Is the Russian Military Operation in Quagmire or Going According to Plan?

At the top of the show, Mark Sleboda, international security and policy analyst, joins the show to give us the latest breakdown of what’s happening in Ukraine. They talk about the Russian convoy that’s approaching Kiev. Additionally, there are currently talks in the United Nations to send Ukraine jets from Poland. Moscow has warned that such an action would have severe consequences. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the meantime, says that the United States is “very, very actively working toward such a plan.” Then, they talk about the economic boycotts of Russia and about this business list that’s being kept by a Yale professor that shames companies into pulling out of Russia. What is the end effect going to be on the Russian economy of almost all Western companies either pulling out of Russia or refusing to do business in Russia?

As many of our listeners are aware, our sister outlet, RT, was shut down permanently last week. This was largely a result of both domestic and international governmental pressure. RT also shut down in every European Union country, and lost its license in the UK. Here in the US, Congress was looking at ways to cut off Russian news, and was exploring a shutdown of RT and Sputnik. Last week, that pressure succeeded, and RT closed permanently, silencing such important voices as Chris Hedges and our guest Lee Camp. He was the host, head writer, & creator of RT’s "Redacted Tonight" for 8 years, until it was canceled due to US sanctions. Lee joins the conversation to talk about his experience working with RT and what happens next.

Next, Khulia Pringle, Minnesota Manager of Organizing and Outreach with the National Parents Union, calls in from Minneapolis to talk about the teachers’ strike that’s starting Wednesday. The union is not just asking for smaller class sizes and higher wages. Teachers are seeking additional support staff, including help from counselors and social workers, while the school district says there isn’t the budget to meet teachers' demands. Negotiations fell through earlier this week, resulting in a strike that begins tomorrow.

For the last segment, Coleen Rowley, former senior FBI agent and renowned whistleblower, joins the conversation. She was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, along with two other whistleblowers, in 2002. Coleen and John talk about Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who revealed today that the Department of Homeland Security has been secretly collecting data on Americans’ bank transfers for at least twelve years. Wyden is demanding that DHS probe a surveillance program allowing secret collection of 200 million domestic and international money transfers. This is a program carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ICE data collection included tracking transfers over $500 between Mexico and the US, as well as in the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. The program allowed surveillance without a warrant, and started in 2010 after a settlement between Western Union and the Attorney General's office in Arizona. Dozens of money-transfer services voluntarily handed over data for the program. These types of surveillance mechanisms carried out by government agencies are a form of social control and highly undemocratic, according to Rowley.

The Misfits sign off for today.