Loud & Clear

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WMD's For Real: Pentagon Drops 21,000 Pound Bomb on Afghanistan Apr 14, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by by Greg Mello, executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group.
The United States has dropped what is considered to be the largest non-nuclear bomb in eastern Afghanistan, continuing Donald Trump’s embrace of extreme militarism and setting a dangerous precedent for further aggression to come.
Turkey holds a referendum on Sunday on its constitution, with President Erdogan urging a vote that opponents say is a move to establish or solidify a dictatorship. But there are indications that once again a gamble could backfire on Erdogan. Ceyda Karan, a Columnist at Cumhuriyet Daily, and Ahsen Akdal, a writer with the Turkish newspaper SoL, join the show.
Donald Trump has announced that he will not label China a currency manipulator, pulling the plug on one of the bedrocks of his campaign. Is this part of a larger foreign policy shift after his meeting with Xi Jinping? Steve Keen, professor of economics at Kingston University, joins Brian.

Trump: "I Said NATO was Obsolete. It's no Longer Obsolete" Apr 13, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Reiner Braun, co-president of the International Peace Bureau.
NATO’s General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg visited Donald Trump at the White House yesterday. Despite the hype around the U.S. abandoning the alliance, the Trump
administration has in fact moved rapidly towards the traditional neoconservative approach of hyper militarism.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met
with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday as U.S.-Russia tensions soured following the US attack on Syria. What came of the meeting between the two, and what does it mean for the New Cold War? Nikolay Pakhomov, president at The New York Consulting Bureau, and journalist Dmitry Babich
join the show.
The former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has registered as a candidate in the upcoming election despite
the urging of the country’s Supreme leader not to do so. Catherine Shakdam, independent political analyst and author, talks about what Ahmadinejad's decision means for Iran, the region and the world.

Rex Tillerson in Moscow as Pentagon Blows up US-Russia Relations Apr 12, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Peter Lavelle, host of RT's flagship program CrossTalk, and Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief of The Duran.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in Moscow today for talks with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. The meeting come as tensions between the U.S. and Russia reach new heights after the Trump administration launched cruise missile attacks on Syria last week and the Trump administration shifts to more traditional neoconservative approach. So much for the supposed Trump-Russia relationship -- the new cold war is back on.

The Dictatorship of Google: "We Decide What is True and What is Not" Apr 11, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Dr. Robert Epstein, Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology.
Google has unveiled a feature that it says is aimed at fact-checking “fake news”. Are we headed towards a world where huge corporations determine what’s true and what’s “fake”?
The United States has signaled that removing Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria is once again a priority. What’s next in the Trump administration’s assault on Syrian sovereignty, and how will Russia and Iran respond? Stephen Gowans, the author of 'Washington's Long War on Syria' joins the show.
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the short lived right-wing coup against Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. A decade and a half on, the opposition continues it violent attempts at overthrowing the socialist government, but the Bolivarian Revolution fights on. Arnold August, journalist and lecturer, speaks with Brian about the significance of the coup's anniversary and what's next for Venezuela.

Trump Bombs Syria: Democrats and Republicans Rejoice -- Unity At Last! Apr 07, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by journalist Ben Norton, former CIA analyst and activist Ray McGovern, and international affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda.
The Trump administration has unleashed a new stage of U.S. aggression
against Syria with the cruise missile strike on the Syrian government’s Shayrat air base. While protests rage around the world in opposition to this act of war, the attack was welcomed with gushing praise from liberals and mainstream conservatives! The Syria
strike has scrambled U.S. politics -- will things ever go back to “normal”, or are we in a new chapter of history?

Trump Meets Xi but are China and the US on a Collision Course? Apr 07, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by David Ewing, chair of the San Francisco chapter of the US-China People’s Friendship Association, and by China expert Keith Bennett.
Donald Trump came face to face with Xi Jinping for the first time yesterday after months of aggressive rhetoric from the new U.S. president toward China. As the meeting continues today -- taking up controversial issues such as the South China Sea, Taiwan, North Korea and trade policy --
will tensions ease? Or will the hostile posture of Trump toward Beijing continue?

New U.S. War Against Syria? Is Trump Capitulating to Neocon Hawks? Apr 06, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by independent political commentator and author Catherine Shakdam.
The Trump administration is doing an about-face on Syria, moving aggressively in the direction of escalated intervention in the war on behalf of opposition forces fighting to topple the government. What’s the real story behind the alleged chemical weapons attack and the fast-moving political developments that have followed?
Donald Trump has met with King Abdullah of Jordan at the White House as the two leaders discussed the possible revival of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. But is the Trump administration serious about forcing the apartheid government of Israel to the bargaining table? Brian is joined by activist and author Miko Peled.
After calling for a controversial new referendum on Scottish independence, Nicola Sturgeon has embarked on a five-day tour of the United States. Are pro-independence forces correct in their assertion that Scotland could maintain its economic and diplomatic clout as its own country? John Wight, host of Radio Sputnik's Hard Facts, joins the show.

Syria Chemical Weapons Attack: Who is Really Responsible? Who Benefits? Apr 05, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement.
Armed Opposition forces and the Trump White House have accused the Syrian government of carrying out a chemical weapons strike in the rebel-held province of Idlib. The Syrian government categorically denies the accusation. John McCain and the war hawks demand US intervention. We look at the politics and the timing of the allegations.
Thanks to Congress and the Trump administration, your internet browsing history is up for sale. We take a look at this latest assault on the public’s right to privacy online. Brian is joined by Tim Karr, Senior Director of Strategy at the advocacy organization FreePress.
Donald Trump is meeting with the King of Jordan today with crucial Middle East issues -- including the war in Syria and the prospects for new negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Journalist and political analyst Dmitry Babich joins the show.

Bomb Blast Rocks St. Petersburg Subway Apr 04, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst.
A bomb blasts ripped through the St. Petersburg subway yesterday, killing and injuring dozens of people. What do we know about this attack?
In a major electoral test for the future of Latin America, leftist candidate Lenin Moreno has won the presidential runoff in Ecuador. The country is set to continue along the course of the Citizens Revolution started by outgoing president Rafael Correa, pushing back the continent’s slide to the right. Brian is joined by Denis Rogatyuk, a correspondent with GreenLeft Weekly.
The war on Venezuela’s Bolivarian revolution continues amid claims of a “self-coup” and allegations that the National Assembly was dissolved. But the threat of a coup comes in fact from the right wing, not the country’s socialist government. Author and activist Dr. James Cockroft joins the show.

Iraq in Fragments: Imperialism and the Killing of a Nation Apr 03, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek fills in for Brian Becker and is joined by activist Dr. Dahlia Wasfi, Mojtaba Masood, Iraqi journalist and filmmaker; and by Mike Prysner, a former U.S. soldier in Iraq who is now an anti-war activist and journalist with TeleSur.
As the battle for Mosul resumes and Iraqi forces push closer towards the last part of the city still held by Daesh, what will a post-ISIS Iraq look like? With the U.S. ramping up its presence in both Iraq and Syria and conducting a brutal bombing campaign that has killed at least hundreds of civilians, are there any signs that the region will see stability and self-determination in the near future? And will ISIS just emerge in another form if the root causes of sectarianism are not addressed?

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