Loud & Clear

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mohammad Marandi. He is an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.Although the Coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc inside the United States, Donald Trump is lashing out at Iran once again. The sanctions regime the United States has imposed on Iran is pushing the country’s public health system to the brink, but now Trump is ludicrously accusing Iran of plotting to attack the United States. Coronavirus cases continue to worsen on an exponential basis, with nearly one million cases now documented around the world. The United States now has nearly a quarter million documented cases and now a single county or municipality in America has been spared. But there may be some good news. Social distancing and quarantines appear to be helping to slow the spread of the disease in places like Washington State and California. And even Italy has seen a two-day decline in the n

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.The New York Times published an article that attacked China because it allegedly did not utilize a virus database created in 2002 after the SARS epidemic entitled, “China Created a Fail-Safe System to Track Contagions. It Failed.” The mainstream media’s portrayal of the pandemic has been deeply anti-China, even when it means missed lessons for the U.S. healthcare system. We have all read and heard the stories about the critical shortages of surgical masks and other personal protective equipment across the country necessary for healthcare workers confronting the coronavirus. But garment workers, the ones who can solve this problem, are grappling with unsafe working conditions and exploding unemployment. Daisy Gonzalez, Lead Member Organizer at the Garment Worker Center, and Magdalena Utuy, a garment w

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Eugene Puryear, host of news show BreakThrough News; Karina Garcia, organizer with Justice Center en el Barrio; Karla Reyes, managing editor of women’s magazine Breaking the Chains; and Riya Ortiz, lead organizer and case manager at Damayan Migrant Workers Association.New York’s struggle against the coronavirus is arguably the toughest in the world. The city has more cases than anywhere else in the world and is under a strict lockdown. Still, though, the virus is spreading among health care workers, inmates in the city’s jails and prisons, and among the homeless population. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that the virus’s apex will not arrive for another two to three weeks. Worker strikes and walkouts are scheduled among Amazon, Instacart, and Whole Foods workers in NYC. Today is Loud & Clear’s weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a profe

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jimmy Williams, General Vice President At Large for Organizing with the Painters and Allied Traders International Union.Construction work is the 6th largest employment sector in the country. These are the workers employed on projects, rather than as salaried employees. They are construction workers, painters, laborers, and tradesmen. Without the benefit of steady employment or corporate backing during the coronavirus outbreak, how are they handling the hardships being foisted on them, even with the temporary respite of unemployment benefits? Israel’s Blue & White Party leader Benny Gantz shocked his supporters last week when he announced that he would enter into a unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party. Netanyahu will continue on as Prime Minister for the next 18 months and then Gantz will replace him as Prime Minister for 18 months. In the meantime, Gantz will serve as Speaker of the Knes

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.Friday is Loud & Clear’s weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the rapid spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, Washington’s efforts to bail out Wall Street, the state of the presidential election, and more. The United States yesterday overtook both China and Italy in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. But Italy far exceeds the rest of the world per capita in the number of deaths from the coronavirus to the point where bodies can’t be buried quickly enough and health care providers are becoming infected and are dying at an alarming rate. Guido Salza, a leading member of the Italian political organization Fronte Popolare, joins the show. The United States greatly stepped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday when the Justice Department

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Vijay Prashad, the Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, the author of “The Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution,” and his most recent publication is “Red Star Over the Third World.”The Coronavirus pandemic has set off a global economic catastrophe of historic proportions, shaking the very foundations of capitalism. The world is scrambling to address the profound health and economic fallout and discontent is rising. Meanwhile, many are looking to the model set by the Indian state of Kerala as an example of a humane, people-first approach to the crisis. Thursday’s weekly series “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. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show “Redacted Tonight,” on RT America, and his latest book is called “Bullet Points & Punch Lines,” available at leecamp.com.The Senate this afternoon approved a $2 trillion spending bill that would flood the US economy with money in an effort to stabilize households and businesses hit by the fallout from the coronavirus. The House passed its own measure a week ago. But senators were stuck because Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not negotiate with Democrats, and he focused the first draft of the bill solely on corporate bailouts with little in the way of regulations. The latest version of the bill sends the lion’s share of money to the largest corporations in America. That’s on top of the trillions -- yes, trillions -- already promised from the Federal Reserve Bank to the biggest banks in the country. The coronavirus has now been detect

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Tara Smith, an epidemiologist and professor at the Kent State University College of Public Health, where she specializes in zoonotic infections and molecular epidemiology.The coronavirus is, in large part, a testing crisis, at least in the United States. We read about tests, we talk about tests, the news networks report on tests. But where are the tests? Are they readily available? Are there different tests in different countries? Why do some take weeks to read when others take hours or even minutes? And is there any change on the horizon? Today is Loud & Clear’s weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is “Understanding Socialism,” joins the show. Loud & Clear’s weekly series, In the News, is where t

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek.In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including coverage on the coronavirus spread, the government’s woefully inadequate response, and more. Monday’s regular segment Technology Rules 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 and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.Cuba sent doctors and medics to Italy over the weekend after more than 800 people died there on Saturday. The Cuban government has sent its doctors around the world for decades, and they have fought outbreaks of disease in Haiti, Angola, west Africa, and elsewhere. This

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.Friday is Loud & Clear’s weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on allegations of insider trading ahead of the Coronavirus outbreak by members of the Senate, efforts to bail out big business, the urgent need for 100% unemployment benefits for all, the international dimensions of the pandemic, and more. The economic outlook for Americans has plummeted in just the past few days the most since the 2008 financial crisis as the coronavirus threatens to push the United States and most of the rest of the world into recession. Meanwhile the government is considering in short order corporate tax cuts and massive industry bailouts to keep the economy afloat. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of “The Scourge of Neo-Libera

