Loud & Clear

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SCOTUS Approves Trump's Travel Ban, But Refugee Rights Fight Continues Jun 26, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sundrop Carter, executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 today to let stand President Trump’s travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries. The majority said that the ban fell within the scope of presidential authority. Meanwhile, the head of Customs and Border Protection said yesterday that the bureau has temporarily stopped referring for criminal prosecution adults who cross the border with children.
The Syrian government said today that Israel fired two missiles that struck targets near Damascus Airport this morning. Meanwhile, fighting in the south intensifies as the battle for control of one of the armed opposition’s last strongholds gets underway. Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement, joins the show.
We continue our weekly series False Profits -- A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey.
Whistleblower Reality Winner agreed to a sentence today of 63 months in federal prison, on one felony count of espionage. In contrast, Jeffrey Sterling had 7 counts of espionage and received 42 months. Winner’s sentence is especially harsh, but is a harbinger of things to come from the Trump Administration. Brian and John speak with Kevin Gosztola, the managing editor for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure.
The European Union Withdrawal Bill has formally become law in the UK, following a delicate compromise between the government of Theresa May and both houses of the British parliament. The legislation enables EU law to be transferred into UK law and it repeals all previous laws that allowed the UK to join the EU. It is one of the final pieces of legislation necessary to implement Brexit. Legendary anti-war activist and former British parliamentarian George Galloway joins the show.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani promised that the government would be able to handle the economic pressure of new US sanctions, a day after traders demonstrated outside parliament to protest a sharp fall in the value of the national currency. Those sanctions are due to take effect soon. Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, joins the show.
Have you ever been to Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn, NY? It has a fantastic view of lower Manhattan. One of the most imposing buildings you see is the AT&T Building. It’s a skyscraper, but it has no windows. Why? According to The Intercept, it doubles as a secret facility for NSA. And apparently there are other such AT&T buildings in most major American cities, including Washington.
The Supreme Court yesterday ruled on two highly-anticipated gerrymandering cases in North Carolina and Texas, saying that most of the controversial maps in both states will be used in the upcoming election. The ruling allows three of the four Texas districts to stand, and all of the North Carolina districts. Brian and John speak with Chris Hughes, a staff attorney at FairVote who focuses on ranked choice voting, voting rights, and electoral reform.

Erdogan Tightens Grip in Turkey after Election Victory Jun 25, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Nevzat Evrim Önal, a journalist with the Turkish newspaper SoL, and Max Zirngast, an independent writer in Istanbul.
In a victory address, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to fight terrorist groups and to enhance the country’s international stature. Erdogan won reelection on Sunday with 52.5 percent of the vote. More importantly, though, the country has moved from a parliamentary democracy to one with an executive presidency. And the position of Prime Minister has been abolished. Many international observers are concerned that there is now too much power in the hands of one man in Turkey.
Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa, our new full half-hour technology and privacy segment, is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the National Surveillance State are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights, and civil liberties. Today they focus on companies working with ICE, Google products secretly recording conversations, and how to choose a strong password. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.
Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Sunday that the military will build two temporary camps at unused military bases to house as many as 20,000 children in the deportation process, a sign of increasing military support for the Trump Administration’s hardline immigration policy. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security apparently has no idea how to reunite the children, who were forcibly separated from their parents. Brian and John speak with Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos.
The new Italian government torpedoed an EU summit on migration over the weekend, saying that refugees and migrants are a threat to Europe’s borders and to free movement in the EU. Several countries boycotted the meeting, which was meant to shore up the position of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and, in the end, no policy decisions were made. Alexander Mercouris, the editor-in-chief of The Duran, joins the show.
Monday’s regular segment “Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers” looks 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? Today continues a conversation on racism in admissions to private and charter schools. The hosts speak with Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto.”
Defense Secretary James Mattis is making his first official visit to China this week. He’ll also make stops in South Korea and Japan. Much of the discussion will be about North Korea. But Mattis also has another agenda--trade with China. Jude Woodward, the author of the new book “The US vs China: Asia's new Cold War?,” joins the show.
Presidential son-in-law and Middle East peace czar Jared Kushner is in Israel today, where he harshly criticized Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Kushner’s comments appear to be an attempt to head off criticism of the as-yet-unannounced Trump Middle East peace plan, which is also opposed by Jordan. Saudi Arabia, though, will throw its considerable weight and money behind Kushner and Israel. Brian and John speak with Daoud Kuttab, an award-winning Palestinian journalist.

