Podcast appearances and mentions of john burris

Please join us for a special film documentary screening and an intimate conversation with filmmaker Doug Harris and civil rights attorney John Burris.  The film, John Burris: The Godfather of Police Litigation, highlights Burris's life, police brutality, and Burris's high-profile cases: Rodney King's civil trial, the Oakland Riders case, the Oscar Grant case, Barry Bonds, Mario Woods and among others.  Filmmaker Doug Harris points out that the Burris film documentary “is very special—the majority of my previous biographical stories have been about people who are deceased, and this project has given me an opportunity to form a close bond with a living legend.” As Burris looks forward, he is “really working hard to pass the baton on to the next generation of attorneys to carry on this type of civil rights legal work.” Organizer: Robert Melton Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic forum. We welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our mission. An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 6, 2024 Dr. Marshall and the Street Soldiers team discuss the Tyree Nichols murder verdict with esteemed attorney John Burris. We also speak with Dorsey Nunn of LSPC about Prop 6 on the California ballot.

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Ninety Eight!  And while we're at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. After traveling for the better part of a month, it's good to be back home and back in the podcast studio. As always, I am grateful to all the show's patrons who help to keep the show moving forward. And if you're out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, it's easy to do, you simply go to the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). I captured this episode in Suriname back in mid-May, towards the end of our herp trip there.  It was recorded around the swimming pool in the heat of the afternoon on one of our few down days in Suriname.   Energy levels were a bit low given the heat and the swimming pool and some adult beverages, but the lads responded and gave good accounts of our adventures there. I hope you enjoy this in-the-field episode, and I want to thank Jeremy Pixton, Matt Cage, Peter Mooney, John Burris, Pat Kain, and Shawn LaRochelle for talking with me and a special shout-out to our pal Dermot Bowden, who had to leave a few days early and missed the discussion, it was good to see you again Dermot.  Special thanks to the folks at Unlock Nature - Dick Lock, Lieke Verwoerd, Marcos Carello, Soraya Sodrono, Matthew Wallace, Fenne, Yordi, and all the other folks who helped to make our trip a success. Thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there's also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc. -Mike  

Civil Rights Attorney John Burris announced a $7.5 million settlement against the Antioch, CA Police in the 2020 death of Angelo Quinto. Quinto, suffering from a mental health incident was killed when police held him in a prone position similar to George Floyd for over ten minutes despite pleas from his mother. John Burris said: “While no amount of money can make up for the tragic circumstances surrounding Angelos's death, his family is to be commended for their unwavering commitment to improving the relationship between the community and Antioch police.” He added, “The Quinto family took their pain and anguish and immediately challenged the City to reform its approach to engaging the mentally and emotionally impaired. Their efforts at partnering with the City have resulted directly or indirectly with (1) body-worn cameras, a mental health crisis team, a mobile crisis unit, a police review commission, and state legislation outlawing excited delirium. The family efforts turned a heartbreak into a source of social justice activisms that will benefit the community for years to come. This is citizenship at its best.” Assembly Bill 360 was passed and signed into law, banning the term “Excited Delirium”, and its corollaries, like “Agitated Delirium” from being recognized as a valid medical diagnosis or cause of death in the State of California and prohibiting such terms from appearing on death certificates issued in the State of California. The Vanguard talks with Civil Rights Attorney Ben Nisenbaum and father Robert Collins about what the settlement means to them, but also the changes to law and policy they were able to get – due in large measure to the organization and activism of Mr. Quinto's surviving family members (Cassandra, Isabella, Andrei, and Robert), in partnership with Assemblyman Mike Gipson.

Coach John Burris from Maconaquah joins to recap the Braves' season. Tim Adams from Parke Tudor previews his matchup with Irvington Prep on Saturday. Tipton Head Coach Cliff Hawkins calls in to preview the Tipton-Wapahani Regional Matchup. Kip Wessner from Hoosier Basketball Magazine joins for more basketball talk.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a scoreboard update from Brendan King, John Herrick of the IU Radio Network calls in to talk about Indiana's 70-62 loss to Illinois in Champaign on Saturday. Then, David Eha from Ball State joins to talk about the Cardinals' 81-71 win over Northern Illinois. After that, Tom Bradley, the head coach at Orleans high schools calls in to talk about the Bulldogs' 56-35 win over North Daviess. Then, Brian Sullivan from WNAS talks about New Albany's 57-54 win over Jasper. Next, its Dr. Len Clark who covers all things Notre Dame. Then, the head coach of Maconaquah boys basketball, John Burris, talks about his team's tough loss to Brownsburg. Finally, Steve Kolb of WAXL joins to talk Heritage Hills' 70-47 win over South Spencer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the FOGcast, hosts Nico Vereecke and Devin Becker are joined by special guest John Burris, president of MetaJuice. Coming back from a vacation in Japan, Nico discusses with Devin and John the future trends of gaming.- John Burris, a seasoned entrepreneur with a vast experience spanning Netscape, a US telco with a significant games business, and sports media technology, introduces his latest endeavor, MetaJuice. He shares how MetaJuice is driving the transition of IMVU, one of the largest social metaverses, from a Web2 to a Web3 space using crypto assets, NFTs, and tokens.  - John discusses the unique user demographic of IMVU, which is predominantly anonymous and female, and how the platform thrives on commerce revolving around virtual goods. He also shares the future vision of expanding the service economy within InView.- John explains how the advent of Web3 and NFTs provide virtual goods and services with the opportunity to transcend platforms, thus driving MetaJuice's strategy for IMVU. Their partnerships with entities like Ready Player Me further emphasize this vision.- The episode delves into the longevity of InView, its creator/community-led economy, and the introduction of NFTs as key components of their platform.- Burris shares the stepwise evolution of their crypto economy, starting with the introduction of a stablecoin called Vcoin, followed by NFTs, and further expansions planned in the future.- A crucial element discussed is the role of Vcore, allowing users to have a voice in the metaverse's future. - The episode also delves into the technology and partnerships behind MetaJuice, focusing on their ability to facilitate high transaction per second (TPS) capabilities.- The hosts discuss the legal and regulatory implications of integrating Web3 into businesses, with John explaining their approach to staying compliant and sharing their journey to get a "no action letter" from the SEC.- The conversation closes on the challenges and opportunities of introducing web three assets, the need for commitment in the transition, and the future possibilities this shift holds for businesses.- Finally, John reveals his username on their platform and encourages listeners to learn more about MetaJuice's strategies.This episode of the FOGcast is a deep dive into the world of metaverses, the shift from Web2 to Web3, and the exciting changes this brings for the future of gaming. The podcast concludes with a call to action, inviting listeners to join their Discord for similar engaging conversations. Enjoy!Join the FOGDAO DiscordWatch the episode on YouTubeFollow the Future of Gaming: Twitter | LinkedIn

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eighty One!  And Season Four!  And while we're at it, I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there. In this episode, I talk with Gerold Merker, who with his son Walter recently published an updated edition of The Gray-banded Kingsnake, which I think is a fabulous book.  I talk with Gerold about the book, about west Texas, and of course, Gray-bands!  The book is available from Eco Wear and Publishing. So Much Pingle Patrons! A big thank you to Gerold Merker, our newest patron and the star of this episode as well.  And as always, I want to thank everyone who keeps the show rolling along. And if you're out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, it's easy to do, you simply go to the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). And given that we're now kicking off Season Four, I want to take a little time to mention all of the folks who have contributed to show via Patreon or one-time contributions:  Justin Michels, Jason Jones of Herp MX, Smetlogik AKA Rob Kreutzer, Ryan Borgmann, Joshua Wallace, Jill Rials, Marty Whalin, Chris Smith, Dr. Emily Taylor, John Burris, Kamil Scepanski, Brandon Kong, Issac Chellman, Dr James van Dyke, Brandon Ballard, Mike Rochford, Josef Thompson, Dr. Alex Krohn, Matt Ratcliffe, Jeroen Speybroek, Bryan Hughes, Brandon Bourassa, Josh Holbrook my favorite co-author, James McGhee, Michael Moffat, Andy O'Connor, Jake Scott, Deb Krohn, Duane McDermott, John Sullivan, Josh Emms, Justin Elden, Matt Cage, Patrick Connolly, Chris McMartin, Michael Cravens, Ana Ware, Tim Warfel, David Burkart, Adam Cooner, Dr. Bill Peterman, Cynthia Samake, Paul-Erik Bakland, William Bone, Jeremiah Easter, Richard Legere (AKA Squeaks), Tom Eles, Jeremy Schumacher, Neill Jones, Alec Gordon, Martin Habecker, Daniel Dye, Clint Henke, Ross Maynard, Nick Sobel, Moses Michelsohn, Myles Masterson, Ben Genter, Pearson McGovern, Tom Eles again, Sal Scibetta, Alicia Ballard, Ben Stegenga, Kam Delahoz, Dave Weber, JJ Apodaca, the Urbanek family, Will McManus, Jason Folt, Lawrence Erickson, Wes Redridge, Christian Diederich, Brad Allen,Ian Kanda,  Kim Brown, Andrew Davis, Dick Bartlett, Craig Howard, Sheri Monk, Ian Kanda again, and finally, Gerold Merker.  My apologies for any mispronunciations, or if I left anyone out (pretty sure I didn't).  What can I say?  Thank you, all of you, for supporting this show, I am more grateful than I can possibly express to you all. I also want to thank all the folks who I've talked to over the course of three seasons –easily a hundred or more people and I'll skip reading all those names.  I've enjoyed talking with each and every one of you. Thank you Gerold Merker for starting off Season Four on a high note!  And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there's also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc. -Mike  

A Las Cruces man who is alleging Las Cruces police officers shot him 90 times while unarmed is suing the police department. Jonathan Strickland and his attorney John Burris announced the federal civil rights lawsuit at a press conference on Wednesday."Black and brown people should not have to live in fear," said DeWiBurris said Strickland's wife had made a false abuse complaint to the Las Cruces police that she later recanted."I never threatened any of the officers I was unarmed never threatened any of them and I never did any of the things that woman accused me of," said Jonathan Stricklandtt Lacy, one of Jonathan Strickland's attorneys. The incident happened on March 11, 2021. She told police that her husband said that he was coming to the police department and kill officers there, which she later rechanted.

0:08 — Rishi Iyengar, reporter at Foreign Policy, covering the intersection of geopolitics and technology. 0:33 — Darwin BondGraham, reporter and News Editor at The Oaklandside. 0:45 — John Burris, Oakland civil rights attorney specializing in police misconduct. He is one of two attorneys who filed the “Riders” lawsuit against the police department that's had it operating under a federal judge's oversight for the past 20 years. 0:50 — Cat Brooks, host of Law and Disorder, co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP).   The post BBC office raided in backlash against “India: The Modi Question” documentary; Plus, LeRonne Armstrong fired from Oakland police chief position appeared first on KPFA.

