Loud & Clear

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Julie Hurwitz, a civil rights attorney who worked on Rashida Tlaib’s congressional campaign and one of the litigators in the lawsuits against the city of Flint regarding its polluted water, and Aurelia Williams, a student activist and organizer.Yesterday was primary election day in states across the country and the early results indicate that nobody yet has a clear idea of what’s happening. In a hotly contested congressional race in Ohio, the Republican leads the Democrat by less than 0.5 percent, which triggers an immediate recount. Moderate Democrats defeated their more progressive challengers in a half-dozen House races. And firebrand conservative Kris Kobach is leading incumbent Republican Kansas governor Jeff Colyer by fewer than 200 votes.Canadian relations with Saudi Arabia worsened precipitously over the past week after Canada’s Foreign Ministry tweeted concern for Saudi civil rights activists. Saudi leaders jumped o

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, and Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers.There were bombshell revelations in the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort yesterday as his former deputy and friend Rick Gates testified against him. Gates not only said that he and Manafort had hidden millions of dollars offshore to avoid paying taxes, but he also admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Manafort’s accounts in Cyprus. Gates faces Manafort’s attorneys in cross-examination today, where he has talked all about wealthy Ukrainians paying Manafort large sums. Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Brian and John speak with Daniel Sankey, a financial policy analyst. Private emails obtained by the publicatio

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jeanette Charles, a writer, editor, and solidarity liaison with VenezuelaAnalysis.com, and Paul Dobson, a writer in Merida, Venezuela, for VenezuelaAnalysis.com.Six people were arrested Sunday after an apparent assassination attempt against Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was giving a speech at an event in Caracas when two drones, each carrying a kilo of C-4 plastic explosives, flew near his podium. The military knocked one drone off course electronically. The other crashed into a nearby apartment building. The government is blaming right-wing extremists and the Colombian government for the attack. Tuesday’s regular segment Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show. The Trump Administration moved today to reimp

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst, and Mazda Majidi, an Iranian specialist, author, journalist, and educator.Iran has deployed 50 small naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, the very narrow and very strategic waterway where the Persian Gulf flows into the Arabian Sea. Twenty percent of the world’s oil flows through the Strait, so any disruption would be highly problematic for the world economy. What happens if Iran closes the Strait? How would Israel respond? What about the US or Saudi Arabia? And what would happen in Syria? The hosts look at the hypotheticals possible in a new conflict in the Middle East. On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, the hosts talk about the Democrats’ strategy going into the midterms as a nationwide party. Jacqueline and Abdus Luqman, the co-editors-in-chief of Luqman Nation, and the co-host of the Facebook livestream “Coffee, Current

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, a constitutional rights lawyer and the executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, and Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemecist.net.The Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday heard testimony from social media and technology experts, who said companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter must do more to prevent the spread of misinformation and propaganda. But where does one draw the line between that and freedom of speech? Are Americans in danger of losing their civil liberties? Thursday’s “Criminal Injustice” is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, Paul Wright, the founder and Executive Director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), joins the show. The Intercept repo

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Max Blumenthal, a journalist and bestselling author whose latest book is “The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza,” who is also the senior editor of Grayzone Project and co-host of the podcast “Moderate Rebels.”Facebook said it shut down 32 fake pages and accounts yesterday that were part of a “coordinated inauthentic campaign” to spread politically divisive material ahead of US midterm elections in November. The pages had more than 290,000 followers. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company had not yet identified who was behind the operation. Beyond Nuclear with Kevin Kamps is Loud & Clear’s regular Wednesday segment, which looks at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Today, Kevin walks the hosts through a the process of shutting down a reactor, and despite how much money is given to companies for the shutdown process, how they still put ou

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book “The Plot to Attack Iran.”The trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort begins today in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Manafort is charged with 18 counts of felony bank fraud and tax evasion. The trial is expected to take three weeks and then he will face additional felony charges in a federal court in Washington, DC. President Trump said yesterday that he would meet Iranian leaders without preconditions “whenever they want.” The comments marked an abrupt about-face in Trump’s Iran policy and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walked the comment back. The Iranian government rejected the notion of a meeting. Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, joins the show. Tuesday’s weekly series, False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with D

