As protests continued at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC, fire marshals attempted to enter the building and remove the activists occupying the space. Meanwhile, US Vice President Mike Pence claims volatility in Venezuela is threatening the peace and security of the Western Hemisphere. During a speech at the State Department Tuesday, Pence said the struggle within Venezuela is a battle between dictatorship and democracy. He argued that embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro must go and said the US will continue to stand with the people of Venezuela. The US recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of the South American nation.
The US has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, its strike group and bombers to the Middle East ahead of schedule to send a "clear and unmistakable message" to Iran. National Security Adviser John Bolton said the administration was acting "in response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings." Where did this so-called intelligence come from, and what does this mean?
According to Ramin Mazaheri, chief correspondent in Paris for Press TV, "The French government has been forced to shamefully admit that they made totally false accusations that May Day Yellow Vest anti-government protesters tried to break into the Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in order to 'attack,' 'assault' and 'steal.' Countless mainstream media are just as covered in ignominy for having repeated these untrue claims. I was right there when it happened, covering it for PressTV, so I witnessed exactly what transpired. In fact, I even gave a live interview at the exact time of the incident, just after 4 p.m. I don't have a copy of that for now, but I hope to get one soon." So what happened and why?
General elections will be held in South Africa on May 8 to elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. They will be the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and will determine who will become the nation's next president. As South Africa prepares to head to the polls in the crucial general election on Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa faces a stern challenge to restore waning faith in the African National Congress party, after more than a decade of rampant corruption and misrule.
GUESTS:
Walter Smolarek — Producer for Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clear.
Kevin Zeese — Editor at Popular Resistance.
Miko Peled — Israeli-American activist and author of "The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine."
Khusela Diko — Spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramin Mazaheri — Chief correspondent in Paris for Press TV and author of "I'll Ruin Everything You Are: Ending Western Propaganda on Red China."
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