Loud & Clear

Latest Episodes:

Anti-Russia Forces Smell Blood: What's Behind the Sessions Controversy? Mar 03, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Don DeBar, host of Community Progressive Radio, and Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief of The Duran.
The anti-Russia witch hunt continues as Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the Justice Department investigation into Russian influence and faces calls for his resignation -- not for his record of extreme racism, but because of a routine meeting with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
Donald Trump spoke yesterday in the USS Ford supercarrier, touting his administration’s plans for a massive military buildup. Will this spark a global arms race? Brian is joined by international affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda.
The International Monetary Fund turned 70 years old this week. An essential pillar of the post-war world order, the IMF has spread misery, debt and free-market dogma around the world. Pete Dolack, an organizer with Trade Justice New York Metro, joins the show.

Trump's Exploits Weeping War Widow and Liberal Media Applauds Mar 02, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by David Swanson, he is director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org.
Democratic commentators and the corporate media are fawning over Trump’s speech on Tuesday and His especially shameless exploitation of the widow of a Navy SEAL who died in a raid in Yemen that killed nine children under the age of 13, many of their mothers and other Yemeni civilians
War criminal and former president George W. Bush took a rare step into the public spotlight to criticize Donald Trump for “racism and name-calling”. Cindy Sheehan, legendary anti-war activist who hosts the podcast Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox joins the show.
100 years ago today, Puerto Ricans has U.S. citizenship imposed on them with the enactment of the Jones Act. However, the island remains a U.S. colony to this day, as economic crisis deepens and Wall Street vultures circle. Brian is joined by Camilo Matos of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.

Trump Lays out Far Right Vision, Democrats Poised to Rubber Stamp it Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Juan Jose Gutierrez, executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, and Jane Cutter, editor of LiberationNews.org.
After a first month in office marked by mass protests, fierce infighting, and heightened diplomatic tension, President Donald Trump has delivered a wide-ranging speech to Congress.
Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, wrapped up a two-day visit to the United States yesterday and met with Rex Tillerson to discuss the strained U.S.-China relationship and prepare the ground for a summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Brian is joined by David Ewing, the chair of the San Francisco branch of the U.S.-China People’s Friendship Association.
Residents near the site of the proposed THAAD missile system the United States plans to deploy in South Korea have filed a lawsuit as a global movement against the deployment grows. Hyun Lee, a member of the Solidarity Committee for Democracy and Peace in Korea and the Task Force to Stop THAAD in Korea and Militarism in Asia and the Pacific, joins the show.

Trump Demands $54 billion More in Spending for Bloated U.S. War Machine Feb 28, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Estevan Hernandez, a writer with LiberationNews.org, and Walter Smolarek, producer of Loud & Clear.
President Donald Trump is set to deliver his speech to Congress tonight one day after promising a massive military buildup and corresponding cuts to other government programs. Military contractors are salivating while the people of the world shudder.
Could the current Syrian peace talks in Geneva break down just days after reconvening? Bomb blasts over the weekend have threatened to derail the talks that began just last week. Catherine Shakdam, an independent political commentator and author, joins the show.
The Democratic Party has chosen Tom Perez as new chair of the party, narrowing defeating Keith Ellison in what many saw as a rematch of Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders. By refusing to grant even this largely symbolic position to the party’s left wing, is the Democratic establishment digging its own grave? Brian is joined by activist and analyst YahNé Ndgo.

Trump's New Iraq, Syria Strategy: What's Coming? Feb 27, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Alexander Mercouris; editor-in-chief of The Duran, and by Ben Norton, who is currently a contributor to AlterNet’s GrayZone Project.
A Department of Defence report on the U.S. strategy in combating the so-called Islamic State is due early this week. Will the United States dramatically escalate its military presence in Iraq and Syria and cause further suffering and destabilization? More ground troops, stepped up bombings and so-called “safe zones” all appear to be on the table.