Expanding America’s “Warfare” State: Democrats & Republicans Unite! Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of “The Plot to attack Iran” and Kevin Zeese, the co-coordinator of Popular Resistance at popularresistance.org.
The Senate voted this week 85-10 to give the Pentagon a budget of $716 billion for fiscal 2019. That’s an increase of $82 billion from this year. Economists warned that such major budget increases are untenable over the long term because of the size of the federal deficit. And Congress doesn’t seem to care about the optics of such a vote in the middle of the immigration crisis—despite the facts that some of this funding will go to keeping immigrants in military bases, and that it’s the US-supported coups in Latin America that have been a big contributing factor to immigration.
On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, the hosts talk about developments in races all across America as they tighten up. Jacqueline and Abdus Luqman, the co-editors-in-chief of Luqman Nation, and the host of the Facebook livestream “Coffee, Current Events & Politics” Thursdays at 9 p.m., join the show.
As demonstrations continue across the country, including an occupation in Portland outside an ICE facility, controversy continues to swirl over the fate of detained families and asylum seekers. Will the children really be reunited with their parents? Is the Trump administration considering even more draconian anti-immigrant measures? Brian and John speak with Angie Kim, the community engagement & advocacy coordinator for NAKASEC (the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium), and David Bennion, an immigration lawyer and executive director of the Free Migration Project.
In a 5-4 decision today, the Supreme Court ruled that police need a warrant to access cell phone location data. The hosts talk about what this means for the fight against mass surveillance and police misconduct. Chip Gibbons, policy and legislative counsel for Defending Rights & Dissent, as well as a journalist, joins the show.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley branded as “patently ridiculous, misleading, and politically motivated” a UN report condemning entrenched poverty in the United States. She added that the UN should be focused on countries like Rwanda and Burundi instead. Ajamu Baraka, national organizer of Black Alliance for Peace, the 2016 Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, and a longtime human rights and political activist and organizer, and Aislinn Pulley, an organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement in Chicago, joins Brian and John.
Global oil prices were sharply lower on Thursday and then sharply higher on Friday as OPEC ministers moved toward an agreement to keep production low. Iran and Venezuela had argued for lower output to keep prices high. 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” joins the show.
The hosts continue the regular segment of the worst and most misleading headlines. Walter 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 Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell.

Will Kids Now Be Jailed Indefinitely With Their Parents? Jun 21, 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.
President Trump yesterday signed an executive order reversing his policy of separating migrant children from their parents. The policy drew across-the-board condemnation from Democrats and Republicans alike, although it was also seen as a political sop to Trump’s right-wing base. The hosts look at what’s next for asylum seekers, immigrants, and their families.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un completed his third trip to China in as many months, where he consulted with Chinese leaders on next steps with the United States. President Trump said that since his summit with Kim in Singapore, North Korea has returned the remains of 200 US soldiers missing from the Korean War. And in the United States, a new poll shows that 55 percent of Americans support Trump’s North Korea policy, the single most popular policy of his presidency. John Ross, Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, joins the show.
On the regular Thursday series “Criminal Injustice,” about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country, the hosts discuss Prison Legal News under fire in Florida and the skyrocketing “gang database” in New York City under Mayor Bill de Blasio. Brian and John speak with Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News, and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure.
Nine months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the island’s government has moved to privatize and upgrade its outdated electrical grid. Dr. Adriana Garriga-Lopez, associate professor and chair of the anthropology and sociology department at Kalamazoo College, and Freddyson Martinez, the vice president of UTIER, or the Electrical Industry and Irrigation Workers Union, which represents workers with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, join the show.
Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israel’s prime minister, was charged today with felony counts of fraud and breach of trust. She’s accused of spending more than $100,000 on meals at the prime minister’s residence, and $10,000 on private chefs for herself. The charges carry a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. Miko Peled, the author of “The General’s Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” and "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,” joins Brian and John.
An East Pittsburgh police officer is being accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Antwon Rose after the youth fled a car the officer had pulled over. Video of the incident shows Rose being shot in the back. He was unarmed. Protests against police violence continued in Pittsburgh today. Native Pittsburgher and Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek joins the show.
“Church and State: The Israel Experiment” is an upcoming film by Netra Halperin. Brian and John speak with Netra Halperin, a Hollywood producer and director with a concern for peace and equality to talk about the film.
One year after Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud was elevated to Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, as well as Defense Minister, his war in Yemen rages on. While MBS, as he is known, maintains an ongoing charm offensive in the west, his policies threaten the lives of millions of Yemenis, at least eight million of whom are currently at risk of starvation. And all of this is in the name of curbing Iranian influence in the region. Independent political analyst Marwa Osman joins the show.

