Loud & Clear

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World Cheers for Steps Toward Korea Peace But U.S. Media Outraged Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou and Walter Smolarek are joined by Hyun Lee, a member of the Solidarity Committee for Democracy and Peace in Korea and writer for Zoominkorea.org, and from Singapore by our own Brian Becker. Tune in again at the same time tomorrow to hear continuing analysis of the summit.
President Trump said after nearly five hours of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the two are on their way to “establishing new U.S.-DPRK relations.” A document the two leaders signed said that Kim “reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to denuclearization” while Trump offered North Korean security guarantees and the promise of economic relief. Although true denuclearization could take years, or even decades, both leaders said the new relationship got off to a good start.
While the military and foreign policy establishment in the United States is demanding that North Korea immediately denuclearize, the United States is in the midst of a $1 trillion upgrade of its nuclear weapons arsenal, and there appears to be little progress being made towards a nuclear-free world. These weapons of mass destruction have become normalized in the minds of so many, but what would it really look like if a nuclear exchange were to actually happen? Steven Starr, a professor who teaches about the environmental, health, and social effects of nuclear weapons at the University of Missouri, a senior scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility, and whose work is at www.nuclearfamine.org, joins the show.
In a brutal confirmation of the Trump Administration’s hard line on refugees, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered immigration judges to stop granting asylum to people who are victims of gang violence or domestic abuse. Sessions is trying to use his office to sharply change US immigration law. Brian and John speak with Danielle Norwood, a reproductive rights activist and a therapist specializing in treating adult and adolescent survivors of trauma.
Spain yesterday offered to take in a humanitarian ship stranded in international waters with 629 refugees aboard, including hundreds of children and 7 pregnant women, as the new Italian government and Malta refused to let it dock. Spain’s new socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez said he will allow the ship to dock in Valencia. The refugees today boarded another ship and are now on their way to Spain. Dick Nichols, the correspondent for Spain and Catalonia for Green Left Weekly, joins the show.
The Red Cross and UN have pulled out of the Yemeni city of Al Hudaydah. How bad is the situation in Yemen going to get? Independent political analyst Marwa Osman joins Brian and John.
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 is assessing the viability of social security and unpack the unemployment rate. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show.
Maine has instituted ranked choice voting, or instant runoff voting, which some argue is more fair than most voting systems used here in the US. The first statewide vote with ranked choice is taking place today. How does it work and is it more fair? Brian and John speak with Drew Spencer Penrose, legal and policy director at the election reform advocacy organization FairVote.

Trump-Kim Summit: A Brief Confrontation or Beginning of Path to Peace? Jun 11, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek and John Kiriakou are joined by co-host Brian Becker, who is in Singapore to cover the summit. He shares with us an interview from Nile Bowie, a journalist for Asia Times.
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are in Singapore for their historic summit. Statements from the White House are positive, with one saying that the summit could be finished in one day, with a North Korean commitment to denuclearize and a White House promise of non-aggression. There are even reports that before he left, Trump ordered Vice President Pence not to say anything negative about North Korea.
The G7 summit in Canada last weekend ended in a major, public dispute between Donald Trump and the other six leaders driven by the administration’s protectionist trade measures. Meanwhile, protesters and heavily militarized police faced off in Quebec City. Walter Smolarek, a Loud & Clear producer who was in Quebec City to cover the conference and demonstrations, joins the show, and shares an interview with Amir Khadir, a member of the Quebec National Assembly representing a district in Montreal and one of the most prominent political figures on the left in Quebec.
The Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality is official today. It had required internet service providers to offer equal access to all web content. Now providers can censor online content or they can charge you extra for better service. Nicole and John speak with Kevin Zeese, the co-coordinator of Popular Resistance, whose work is at popularresistance.org.
The Supreme Court ruled today that voter rolls can be cleared for those who are inactive for a certain amount of time, based on a case in Ohio. How will this kind of voter suppression affect people nationwide? Anoa Changa, the director of political advocacy and a managing editor of Progressive Army and host of the show The Way With Anoa, 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 focuses on privatization of schools and guns in 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 surveillance state. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.
Pablo Villavicencio, an undocumented father of two in New York City, was delivering food to an army base outside of the city when he was stopped by a guard who called ICE and had him arrested. The fight to save him from deportation has become a national flashpoint as the Trump administration's hardline anti-immigrant policies come under increasing fire. Walter and John speak with Brent Wilkes, a leading immigrant rights advocate.