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ann Wright, a retired United States Army colonel and former U.S. State Department official in Afghanistan, who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq and became an anti-war activist, and Ariel Gold, a peace activist and the national co-director of Code Pink.The Gaza Flotilla ship al-Awda, carrying 13,000 euros worth of medical supplies to the people of Gaza, and 22 activists from 12 countries, was intercepted by the Israeli navy yesterday and forced to go to the port of Ashdod, where the activists are being detained and questioned. They will likely be expelled from Israel soon. Meanwhile, Ahed Tamimi has been released from prison after being there for 8 months after slapping an IDF soldier. It’s Monday so it’s Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa—a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Today Chris and the hosts di

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and author of many books, including “Blows Against the Empire: U.S. Imperialism in Crisis.”The so-called BRICS countries—that is, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—are completing their 10th summit today in Johannesburg. All of the countries are represented by their heads of state and they met to discuss international peace and security, global governance, and trade. On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, the hosts talk about Ocasio-Cortez, DeLeon over Feinstein, and the House Democrats’ ridiculous new slogan. Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, and the co-host of the Facebook livestream “Coffee, Current Events & Politics” Thursdays at 9 p.m., joins the show. Today marks the 65th anniversary of the armistice agreement in the Korean War, but the peninsula technically remains in a sta

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books—”The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War,” and John Wight, the host of the weekly Sputnik Radio show Hard Facts.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday strongly defended the Trump Administration’s policy on Russia and North Korea in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In response to tough questioning from both Democrats and Republicans, Pompeo said that the US “does not and never will recognize the Russian annexation of Crimea.” Pompeo also said that North Korea would begin repatriating the remains of US soldiers tomorrow. Meanwhile, House Republicans are beginning the process of impeaching Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. On the regular Thursday series “Criminal Injustice,” the hosts discuss the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. To

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Stephanie Kelton, a prominent economist who advised Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign, professor of public policy and economics at Stony Brook University, and former chief economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, and Jim Kavanagh, editor of thepolemicist.net.Mainstream capitalist economic theory has increasingly been called into question since the global economic crisis of 2008 exposed the gaping holes in neoliberal orthodoxy. One new school of thought that’s emerged in recent years is modern monetary theory. The hosts talk with experts on the theory. This is part one of two interviews. Millions of Pakistanis went to the polls today to elect a new government. And as usually happens there during elections, dozens of people were killed in related violence, including three in a bombing attack on a polling station in Quetta. Opinion polls show that the two frontrunners are former international cricket star Imran Khan and disgra

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Bruce Fein, a constitutional law scholar and a former assistant deputy Attorney General of the United States, and Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek.Two longtime war critics in the House of Representatives sponsored a bill last week that says any president should face impeachment for waging war without a formal declaration from Congress. Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii Democrat, and Walter Jones, a North Carolina Republican, say that unauthorized military action should be considered a “high crime and misdemeanor.” Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Today they discuss elder care, the 2.5 billion pounds of meat that are now sitting in a warehouse instead of being eaten because it’s more profitable, and how Portugal’s non-austerity approach has led to a healthy economy compared to the austerity in the rest of Europe. Daniel Sankey, a financial policy analy

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek and John Kiriakou are joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, Lucy Komisar, a long-time author, editor, and investigative journalist, and our co-host Brian Becker.The secret court application for Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page was released this weekend. These FISA court applications are usually not public and are well known to be rubber stamped. The hosts discuss this, the possible questioning of Bill Browder, and more. It’s Monday so it’s Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa—a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Today Chris and the hosts discuss facial recognition software being designed for NYC bridges and tunnels, Walmart’s patent filing for audio surveillance technology in monitoring employees, and today’s tech tip today is about what safe browsing mode actually covers. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa join

