Loud & Clear

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China and America During Trump Era: War, Peace or Something in Between Dec 29, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Keith Bennett, researcher and analyst on Chinese politics and international relations who advises both Chinese and western companies, as well as by David Ewing, chair of the San Francisco branch of the U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association.
Will U.S.-China relations reach a boiling point under the Donald Trump administration? Anti-China hawk Peter Navarro is heading up a new National Trade Council as Trump himself has said he doesn’t think the U.S. should necessarily be bound by the One China policy that dates back almost four decades. How have relations between Washington and Beijing reached this degree of turbulence? We’ll examine how the ascendancy of China on the world stage has altered global politics as U.S. hegemony finds itself challenged.

Miko Peled: How an Israeli General's Son Became a Palestine Supporter Dec 28, 2016

Show notes

On today's special episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Israeli peace activist Miko Peled, author of the book The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.
Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Palestinian people have been struggling for the right of return to their homes and for their independence and dignity. But an often untold part of the story is the Israeli citizens who have turned against the Zionist ideology and the Israeli government and have joined the movement for Palestinian rights and the creation of a single democratic state. One of these activists in Miko Peled, the son of an Israeli general who also turned peace activist, and grandson of one of the signatures of the Israeli Declaration of Independence.

Syria War: U.S. Dreams of Hegemony Up in Smoke Dec 27, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker discusses developments in the war in Syria with journalist Eva Bartlett, Loud & Clear producer Walter Smolarek, and host of Radio Sputnik's weekly show Hard Facts John Wight.
The saying goes that in war, the first casualty is the truth. While the corporate media reports that Aleppo has fallen, many Syrians consider the city as having been liberated. This momentous development came just before the assassination of Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov and the following day’s watershed summit between Turkey, Russia and Iran.

Movement Against US Based to Continue on Okinawa Despite Supreme Court Ruling Dec 23, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by China expert Keith Bennett.
President-elect Donald Trump has appointed anti-China hawk Peter Navarro to head up a new National Trade Council, further aggravating relations with Beijing. Will U.S-China relations reach a boiling point under the Trump administration?
Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel is a friend of hardline settlers, and threats to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem are being hurled by the Trump camp - what does this mean for the Palestinian people’s struggle for justice and independence? Professor Ghada Talhami joins Becker to discuss what the ramifications of such a move would be.
The movement against the U.S. military’s presence in Okinawa was dealt a blow this week as Japan’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government’s plan to relocate - not remove - the U.S. military base on the island. But Okinawans are determined to keep up the fight. Will Griffin, an activist with Veterans for Peace, joins the show.

Turkey-Russia-Iran Agreement: Is U.S. Out in the Cold in Syria? Dec 22, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by independent journalist and political analyst Ben Norton.
Over a dozen people have been arrested in connection with the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara. Turkey has pointed the fingers at the Fethullah Gulen and by extension the United States as political shockwaves reverberate throughout the Middle East and the world.
The race for the next chair of the Democratic National Committee is in full swing and all indications are that the Democrats refuse to learn the lesson of Hillary Clinton’s humiliating defeat. Ted Rall, political cartoonist and columnist, joins the show to discuss what the importance of the race.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry has arrested five people for fabricating images that would be passed off as scenes of suffering in Aleppo. In Syria’s five and a half year war, it’s far from the only incident of images being produced or manipulated to mould public opinion. Becker is joined by Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief of The Duran, for insight into the information war.

After Assassination: Can Turkey, Iran, and Russia Agree on Syria Plan? Dec 21, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Peter Lavelle, the host of RT's flagship program CrossTalk, to discuss the aftermath of the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey.
Turkey, Russia and Iran held talks on the war in Syria in Moscow the day after Andrey Karlov was gunned down in Ankara. Will the dramatic development change the dynamic of the war in Syria and the relations between the three countries?
As the fallout from the Berlin truck ramming that killed 12 people continues, what will the impact be on crucial upcoming elections in Germany and France? Denis Rogatyuk, freelance journalist and activist, joins the show to discuss the rising tide of far-right and anti-immigrant groups in Europe.
Additional criminal charges have been filed in the scandal over lead poisoning in the water supply for residents of Flint, Michigan as the state’s Attorney General indicts two former “emergency managers” – unelected bureaucrats with dictatorial powers. A recent Reuters report reveals that the lead crisis is by no means isolated to Flint. Julie Hurwitz, partner at Goodman & Hurwitz, P.C. and co-counsel in the federal Constitutional challenge to the Michigan Emergency Manager Law, talks about the ongoing scandal.