After Shocking Loss, Will Democrats Choose Sanders Supporter to Lead? Feb 24, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Anoa Changa, editor at large with the Progressive Army and host of the weekly radio show The Way With Anoa.
Reeling from their humiliating defeat in the 2016 election, the Democratic National Committee convenes this weekend to elect a new chair. Keith Ellison wants the party to take a progressive turn, but is it too late?
The big tech corporations bet big on Hillary Clinton, but are now scrambling to cozy up to Trump. Facebook has made a huge donation to CPAC - the Conservative Political Action Conference. Dr. Robert Epstein, the Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, joins the show.
China has condemned U.S. patrols in the South China Sea, calling them dangerous and provocative. The aircraft-carrier strike group led by USS Carl Vinson conducting naval and air operations in the South China Sea this week is the first challenge to Beijing’s expansive maritime claims to the waters since Donald Trump took office. Are the patrols merely routine, or is it part of an increased aggression under Donald Trump? Author and political analyst Patrick Lawrence talks of the significance or these patrols and what to expect from the White House and Beijing going forward.

Standing Rock Water Protectors Evicted But Vow to Fight On Feb 23, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Kandi Mossett, an activist with the Indigenous Environmental Network.
After months of peaceful protest, the water protectors at Standing Rock were targeted for eviction by law enforcement and the government, but the struggle is going forward.
Geneva peace talks aimed at ending Syria’s nearly six year war will reconvene today more than a year after the last round ended unsuccessfully. Is there a new US policy? Are Iranian-Turkish relations also suddenly strained as Trump takes aim at Iran and what might that mean for an end to the war in Syria? John Wight, host of Radio Sputnik's Hard Facts, joins the show to discuss.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly are in Mexico for two days of talks after President Nieto cancelled his White House visit. Mexican people are in the streets. They are angry not just at Trump but at their own government. Might there a massive cross border movement of protest and resistance? James Cockroft, a founder of the Network of Intellectuals, Artists, and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity, discusses the importance of the meeting.

Munich Summit Shows Pentagon Hardliners in Control Feb 22, 2017

Show notes

There was plenty of saber rattling as world leaders gathered for the Munich Security summit. There, Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials took a hawkish tone towards Russia, and Iran was also the target of heated words. Mark Sleboda, international affairs and security analyst, joins the show to discuss what to make of the words from Trump administration officials.
Brian Becker is joined by Eugene Puryear, the host of Radio Sputnik's By Any Means Necessary, and by Loud & Clear producer Walter Smolarek.
President Donald Trump has appointed H.R McMaster as his new national security advisor after Michael Flynn’s resignation. Does this set the Trump administration and Russia on a collision course?
Secretary of Defence James Mattis made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Monday as Iraqi forces begin the deadly push into western Mosul. Is U.S. policy in Iraq and Syria changing under Trump, or are we seeing a continuation of Obama-era policy? Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief of The Duran, speaks with Brian about what's next in the ongoing U.S. occupation in Iraq.

Netanyahu Seeks Trump's Approval for Huge Land Grabs: Will He Get it? Feb 15, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek fills in for Brian Becker and is joined by Alberto Garcia Watson, a journalist and former senior correspondent for HispanTV.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold long-awaited talks with Donald Trump today. Are we on the precipice of an era of unrestrained settlement building and annexation of Palestinian land?
Donald Trump’s ultra right-wing national security advisor Michael Flynn has resigned less than a month into the administration over a scandal involving Russia. Now, establishment conservatives are poised to seize greater control of the Trump White House. Smolarek speaks with journalist Pepe Escobar about the significance of Flynn's resignation.
Secretary of Defence James Mattis is in Brussels for talks with NATO allies who are eager to get assurances about U.S. support for the alliance under President Trump. Will the United States continue to back NATO’s eastward march toward Russia? Mark Sleboda, international affairs and security analyst, discusses the importance of the visit by Mattis.

Resistance Spreads: Immigrants and Supporters Stand Up to Trump Raids Feb 14, 2017

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek fills in for Brian Becker and is joined by Juan Jose Gutierrez, executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition.
Raids have been taking place across the United States with federal agents rounding up hundreds of undocumented people in the opening round of Trump’s anti-immigrant crackdown. This has been met by fierce resistance from the immigrant rights movement.
The United Nations confirmed that U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan killed at least 18 civilians last week days after the U.S. commander there called for thousands of additional troops. Ben Norton, a journalist for AlterNet's GrayZone Project, joins the show to discuss if the Trump administration will extend the longest war in U.S. history.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Donald Trump at the White House yesterday. The uncertain future of the NAFTA trade agreement loomed large over the meeting. Where is U.S. trade policy headed under the Trump administration? Pete Dolack, an organizer against NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership with Trade Justice New York Metro, talks about the significance of the Trump-Trudeau meeting.

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