Loud & Clear

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ben Norton, a journalist with The Grayzone and co-host of the Moderate Rebels podcast, and Sputnik News analyst and producer 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 race, Hillary Clinton’s latest weird attacks on Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg’s history in Iraq with the infamous firm McKinsey, YouTube demonetizing Moderate Rebels and The Grayzone, and the hysterical but light-on-facts report from the Organization of American States on Bolivia’s presidential vote. Impeachment hearings continued this week, but that wasn’t the most interesting political news. Joe Biden took the opportunity yesterday to call an Iowa farmer “fat” and “a damn liar” when the man asked him about Hunter Biden’s role in a Ukrainian energy company. And the media are now telling us that Pete Buttigieg is “surging”

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.”Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi today gave an official statement on the status of the Democrats’ efforts to impeach President Trump. She pledged to move forward with the process, which is expected to shortly produce formal articles of impeachment. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on the Howard Stern show and said the Russians backed Bernie Sanders, among other things, including that Bernie “hurt” her campaign. Joe Lauria, editor in chief of Consortium News, and author of the book “How I Lost, by Hillary Clinton,” joins the show. The Trump administration is considering a significant expansion of the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East to counter Iran, including dozens more ships, other military hardware and as many as 14,000 additional troops, U.S. officials said. Brian and

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 “No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.”Impeachment hearings start up again today, this time before the House Judiciary Committee. Democrats on the Intelligence Committee yesterday released their report, which, they say, shows damning evidence that President Trump committed crimes so grave that the only response must be removal from office. Today, four renowned legal scholars will testify as to the constitutional basis for impeachment. The second day of the two-day NATO Summit ended in acrimony after President Trump canceled a press conference and abruptly returned to Washington. This came just hours after Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, Prime Minister Johnson of the UK, President Macron of France, and Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands were caught on

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Alexander Mercouris, the editor-in-chief of The Duran.President Trump is in London for the first day of the two-day NATO summit, an event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the alliance. But not all is well in London. Turkey threatened to not defend Poland the Baltic States if they do not support Turkey in its fight against the Kurds. The alliance officially listed China as one of its rivals, and President Trump criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for saying in a recent interview that NATO was “brain dead.” Democratic presidential candidate and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not only a politician -- he’s a media mogul too. Bloomberg News has ordered that its reporters not investigate him or his campaign along with his Democratic competitors. Further, high ranking staff at Bloomberg will be joining his campaign. Meanwhile, The Trump campaign said that it would no longer credential reporters from the Bloomberg news service

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.”The House Intelligence Committee today is expected to circulate its Ukraine report, as the House Judiciary Committee begins its own impeachment hearings. The Intelligence Committee will vote to release the Ukraine Report tomorrow. Meanwhile, President Trump said he will not participate in the impeachment hearings after all, calling the entire process “unfair.” London is still reeling from a terrorist attack over the weekend that left two dead, as President Trump heads to the UK for the NATO summit. The two victims of the attack were a young man and woman active in the issue of criminal justice reform. And one of the heroes of the attack was a convicted murderer who had just been released from prison the day before. He was able to wrest the knife from the attacker. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is ignoring ca

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Chase Iron Eyes, a member of the Lakota People's Law Project and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and by Jean Roach, of the Mnicoujou Lakota, a leading member of the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (ILPDC) and a survivor of the 1975 Oglala incident.Leonard Peltier is a world renowned activist, author and long-time leader in the Native American movement. He’s also a political prisoner -- incarcerated for over 40 years as a result of a trial that his supporters say was a travesty of justice. Today the hosts discuss his case and the ongoing movement to win his freedom. Learn more about the movement to free Leonard Peltier at WhoIsLeonardPeltier.Info.Coal miners and nearby residents have long suffered from illnesses and health problems due to the many byproducts of the mining. West Virginia is the second-highest coal producing state and the industry has long been a primary source of jobs in the region. Fracking