Newly released video shows former President Trump pleading the Fifth Amendment more than 400 times in the New York Attorney General's civil probe into the Trump Organization. Meantime, President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy clash ahead of their first big meeting on the debt ceiling. Plus, we've learned the FBI searched Biden's think tank back in mid-November after classified documents were found. Leigh Ann Caldwell, Joyce Vance, Carlos Curbelo, John Burris, Max Rose, Kurt Bardella, and Roger Sollenberger join.

The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-up in Oakland by Ali Winston, Darwin BondGraham NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE From the Polk Award–winning investigative duo comes a critical look at the systematic corruption and brutality within the Oakland Police Department, and the more than two-decades-long saga of attempted reforms and explosive scandals. No municipality has been under court oversight to reform its police department as long as the city of Oakland. It is, quite simply, the edge case in American law enforcement. The Riders Come Out at Night is the culmination of over twenty-one years of fearless reporting. Ali Winston and Darwin BondGraham shine a light on the jackbooted police culture, lack of political will, and misguided leadership that have conspired to stymie meaningful reform. The authors trace the history of Oakland since its inception through the lens of the city's police department, through the Palmer Raids, McCarthyism, and the Civil Rights struggle, the Black Panthers and crack eras, to Oakland's present-day revival. Readers will be introduced to a group of sadistic cops known as “The Riders,” whose disregard for the oath they took to protect and serve is on full, tragic, infuriating display. They will also meet Keith Batt, a wide-eyed rookie cop turned whistleblower, who was unwittingly partnered with the leader of the Riders. Other compelling characters include Jim Chanin and John Burris, two civil rights attorneys determined to see reform through, in spite of all obstacles. And Oakland's deep history of law enforcement corruption, reactionary politics, and social movement organizing is retold through historical figures like Black Panther Huey Newton, drug kingpin Felix Mitchell, district attorney and future Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren, and Mayor Jerry Brown. The Riders Come Out at Night is the story of one city and its police department, but it's also the story of American policing—and where it's headed.

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Seventy Two!  It's the day before Halloween, an appropriate time to release these tales of strange occurrences from the world of field herping. As always, I want to say thank you to all of the show's patrons, including our newest Patreon member Brad Allen!  Thank you so much Brad, and I appreciated your note as well.  I'm grateful for everyone's contributions and it does keep the show rolling along. And if you're out there listening and you would like to kick in a few bucks, it's easy to do, you simply go to the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three bucks a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee! You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). This week's show came out of a suggestion from someone (I can't recall who) last fall to do a show on the weird/creepy/spooky/unusual things that happen out in the field.  I began soliciting stories and recorded the first of them back in January, and the last was recorded a few weeks ago.  I want to say thanks to everyone who contributed to this episode – Matt Ratcliffe, Jake Scott and his alleged litter robot, John Burris, Tim Warfel, Matt Cage, Jeff Martineau, Rob Kreutzer, Pat Kain, and Bryan Hughes.  I also want to thank the folks who sent in stories that I couldn't include for one reason or another. Thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there's also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, lifting curses cast by Hungarian witches, tips for herping better, etc. -Mike

Days after Hurricane Ian carved a path of destruction from Florida to the Carolinas, the dangers persisted, and even worsened in some places. It was clear the road to recovery from the monster storm will be long and painful. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing Monday. And Ian still is not done. The storm doused Virginia with rain Sunday. It was dissipating as it moved offshore, but officials warned there still was the potential of severe flooding along Virginia's coast and a coastal flood warning was in effect Monday. Ian was one of the strongest storms to make landfall in the United States. An investigation by The Associated Press and the PBS series “Frontline” has documented a sophisticated Russian-run smuggling operation that has used falsified manifests and seaborne subterfuge to steal Ukrainian grain worth at least $530 million. Legal experts say the theft is a potential war crime. Swedish scientist Svante Paabo has won this year's Nobel Prize in medicine for his discoveries on human evolution, the award's panel said Monday. Paabo spearheaded the development of new techniques that allowed researchers to compare the genome of modern humans and our closest extinct relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Moviegoing audiences kicked off the month of October with a horror movie. Studio estimates Sunday show Paramount's “Smile” easily topped the North American charts with $22 million in ticket sales and left Universal's rom-com “Bros” in the dust. Doctors have a message for vaccine-weary Americans: Don't skip your flu shot this fall. And for the first time, seniors are urged to get a special extra-strength kind. Because seniors don't respond as well, the U.S. now recommends they get one of three types made with higher doses or an immune-boosting ingredient. In sports, the Chiefs handled the Buccaneers, the Eagles remained perfect, the Bills rallied against the Ravens, the Braves are on the verge of another division title, Albert Pujols caught the Babe, Aaron Judge's power-drought continued, the Padres extended their season and the Phillies have a magic number of one. Distraught family members were struggling to comprehend the sudden loss of loved ones at the Indonesia soccer match in East Java's Malang city that was watched only by hometown Arema FC fans. The organizer had banned visiting Persebaya Surabaya's supporters due to Indonesia's history of violent soccer rivalries. 125 people were crushed at the match. A Wisconsin man accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more when he allegedly drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee last year is set to go on trial Monday. Darrell Brooks faces nearly 80 charges in the 2021 disaster in Waukesha and will represent himself.  Congressional districts that a federal court panel said were unconstitutional because they dilute representation for Black voters in Alabama are nevertheless being used for the November election after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed them. The high court hears arguments in the case on Tuesday.  Venezuela's government has freed seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicolás Maduro's wife who had been jailed for years by the United States on drug smuggling convictions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called on state regulators to relax rules on oil refineries in an effort to lower soaring fuel prices. According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of gas in California is $6.30. That's far above the national average of $3.80. President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill that finances the federal government through mid-December and provides another infusion of military and economic aid to Ukraine. He signed the bill Friday after lawmakers acted to avert a partial government shutdown set to begin after midnight. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed treaties to illegally annex parts of Ukraine, while Kyiv has submitted an “accelerated” application to join NATO. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of sabotaging the Russia-built gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea to Germany. Putin claimed that the West had turned from sanctions against Russia to “terror attacks,” sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. The White House said Putin's comments were outlandish and just an attempt to distract the world from his annexation on Friday of four parts of Ukraine. Civil rights lawyer John Burris is Northern California's go-to attorney when it comes to police brutality. At age 77, he continues to travel the state to appear with victims big and small to allege violations against law enforcement. Consumers spent a bit more in August than the previous month, a sign the economy is holding up even as inflation lifts prices for food, rent, and other essentials. Americans boosted their spending at stores and for services such as haircuts by 0.4% in August, after it fell 0.2% in July, the Commerce Department said Friday. Wall Street closed out a miserable September with a loss of 9.3%, the worst monthly decline since March 2020. The S&P 500 fell 1.5% Friday and is at its lowest level in almost two years. The ranks of late-night television comedy are thinning. Trevor Noah told his studio audience during Thursday's taping that he's leaving as host of Comedy Central's “The Daily Show.” —The Associated PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an interview, civil rights attorney John Burris says

47 Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies were stripped of their weapons and badges following an audit dating back to 2016 that revealed that they had received unsatisfactory scores on psychological exams. Civil rights attorney John Burris joins Pat Thurston to discuss the shocking details.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

47 Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies were stripped of their weapons and badges following an audit dating back to 2016 that revealed that they had received unsatisfactory scores on psychological exams. Civil rights attorney John Burris joins Pat Thurston to discuss the shocking details.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People have been injected 4,000 times with sedatives by San Francisco Fire since 2018.Civil Rights Attorney based in Oakland, John Burris, is with Pat Thurston to discuss the use of sedatives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People have been injected 4,000 times with sedatives by San Francisco Fire since 2018.Civil Rights Attorney based in Oakland, John Burris, is with Pat Thurston to discuss the use of sedatives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Sixty Seven!  It's the end of July and I hope all of you remain safe and healthy out there. As always, I want to thank all of the patrons of the show – we would not be kicking off a third season without you and I appreciate your support.  To others in the listening audience, if you like the show, please consider supporting it via the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can support the show for as little as three buck a month – less than a fancy cup of coffee!  You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). Many of you have heard my interview with Nick Burgmeier about his work with hellbenders in Indiana.  That was Episode 8, way back in season 1, and I didn't just pull Nick's name out of a hat for that interview.  I had the privilege of helping out with hellbender surveys as far back as 2007, with my buddies Don Becker and Greg Stephens, and little did I know that all of that preliminary work would lead to the current hellbender raise-and-release project going on in Indiana.  And to provide just a bit more detail, these are young adult hellbenders that are being released, they are raised from eggs collected in the wild in Kentucky and Ohio.  This is necessary because Indiana hellbenders are in trouble – the state has a small population of adult hellbenders and if there are any eggs being produced, they haven't been located.   Thankfully these days there's a lot of cooperation between various agencies in states with hellbenders, so there's a lot of dedicated work to keep these awesome creatures in as many rivers as possible. This show was recorded in the field and since I knew we would be spending time in the water, I didn't use my standard field rig.  I captured everything on my Zoom HN4 recorder, which is my backup recorder these days.  I used the unit's built-in omni-directional microphone and so I captured everything – water noises, buckets, lots of banter and yakking, and sometimes multiple conversations happening in parallel.  But I was able to record the event as it happened, and there's a lot of running commentary from Nick and others that help to set the scene, and all of the banter – well, that's just a lot of happy people taking part in a joyous event. Acknowledgements:  First of all, special thanks to my friend Nick Burgmeier – Project coordinator and all-around good guy, and Marci Skelton, Nature Nick's spouse and his number one fan. Shelby Roberts – AKA Bender Baby Mama, thanks for all of your work and for talking with me. Summer Brown, Madison Phillips and Zach Truelock were on hand to make sure everything went smoothly, and let's not forget Thomas Coggeshall, holding down the fort back at the lab. I want to also thank Jarrett Manek for transporting us around and for the great behind the scenes tour at O'Bannon Woods. Other witnesses for this event include Don Becker, Greg Stephens, Justin Michels, Jeff and May Faircloth, John Burris and Jeremiah Jonothan.  It was great to be there with you all. Thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there's also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, pet names for Hellbenders, tips for herping better, etc. Cheers! Mike  

Two weeks ago, Bay Area communities held local primary elections. San Francisco voters overwhelmingly endorsed Proposition H, recalling progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin. At the same time, in two neighboring counties, voters turned away from relatively liberal sheriffs, each in favor of a candidate touting progressive reforms, and, in two counties, contested races for district attorney resulted in reelection of incumbents with differing policies toward criminal justice.Tonight, to discuss the implications of the election for criminal justice reform statewide and for Bay Area politics, YLR Host Jeff Hayden, and tonight's co-host Dean Johnson are joined by Eugene Hyman, retired judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, San Francisco Attorney Randall Knox, political pundit Mark Simon, Jay Boyarsky, Chief Assistant District Attorney of Santa Clara County, and Oakland-based civil rights attorney John Burris.Questions for Jeff, Dean and their amazing panel of guests? Please call, toll free, at (866) 798-8255.

Two weeks ago, Bay Area communities held local primary elections. San Francisco voters overwhelmingly endorsed Proposition H, recalling progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin. At the same time, in two neighboring counties, voters turned away from relatively liberal sheriffs, each in favor of a candidate touting progressive reforms, and, in two counties, contested races for district attorney resulted in reelection of incumbents with differing policies toward criminal justice.Tonight, to discuss the implications of the election for criminal justice reform statewide and for Bay Area politics, YLR Host Jeff Hayden, and tonight's co-host Dean Johnson are joined by Eugene Hyman, retired judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, San Francisco Attorney Randall Knox, political pundit Mark Simon, Jay Boyarsky, Chief Assistant District Attorney of Santa Clara County, and Oakland-based civil rights attorney John Burris.Questions for Jeff, Dean and their amazing panel of guests? Please call, toll free, at (866) 798-8255.

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Sixty Four!  I hope all of you remain safe and healthy out there as we roll into June. First up I want to give a shoutout to the Minnesota Herpetological Society for inviting me to speak at their first in-person meeting since pre-Covid.  I made a rocket run up to Minneapolis St. Paul on Friday and back on Saturday, and I talked about The Field Herping Guide, the Pingleton/Holbrook collaboration project, and also, this show and how it got started.  It's a great herp society and they once again made me feel welcome, so thanks again to all the folks in the MHS. As always, I want to thank all of the patrons of the show – we would not be kicking off a third season without you and I appreciate your support.   To others in the listening audience, if you like the show, please consider supporting it via the So Much Pingle Patreon page. You can also support the show via one-time contributions via PayPal or Venmo (please contact me via email to somuchpingle@gmail.com). HERPETOLOGY SUMMER CAMP!  Coming up this summer! Through their Compass Summer Experience program, Montreat College is hosting their annual Herpetology Summer Camp for high school students, from June 19th thru the 24th, with an option for an additional week thru July 1st.  The camp is hosted by Professor Josh Holbrook, and students will experience amphibians and reptiles through a blend of classroom and field sessions.  For more information and to register, see the Herpetology Summer Experience page. This week's show is a discussion of a recent field herping trip to Greece, Hungary, and Slovenia.  I set up a microphone in our AirBNB suite at the end of the trip, in order to get everyone's impressions of the trip.  Special thanks to John Burris, Matt Cage, Bryan Hughes, Pat Kain, Chris MacDonald, Jeff Martineau, Erik McCormick, Anniek Tump, Gerrit Verspui, and Tim Warfel. And thanks for listening everyone! And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there's also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, herping tips for the Acropolis, tips for herping better, etc. Cheers! Mike  

The Riders Case was a civil rights lawsuit in Federal District Court regarding police misconduct in Oakland which has resulted in ongoing Federal oversight. The plaintiffs were represented by John Burris, today Burris joins Pat Thurston to discuss the infamous case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Riders Case was a civil rights lawsuit in Federal District Court regarding police misconduct in Oakland which has resulted in ongoing Federal oversight. The plaintiffs were represented by John Burris, today Burris joins Pat Thurston to discuss the infamous case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to review the important stories for the week. Russian forces close in on the capital city of Ukraine as the Russian military operation moves into its second day. Also, we discuss the overall security situation in Europe and whether the Ukraine operation starts or averts World War III. Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economy. Dr. Jack discusses his latest article in which he carefully outlines the economic consequences of the Ukraine military operation and the subsequent sanctions. John Burris, civil rights attorney, comes on to discuss a few important legal cases. Former Minnesota police officers who were involved in the death of George Floyd were found guilty of violating Floyd's civil rights. Also, Dante Wright's family reacts to the light sentence given to his killer.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, and Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, join us to discuss international politics. President Biden has made no comments on China's support of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Also, Russia has destroyed most of the Ukrainian military assets and has signaled that they are open for negotiations.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, the Supreme Court and the Decline of American Democracy," and Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch and the author of "The American Farce Unravels: Shreds of January 6th," join us to discuss this week's important stories. Ukrainian President Zelensky is arguing that he has been abandoned by Western powers in a time of need. Also, Russia has signaled that it is ready to start talks with Ukrainian officials to accomplish a neutral status, and China is supporting Russia in a subtle manner.