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.L&C’s regular segment, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective, including the Coronavirus pandemic and the latest developments in the Democratic 2020 primary.A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice, and Mike Wong, the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of Veterans for Peace.Deaths in the United States from coronavirus topped 100 yesterday as infections increased exponentially and West Virginia, the last state to be disease-free, reported multiple cases. Local and state governments took even more drastic actions, including orders to close restaurants, bars, and gyms in many states. New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio warned that an order to shelter in place would come soon, similar to what has been done in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Rep. Devin Nunes and the Republican Governor of Oklahoma are urging residents to take their families out to restaurants because there’s no wait. Joe Biden swept yesterday’s races in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona, putting himself over 1,000 delegates. Biden won 62 p

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Professor Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work whose latest book is “Understanding Socialism.”Today is Loud & Clear’s weekly series about the biggest economic news of the week with special guest -- Prof. Richard Wolff. He discusses the economic impact of the coronavirus. Democratic primary elections are taking place today in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona. Polls show likely big wins there for John Biden. Voting was supposed to take place there and in Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana, but governors in those states postponed the elections because of the coronavirus outbreak. New York officials are considering whether to postpone their upcoming primary, and Wyoming is suspending in-person caucuses and asking residents to vote by mail. Other states are taking similar precautions. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of an Infectious Disease Society of America committee, and Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging viruses.Public institutions across the country are shutting down and the stock market continued to collapse at its open as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the country and the world. However, Coronavirus tests remain scarce and many workers remain without paid sick leave due to huge exemptions written into the relief bill passed at the end of last week. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden faced off in their first one on one debate last night. The candidates faced questions about the coronavirus crisis, healthcare, foreign policy and more ahead of another round of crucial primaries scheduled for Tuesday. Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterP

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.Friday is Loud & Clear’s weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the Coronavirus outbreak, the accompanying economic situation, Chelsea Manning’s release from prison, and more. Whistleblower Chelsea Manning was released from jail yesterday after a federal judge ruled that continued incarceration was unlikely to force her to testify before a federal grand jury in the Julian Assange case. Manning is currently hospitalized following a suicide attempt on Wednesday. Hacker and activist Jeremy Hammond also was ordered released, but he will return to federal custody to serve out the remainder of a 10-year sentence for computer hacking. Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, joins the show. The US launched multiple

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging and reemerging viruses.The National Basketball Association has suspended the remainder of the season, the NCAA has banned fans from attending the national tournament for the first time ever, a government coronavirus conference in New York was cancelled, and even actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, his wife, announced that they have tested positive for coronavirus. The US response to the outbreak so far has been one of confusion and ad hoc actions. How does that compare to Italy, China, or Canada? President Trump last night gave a nationally-televised speech on the US response to the coronavirus that did little to quell public fear over the malady’s rapid spread. The President announced that all international travel to the United States from many European countries would

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning columnist and editorial cartoonist, whose work is at www.rall.com, and Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, whose latest book is called “Comrade.”Joe Biden won sweeping victories in primaries and caucuses yesterday in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho. Bernie Sanders pulled out a win in North Dakota, with Washington state neck and neck. Biden is now ahead of Sanders by some 150 delegates, but the Democratic Party establishment is moving to essentially end the primary and deliver a coronation to Joe Biden.Reports of coronavirus cases in the United States topped 1,000 yesterday as the economic fallout from the disease continued to take a toll around the world. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo instituted a one-mile wide safe zone around New Rochelle New York after a hotspot coronavirus outbreak there. And Dr. Antho

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Michele Greenstein, a correspondent with RT America.Today is Super Tuesday 2.0 with primary elections in Michigan, Washington state, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho, and North Dakota. Michigan is a must-win state for Bernie Sanders, which he carried over Hillary Clinton in 2016. And all eyes are on Mississippi as pundits look to the numbers of African American voters who will go to the polls for Joe Biden. As the coronavirus spreads across the United States and around the world, Italy has literally closed. The entire country has put itself in quarantine. International flights and cruises are being canceled. People are hoarding toilet paper, canned food, and water. And we still don’t have enough test kits available to health professionals. Is the government response enough to keep Americans safe? Should we be doing more? Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Disease Society of Amer

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dean Baker, the co-director of the Center for Economic Policy and Research.Chaos reigned on Wall Street today as trading was halted just 12 minutes into the session with the Dow Jones Industrial Averages down over 2,000 points. Meanwhile, an oil pricing war between Russia and Saudi Arabia couldn’t have come at a worse time for producers as prices took their biggest fall since the outbreak of the 1991 Gulf War. The price of West Texas Crude fell below $30 for the first time in 29 years. The coronavirus is now being reported in 34 states and the District of Columbia. But Seattle seems to have been the location of the genesis of the outbreak in the US with nearly all domestic deaths coming from the area. Indeed the death toll just in Washington State is now 19 with a reported 136 cases. And yesterday, after Governor Jay Inslee complained about a lack of leadership on the outbreak coming from the White House, he was attacked by P

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.Friday is Loud & Clear’s weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the 2020 election, a new red-baiting smear against Bernie Sanders, the latest mainstream media attack on Sputnik, the Coronavirus outbreak, and more.In the 1980s, when Bernie Sanders was mayor of Burlington, Vermont, he traveled to the Soviet Union to promote the idea of pairing Burlington with a Russian city as part of the “sister cities” program, something that was common around the world at the time. But now the New York Times is accusing Sanders of having been a communist dupe. And NPR has jumped on the bandwagon, accusing Sputnik and RT of supporting Sanders’s presidential campaign. Brian and John speak with Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book “No More War: