Argentina yesterday canceled a pre-World Cup soccer match with Israel that was scheduled to take place in Jerusalem, after worldwide outcry from the BDS movement and a Palestinian Authority spokesman called for Palestinians to burn Argentine soccer jerseys. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have denied parole for Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, who is serving eight months in jail for slapping an Israeli soldier. Her cousin Ezzadine Tamimi was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers yesterday.
On the regular Thursday series "Criminal Injustice," about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country, the hosts discuss a prison journalist, Kevin "Rahid" Johnson, who has been punished for talking to the press and Trump's pardon of Alice Marie Johnson. 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.
Former President Bill Clinton said yesterday that his wife Hillary lost her presidential bid only because the Russian government preferred Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Clinton claimed, disingenuously, that without Stein, Hillary would have won the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, and with them, the presidency. Brian and John speak with Ajamu Baraka, the National Organizer, Black Alliance for Peace, a longtime human rights activist, organizer, and political activist, and the 2016 Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani today announced an unconditional week-long ceasefire with the Taliban to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This is the first time that a ceasefire has been called without preconditions. Ghani specified, however, that it does not apply to other groups, including Daesh. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, who just got back from Afghanistan, joins the show.
Democrats are taking a very hard line on the North Korea summit, requiring "complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program" in order to remove the crippling US economic sanctions. Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting the White House today for meetings with President Trump. Abe reportedly is expressing his concerns over North Korea in advance of next week's summit there. Patrick Lawrence, the author of "Time No Longer: Americans After the American Century" and a columnist at The Nation whose work you can support at www.patreon.com/thefloutist, joins Brian and John.
The White House's top economic advisor said today that President Trump is not backing down from his hard line on trade, setting the stage for a showdown with top allies at the G7 summit in Canada this week. The meetings on Friday and Saturday will be the first time that allied leaders have had to confront Trump in person since he instituted steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. Sputnik News analyst and producer Walter Smolarek, who is in Quebec City, joins the show.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Austria today as part of a policy to improve relations with the European Union. He's also working to improve economic and trade relations with Europe in the aftermath of tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum by President Trump. Brian and John speak with legendary anti-war activist and former British parliamentarian George Galloway.
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