A federal judge in Washington today delayed the highly anticipated sentencing of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI as part of the Mueller investigation related to lobbying he conducted on behalf of the Turkish government. Prosecutors had asked for leniency because of the degree to which Flynn cooperated in the Mueller probe, but Judge Emmet Sullivan's incendiary comments during the hearing led to the sentencing being delayed.
Tuesday's weekly series is False Profits-A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism. Regular "False Profits" guest Daniel Sankey is out sick today, but Loud & Clear is honoured to be joined by Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression," whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com.
President Trump has decided to shut down his embattled and much-criticized personal charitable foundation amid allegations that he used it for personal and political gain. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said the president had also agreed to give away the remaining money. She added that the president had engaged in what she called "a shocking pattern of illegality." Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at www.rall.com.
Headlines in all major US newspapers and news websites today crowed about the firing of former CBS Chief Les Moonves for sexual misconduct. But even in this #MeToo era, nearly every headline mentioned Moonves's loss of a $120 million severance package, but did NOT mention the accusations against him. Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her latest book is "Crowds and Party," joins the show.
US negotiators in Abu Dhabi yesterday met with members of the Taliban leadership and representatives of the Afghan government to discuss a possible peace in Afghanistan. It's possible that the Taliban and government delegations could meet face to face for the first time. The talks were supposed to last one day, but they've stretched into a second, raising hopes of substantive advances. Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, the Scholar-in-Residence and director of the Middle East Institute's Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies, joins Brian and John.
In a speech marking the 40th anniversary of China's economic reform, President Xi Jinping vowed to continue market liberalization, but made no major policy announcements. He asserted the importance of strong Communist Party control of the economy and society and said in a reference to the United States that no master can control the Chinese people. Meanwhile, the intelligence chiefs of the Five Eyes countries met in Nova Scotia to discuss Chinese electronics giant Huawei. John Ross, senior fellow at Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China, and an award-winning resident columnist with several Chinese media organizations, joins the show.
The Trump Administration earlier this year laid out plans to weaken emission controls on vehicles. The changes were so dramatic that even automakers balked at the notion of making and selling dirtier cars and trucks. But it turns out that another group was behind the push. The New York Times reports that it was US oil companies leading the charge to allow cars and trucks to emit more pollution. Brian and John speak with Dr. Fred Magdoff, professor emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont and the co-author of "What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism" and "Creating an Ecological Society: Toward a Revolutionary Transformation" from Monthly Review Press.
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