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 the author of many books, including “The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, and Capitalism in 17th Century North America and the Caribbean” and “The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America.”We all know the Thanksgiving story, right? Friendly Native Americans helped pious European settlers through their harvest, shared with them the bounties of the land, and the first Thanksgiving was created. But just about none of that is true. It’s based, according to the Smithsonian Institution, on colonial settler accounts, as well as the writings of later fur trappers, missionaries, and the odd curious traveler. The account of the first Thanksgiving doesn’t take into consideration how those same settlers spread disease, stole land, and virtually wiped out the indigenous Womp

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Patricia Gorky, a software engineer and technology and security analyst.Four employees at Google were fired this week in what activists say is a clear case of workplace organizing related to growing opposition to the company’s business with Border Patrol. Workers were outraged that Google was complicit in the growing repression and human rights violations being carried out along the U.S.-Mexico border. The US military has quietly resumed large-scale military operations in Syria, following a brief hiatus after what President Trump called the defeat of the Islamic State. Air Force Major General Eric Hill said that US forces were active in Deir az-Zour over the weekend, where they captured more than a dozen ISIS fighters and killed and wounded an unknown number. The real question, though, is with eight other countries already actively fighting in Syria, why is the US there at all? Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador

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.President Trump last week pardoned Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who had been convicted of war crimes after murdering an ISIS suspect in cold blood. Gallagher had been turned in by his own men and prosecuted by his superiors. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer opposed the pardon and went public with his opposition to President Trump’s decision to also led Gallagher keep his Navy SEAL pin. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper forced the Navy Secretary to resign. The Colombian government announced last week that it would close its borders in an attempt to contain mass strikes and protests that have swept the country in opposition to right-wing President Ivan Duque. The original goal of the protests was to oppose Duque’s austerity measures. But in t

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."A former FBI attorney is under criminal investigation after allegedly altering a document related to the probe of the 2016 surveillance of Trump campaign official Carter Page. If true, the allegation amounts to a felony and it is already fanning the flames of Republican complaints that the FBI was actively working against the Trump campaign.Just days after murdering eight unarmed protestors at a gas facility outside La Paz, the Bolivian police and military attacked a funeral for the victims, using tear gas and rubber bullets. The government’s use of violence against indigenous people and progressives has become the norm. Meanwhile, there are reports that self-proclaimed president Jeanine Anez has issued an arrest warrant for President Evo Morales as top officials label Morales an “i

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter, a columnist for CounterPunch, a contributor to Businessweek, The Nation, Extra! and Salon.com, and whose writings are at ThisCantBeHappening.net.Democrats squared off last night in Atlanta for their fifth formal presidential debate. Ten candidates participated. Elizabeth Warren called for the expansion of the military, Joe Biden once again had an embarrassing performance and the MSNBC moderators set up an attack on Tulsi Gabbard. And as usual, critical issues were left out of this corporate media-controlled spectacle. 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 Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Un

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.”US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testified before the House Intelligence Committee this morning that President Trump premised US aid to Ukraine on that country’s willingness to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. When asked if there was a quid pro quo, Sondland responded, “Yes there was.” The testimony was notable. But was it anything new? Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper and Undersecretary of State David Hale testified later in the afternoon. With less than 11 weeks to go before the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, the top 10-ranked Democrats will square off in a debate tonight in Atlanta. Four Democrats are vying in the top tier--Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg. But the field was recently shaken up with the announcements that former Ne

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.”Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced yesterday that the US government would no longer recognize the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The policy change comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life and desperate for anything he can present as a victory for his hardline policies. Impeachment hearings continued today with the Intelligence Committee hearing testimony from two National Security Council staff members--Jennifer Williams, a Foreign Service Officer assigned to Vice President Pence’s staff; she was listening in on the now-famous phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky; and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the NSC’s top Ukraine specialist. Vindman has been the subject of recent attacks from Republican lawmaker

