Loud & Clear

Latest Episodes:

Trump-Modi Meeting: American and Indian Nationalism Go Head-to-Head Jun 26, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by author and economist Steve Keen.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Donald Trump in Washington -- but underneath the surface, are Trump’s “America First” and Modi’s “Make in India” strategies incompatible?
The injunction on Donald Trump’s travel ban has been partially lifted by the Supreme Court, and the case will be heard in full in October. What does this mean for the fight against the Trump agenda? Brian is joined by Trina Realmuto, an attorney with the National Lawyers Guild’s National Immigration Project.
The FARC in Colombia is expected to officially complete its process of disarmament tomorrow, but a hunger strike begins today as political prisoners say the government has been dragging its feet in implementing its end of the bargain. Right-wing paramilitary violence continues to surge. James Jordan, a member of the Alliance for Global Justice, joins Brian with a first-hand account of what's been taking place in Colombia.

Saudi Monarchy Wants to "Behead" Qatar Jun 23, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek fills in for Brian Becker and is joined by Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief of The Duran
Saudi Arabia and the other four Arab states that imposed a blockade against Qatar have given the country 10 days to comply with a list of demands including the closing of Al-Jazeera and a Turkish military base. What’s next in the ongoing crisis?
A Washington Post investigation says that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin gave specific instructions to help get Donald Trump elected. But, as usual, these explosive allegations are backed up no named sources or hard evidence. Former CIA analyst and political activist Ray McGovern joins the show.
Venezuela has struck back at attempts to overthrow its government as the U.S. and right wing governments in Latin America stepped up their aggression this week. But the country’s Bolivarian Revolution is moving forward as it prepares to convene a Constituent Assembly. Dr. Francisco Dominguez, head of the Latin American Studies Department at Middlesex University, joins Walter.

America Tortures Once Again -- This Time in Yemen War Jun 22, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by independent journalist Catherine Shakdam.
An AP investigation has revealed that the United Arab Emirates is operating a series of black-site prisons in Yemen where horrific torture takes place, with the United States deeply involved.
Senate Republicans have unveiled a bill to replace Obamacare. The brutal plan phases out the expansion of Medicaid and strips funding from Planned Parenthood, among other attacks on the right to healthcare. Margaret Flowers, the co-director of Popular Resistance, joins the show.
New documents obtained by The Intercept reveal that a security firm called TigerSwan that spied on the Standing Rock protest movement was working with Illinois police to unconstitutionally surveil the ANSWER Coalition in Chicago while it organized anti-Trump protests this year. Brian is joined by John Beacham, coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition in Chicago.

Democratic Party Elites Stick With Losing Strategy Jun 21, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Anoa Changa, host of the weekly radio show The Way With Anoa.
Republican Karen Handel has won the special election in Georgia. The Democratic Party establishment has been expecting big electoral victories due to Trump’s unpopularity, but this is not materializing.
In a dramatic shakeup, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has been ousted and replaced by King Salman’s 31-year-old son, who has played a central role in the Kingdom’s genocidal war against Yemen. Massoud Shadjareh, co-founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins the show.
Theresa May has laid out her government’s proposed laws in the annual Queen’s Speech -- but as protests swell in the streets in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire, are her days as Prime Minister numbered? Steve Hedley, assistant general secretary of the RMT Union, and activist Jacqueline Walker, join Brian to discuss if a Corbyn-led government could be around the corner.

Syria Showdown: Is U.S.-Russia Confrontation Looming? Jun 21, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by international affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda.
The U.S. coalition in Syria has shot down an Iranian drone, two days after it downed a Syrian jet near Raqqa. The U.S. says it is only interested in fighting Daesh, but do these incidents indicate a shift back to the goal of regime change?
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko met with Donald Trump at the White House earlier today, praising his country’s reforms and saying Ukraine is a story of success. Is Trump signaling that his administration will continue the policy of aggression towards Russia? Jim Jatras, political analyst and a former U.S. diplomat, joins the show.
Donald Trump has tweeted about North Korea today, saying ominously that while he appreciates the efforts of China ‘it has not worked out’. The tweet comes just hours after he condemned the ‘brutality of the North Korean regime’. Will Griffin, an organizer with the U.S.-based Stop THAAD in Korea and US Militarism in Asia and & Pacific, joins Brian.

Binney, McGovern, Rowley: Wikileaks and the Global Information War Jun 19, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Ray McGovern, an activist and a former CIA analyst; by Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent and whistleblower; and by Bill Binney, a former NSA technical director and whistleblower.
Today marks five years since Wikileaks founder Julian Assange sought asylum in Ecuador. In the half a decade since then, Assange has been prevented by British authorities from leaving the Ecuadorian embassy in London despite the UN finding last year that he has been the subject of arbitrary detention. His case and the campaign against Wikileaks have caused a global debate over whistleblowing that rages to this day.

Will Trump Face Obstruction of Justice Charge? Jun 16, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Ray McGovern, activist and a former CIA analyst; and by Jim Kavanagh, editor of ThePolemicist.net.
The Washington Post is reporting that President Trump is being investigated for obstruction of justice by Robert Mueller, the special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation. What are the politics behind this latest revelation?
Donald Trump is set to announce changes to U.S. policy toward Cuba today in Miami, and is expected to reverse the gains made in recent years and double down on the traditional U.S. policy of unmitigated aggression. Author and lecturer Arnold August joins the show.
The U.S.-led coalition has admitted to the use of white phosphorus in Mosul, with evidence also pointing to its use in Raqqa. What is white phosphorus, and is this a blatant war crime? Alberto Garcia Watson, former senior correspondent for HispanTV, joins Brian.

Trump Gives Pentagon Blank Check for Expansion of Afghan War Jun 15, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of CODEPINK.
Donald Trump has given the Pentagon the authority to determine troop numbers in Afghanistan, as Secretary of Defence James Mattis has admitted that the U.S. isn’t winning and many predict that thousands of additional U.S. troops will be sent to fan the flames of the war.

Jeff Sessions Testifies: What Did He Say About Comey, Trump, Russia? Jun 14, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Jane Cutter, the editor of LiberationNews.org, and by Kevin Zeese, co-director of Popular Resistance.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has testified in a public Senate Intelligence committee hearing. What did he say about Comey, Trump and the investigation into alleged election meddling as the Russia witch hunt continues to roll on?
Donald Trump celebrates his 71st birthday day as a political civil war continues to engulf Washington. We take a look at a life marked by extreme bigotry, extreme privilege and dumb luck. Brian is joined by Anoa Changa, the host of the weekly show The Way With Anoa and Deputy Director of MPACT, and by Ben Weaver, Political Director of MPACT
The diplomatic crisis among Gulf monarchies continues to develop rapidly. Qatar has hired George W. Bush’s attorney general John Ashcroft as its lawyer and for ‘crisis response’. What’s next in the rift in the Gulf? Massoud Shadjareh, co-founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins the show.

Washington Political Civil War Heats Up as Attorney General Testifies Jun 13, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by political cartoonist and columnist Ted Rall.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions goes before the same Senate committee today that former FBI director James Comey testified to last week. What can we anticipate in the ongoing investigation anti-Russia witch hunt?
Amid economic crisis, Puerto Rico voted Sunday in a referendum on joining the United States as a state, but with voter turnout at only 23 percent and most other parties boycotting it, does the vote really reflect the will of the people of Puerto Rico? Camilo Punsoda, spokesperson for Juventud Trabajadora, the youth wing of the Working People’s Party of Puerto Rico, joins the show.
Bernie Sanders has gone on the offensive, at least a rhetorical offensive, in the aftermath of Jeremy Corbyn’s success in the UK election. Are radical, left wing ideas more successful in stopping the far right than establishment centrism? Julie Hurwitz, a lawyer and activist who was a Sanders activist and on the rules committee at the Democratic National Convention, speaks with Brian about Sanders' latest comments.

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