Russia's Ambassador Assassinated: The Meaning for Russia, Turkey, Syria Dec 20, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Sputnik International political analyst Dmitry Babich to discuss the shocking assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey.
Andrey Karlov was shot dead in Ankara at an art exhibition as his shooter, a policeman, shouted “Do Not Forget Aleppo”. Russia has called the incident an act of terrorism, but will the western powers agree? How will this incident impact the war in Syria and relations between Turkey and Russia?
The evacuation of Islamist rebels from Aleppo continues as the mainstream media shamefully ignores attacks by jihadists and the evacuation of the Shia majority villages of Fua and Kefraya. Will the UN Security Council resolution to send observers make a difference? Catherine Shakdam, independent political analyst, joins Becker to discuss the ongoing information war.
As President Obama holds his last press conference the narrative that Russia had a role in hacking the Democratic Party during the election continues to be promoted endlessly in the corporate media. Will there be any letup in this war-mongering campaign? Becker is joined by Mark Sleboda, international affairs and security analyst.

Will The Electoral College Deny Donald Trump The Presidency? Dec 19, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Anoa Changa, Editor at Large at the Progressive Army and host of the radio show The Way with Anoa, and by Walter Smolarek, producer of Loud & Clear.
The electoral college convenes today after an intense period of Russia bashing. There is a well publicized effort to deny Donald Trump the number of 270 electors needed to take the presidency.
Donald Trump’s phone call with Taiwan’s president violated a bedrock principle of U.S.-China relations, the "One China Policy", which Trump went on to say the U.S. is not bound by. Are these the opening moves in an escalation of U.S. hostility towards the country? David Ewing, chair of the San Francisco chapter of the US-China Peoples Friendship Association, joins the show.
The number of people killed in Syria’s five year war is often cited as now being over 400,000, but can such numbers be independently verified, and how many of the dead are soldiers, civilians and opposition fighters? Sharmine Narwani, commentator of Middle East geopolitics, talks about how reported casualty numbers play a role in the forming public opinion on the war.

Google Loved Hillary, Now They Love Trump. Does Money Heal All Wounds? Dec 16, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Dr. Robert Epstein to discuss how Google is adapting to the loss of their close friend Hillary Clinton.
How will Google adapt to the Trump presidency? Money heals all wounds.
The corporate media has gone into overdrive in the final stages of the battle for Aleppo, launching a propaganda campaign about mass killings and even genocide being carried out by the Syrian army. Are the western governments and press outlets really the humanitarians they claim to be? Journalist Eva Bartlett joins the show.
Despite international and domestic condemnation, the far-right government led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems determined to push ahead with a law that would legalize Israeli settlements built on private Palestinian land. Miko Peled talks with Brian about this move.

Did Neo-Cons Push Tillerson for Secretary of State? Dec 15, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by editorial cartoonist Ted Rall to discuss what Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of State means for the U.S. and the world.
The high-stakes drama over Trump's choice has come to an end as Rex Tillerson gets the nod. The CEO of Exxon Mobil is the latest millionaire businessman to join Trump’s cabinet.
Today marks the five year anniversary since the Obama administration declared the war in Iraq over, but thousands of troops remain half a decade later as the U.S. bombs Mosul and the country teeters on the verge of partition. Becker is joined by Michael Prysner, a former U.S. Army soldier who fought in Iraq who became an anti-war activist.
Donald Trump has picked Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas and fellow climate change denier, to lead the Energy Department that he once advocated abolishing - a position that he had a little trouble remembering. Greg Mello, the Secretary and Executive Director of the Los Alamos Study Group, joins the show.

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