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, John Kiriakou is joined by Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com.Impeachment hearings continue today with the Intelligence Committee scheduled to hear eight witnesses in the next three days. Tomorrow will see testimony from two National Security Council staff members--Jennifer Williams, a Foreign Service Officer assigned to Vice President Pence’s staff; she was listening in on the now-famous phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky; and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the NSC’s top Ukraine specialist. He was also on the call and raised concerns with the White House Counsel. And Donald Trump has now suggested that he might testify. Roger Stone was convicted on seven felony counts of obstruction of justice, contempt of Congress, and perjury. Stone faces up to 50 years in prison, but will likely be sentenced in February to something under five years. But Stone is asking for a delay in se

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 impeachment inquiry, Ukrainian election interference, a new agreement in Chile, the Bolivian protests against the ongoing coup, and the mass killings in Gaza this week. Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovich testified today before the House impeachment committee. Yovanovich said that she was encouraged to tweet supportively about President Trump and when she didn’t do so, she was recalled and her career effectively ended. That was apparently at the urging of presidential pal Rudy Giuliani. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book “The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the US is Orchestrating a Coup for Oil.” joins the show. The public is beginning to lea

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ted Rall, an award winning journalist and editorial cartoonist whose work is at www.rall.com, and Jeremy Kuzmarov, a professor of American history whose latest book is “The Russians Are Coming, Again: The First Cold War as Tragedy, the Second as Farce.”The way yesterday’s first day of impeachment hearings went depends on your political viewpoint. CNN and MSNBC say that the testimony included bombshells about President Trump and his quid pro quo from two career diplomats that have upended the entire story. Fox says the hearings were boring and pointless and didn’t tell us anything important or that we didn’t already know. There were no hearings scheduled for today, but former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovich, whom President Trump recalled as ambassador months ago, will testify tomorrow. Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denie

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.Public impeachment hearings began today on Capitol Hill as House members consider whether to impeach President Trump for his actions in seeking a Ukrainian government investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. Career State Department diplomats testified today on the alleged quid pro quo of an investigation for military aid. Jeanine Anez, a right-wing rival of Bolivia’s ousted president Evo Morales, declared herself President of Bolivia yesterday as anti-coup protesters tried to storm the Congress building. The heads of the army and national police vowed to support her, but Morales loyalists in the legislature boycotted the legislative session in which she declared herself president. Morales, meanwhile, is now in exile in Mexico. Chuck Kaufman, the National Co-Coordinator of the Alliance f

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Leo Flores, a Latin America campaign coordinator with the peace group Code Pink.Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived in Mexico yesterday, where he was granted asylum after being overthrown in a military coup. The coup took place at the urging of right wing opposition leaders and mutinying police officers. Every constitutional successor has resigned, leaving the opposition Senator Jeanine Áñez in nominal charge of the country now effectively ruled by a military junta. Attorneys representing presidential candidate and Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard have sent a letter to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanding that Clinton retract a statement she made several weeks ago calling Gabbard a “Russian asset.” When challenged about the assertion, Clinton responded, “If the nesting doll fits..” Gabbard’s lawyers say the statement was defamatory, and they want a retraction. Meanwhile, two new likely entrants are trying

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Lee Camp, a writer, actor, activist, journalist, and host of the television show “Redacted Tonight,” which you can see on RT America, and online at leecamp.com, and Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.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 the Democratic 2020 primary and the possible addition of Michael Bloomberg to the race, the ongoing mass demonstrations in Chile, tensions resulting from the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and more. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has indicated that he intends to enter the Democratic race for president. Bloomberg yesterday filed papers to contest the Alabama primary. Alabama has an unusually short filing deadline. Pundits are saying that Bloomberg has told friends that he doesn’t beli

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.”Open impeachment hearings start in the US House of Representatives in the inquiry into President Trump next week. The House Democrats likely have the majority they need to impeach Trump, but will that help their cause in the end? The trial for Roger Stone, President Trump’s advisor, is on its third day. Stone, a self described “dirty trickster,” is being charged with obstructing the Mueller investigation. What actually happened? Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com, joins the show. Two former employees of social media giant Twitter have been arrested. The ex-employees are accused of spying for the Saudi government, using their access to the company’s data to gather information on dissidents. Brian and John speak with Ali al-Ahmed, the Director of