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. Russia has officially recognized the breakaway republics in Eastern Ukraine and is in the process of working out aid and protection measures. The collective West now must formulate a strategy in light of losing their Ukraine invasion trope.Prof. Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss the potential economic fallout from the recent geopolitical actions in Eastern Europe. The US has threatened severe sanctions against Russia, but now faces significant potential blowback. Will the US and EU risk crushing their economies in an effort to gain revenge against the Russian Federation? Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss the recognition of the breakaway republics in light of the larger world geopolitical landscape. Ray examines the likelihood that the move was coordinated between Russia and China, and reveals the current thoughts of an ex-US ambassador to the USSR.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss two recent court cases. Officer Kim Potter received a sentence of two years in the killing of Daunte Wright. The Wright family is arguing that this is a miscarriage of justice. Also, jury deliberation is underway in the Ahmaud Arbery hate crime case. Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss the Middle East. There are reports that the US and Iran are close to a nuclear deal, but recent events are creating skepticism. Also, the US claims to be rejecting Israel's criticism of the negotiations. Dr. Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and global history at New Mexico State University, joins us to discuss China. China has responded to the Russian recognition of the breakaway republics with measured support. Also, China argues that the US plans to expand its military reach in Southeast Asia puts it on a path for confrontation with Beijing. Netfa Freeman, host of Voices With Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM, Pan-Africanist and internationalist organizer, joins us to discuss Haiti. The President of Cuba has spoken out about the moral obligation to provide unconditional cooperation with Haiti. Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba, argued that years of plunder and foreign intervention are at the heart of Haiti's problems.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, the Supreme Court and the Decline of American Democracy," joins us to discuss censorship. The US government is targeting another independent news and editorial site as a purveyor of Russian disinformation. The highly trafficked site "Zero Hedge" is in the crosshairs of the deep state media and intelligence complex.

Famed Oakland Civil Rights Attorney John Burris talks about his life and career representing victims' families in high-profile criminal cases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Prokop, author and retired intelligence analyst for the US Department of Defense specializing in the Soviet Union, joins us to discuss the EU/Russia border crisis. Russia has said that it will formulate its response to its security demands once it receives the written response from the US. Also, French President Emmanuel Macron is set to share his vision for a path to de-escalation regarding the crisis on Russia's western border.Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to discuss covid. Several studies seem to show immune system problems arising from multiple boosters. Also, Pfizer and other companies are now creating omicron-specific vaccines. Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss Iran. Neocon hawks in DC are restarting their campaign for a disastrous war with Iran. Also, we discuss the issues that are creating a difficult environment for the US to return to the deal in a manner that Iran accepts as fair and reasonable.KJ Noh, activist, writer, and teacher, joins us to discuss China. President Xi Jinping will chair a summit marking 30 years of China's ties with other central Asian nations. Also, there has been an accident in which a F35C fighter crashed in the South China Sea.Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. There are multiple reports that Kiev is preparing for an all-out assault on Eastern Ukraine. Also, the CIA may be training Ukrainian Nazis for European terrorist missions.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the SCOTUS. The Supreme Court is set to review race-conscious university admission policies.Leo Flores, Latin America coordinator for Code Pink, joins us to discuss Venezuela. Venezuela has doubled its oil production with Iran's assistance. Also, Russia's ambassador to Venezuela has stated that Juan Guaido does not represent anyone. Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss NATO as an international tool for US hegemony. The article we review argues that NATO is simply a tool of US armed supremacy and that the expansion of the organization into the China/US adversarial conflict, along with its actions in the Global South, is strong evidence to support that theory.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, joins us to discuss how the US prioritizes its spending. While President Biden has just signed $778 billion in new military spending into law, the U.S. Agency for International Development reportedly can't find the funds to pay for the Biden administration's effort to help vaccinate the world's population against COVID-19, according to two agency officials interviewed by Politico. Chris Hedges, investigative journalist, joins us to discuss Julian Assange. In his latest Common Dreams article, Chris posits that the legal precedent set by the sentencing of Assange means that "anyone who possesses classified information, or anyone who leaks it, will be guilty of a criminal offense." He further predicts that the sentencing of Assange will "signal the end of all investigative inquiries into the inner workings of power."Dr. Colin Campbell, DC senior news correspondent, joins us to discuss Rep. Pramila Jayapal warning that political disaster is in store for the Democrats if they fail to deliver in the New Year. Rep. Jayapal told her fellow lawmakers and the President on Sunday that "failure to deliver their promised social spending and climate agenda could have disastrous political consequences, feeding voter disillusionment and leaving millions of people without badly needed economic aid amid a deadly pandemic."James Carey, editor/co-owner at Geopoliticsalert.com, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Saudi military expert Mohammad al-Qabibaan defended the recent intense escalation of the Saudi-led coalition's bombardment campaign in Yemen during a recent appearance on RT Arabic, describing the relentless airstrikes of recent weeks as “successful operations” designed to force the Houthi Ansarullah movement to sit down at the negotiating table.Kweku Lamumba, external relations coordinator for KOSSA, joins us to discuss the kidnapping situation in Haiti. After the kidnapping of the 16 American missionaries and a Canadian in Haiti, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken initially said that the US will do "everything possible to resolve the situation" and even indicated that an FBI kidnapping team maintained contact with a church that the captured missionaries belonged to. Now there is "total silence, to the point of making people question even this act of kidnapping."Teri Mattson, Latin American coordinator for CodePink, joins us to discuss El Salvador. Teri discusses reports that a former senior Salvadoran anti-corruption prosecutor went on record to say that President Nayib Bukele's government closed down his unit's investigation into alleged allegations that the government struck a deal with the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs in 2019 to "reduce murder rates and help the ruling New Ideas party win legislative elections in February."John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the shootings in the US. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Police Department released body camera video of a shooting last week that left a 14-year-old girl dead. Also, reports indicate a shooting spree occurred in the Denver area yesterday that left five people dead, including the suspected shooter, and one police officer injured.Gary Flowers, host of “The Gary Flowers Show” on radio station Rejoice WREJ-AM 990, joins us to discuss the drop in viewership of news networks this year. Nielson data reports that after many networks drew bigger audiences the previous year amid COVID-19 and the 2020 presidential election, they now saw a drop in viewership in 2021. The largest drop was seen in cable networks, with a 38 percent drop in weekday primetime viewership for CNN, 34 percent drop for Fox News Channel, and 25 percent drop for MSNBC.