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, and Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst.Once again, chaos is engulfing Washington over a series of u-turns made by the Trump administration in the wake of the Trump-Putin Helsinki summit. Meanwhile, developments in the Mueller probe are making it clearer than ever that the investigation is deeply connected to the big picture of U.S.-Russia relations. On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, the hosts talk about Ocasio-Cortez, DeLeon over Feinstein, and the House Democrats’ ridiculous new slogan. Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, and the co-host of the Facebook livestream “Coffee, Current Events & Politics” Thursdays at 9 p.m., joins the show. Israeli occupation authorities are facing more protests today in Gaza as at least two Palestinians were killed and three were injured in

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined from Managua, Nicaragua, by Max Blumenthal, the senior editor of Grayzone Project, bestselling author whose latest book is “The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza,” and co-host of the podcast “Moderate Rebels,” and Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of “The Plot to attack Iran.”Nicaragua is in deep crisis since protests began three months ago as opponents of the government set up barricades and clash with authorities. 280 people have been killed and more than 1,800 injured. The demonstrations began following changes in the country’s social security system and have now become a full-fledged effort to overthrow the Sandinista government. On the regular Thursday series “Criminal Injustice,” the hosts discuss the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Today they talk about the high costs of prison phones and the updates from t

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Gareth Porter, a historian, investigative journalist, analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy, and the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.” President Trump today continued to defend his meeting in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin after criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Trump also continued to walk back his comments that he believed the Russian position that there was no interference in the 2016 presidential election, saying today that he instead sided with the Intelligence Community’s position that there had indeed been interference.Beyond Nuclear with Kevin Kamps is Loud & Clear’s regular Wednesday segment. The hosts and Kevin look at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Today they focus on the specific oppression of Native nations by the nuclear industry and the Russia-

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News and author of "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton," and Peter Kuznik, a professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University.President Trump returned from his Helsinki meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last night only to face a firestorm of criticism. Trump said publicly after his meeting with Putin that he did not believe Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, though he has now changed course.Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Daniel Sankey, a financial policy analyst, join the show.House Speaker Paul Ryan late last night quashed a rank-and-file effort to force a vote sponsored by a progressive Democrat that would abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Ryan concluded that, while the bill had no chance of passing, Republicans could b

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dan Kovalik, a human rights lawyer who is the author of “The Plot to Scapegoat Russia,” Max Blumenthal, journalist and bestselling author, and Lee Stranahan, who’s on the ground in Helsinki covering the summit for Sputnik.President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met today in Helsinki, Finland. The nearly two-hour meeting reportedly covered Syria, trade and military issues, disarmament, and China. Trump said afterward that he wanted only good relations with Russia and that previous bilateral problems were the result of “Washington’s own foolishness and stupidity.”On Monday’s regular weekly half-hour segment Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa—a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights, and civil liberties, they talk about how GPS can track you even if it’s off, Twitter’s metadata haul, and how to secure your devices. Web develop

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell (sitting in for Brian Becker) and John Kiriakou are joined by Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of LuqmanNation, which livestreams every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook.On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, the hosts talk about election turnout, Joe Crowley remaining on the ballot in New York, and races in Missouri and Texas. Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, and the co-host of the Facebook livestream “Coffee, Current Events & Politics” Thursdays at 9 p.m., joins the show.On a new periodic series called Stories from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Dr. Alice Bonner highlights some of the most important episodes in Black history. Today focuses on convict labor, one of the many extensions of slavery. Dr. Bonner, a volunteer docent at the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture, retired professor at

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Leo Cuello, an attorney and the director of health policy for the National Health Law Program.In June, Arkansas became the first state to require that able-bodied Medicare recipients do some combination of work, volunteering, job training, or education to keep their benefits. A nearly identical law in Kentucky, however, was just struck down by a federal judge. Now states are considering simply throwing people off the Medicaid roles and denying them health care.On the regular Thursday series “Criminal Injustice,” the hosts discuss the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Brian and John speak with Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News, and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure.President Trump arr