G7? G8? G6? Divisions on Full Display at Summit of World Powers Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou and Nicole Roussell (sitting in for Brian Becker) are joined by Sputnik News analyst and producer Walter Smolarek, who is on the ground in Quebec City at the G7 summit, and Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada.
President Trump showed no signs of compromise on trade issues as he left for the G7 Summit in Canada this morning. In fact, he got into a Twitter war over tariffs with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even before he left Washington. The President also will skip the climate portion of the summit to travel to Singapore for his meeting with Kim Jong Un.
On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, Nicole and John talk about all the primaries that happened this week and how the presidential race is shaping up. 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.
Google has been reeling from an employee protest over the use of artificial intelligence for military purposes. So CEO Sundar Pichai told employees yesterday that the company will not use AI for weapons or for surveillance that violates human rights. Google will continue to work with governments and the military, though. Nicole and John speak with Paul Wallis, a technology reporter and Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Op-Eds who is also the author of many books including “Wanderlaugh.”
The FBI yesterday arrested James Wolfe, the recently-retired director of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee. He was charged with a felony count of making a false statement. Wolfe is under further investigation for revealing classified information with a reporter with whom he had a personal relationship, Ali Watkins. More troubling is the revelation that the FBI seized several years’ worth of Watkins’ and Wolfe’s electronic communications. Jim Jatras, a political analyst, a former US diplomat, and a former senior foreign policy advisor to the US Senate Republican leadership, joins the show.
The trials of J20 protesters continued this week in Washington, but with repeated setbacks for the prosecution. Yesterday, four defendants were either acquitted on all charges or acquitted on some and the jury deadlocked on others. The US Attorney for the District of Columbia will have to decide whether to retry on those counts. But so far, this has been nothing but a black eye for the government. Chip Gibbons, policy and legislative counsel for Defending Rights & Dissent, a journalist, and a contributor to the Nation, Jacobin, and the book The Henry Kissinger Files, joins Nicole and John.
Brazil took another step into privatization yesterday, when they auctioned off some of their nation’s oil fields. This is just days after truckers in Brazil have ended their 10-day strike over fuel prices, increasing the chaos under Temer’s rule since the parliamentary coup two years ago. Pepe Escobar, a writer and political analyst, joins the show.
The hosts continue the regular segment of the worst and most misleading headlines. Nicole 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.

Argentina Boycotts Soccer Game in Jerusalem as Israel Steps up Violence Jun 07, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net whose most recent piece is “Sacrificing Gaza: The Great March of Zionist Hypocrisy;” Ariel Gold, a peace activist and the national co-director of Code Pink; and longtime peace activist and member of Code Pink, Tighe Barry.
Argentina yesterday canceled a pre-World Cup soccer match with Israel that was scheduled to take place in Jerusalem, after worldwide outcry from the BDS movement and a Palestinian Authority spokesman called for Palestinians to burn Argentine soccer jerseys. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have denied parole for Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, who is serving eight months in jail for slapping an Israeli soldier. Her cousin Ezzadine Tamimi was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers yesterday.
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 a prison journalist, Kevin “Rahid” Johnson, who has been punished for talking to the press and Trump’s pardon of Alice Marie Johnson. 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.
Former President Bill Clinton said yesterday that his wife Hillary lost her presidential bid only because the Russian government preferred Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Clinton claimed, disingenuously, that without Stein, Hillary would have won the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, and with them, the presidency. Brian and John speak with Ajamu Baraka, the National Organizer, Black Alliance for Peace, a longtime human rights activist, organizer, and political activist, and the 2016 Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani today announced an unconditional week-long ceasefire with the Taliban to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This is the first time that a ceasefire has been called without preconditions. Ghani specified, however, that it does not apply to other groups, including ISIS. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, who just got back from Afghanistan, joins the show.
Democrats are taking a very hard line on the North Korea summit, requiring “complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program” in order to remove the crippling US economic sanctions. Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting the White House today for meetings with President Trump. Abe reportedly is expressing his concerns over North Korea in advance of next week’s summit there. Patrick Lawrence, the author of “Time No Longer: Americans After the American Century” and a columnist at The Nation whose work you can support at www.patreon.com/thefloutist, joins Brian and John.
The White House’s top economic advisor said today that President Trump is not backing down from his hard line on trade, setting the stage for a showdown with top allies at the G7 summit in Canada this week. The meetings on Friday and Saturday will be the first time that allied leaders have had to confront Trump in person since he instituted steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. Sputnik News analyst and producer Walter Smolarek, who is in Quebec City, joins the show.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Austria today as part of a policy to improve relations with the European Union. He’s also working to improve economic and trade relations with Europe in the aftermath of tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum by President Trump. Brian and John speak with legendary anti-war activist and former British parliamentarian George Galloway.

