Loud & Clear

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou discuss the final impeachment vote.The Senate today voted to acquit President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, putting an end to the impeachment drama. The vote was predictable and along party lines, with only Republican Senator Mitt Romney voting to acquit on one of the charges. Pundits are saying that the President comes out of the experience stronger politically, with Democrats the ones taking the hit. The results of the Iowa caucuses are still not completely in. The real news here, though, is that the Democratic Party has fallen flat on its face when it comes to actually carrying out one of the most important elections in a presidential campaign. Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist, journalist, and host of the television show “Redacted Tonight,” on RT America, whose latest book is called “Bullet Points & Punch Lines,” and whose work is at leecamp.com, joins the show. Joshua Schulte is a 31-year-old

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker 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,” Bob Schlehuber, a Sputnik News analyst and the producer of the Sputnik News show By Any Means Necessary, and Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author, the senior editor of Grayzone and co-host of the podcast Moderate Rebels.As of this recording, the nation still doesn’t know who won yesterday’s Iowa caucuses. The Iowa Democratic Party used a new app this year to tally votes and to calculate delegate apportionment. But the app simply didn’t work, and no numbers were forthcoming from the Party. Donald Trump took to Twitter to mock the Party and the entire process, and even Democratic insiders concede that they are in the middle of an unmitigated disaster. The candidates, meanwhile, pretended to not be bothered by the debacle, and they all flew to New Hampshire during the night to begin campaigning there

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Bob Schlehuber, a Sputnik News analyst.Iowans will caucus this evening to make their choice for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Des Moines Register, which has accurately predicted every caucus winner since 1988, controversially cancelled its poll this year for technical reasons, but other polls show a tight race, with Bernie Sanders leading, and Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren close behind. Some polls also show Pete Buttigieg in the mix. It seems that panic is spreading among governments in their reactions to the coronavirus. Vietnam banned all travel to and from China, while Australia, the United States, France, the UK, and other countries are blocking entry to all Chinese nationals and to anybody who in the past two weeks has been to Wuhan, apparently the virus’s place of origin. But compared to other, routine illnesses, is the severity of the coronavirus outbreak being blown out of proportion for political reaso

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers.Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican of Tennessee, announced last night that he would vote against allowing witnesses in President Trump’s Senate trial. Alexander was seen as a key swing vote on the issue after Senators Mitt Romney and Susan Collins said they would vote with Democrats to allow witnesses. Alexander’s decision appears to pave the way for a quick acquittal of the President, possibly as soon as this evening. The UK will leave the European Union at 6:00 pm Eastern Time today after nearly half a century in the body and 1,317 days after a divisive referendum that has plunged the country into an angry three-year-long debate over its future. Very little will change immediately. A transition period will last until December 31, during which time London and Brussels will negotiate what a n

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ali Abunimah, the co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of the book “The Battle for Justice in Palestine.”After Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu released a so-called “peace plan” earlier this week, Palestinians worldwide have slammed the document its one-sidedness. Meanwhile, Trump aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner is urging Israel to defer annexing even more of the Palestinian West Bank until the newest Israeli election is finished. A leaked document is providing new insights into Bernie Sanders’ plans for his potential presidency. The document details a series of executive orders Sanders could immediately issue to take action on the environment, immigrant rights, a living wage, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show. The Trump administration released details today of how states can turn their expanded Medicaid programs into blo

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."Both sides have now concluded their opening arguments in the impeachment trial. As the Senate now turns to the question of calling witnesses, John Bolton has taken center stage as leaked passages from his forthcoming book raise the prospect of Republican defections when the issue comes up for a vote on Friday. The Pentagon now admits that 50 US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries during a retaliatory Iranian missile strike on a US base in Iraq earlier this month. Why was the truth concealed from the public for so long? Ben Norton, a journalist with the Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, joins the show. Syrian government forces have retaken the key town of Maaret al-Numan in its battle to expel fundamentalist militias from the northwestern province of Idlib. Idlib is the last

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest book is “The Management of Savagery,” who co-created the film “Killing Gaza,” is the senior editor of The Grayzone, and who is co-host of the podcast “Moderate Rebels.”Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint press conference today to roll out the administration’s so-called peace plan for the Middle East. But the two leaders caused outrage among Palestinians by supporting Israeli control over nearly all disputed territory and insisting that Palestinians “achieve the criteria for statehood” my meeting a series of political and security demands. Brian continues the conversation about the “peace plan” that Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today. Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, whose latest book is “The Management of Savagery,” who co-created the film “Killing Gaza,” is the senior editor of The Gr