Dr. Colin Campbell, DC senior news correspondent, joins us to discuss this week's stories. President Biden has said that he will run again in 2024 if he is in good health. Also, we discuss supply chain and inflation problems, the president's approval ratings, and Senator Joe Manchin's (D-WV) effect on Congress.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss legal cases of note. Some states are acting to mitigate the issue of all-white juries when the defendants are minorities. Also, the high-profile case involving the killing of Daunte Wright may be coming to a close as the jury completes its third day of deliberation.Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi, professor of medicine at the George Washington University Hospital and founding director at the Rodham Institute at GWU, joins us to discuss covid. Omicron is spreading amongst both the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Also, the FDA authorizes the first pill to address covid and the WHO is recommending caution and preparation due to the dominance of the Omicron variant.Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, and Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," come together to talk foreign policy. The OSCE has come to another ceasefire agreement regarding Eastern Ukraine, but there are questions as to whether fascist elements in the unraveling Eastern European nation can be trusted to commit to such a thing. Also, Russia and China are working on high-tech weapons, the US and Ukraine opposed a UN condemnation of Nazis, President Putin spoke to the media, and President Biden's approval ratings are cratering.Ted Rall, political cartoonist and syndicated columnist, and Kathy Kelly, American peace activist, join us to discuss this week's important news stories. We discuss the US Pentagon's history of recklessly killing civilians. Also, Saudi Arabia may be building ballistic missiles, the White House is working with Israel to develop a common strategy regarding Iran, and the UN is going to cut food aid to Yemen.

Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to wrap up the important stories for the week. President Biden is being urged to stop providing arms to Saudi Arabia for the Yemen war. Also, we discuss the EU crisis in Ukraine, US and Iran negotiations on the JCPOA, and the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership.Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economic stories for the week. Jobless claims are rapidly falling, Janet Yellen is defending the administration's spending plans, and we discuss the fall of the neoliberal economic model.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss this week's court cases. Signals are coming out of the Supreme Court that it may be willing to uphold Mississippi's draconian abortion limits and effectively kill the Roe v. Wade decision. Meanwhile, calls mount for Congress to step in and address the issue.Ajamu Baraka, 2016 US vice presidential candidate for the Green Party, and Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and author of "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents," come together to discuss this week's stories. The US continues its imperialist war against Venezuela. Also, we discuss the argument over Rep. Boebert's racist comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar, and President Biden's upcoming summit of democracy. Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, and Dan Lazare, author and investigative journalist, join us to discuss important stories of the week. The Biden administration's support for unstable neo-Nazi factions in Ukraine is creating a dangerous situation on the Russian border. Also, we discuss Craig Murray's recent release from prison, Julian Assange, US coup mongering in Central and South America, dysfunction in the Kamala Harris camp, and Joe Biden's hypocritical summit of democracy.

Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss the crisis in Eastern Europe. Russia is warning the US Empire that the situation in Ukraine is approaching a nightmare scenario. Also, the Russian Foreign Minister is stating that US medium-range missiles may soon be deployed in Europe, further destabilizing the situation.Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo, professor, epidemiologist, veterinarian, and the daughter of former Nigerian President Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, joins us to discuss covid. The first case of the omicron variant has been documented in the United States. The case was found in a person who is fully vaccinated and the symptoms appear to be quite mild. The mild symptoms are consistent with the findings of the scientists in South Africa who first documented the variant.Dr. Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss the economy. Traditional neoliberal conservatives are arguing for austerity by blaming inflation on social spending. However, the issue of supply chain-related scarcity and other factors that would not support their case is being ignored. Dan Lazare, author, investigative journalist, and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss Russia-gate. Patrick Lawrence writes that Russia-gate has completely collapsed, but the insidious consequences of gaslighting the entire population of the West lives on. Lawrence argues that while Russia-gate is dead, the price we will pay for the intelligence operation is high, and we are destined to pay it for some time to come.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Supreme Court. Signals are coming out of the Supreme Court that it may be willing to uphold Mississippi's draconian abortion limits and effectively kill the Roe v. Wade decision. Meanwhile, calls mount for Congress to step in and address the issue.Robert Fantina, journalist and Palestine activist, joins us to discuss President Biden's Summit for Democracy. Joe Biden's Summit for Democracy is revealed as an absurd caricature move to maintain US world hegemony as the planet rapidly exits the brief period of unipolarity. Carlos Castaneda, immigration lawyer, joins us to discuss immigration. President Biden's campaign promises to improve the situation at the border rings hollow as the dire situation for immigrants held in detention centers continues unabated.Teri Mattson, Latin American Coordinator for CodePink, joins us to discuss the Global South. Latin America has become the epicenter of the political-ideological struggle as nation after nation escapes the brutal grip of neoliberalism. Chile, Columbia, and Brazil are some of the last holdouts of the US empire's murderous Monroe Doctrine and observers expect upcoming elections to free them from the economic stranglehold of the US empire.