"You Failed to Bow to our Dictates!" US Leaves UN Human Rights Council Jun 20, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ariel Gold, a peace activist and the national co-director of Code Pink.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced last night that the US would withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling it a “cesspool of political bias.” The action was taken in a fit of pique after 120 countries voted to condemn Israel for its killing of Palestinians along the Gaza border. Meanwhile, an exchange of rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes in Gaza threatens to spiral into all-out war.
Images of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents separating children from their parents at the border are in the front of our collective minds right now. But believe it or not, the policy of breaking up families has a long and ugly history in the United States. For decades the government sent native children to boarding schools, where they were stripped of their culture and abused physically, emotionally, and sexually. Denise Lajimodiere, professor of educational leadership at North Dakota State University and president of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, and Andrea Carmen, executive director of the International Indian Treaty Council, join the show.
Beyond Nuclear with Kevin Kamps is Loud & Clear’s regular Wednesday segment. The hosts and Kevin look at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Today they focus on the proposed nuclear and coal bailout, as well as localities pushing back against poorly designed nuclear waste disposal. Brian and John speak with Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are scrambling to put together a bill that would reunite migrant children with their parents, as eight governors announce that they will not allow their state National Guard units to deploy to the border, professional organizations warn of the long term effects of separation on the children, and the policy galvanized Democrats. Brent Wilkes, a leading immigrant rights advocate, joins the show.
Military officers of the United Arab Emirates are running a system of at least 18 secret prisons in Yemen. Former detainees from those prisons say the Emiratis raped and tortured them in a pattern of sexual violence and abuse that was carried out all across the country. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins Brian and John.
National PUBLIC Radio seems to have a problem with government-related media outlets. This morning the station ran yet another ridiculous hit piece going after RT and Sputnik. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show.
Former CIA director John Brennan told MSNBC yesterday that he was alarmed by reports that the Trump Administration has carried out five times the number of drone attacks around the world than the Obama Administration carried out. Brennan claimed that the Obama drone program killed almost no civilians at all and that Trump must be killing civilians due to the sheer volume of the bombings. Brian and John speak with Dr. Nazia Kazi, an activist and professor of anthropology at Stockton University, and Dr. Margaret Flowers, the co-coordinator of Popular Resistance whose work is at PopularResistance.org.
Violence continued across Nicaragua today, a day after the collapse of talks between President Daniel Ortega and the opposition. More than 180 people have been killed in violence started when the IMF demanded that the government cut pensions and impose economic austerity. Nils McCune, a political analyst and journalist, joins the show.

Trump Cancels War Games Aimed at North Korea Jun 19, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Medea Benjamin, an anti-war and anti-torture activist and the co-founder of Code Pink, and Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and a member of the Korean Peace Network.
The US and South Korea have canceled a major military exercise scheduled for August after President Trump made the surprise concession in Singapore last week. Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in Beijing for consultations. He has also been invited to visit Moscow and Washington, and rumored to have been invited to Japan.
In Loud & Clear’s weekly Wednesday series False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey, the hosts join Daniel in analyzing the back-and-forth trade war between China and the US. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show.
Former FBI Director Comey released an op-ed today in the New York Times defending his actions in the Hillary Clinton email probe. The hosts continue to discuss yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing featuring the Justice Department’s Inspector General and the FBI Director. Inspector General Michael Horowitz defended his finding that political bias played no role in the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails, although he said that he was deeply concerned about the inappropriate and unethical behavior and actions of dozens of FBI agents. Brian and John speak with Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of “The Plot to Attack Iran.”
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were American citizens who were accused in the 1950s of spying for the Soviet Union. They were put through a politically charged trial and quickly convicted, despite convincing evidence that Ethel was innocent of any crime and Julius was guilty of no more than a minor one. Sixty five years ago today they were executed. Their sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol have worked for years to clear their parents’ names. Michael Steven Smith, who is an attorney, author, activist, and host of the radio show Law and Disorder, joins the show.
A former CIA employee was charged with multiple counts of espionage for allegedly leaking documents that became known as the Vault 7 revelations. Prof. Bryan Ford leads the Decentralized/Distributed Systems lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), joins Brian and John.
Political pressure is growing rapidly on the Trump Administration to end its policy of separating migrant families at the border. A poll released yesterday shows that 66 percent of Americans oppose the policy, the United Nations declared it a form of child abuse, and even Republican senators are sponsoring bills to end it immediately. Jorge Barón, the executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, joins the show.
Today, the 19th of June, is Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865 when 250,000 slaves in Texas were finally told that they were free, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. One hundred fifty three years later, Juneteenth is still relevant as people of color still struggle for equal rights in the United States and as migrants fight to keep their families together. Brian and John speak with C. R. Gibbs. He’s an author and co-author of six books and a frequent national and international lecturer and he appears regularly on television to discuss historical issues. He is the featured speaker at a Juneteenth history event going on now hosted by ONE D.C. & Stop Police Terror Project DC.

Comey, FBI Under Fire at Congressional Hearings on Clinton E-mail Probe Jun 18, 2018

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, and a contributor to Businessweek and The Nation, and by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of “The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.”
As we speak, the Senate Judiciary Committee is meeting to hear from the FBI and the Inspector General over the report the IG’s office released last week on Comey’s behavior and other topics. Additionally, Paul Manafort was jailed on Friday and there are claims thatRoger Stone met with a Russian national for dirt on Clinton.
Nearly 2,000 children have been taken from their parents at the US-Mexico border since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the policy of separating them several weeks ago. That policy also mandates prosecution of the parents for illegal entry into the United States. Humanitarian and religious groups, and even the United Nations, have condemned the policy. We’ll take a look at the new policy and how it differs from that pursued by the Obama Administration. Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos, which has been helping organize protests against family separation, join the show.
Secretary of Defense James “Mad Dog” Mattis spoke at the graduation of the US Naval War College and laid out the US military’s future plans. He spoke about “remaining vigilant” against North Korean nuclear threats, preventing Russia from undermining America’s moral authority, and standing up to our perceived rival China. Brian and John speak with international affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda.
Friends and supporters of Julian Assange are holding two rallies tomorrow at 11:00 Eastern time in Lafayette Square in front of the White House and another at 4:30 at the British Embassy to protest the conditions to which Julian is being subjected inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Julian is not permitted to have internet access, nor is he allowed any visitors other than his attorneys. Kevin Zeese, the co-coordinator of Popular Resistance, whose work is at popularresistance.org, joins the show.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel accepted a two week deadline to win agreement on a tougher immigration policy in a concession to her coalition partner. She also announced that the European Union heads of state will likely hold a summit on immigration and refugees June 23 and 24. Meanwhile, President Trump today said incorrectly that the German people have turned against Merkel because of immigration and that Germany has become a violent and dangerous place. Jasmin O’Hara, founder of The Worldwide Tribe, who has been involved in providing aid to refugees, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell, join Brian and John.
Ivan Duque, the conservative—some would say populist—candidate in Colombia has won that country’s presidency with 54 percent. He finished 12 points ahead of former guerilla Gustavo Petro, whose performance was the best ever for a left-wing candidate in one of South America’s most conservative countries. Duque promised to heal the rifts among Colombians, but the election revealed that those rifts are wide and deep. James Jordan, a member of the Alliance for Global Justice who has been deeply involved in supporting the Colombian peace process, and Paul Dobson, a writer for Venezuelanalysis.com, join the show.
Monday’s regular segment “Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers” looks 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? Today focuses on racism in admissions to private and charter schools. The hosts speak with Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto.”
On “Connected Lives, Private Profits with Chris Garaffa,” Chris helps the hosts look at technological issues that shape our world and how we can fight to maintain our civil rights and civil liberties in the face of increasingly advanced, and sometimes hostile, technology. Today they focus on the police using facial recognition software. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.