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Ted Rall, an award winning journalist and editorial cartoonist, whose work is at www.rall.com.Just as the impeachment trial in the Senate was getting underway, new passages from John Bolton’s forthcoming book leaked to the media. Major outlets are labeling the passages about Trump’s leveraging of military aid to Ukraine as another “bombshell”, but will it really have an impact on impeachment? Against the wishes of the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people, the Trump administration is insisting that thousands of US troops remain in the country. Now, there are even signs that the US could revive its old plans to partition Iraq. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington today to prepare for the official roll out of the Trump administration’s so-called peace plan. Palestinian leaders have denounced the plan as yet another gift from Trump to the Israeli

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, whose most recent piece is “Aftermath: The Iran War After The Soleimani Assassination,” which is at thepolemicist.net and Counter Punch, and 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 new revelations about the FISA court authorization of surveillance of Carter Page, impeachment, the massive demonstration in Iraq demanding the withdrawal of US troops, the 2020 election, the anniversary of Juan Guaido’s failed coup effort in Venezuela, and more. Yesterday, the FISA court declassified and published a formerly secret order from the presiding FISA judge acknowledging that the Department of Justice had invalidated two of four FISA court applications to surveil Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The Justice Department did

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ian Goodrum, a writer and digital editor for China Daily.At least 17 people have died in China and more than 570 sickened by an outbreak of coronavirus, a virus that can lead to symptoms from a common cold to acute respiratory syndrome in both humans and animals. The Chinese government has restricted travel from six cities, including the industrial hub of Wuhan, where the outbreak seems to have originated, but in the past several days people in Malaysia, Thailand, and even Washington State have tested positive for the ailment. Two new political polls from yesterday and today put Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at the top of the heap in the Democratic race for president for the first time. Sanders widened his lead among likely voters in New Hampshire, where he has 29 percent, versus Pete Buttigieg at 17 percent, Joe Biden at 14, and Elizabeth Warren at 13. A CNN national poll shows Sanders leading Biden 27-24, with Warren at 14

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."Joe Lauria has sent a libel notice on behalf of Consortium News against the Canadian NSA, which leaked information to the Canadian press last year saying that Consortium News is a Russian front organization. Nothing could be further from the truth. Consortium News, for which co-host John Kiriakou is a columnist, is one of only a handful of truly independent, popular, progressive sites for news and high quality commentary in America. Consortium News and Joe Lauria are standing up to power and saying, “Enough.” A former lead investigator with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons testified yesterday at the United Nations, saying definitively that there was no gas attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. The investigator, a 12-year-veteran of the OPCW, said the organiz

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton."President Trump’s impeachment trial begins today in the Senate, presided over by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. It is only the third time in American history that a president will face trial in the Senate. Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans have yet to agree on basic protocols. Will there be witnesses? Will additional documents be admitted into evidence? And a new CNN poll says that by a 51-45 margin, Americans want Donald Trump to be removed from office, and by a 69-21 margin, they want witnesses, including former National Security Advisor John Bolton, to testify. But does this simply reflect the fact that opinion on impeachment is unmoved since the process began, and unlikely to move as a result of the trial? The New York Times editorial board over the weekend endors

As the first day of President Trump’s impeachment trial begins in the Senate, federal prosecutors in Washington DC are looking at a different target. According to the New York Times, prosecutors from the Justice Department’s National Security Division are investigating whether a highly-classified document leaked to the Times in 2017 originated with former FBI Director James Comey. It is unusual for a leak to be investigated years after the fact, and critics are saying that the inquiry is nothing more than Donald Trump taking aim at his detractors. The Pentagon confirmed yesterday that 11 US soldiers were indeed injured in Iranian missile attacks on their bases in Iraq a week ago. The soldiers were evacuated to US military medical sites in Kuwait and Germany to be treated for traumatic brain injuries after experiencing symptoms of concussion. The severity of these injuries is not clear. The Pentagon had released a statement on January 8 that the missile attacks had caused, “no casualties, no friendly casualtie

The impeachment trial of President Trump in the Senate has formally begun and those involved in the process have been sworn in. In addition, Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of presidential attorney Rudy Giuliani, has gone public saying that Trump, Vice President Pence, Attorney General Barr, and Congressman Devon Nunes were all involved in the conspiracy to take down Biden and his son Hunter. Is this a Watergate-style scandal, as Democrats maintain, or is it business as usual in Washington? The dispute between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is continuing as so-called “hot mic” audio is released of an exchange between those two Senators following this week’s debate. With Sanders rising in the polls, is the media and the Warren campaign pulling a last ditch maneuver ahead of the Iowa caucus? Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, and a contributor to Businessweek, The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net, joins the show. The Russian

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her latest book is “Comrade.”Last night saw the final Democratic debate before the February 3 Iowa caucuses, and pundits agree--it was incredibly boring. There were no knockout blows, but there was an exchange set up by the moderators between Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Joe Biden went generally unscathed, and pundits said businessman Tom Steyer, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg delivered solid performances. In a televised cabinet meeting today, Iranian President Rouhani said that European troops “could be in danger” after the UK, Germany, and France activated a clause in the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, that would reimpose sanctions on the country. Meanwhile, Iraqi political forces have called for a massive march to demand that U.S. troops leave the country. Medea Benjamin, a well-known peace activist and the

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her latest book is “Comrade.”Six Democrats will be on stage in Iowa tonight in the final debate before the Iowa caucuses. The latest poll shows Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in first place, followed by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former Vice President Joe Biden. The race appears to have turned nasty in recent days as Sanders and Warren have clashed and as Biden tries to reclaim a share of the lead that could take him into New Hampshire and South Carolina. The Trump Administration’s narrative that General Qassem Soleimani was involved in planning for imminent attacks against US embassies and that this was the reason for his murder is beginning to unravel. President Trump said that attacks were imminent against four US embassies abroad. But Defense Secretary Esper said that was not tru

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mazda Majidi, an author, journalist and anti-war activist.The Iranian government is embroiled in controversy following its announcement that its air defenses accidentally shot down a civilian airliner after troops mistakenly identified it as an incoming U.S. cruise missile. Meanwhile the Trump administration shows no sign of letting up in its aggression against the country despite growing skepticism about the supposedly imminent threat posed by assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Incumbent Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen won a convincing victory in last weekend’s election, securing another term in office as well as a parliamentary majority. What factors caused her to win, and what does it mean for relations with mainland China, the United States and other regional powers? Bob Schlehuber, the producer of Radio Sputnik’s By Any Means Necessary, which is on from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day on 105.5 FM and 1390 AM i

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, and 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 many dimensions of the crisis between the United States and Iran. Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has now said the US must set up a mechanism to remove US troops from Iraq, though the state department has rejected the appeal. Meanwhile, there are accusations circulating about what happened to the Ukrainian commercial aircraft that crashed with 176 casualties. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book, “The Plot to Attack Iran: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran,” and Mazda Majidi, an author, journalist and anti-war activist, join the show. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued a lot of statem

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, and Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, the senior editor of Grayzone, and co-host of the podcast “Moderate Rebels.”Donald Trump appeared to step bank from the brink of all-out war yesterday, but tensions across the entire Middle East remain high in the aftermath of the US assassination of top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani. What comes next after the past week’s dramatic developments? After losing his bid for re-election as head of Venezuela’s National Assembly -- the basis on which he proclaimed himself the country’s President -- Juan Guaido has assembled a parliament of his own. Washington has recognized this farce, and said that it still considers Guaido to be the legitimate head of state of the country. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins the show

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Rania Khalek, a journalist who produces videos at In The Now and is on Twitter @RaniaKhalek, and Mike Prysner, the producer of The Empire Files and a co-host of Eyes Left, a military podcast hosted by two anti-war Army veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.Iran last night launched a series of ballistic missiles aimed at two US military bases in Iraq in retaliation for Thursday’s killing of Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani. No Americans were killed or injured in the attacks. President Trump this morning made a nationally televised statement, essentially declaring victory and threatening Iran with more sanctions and with military force if Tehran retaliates again. Meanwhile, the Iranian government has informed the governments of Russia, China, and the European Union that it does NOT intend to fully withdraw from the JCPOA, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, a signal that it is not seeking to match Washington’s