Robert Kennedy’s Assassination and How it Changed Politics in America Jun 06, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and Nicole Roussell (sitting in for John Kiriakou) are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and author of many books, including “Blows Against the Empire: U.S. Imperialism in Crisis.” and “The Deepest South: The United States, Brazil, and the African Slave Trade.”
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert F. Kennedy. His murder occurred just hours after he won the California Democratic primary. Kennedy probably would have gone on to win the 1968 election, and then, probably would have ended the Vietnam War. How would the world have been different if Robert Kennedy had lived?
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 Trump’s massive up-to-$11-billion-annually bailout of coal and nuclear plants. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, joins the show.
James “Mad Dog” Mattis is in Europe today meeting with European powers. What’s he there for? According to one Newsweek headline, “Trump Administration Tells NATO Prepare for Russian Attack with Planes, Ships, and Troops.” Brian and John speak with Mark Sleboda, he is an international affairs and security analyst.
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has requested from Sen Chuck Grassley immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying in front of a congressional hearing. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, joins the show.
Yesterday, Tuesday, June 5, was a big day for the midterms. There were primaries in eight states, including five gubernatorial primaries and House races across California. Nathalie Hrizi, a teacher/librarian who ran on the Peace & Freedom Party ticket for state insurance commissioner in California and received over 5% of the statewide vote, and Kevin Akin, the California State chair of the Peace and Freedom Party who ran for state treasurer, join Brian and Nicole.
Turkey and the US struck a deal this week over the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units, the YPG. Turkey has long wanted YPG out of Manbij, and threatened to continue its offensive in Afrin and push it east to Manbij. But this week, the two countries have agreed that the YPG will leave the area. Ambassador Peter Ford, the former British Ambassador to Syria, joins the show.
Jeff Sessions defended the Trump Administration’s policy yesterday of separating families at the border, saying, “If people don’t want to be separated from their children, they should not bring them with them.” Brian and John speak with Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos who wrote on Sessions’ comments today in the Arizona Daily Star.

June 5, 1967: How Israel’s War on Arab Countries Changed the Region Jun 05, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by journalist and filmmaker Dan Cohen and Miko Peled, the author of “The General’s Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” and the new book "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.”
People around the world yesterday mourned the assassination of a 21-year-old Palestinian medic, Razan al-Najjar, who was shot and killed by Israeli snipers as she was tending to wounded protestors. Razan is the second health worker killed by Israeli snipers, and one of more than 100 Palestinians killed in the past few weeks. The Israeli military said they would conduct an investigation into Razan’s death. Also, today marks the 51st anniversary of the Six Day War, which was a quick and decisive victory of Israel over its Arab neighbors and which greatly expanded the territory under Israeli control.
Tuesday’s weekly series “False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey” continues looking at the top economic issues of the day, including wealthy people like Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz running for office, the various trade wars, and when the next recession will be. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show.
The Iranian Government yesterday informed the United Nations nuclear watchdog that it planned to begin the process of increasing its capacity to enrich uranium. The Iranian decision was taken in light of the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or Iran Nuclear Deal. Brian and John speak with Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.
President Trump yesterday disinvited the entire Philadelphia Eagles football team from a White House event celebrating their Super Bowl victory because a handful of players were not planning to attend. The President was offended that individual players were boycotting the event and he released a statement criticizing them and alluding to the controversy over kneeling during the national anthem. Racial justice activist Candace McKinley joins the show.
The Pentagon is increasing spending on a secret research effort to use artificial intelligence to help anticipate the launch of a nuclear-capable missile, as well as to track and target mobile missile launchers. If the effort is successful, such computer programs will be able to think for themselves. Dr. Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a senior adviser to the Center for Defense Information, and formerly director of national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and Assistant Secretary of Defense during the Reagan Administration, joins Brian and John.
Prosecutors representing Special Counsel Robert Mueller yesterday accused former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of witness tampering. They say that Manafort has attempted to influence the testimony of two witnesses in his upcoming criminal trial, and they are asking a judge to revoke his bail and send him to jail. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of “The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War,” joins the show.
The Supreme Court, by a 7-2 vote, ruled yesterday that a Colorado cakeshop owner did not have to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The ruling was narrowly written and specific only to this case, but experts believe that it will encourage other people to file anti-civil rights cases based on religious freedom arguments. Brian and John speak with Jerame Davis, the executive director of Pride at Work, the LGBT constituency group of organized labor.

Did Mueller Team Leak Trump Letter? Jun 04, 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 Scapegoat Russia;” Jim Kavanagh, the editor of ThePolemicist.net; and Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter and a columnist for CounterPunch.
In a confidential 20-page letter to the Special Counsel, President Trump’s attorneys argue that he cannot be compelled to testify in the Russia investigation and he cannot be indicted for obstruction of justice because he has unfettered authority over all federal investigations. The letter apparently was leaked to the New York Times by someone in the Special Counsel’s office.
The US is inching closer to imposing sanctions on European Union companies that do business with Iran or that are engaged in the construction of the new Nordstream 2 pipeline that would deliver gas to the EU from Russia. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has rebuked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s attempts to secure further trade concessions from the country. John Ross, an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, and Reiner Braun, co-president of the International Peace Bureau, join the show.
At least 33 people died yesterday when Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted,.spewing ash, rock, and gas into the sky just 25 miles from the capital of Guatemala City. It’s the country’s deadliest volcanic eruption since 1902. How have colonization and deep inequalities in Guatemala contributed to the death toll? Brian and John speak with Jackie McVicar, a member of the Atlantic Region Solidarity Network, working in solidarity with people struggling for social justice and environmental protection in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Atlantic Canada, and a former co-coordinator of the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Solidarity Network.
Jordan’s King Abdallah replaced Prime Minister Hani Mulki today in an attempt to appease Jordanians who are protesting IMF-backed reforms that have hit the country’s poor particularly hard. The government also plans to end taxes that have brought thousands of people into the streets in the capital of Amman. Daoud Kuttab, an award-winning journalist reporting from Jordan, 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 focuses on research showing that the series of school closings in Chicago worsened the outcomes of children. 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 recent news about Google and Facebook. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.
The Yemeni army is on the verge of recapturing the coastal town of Hodeidah, which was taken over by Houthi rebels in 2014, and the US is being urged to step up its involvement. The port’s capture would effectively cut off supplies of arms and ammunition to the Houthis and it would severely limit the Houthis ability to fire rockets at Saudi Arabia. It was Hodeidah’s capture in 2014 that led to the Saudi invasion of Yemen. Brian and John speak with Catherine Shakdam, a political commentator and analyst focusing on the Middle East, and the author of “A Tale Of Grand Resistance: Yemen, The Wahhabi And The House Of Saud.”

Julian Assange Faces Extreme Pressure: US, UK Put Ecuador in a Vice Jun 01, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Randy Credico, an activist, a comedian, and the former director of the William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice, and Diani Baretto, an activist and journalist in Berlin.
Ecuador’s president Lenin Moreno said today that Julian Assange may remain inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London if he stays out of politics and avoids voicing his opinions on Twitter. He threatened that if Assange did not abide by his rules, he would “take appropriate measures.”
On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, Brian and John talk about races in North Dakota, Missouri, New York, West Virginia, and Tennessee, and a self-proclaimed pedophile running for office in Virginia. 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.
President Trump announced this afternoon that his June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is back on. The president spoke with senior North Korean leader Kim Yong Chol after the North Korean held talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Brian and John speak with Medea Benjamin, an anti-war activist who is the co-founder of Code Pink, and just returned from Korea, where she was meeting with other peace activists.
Political chaos reigns in the periphery of the Eurozone. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence. He was replaced by socialist Pedro Sanchez. And in Italy, an unorthodox mix of populist characters takes office led by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, a law professor who has been accused of embellishing his resume. Dick Nichols, the correspondent for Spain and Catalonia for Green Left Weekly, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Walter Smolarek, join the show.
President Trump yesterday demanded that US allies “fix trade” in the immediate aftermath of new tariffs on goods coming from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the US and Canada were very near a renegotiated trade deal yesterday when Vice President Pence suddenly demanded that any new deal automatically expire after five years. The Canadians walked away. 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 Brian and John.
When 167 schools closed in Puerto Rico a little more than a year ago, it was a painful sign that the island’s economy had not recovered from a long recession. But when another 265 school closed soon after that, it sent the entire education system into a state of turmoil. Why does Puerto Rico’s education system not function the way it should? Ruth Beltran, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Tampa, joins the show.
The hosts continue the regular segment of the 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, which you can find at lefti.blogspot.com, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell.