Is Midterm Election Shaping up to be a Referendum on Trump Presidency? Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou and Walter Smolarek (sitting in for Brian Becker) are joined by Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, and the host of the Facebook livestream “Coffee, Current Events & Politics” Thursdays at 9 p.m., joins the show.
On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, John and Walter talk about races in South Carolina, Ohio, and Florida.
“The Progress of This Storm” is a new and powerful book by Andreas Malm. In it, he addresses the environmental crisis caused by climate change, its roots in the system of capitalism, and how humanity can step back from the brink. Andreas Malm, who teaches Human Ecology at Lund University in Sweden and is the author of “Fossil Capital,” “Iran on the Brink,” and most recently “The Progress of This Storm,” joins the show.
The trade war with China widened today, as President Trump announced new 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese products. He also said that he’s considering tariffs on another $16 billion worth of Chinese goods. The Chinese retaliated almost immediately. Brian and John speak with Jude Woodward, the author of the new book “The US vs China: Asia's new Cold War?”
Fallout continues over the release yesterday of the FBI Inspector General’s report with President Trump pouncing on the finding of insubordination on the part of former FBI director James Comey, calling Comey and former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe “scum” and saying that the FBI under Barack Obama was “a den of thieves.” The IG also found that Comey used a private email account for government business. Commentators are saying today that the report will likely only further polarize the country. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of “The Plot to attack Iran,” joins the show.
The leader of the Pakistani Taliban has reportedly been killed in a U.S. airstrike.Mullah Fazlullah became leader of the group in 2013, and his death would mark another turn as the war drags on in Afghanistan and Northwest Pakistan. Marvin Weinbaum, the Scholar-in-Residence and director of the Middle East Institute’s Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies, joins Brian and John.
The House of Representatives is considering what it calls a “compromise” bill that would give visas to Dreamers, those people who were brought to the United States as children with their undocumented parents. The bill, though, is a disaster. It would not allow any path to citizenship for Dreamers and makes it a crime to earn less than 125 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill would eliminate the green card lottery, cut family immigration to the bone, and virtually end asylum request approvals. Angie Kim, the community engagement & advocacy coordinator for NAKASEC (the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium), joins the show.
The hosts continue the regular segment of the worst and most misleading headlines. Walter 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 Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell.

