foreign interference impacted the political climate leading up to polling day? Brian speaks with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.”
Thousands of migrants from Central America are making the perilous journey north, fleeing violence, poverty and political repression. Donald Trump has made the caravan the top issue in the midterm election, whipping up anti-immigrant sentiment and talking about an “invasion”. But who really are the people who make up the caravan? Gloria La Riva, a journalist and filmmaker who has been reporting on the ground as the caravan makes its way through Mexico, joins the show.
The harshest U.S. sanctions yet have been imposed on Iran, targeting the country’s crucial oil sector. World leaders are expressing their frustration with U.S. unilateralism, but the economic pressure on the country continues to mount. Professor Mohammad Marandi, a professor of American Studies at the University of Tehran and an expert in postcolonial literature, joins Brian.
Three Venezuelan guards were killed along the border with Colombia this weekend by an armed group. This comes just days after US National Security Adviser John Bolton declared support for far-right Colombian President Ivan Duque while naming Venezuela in the “troika of terror.” Paul Dobson, a writer for VenezuelaAnalysis.com, joins the show.
Last week on Loud & Clear, the hosts talked about the Human Rights Watch report that featured North Korean defectors alleging sexual abuse in North Korea. Today, they’re joined again by Dr. Christine Hong to rebut these allegations and discuss how South Korean and other intelligence agencies use defectors to further a narrative aimed at disrupting steps toward peace and reunification. Brian speaks with Dr. Christine Hong, Associate Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at UC Santa Cruz and a member of the Korea Policy Institute.

Trump Tries to Choke Iran, Imposes New Severe Sanctions Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

The US reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil today that had been lifted under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The sanctions have already caused serious inflation and there are fears that products like medicine and food could become scarce. Eight countries have been temporarily exempted from the sanctions so their major oil purchases from Iran can continue, but the U.S. regime change push continues at full speed.
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.
Tomorrow is Election Day as tens of millions of people prepare to go to the polls to vote in a variety of federal, state and local elections. But if there’s a change of party control in either the House or the Senate, will the politics of this country really shift? Brian and John speak with Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to Businessweek, The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, and Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at rall.com.
In an interview yesterday Donald Trump shrugged off U.S. responsibility for the horrific airstrike on a school bus in Yemen that killed 51, including 40 children, saying “That was basically people that didn’t know how to use the weapon”. But what is the real role of the United States in this deadly war? 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.
If the Democrats win tomorrow, who will the Republicans blame? And if the Republicans win, who will the Democrats blame? From Russian interference to Chinese interference to much-maligned but extremely rare “voter fraud,” the two major U.S. political parties have a number of scapegoats at the ready to avoid blame. Jim Kavanagh, editor of thepolemicist.net, joins Brian and John.
Just days before the midterm election, Donald Trump amped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric and announced that he would send up to 15,000 U.S. soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border. As rank-and-file soldiers are yet again used as political pawns, U.S. military veterans are calling on their fellow service members to refuse the order to deploy. Mike Prysner, a US veteran who served four years in the Army in Iraq, a documentary filmmaker, and a co-host of the anti-war podcast Eyes Left, 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? Brian and John speak with Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto.”

