Loud & Clear

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March on Jarablus: Turkish tanks invade Syria. Aug 25, 2016

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Turkey's military has directly intervened in Syria without the invitation of the Syrian government to retake the town of Jarablus from the so-called Islamic State with U.S. cooperation. Clashes have also erupted in recent days between the Kurdish YPG and Syrian Army. Alliances are shifting fast in Syria’s ever-deepening five year war.
Vice President Joe Biden has met with Turkish President Erdogan, but was their meeting enough to mend the relationship that was terribly damaged after last month’s coup attempt? Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government claimed is the coup mastermind, is safe in the United States - for now. Becker is joined from Ankara by professor and journalist Dr. Bilal Sambur.
Secretary of State John Kerry is in Saudi Arabia where he is discussing the war in Yemen. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Yeminis staged a mass protest against the Saudi bombing campaign. Massoud Shadjareh, founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins Becker to talk about the role of the west in the Saudi-led war.

Bernie Sanders Launches “Our Revolution’ Aug 24, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Julie Hurwitz, an attorney who was a Sanders delegate to the DNC rules committee, and Anoa Changa, digital organizers with African Americans for Bernie, to discuss the launch of the organization Our Revolution.
Sanders launches the organization today at the same time that the Democratic Party is moving to the right rather than to the left. Although Bernie Sanders may have endorsed Hillary Clinton for President, will his progressive vision and movement live on through his new organization?
The pay to play scandals keep piling up for the Clintons and their foundation as the FBI has announced it found nearly 15,000 new emails in the its investigation of Hillary. Is the Clinton Foundation likely to be prosecuted for corruption? Becker is joined by Doctor and columnist Steven Jonas.
Diplomats from Japan, South Korea and China are meeting today in Tokyo in an attempt to smooth over tensions. The meeting comes after it was revealed that Beijing warned Japan that sailing U.S. warships near disputed waters would be crossing a “red line”. Author Patrick Lawrence talks to Becker about developments in the region and their global implications.

Turkey Says U.S. "Destroying Ties" as Joe Biden Heads to Ankara. Aug 23, 2016

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Turkey’s Prime Minister says the U.S. is destroying ties between the two countries. Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Ankara tomorrow to attempt to smooth things over, but the Turkish government is still furious that the U.S. refuses to extradite the man they claim masterminded the failed coup.
Italy hosted the leaders of Germany and France as part of increasingly desperate efforts to relaunch the European project and chart a way forward after the stinging blow from the Brexit vote, but is the writing already on the wall for the EU? Becker is joined by filmmaker and journalist John Pilger to talk about if there's a path forward for Europe's 27-member bloc.
Peace talks have kicked off between the government of the Philippines and the communist rebels who have been at war for nearly five decades. As key rebel leaders have walked free in recent days and a ceasefire has taken effect, is peace more realistic than ever before? Bernadette Ellorin, chairperson of BAYAN-USA, joins Becker to discuss the talks.

Black August commemorates four centuries of African American resistance Aug 22, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by journalist with the Real News and former political prisoner Eddie Conway.
Saturday marked the 45th anniversary of the death of Black Panther leader George Jackson at San Quentin Prison. Nearly half a century later, his life and legacy are commemorated by many as part of a month of fasting and resistance called Black August.
The United Nations has admitted its role in causing the outbreak, the worst in recent history that has killed almost 10,000 people to date. But why was a report on the outbreak suppressed for almost a year, and does it only scratch the surface of UN abuses in Haiti? Writer Kim Ives and Sienne Merope-Synge, Be Just Fellow at the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, assess the role played by the United Nations in the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti.
Almost fifteen years after the brutal U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, the Taliban are now active in more of the country than they were in 2001. The coalition cobbled together after the disputed 2014 Afghan election may be falling apart as a power struggle deepens between President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah. Joining Becker to talk about the situation is Zafar Bangash, director of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought.

Cyber Warfare: Hackers Steal NSA Weapons, Offer Them To The Highest Bidder. Aug 19, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by NSA whistleblower William Binney to discuss if the NSA was actually hacked and what kind of tools may have been acquired.
A hacking group calling itself the Shadow Brokers says it has infiltrated the NSA's Equation Group and is now looking to sell off “cyber weapons” used by the agency, asking for a payment of $1 billion in bitcoin. Who could be behind the hack and what does it mean for the future of the NSA and cyber warfare?
Former President Bill Clinton turns 70 today. Becker is joined by Kevin Akin of the Peace & Freedom Party and activist Jane Cutter to discuss Bill's real legacy: war against Yugoslavia, the end of welfare at home, millions of jobs sent overseas, prisons overflowing in record numbers with impoverished young people, and the destruction of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.
Joe Biden visited Serbia this week where he was greeted by crowds of protesters. Now activists will erect a monument to the victims of the NATO bombing of Novi Sad. Becker is joined by human rights attorney Christopher Black to talk about the legacy of the U.S. bombing of Yugoslavia and what comes next in the U.S.-Serbia relationship.

