On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Nazia Kazi, an activist, professor of Anthropology at Stockton University and the author of the forthcoming book "Islamophobia, Race and Global Politics."
Senator John McCain died on Saturday and the testimonies about his service and character are pouring in from around the country. McCain is being described as a maverick and a moderate who tried to wrest his party from dangerous populism. However, his real legacy is his consistent votes for and encouragement for the country to go to war, and he personally dropped bombs over civilians in Hanoi.
Progressive governments across Latin America have been under unprecedented pressure to move to the right, with countries from Brazil to Argentina to Ecuador either pushing liberal leaders aside or changing policy to ally themselves with the United States. What's behind this push to the right? And are Latin American countries in danger of a return to military or fascist governments with the support of the United States? Arnold August, a lecturer, journalist, and author of the book "Cuba-US Relations: Obama and Beyond" and Gloria La Riva, the director of the Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee, joins the show.
Monday'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. Brian and John speak with web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa.
Lanny Davis, the attorney for President Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen, is backing off statements he made last week that Cohen has information to share with investigators indicating that Trump knew in 2016 of Russian efforts to undermine the Hillary Clinton campaign. And attorneys for accused Russian spy Maria Butina say that federal allegations that Butina traded sex for information are nonsense. Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers, joins the show.
Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami met today with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and pledged Iranian help in the reconstruction of Syria, as well as enhanced defense cooperation. The United Nations estimates that the country will need $388 billion to rebuild from a seven-year-long civil war that has seen the deaths of more than 350,000 people. Massoud Shadjareh, the founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins Brian and John.
The North Korean government reacted angrily today after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled his planned visit to that country. Pompeo cited a lack of progress in bilateral talks as the reason for the decision. But North Korea said that the US was hatching a criminal plot against Pyongyang and that the US was not serious about negotiations. Dr. Christine Hong, associate professor of critical race and ethnic studies at UC Santa Cruz and a member of the Korea Policy Institute, joins the show.
In a victory for labor unions, a federal judge on Saturday struck down key provisions of a series of executive orders that would have made it easier to fire federal workers and weaken their unions. The ruling is a major setback for President Trump's policy of trying to break unions, especially those that represent federal workers. Brian and John speak with Jeff Bigelow, an organizer with AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
Monday's segment "Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers" is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. What's happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book "Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto," joins the show.
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