Bolton’s “Troika of Tyranny” Speech Promotes US-Backed Regime Change Nov 02, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Max Blumenthal, a journalist and bestselling author whose latest book is “The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza,” the senior editor of Grayzone Project, and co-host of the podcast “Moderate Rebels.”
National Security Advisor John Bolton gave a fiery speech in Miami yesterday declaring the existence of a “troika of tyranny” in Latin America — Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Bolton also pledged support for far-right Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, who made several bold announcements yesterday. Since the election Bolsonaro said that he would move Brazil’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, he would merge the Environment and Agriculture Ministries, threatening the Amazon, and he would name former president Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva’s prosecutor as the new Minister of Justice.
Friday is Loud & Clear’s regular segment on the midterms, taking a look at political races around the country in the runup to midterm elections in November. Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which hosts a livestream every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook, joins the show.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican of Iowa, announced yesterday that for four years during the Obama Administration, the CIA intercepted the emails of potential Intelligence Community whistleblowers and the emails of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees. Grassley said that he had known this was happening for four years, but the information was classified. It was finally declassified at his request this week. Grassley blames former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper by name for what appears to be an overtly illegal act.
President Trump offered remarks yesterday evening about immigration and the thousands of troops he’s sending to the border. He said he hopes the military doesn’t have to shoot, but he told reporters that he’s told the military that if any migrants seeking asylum throw any rocks, that the military should consider the rock a rifle. Pedro Rios, the director of the American Friends Service Committee’s U.S./Mexico Border Program and chairperson for the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, joins the show.
US sanctions against Iran will take effect again on Monday, six months after the Trump Administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the Iran trade deal. The question, though is what other countries will do about the sanctions and whether waivers will make a difference. Professor Hamed Mousavi, a professor of political science with the University of Tehran, joins Brian and John.
Just hours after President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a positive phone call that pointed to an improvement in diplomatic relations, the Department of Justice issued indictments against two Chinese companies and three individuals yesterday for allegedly stealing trade secrets. What’s behind the mixed signals coming from the U.S. government? David Ewing, he is the chair of the San Francisco chapter of the US-China People’s Friendship Association, 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 blog Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.

Trump Promises 15,000 Troops to U.S.-Mexican Border Nov 01, 2018

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, and Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos.
With less than a week left before the midterm election, Donald Trump has announced that he would be sending up to 15,000 soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile Republicans released an overtly racist campaign ad yesterday showing an undocumented migrant who was convicted of killing two policemen saying with a smile that he would soon escape and kill more people and then blaming Democrats for the deaths.
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.
More than 1,000 Google employees and contractors briefly walked off the job yesterday in Europe and Asia amid complaints of racism, sexism, and abuse of executive authority in the workplace. More walkouts are scheduled today. Google’s chief executive said in a statement that the company will carefully weigh its employees demands and respond appropriately. Brian and John speak with Patricia Gorky, an activist and a tech worker in San Francisco.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, issued a report yesterday showing that the Afghan government controls less territory than it has at any time since the US invasion. SIGAR said that the government of Ashraf Ghani controls only 55.5 percent of Afghanistan after 17 years of US military aid and support. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show.
Human Rights Watch, the US-based human rights organization, released a study yesterday based on interviews with more than 100 North Korean defectors now in South Korea, saying that North Korean government officials routinely commit sexual violence against women with impunity. The allegation is shocking, but critics say this is just another smear job to derail steps towards peace in Korea. Dr. Christine Hong, Associate Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at UC Santa Cruz and a member of the Korea Policy Institute, joins Brian and John.
The Bank of England this morning warned of an economic catastrophe if the UK leaves the European Union without a Brexit deal. Bank governor Mark Carney said that absent an agreement, the UK should expect gridlock in its ports and airports, inflation, and a collapse in the value of the pound. This comes as police open a criminal probe into pro-Brexit campaign donor Arron Banks, who has been the target of conspiracy theories relating to his business interest in Russia. Steve Hedley, senior assistant general secretary of the the UK’s Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union, joins the show.
Rep. Steve King, a Republican of Iowa, is one of the most conservative and anti-immigrant members of the House of Representatives. He calls himself a nationalist. Many of his detractors call him a bigot, a racist, and a white nationalist. King made a controversial tweet a few days ago and instantly moved his safe Republican seat to a toss-up. Is there a limit to xenophobia, even for conservative Republicans?