Trump campaign: Even crazier than before Aug 18, 2016

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Is the Trump campaign at a crisis point? The Republican candidate has shaken up his campaign team once again, effectively the second overhaul in as many months. As his poll numbers slip, should we now expect a gentler and more mild mannered Trump to emerge, or will his shoot from the hip style continue -- and possibly cost him the election?
Khalid Jabara, a 37 year old, has been murdered on his own front porch in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The suspect in custody has a history of racist harassment of violence.
Brian is joined by Council on American-Islamic Relations Oklahoma Civil Rights Director Veronica Laizure and Robert McCaw, Director of Government Affairs at the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Did the Obama administration give away $1 billion of taxpayer money to a private corporation to administer a nearly empty detention facility? The mass detention of Central American asylum seekers in 2014 was declared illegal by the federals courts, but the ink was already dry on a contract signed with the Correctional Corporation of America. Margaret Winter, the former Associate Director of the ACLU Private Prison Project, joins the show.

U.S. Sends Guantanamo Detainees Abroad, But Will The Torture Center Ever Close? Aug 17, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Jeremy Varon of Witness Against Torture and Raha Wala of Human Rights First to discuss the decision of the United States to send 15 Guantanamo detainees to the United Arab Emirates.
The transfer is the largest such move under the Obama administration, but what will happen to the 61 prisoners still remaining at the Guantanamo detention center, and why did President Obama not fulfil his promise to close the facility? Is Guantanamo a step closer to closing or will the number of prisoners increase under the next president?
Milwaukee was the scene of an uprising over the last few days after the police killing of 23 year old Sylville Smith on Saturday. But Milwaukee is far from a unique case. Black communities around the country are resisting as daily harassment and deprivation push people into the streets. Eugene Puryear, host of Radio Sputnik's By Any Means Necessary, joins the show.
Hillary Clinton has been on an offensive to capture blue collar votes in swing states for her campaign for the White House. As she attempts to show herself to be the candidate for the working-class, the hypocrisy is deafening. Jeff Bigelow, a public sector worker's union representative, and Walter Smolarek, producer of Loud & Clear and co-author of an upcoming book on the Clintons, discuss why Clinton is far from a representative of workers around the country.

Are the rats fleeing Donald Trump's sinking ship? Aug 16, 2016

Show notes

On today's special episode of Loud & Clear, Brian spends the full hour discussing the crisis inside the Republican Party, and the implications for the two-party system as a whole.
Nearly one in five Republican voters say they want Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race according to a new poll. The Republican Party is in chaos as the party ranks continue to be split on Trump’s surprise nomination. But the Democrats aren’t faring much better, as supporters of Bernie Sanders reject Hillary Clinton or turn to third parties. What’s led to the crises in the two major political parties? Is this the end of the two-party system as we know it? And will third parties soon challenge the Democrats and Republicans in a serious way?
To address these issues, Brian is joined for the full hour by Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor of political economy at St. Mary’s College and the author of “Systemic fragility in the global economy” and the new book “Looting Greece: An Emerging New Financial Imperialism;” Anoa Changa, part-time volunteer staff with Brand New Congress, contributor to the Benjamin Dixon Show, and host of the weekly progressive talk show The Way with Anoa; and Walter Smolarek, producer for Loud & Clear on Radio Sputnik.

Fidel turns 90: His life, legacy and impact on world politics. Aug 15, 2016

Show notes

On this special episode of Loud & Clear, we take a look at how Cuban society was fundamentally transformed under the leadership of this giant of history.
Few individuals have had such a tremendous impact on history as former Cuban President Fidel Castro. He turned 90 on Saturday, despite literally hundreds of attempts on his life. All over the world, people celebrated his milestone birthday, especially in Cuba.
Brian is joined by legendary actor and longtime activist in solidarity with Cuba Danny Glover; Gale Walker, Executive Director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization; and Gloria La Riva, coordinator of the Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee and 2016 presidential candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Pentagon doctors "intelligence" on fight against ISIS Aug 12, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by political analyst Alexander Mercouris to discuss the strategy of the United States and Britain in Syria, Iraq and Libya.
A congressional task force in the U.S. has found that the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) manipulated intelligence to paint a rosier picture of efforts to defeat Daesh. This comes as British special forces have been photographed on the ground in Syria, assisting a rebel group calling itself the New Syrian Army. Why would top level U.S. officials lie about the reality on the ground? Is Daesh actually far stronger than presented by CENTCOM?
This week, tensions escalated between Russia and Ukraine over Crimea as Moscow hit the reset button with Turkey. How do these developments affect the rocky relationship between NATO and Russia? Are prospects for mending differences feasible? Becker is joined by Michael Klare, professor and defense correspondent for The Nation.
The Philippines and China are on course to mend their relationship. The two countries have been fiercely at odds over the South China Sea since 2012, but new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has heralded a new day in relations. How will the United States view the thaw? Eric Draitser, political analyst and founder of StopImperialism.org, joins Becker.

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