Trump Hits “Allies” with Stiff Tariffs: The Politics Behind a Trade War May 31, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Vijay Prashad, the Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and Chief Editor of LeftWord Books. He is the author—most recently—of “The Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution” and “Red Star Over the Third World.”
The Trump Administration today announced stiff new tariffs on steel and aluminum produced by three of the country’s biggest trading partners—Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, all of which vowed to retaliate. The decision will likely raise prices on a wide array of products for Americans and may presage a similar move soon against China.
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 a New Hampshire bill eradicating the death penalty that the governor vetoes, citing police and victims. 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.
The European Court of Human Rights has found that both Lithuania and Romania violated the EU’s prohibition on torture. The two countries were found to have violated the rights of terror suspects who were tortured in CIA-operated black sites that were set up during the Bush administration. Brian and John speak with Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst turned political activist and journalist.
The Virginia state senate approved a bill yesterday expanding Medicaid coverage to 400,000 low-income residents, putting an end to years of Republican opposition. The state assembly had already approved the measure, and Governor Ralph Northam said he would sign it into law as soon as it reaches his desk. Leo Cuello, an attorney and the director of health policy for the National Health Law Program, joins the show.
The hosts continue the discussion on electronic monitoring on recently released prisoners. Electronic monitoring is a popular government alternative to prison, but it discriminates against the poor, who simply can’t afford to pay for the service. And if they don’t pay, they go right back to prison. James Kilgore, a research scholar at the Center for African Studies at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) who also focuses on electronic monitoring and supervision at ChallengingECarceration.org, wrote the book “Understanding Mass Incarceration: A People’s Guide to the Key Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time,” and spent six-and-a-half years in federal and state prisons, joins Brian and John.
President Trump today pardoned conservative political commentator Dinesh D’Souza who was convicted in 2014 of violating campaign finance laws. Trump said that D’Souza was “treated very unfairly by our government.” The move was applauded by conservatives on Capitol Hill. He is also reportedly considering a pardon for Martha Stewart and a commutation for Rod Blagojevich. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, joins the show.
Karl Marx famously wrote that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, and then as farce. The Cold War was a tragedy. The new Cold War is playing out as farce. That’s the thesis of Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov in his new book, “The Russians are Coming, Again” which you can get from Monthly Review Press. Brian and John speak with Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov, an author and assistant professor of American history at the University of Tulsa.

America's Think Tank-Military-Industrial Complex: How it Rules May 30, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author, senior editor of Grayzone Project, and co-host of the podcast “Moderate Rebels,” whose latest film is “Killing Gaza.”
Washington is home to literally hundreds of think tanks. These quasi-academic institutions are supposed to be a home for subject matter experts to think the big thoughts, write important papers and books, and, perhaps to influence policy. But the truth isn’t that simple. Most think tanks are financed by special interests like defense contractors, foreign governments, and partisan billionaires. Very few Americans realize the impact these groups have on our government and on our politics.
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. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, joins the show.
Israelis and Palestinians traded fire today along the border with Gaza, as the two sides engaged in ceasefire talks. But even as the talks took place, Palestinians fired rockets into Israel and the Israeli military responded by bombing 25 sites in Gaza. Brian and John speak with Ali Abunimah, the co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of the book “The Battle for Justice in Palestine.”
The Treasury Department today levied new sanctions on six Iranian nationals and three Iran-based entities, including Ansar e-Hezbollah, the Hanista Programing Group, and the notorious Evin Prison. The hosts look at what this means in the broader context of US sanctions on Iran. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of “The Plot to attack Iran,” and Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, join the show.
Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko was reported killed in Ukraine, and investigators had been looking for his killer. But today at a press conference about his death, Babchenko appeared—alive. Investigators say they were looking for people who were threatening him by faking his death. Brian and John speak with Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst.
The Canadian government announced yesterday that it would buy Kinder Morgan’s Trans-Mountain Pipeline for $3.5 billion, hoping to save a project that has met with strong political and environmental opposition. Alison Bodine, a member of the Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice and of Climate Convergence - Metro Vancouver, joins Brian and John.
According to a new filing today, federal prosecutors are poised to receive more than 1 million files from the three cell phones of President Trump’s personal attorney, Daniel Cohen. Federal investigators already have access to more than 300,000 pages of documents seized from Cohen’s office. The filing was made by a special master, appointed to protect information subject to attorney-client privilege. But is that even possible in an investigation of this magnitude? Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of “The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War,” joins the show.

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