John Kirakou, host of "The Back Story" on Radio Sputnik, joins us to discuss Whistleblower Daniel Hale. Drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison yesterday for his part in releasing details of the US drone program. Hale was able to show that the program violated international law and that over a five-month time period, 90 percent of its victims were not the intended target.
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, joins us to discuss President Biden's threat of war. At a meeting of US intelligence officials, President Joe Biden said that he foresees the possibility of an extinction-level war with a major nuclear power. Biden indicated that he believed that the war would likely be precipitated by a cyber breach.
Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss Russian weapons. Russia has had a significant month, as its military has released a number of high-tech weapons. Principal among the new weapons is the SU-75 light combat fighter aircraft called the "checkmate" fighter. Also, the Russian military tested its "zircon" hypersonic anti-ship missile.
Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss the economy. The US economy may be running into a number of speed bumps, as the Delta variant seems to be increasing the infection rate. Also, contrary to libertarian ideology, there is no empirical evidence that cuts to unemployment are having an effect on hiring.
Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is signaling that he is ready to meet with a group of international leaders dubbed the "Normandy Four" to work on issues related to the Eastern Ukrainian conflict in the Donbass Region. The Normandy Four group was established on June 6, 2014, when the leaders of Russia, France, Germany, and Ukraine, discussed ways to resolve the Donbass conflict for the first time.
Tunde Osazua, on the Africa Team of the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) and coordinator of BAP’s "U.S. Out of Africa" Network, joins us to discuss Africa. President Biden is again harkening back to former President Trump's foreign policy as he revives the GOP leader's business initiative towards Africa. This appears to be a move meant to counter Chinese influence on the resource-rich continent.
Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss Israel. Israel is launching a major public relations "maximum pressure" offensive against ice-cream maker Ben and Jerry's for their recent decision to stop selling their products in the occupied territories. Also, some lawmakers are discussing the Pegasus scandal, but not mentioning the fact that Israel is involved.
Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss nuclear think tanks. A recent article shows that every think tank related to nuclear weapons has a financial stake in the issue. The fact that these groups are getting money from corporations that are benefiting from nuclear weapon contracts points to the distinct possibility that they are just thinly veiled public relations programs for military-industrial contractors.
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