About Face! After Khashoggi Incident, Mattis Announces Shift on Yemen Oct 31, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, and analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.”
Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called today for all participants in the Yemen war to begin a ceasefire within 30 days. The two said that within 30 days they wanted all parties to engage in peace talks that would be led by UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. No venue for talks has yet been announced.
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.
President Trump and his advisors are pushing ahead with his theory that he can revoke birthright citizenship by signing an executive order. Most Republican leaders and Constitutional scholars have condemned the president’s position on the basis that it violates the 14th Amendment, but the issue will likely have to be settled in the courts. Brian and John speak with David Gespass, the former President of the National Lawyers Guild.
An Israeli airstrike killed three young Palestinian boys on Sunday evening near the fence that separates Israel from Gaza. Israeli authorities say that one of their aircraft rocketed the boys, two aged 13 and one 14, while they were planting explosives. Palestinian authorities, however, said that was nonsense. Dan Cohen, a journalist and a documentary filmmaker with extensive experience in the Middle East, joins the show.
The New Zealand government said today that a landmark 11-country trade deal that would slash tariffs and increase trade will come into effect at the end of December after being ratified by New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Singapore. The Trump Administration withdrew from the Pacific Rim Trade Pact early last year to, in President Trump’s words, prioritize protecting American jobs. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California, author of “Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression,” and at www.jackrasmus.com, joins Brian and John.
Chabahar is an Iranian port on the Indian Ocean, Iran’s only direct access to open ocean. The port was built and developed by Indian companies working with the government of India to expand that country’s ability to trade with the rest of the world, but especially with Afghanistan. The idea was a good one for virtually all the economies of the area. But now US sanctions on Iran threaten the port’s viability. Vijay Prashad, the director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and chief editor of LeftWord Books, joins the show.
The Cook Political Report, arguably the most highly-respected political analysis outlet in the country, reported today that Democrats may be on the brink of a major sweep of governors’ mansions in every Great Lakes state with an election this year. Democratic gains would have lasting importance because of the upcoming 2020 census and the resultant mandate to draw new congressional district borders. Brian and John speak with Julie Hurwitz, a Detroit civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James.

Pittsburgh Massacre: A Look Inside the Politics of Polarization Oct 30, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dan Kovalik, a Pittsburgh human rights and labor lawyer, and the author of the new book “The Plot to Control the World,” and Eugene Puryear, the host of the Sputnik News show By Any Means Necessary.
Funeral services were held today for the victims of the anti-Semitic massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh as the city and the country mourns the loss of life in this brazen terror attack carried out by a white supremacist. Donald Trump is also on his way to the city, as he continues to face criticism over the impact of his rhetoric on the political climate in the country.
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.
President Trump said in an HBO documentary that will be broadcast Sunday that he would seek to end birthright citizenship by executive order, that is automatic American citizenship for any person born in the United States. Apparently he hasn’t bothered to read the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Brian and John speak with Juan Carlos Ruiz, cofounder of New Sanctuary Coalition.
A judge in Ecuador has ruled against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, who had contested new rules imposed on him in the country's embassy in London. The judge said a requirement to pay for internet use and clean up after his cat did not violate his right to asylum. Assange had argued that the conditions violated his "fundamental rights and freedoms", and were intended to force him to leave. His lawyers have appealed against the ruling. Randy Credico, an activist, a comedian, and the former director of the William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice, joins the show.
Maria Butina, a Russian graduate student being held without bail for conspiracy to fail to register as a foreign agent, is now being accused of being involved in cyber warfare, according to the Associated Press. The only problem is that Butina WASN’T involved in cyber warfare. When she was studying at American University in Washington, one of her professors asked her to gather information on the cyberdefenses of US non-profits for a study he was doing. That’s it. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of ThePolemicist.net, joins Brian and John.
The New York Times reported yesterday that South Korean President Moon Jae-in is succeeding where all of his predecessors have failed — in engaging North Korea and convincing that country to give up its nuclear weapons program. But the article isn’t complimentary. It quotes a South Korean newspaper as saying that Moon is Kim’s most effective spokesman. And it quotes an American think tank analyst saying Moon is a “Bad moon on the rise,” quoting an old Creedence Clearwater Revival song. Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and a member of the Korean Peace Network, joins the show.
Midterm elections are one week away, so today the hosts look at how an offhand comment may affect them. Hillary Clinton told an audience in New York a few days ago that she still would like to be president. When asked if she would run again, she said no, paused, said no again, and then said that, well, sure, she’d like to be president. The interviewer says that the public has overreacted to the statement. But Clinton supporters relished the notion of another campaign against Donald Trump. Brian and John speak with Walter Smolarek, Sputnik news analyst and producer of Loud & Clear.

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