Clinton Email Probe Report Released: Were Comey Decisions All Politics? Jun 14, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou and Walter Smolarek (sitting in for Brian Becker) are joined by Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who was named Time Magazine person of the year with two other whistleblowers, and Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry and the author of "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."
A highly anticipated FBI Inspector General’s report released today found that former FBI director James Comey deviated from official procedures in handling the probe into Hillary Clinton. The Inspector General found that Comey was not motivated by bias, but his actions damaged the FBI’s image of impartiality.
On the regular Thursday series “Criminal Injustice,” about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country, the hosts discuss Prison Legal News under fire in Florida and the skyrocketing “gang database” in New York City under Mayor Bill de Blasio. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
A federal judge today refused to dismiss a lawsuit by an American journalist challenging his apparent placement on a “kill list” by US authorities in Syria. The ruling clears the way for Bilal Abdul Kareem to seek answers and try to clear his name after what he says were five near misses by US airstrikes in Syria after he was mistaken for a militant. Brian and John speak with Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law where he specializes in national security law, especially as it relates to the prosecution of war crimes, and a regular contributor to CNN.
The United Nations General Assembly voted 120-8 with 45 abstentions to condemn Israel for its lethal use of force against Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza. Only the United States, Israel, Australia, and five tiny Pacific island countries opposed the measure, which also called on the UN to make recommendations on how to protect Palestinians. Ambassador Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, joins the show.
Four major human rights groups said today that the government of Ukraine is failing to respond adequately to attacks by far-right groups against marginalized communities in the country. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, and Front Line Defenders said in a report that ethnic minorities, women’s activists, and LGBTQ groups are particularly targeted. John Wight, the host of the weekly Sputnik Radio show Hard Facts, joins Brian and John.
A storage site holding half of Baghdad’s ballot boxes from Iraq’s recent parliamentary election in May caught fire this week in what appears to have been an act of arson ahead of a countrywide vote recount. Many parliamentarians are now even calling for the election to be re-run. Meanwhile, negotiations for the formation of a new government move forward as Iraqi leader Muqtada al-Sadr announces an alliance with a coalition associated with the Shiite militias that fought ISIS and are close with Iran. Massoud Shadjareh, the founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins the show.
Saudi and Emirati military forces continued to attack the Yemeni port city of Hudaidah today, pushing the country closer to a humanitarian crisis. The port of Hudaidah is the only way that millions of Yemenis can get food and medicine. The United Nations estimates that eight million people are at risk of starvation. Brian and John speak with Cindy Sheehan, an anti-war activist and journalist whose son Casey was killed during the Iraq War.

Battle for Peace Has Just Begun: US Elites Sabotaging US-Korea Process Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou and Walter Smolarek (sitting in for Brian Becker) are joined by Patrick Lawrence, the author of “Time No Longer: Americans After the American Century” and a columnist at The Nation, whose work is at patreon.com/thefloutist, and by co-host Brian Becker, who is in Singapore to cover the summit.
The intense struggle over the budding peace process in Korea continued today, as President Trump said this morning that North Korea “is no longer a nuclear threat,” but a full mobilization of the corporate media and a wide range of politicians in Congress is seeking to undermine the progress made in Singapore.
Beyond Nuclear with Kevin Kamps is Loud & Clear’s regular Wednesday segment. The hosts and Kevin look at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Today they focus on the proposed nuclear and coal bailout, as well as localities pushing back against poorly designed nuclear waste disposal. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.
South Carolina Congressman Mark Sanford was defeated in the Republican primary yesterday by a state legislator who criticized him for not supporting President Trump strongly enough. Trump tweeted his opposition to Sanford just hours before the polls closed yesterday. And that appears to have been enough to seal his fate. Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com.
Republican leaders late last night managed to pull together a long-awaited immigration agreement that satisfied both moderates and conservatives. The agreement calls for votes next week on two different immigration bills, a conservative one that will likely be defeated, and one that the Republican leadership will write this week with input from both of their factions. Miguel Andrade, the communications manager at the immigrant rights advocacy organization Juntos, and a member of the Board of Directors of the US Human Rights Network, joins the show.
The US Senate is challenging President Trump by inserting language in the annual defense bill that would prohibit him from lifting sanctions on Chinese telecom ZTE. The company had agreed to pay a $1 billion fine and to allow American inspectors after it was caught selling prohibited items to Iran and North Korea. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of the article in the World Review of Political Economy titled “Trump’s Déjà vu China Trade War,’ joins Walter and John.
In a victory for Amazon, Starbucks, and other major corporations, the Seattle City Council voted to repeal a tax that was meant to fund efforts to combat Seattle’s homeless problem. The tax would have raised $47 million a year to fund affordable housing projects. Jane Cutter, the editor of LiberationNews.org, joins the show.
In a major defeat for the Justice Department, a federal judge yesterday approved AT&T’s $85.4 billion merger with Time Warner. It’s a decision that is expected to unleash a wave of corporate mergers beginning with CVS and Aetna Insurance. Walter and John speak with Steve Keen, the author of “Debunking Economics” and the world’s first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen.

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