Jami Floyd '98 talks with lawyers in Sacramento, Oakland and Los Angeles about sixty-years of racial justice lawyering: John Burris graduated in 1973 and worked at Jenner & Block in Chicago before he moved back to California. He's worked on the highest profile police brutality/excessive force cases in California, including LA (Rodney King), Fruitvale (Oscar Grant), San Francisco (Mario Woods), and Oakland (Celeste Guap; Oakland Riders). Karin Wang '95 worked to secure and defend public benefits and labor rights in Los Angeles and the Southwest, including in the civil rights office of the Dept. Health & Human Services and as the Vice President at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA. Now, she runs the public interest program at UCLA Law. Jackie Gonzalez '09 defends families targeted by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, first in San Francisco. She has led networks of organizations serving low-income immigrants before becoming the policy director of a group focused on abolishing immigration detention facilities in California (Recent Publication in English; Publicación reciente en español). Jami Floyd worked at the White House, ABC News, MSNBC and is the Senior Editor for Race & Justice at New York Public Radio. Jackie's Book John's Book

November 28, 2021

John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the results of the Ahmad Aubrey case. George Koo, journalist, social activist, and international business consultant, also joins us in this segment to discuss China. He analyzes a Global Times editorial summarizing how the US and China have a lot of common economic interests, and how much the US needs China's help to solve its problems. The article then goes on to say things will not work out for the US if the Biden administration continues the brutal "decoupling" strategy of the Trump era. Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Israel's ex-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood trial this week over corruption charges in Jerusalem. One of his former spokespersons testified in court yesterday. calling Netanyahu a media "control freak."Dan Lazare, author, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss the rehabilitation of Syria's government and how Damascus has a chance to become the next arena for geopolitical competition between the region's Arab power centers and Iran." Aslo, there are reports that US officials believe that a recent attack on a US military base last month was retaliation for recent Israel strikes.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss Russia. An RT article posits that the recent disturbances in Russian-Ukrainian relations, along with the increasing involvement of the US, could prove to be "among the most significant milestones in the history of Europe since the end of the Cold War, over three decades ago."Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss Ethiopia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with media outlets on Friday, saying that the war in Tigray has put Ethiopia on a "path of destruction," that could have effects throughout east Africa. He also stated that Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia's Prime Minister, must fulfill "his responsibility and end violence in the region." The Biden administration sanctioned Eritrea's military and political party for "their involvement in the ongoing crisis in northern Ethiopia.Dr. Jemima Pierre, an associate professor of Black studies and anthropology at the University of California, joins us to discuss Haiti. Dr. Pierre analyses an editorial in Haiti Liberte that describes the "shameful spectacle" of imperialist and neocolonial forces celebrating on the anniversary of the Battle of Vertieres, the interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry's September 11 Musseau Agreement. Minister Ariel is described as "under the thumb" of the United States.Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economy. Dr. Jack discusses the infrastructure of the Build Back Better Bill along with Biden's reasons for reappointing Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserves Chair.Wyatt Reed, Sputnik News Analyst, joins us to discuss Honduras. Wyatt discusses imperial double standards for elections. He also discusses a Global Times report about an online disinformation campaign against Honduras that is probably orchestrated by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

John Burris, civil rights attorney, and Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, join us to wrap up the important stories for the week. The neocon regime change plan for Cuba has fallen flat as their November astroturf protests drew little fanfare. Also, President Biden held a virtual summit with China's leader, the US is making absurd allegations of election fraud against Nicaragua, and a new story has come out claiming that the USS Connecticut was attacked by a Chinese drone.Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economic stories for the week. Inflation continues to surge as energy prices skyrocket. Also, gold prices go up, Biden's approval ratings plunge, and the "Build Back Better" plan may soon see a vote. Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to discuss covid. OSHA has decided to drop an application of the federal vaccine mandates after a federal court issued a scathing rebuke. Also, the FDA is likely to authorize an additional shot for all adults, and approximately 10 percent of the children in the US have gotten vaccinated.Dr. Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri- Kansas City, and James Carey, editor/co-owner at Geopoliticsalert.com, join us to discuss this week's major stories. The US military budget is bloated and growing larger as economic problems increase for everyday citizens. Also, we discuss the president's approval ratings, and the "Build Back Better" legislation.Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, and Dan Lazare, author and investigative journalist, join us to discuss important stories of the week. Democrats are concerned that their current leadership is not viable for a 2024 presidential run. Also, Germans look to be facing a long cold winter partially due to EU intransigence with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the US is fueling astroturf protests in Cuba, Biden recently talked with President Xi Jinping of China, and the Democrats have hidden a giant tax cut for the rich inside of Joe Biden's signature "Build Back Better" legislation.

Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, joins us to discuss the horrific polling numbers for the leaders of the Democratic Party. Presidential spokesperson Jen Psaki is getting backlash after she blamed sexism and racism on the precipitous drop in polling numbers for embattled Vice President Kamala Harris. Also, the Democratic Party is struggling to find competent popular leadership as upcoming elections look bleaker by the day.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss legal cases in the US. A defendant who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery argues that he feared for his life after he and several other men chased Arbery and cornered him with a loaded shotgun. Also, the prosecution in the Kyle Rittenhouse case is in deep and serious trouble after holding back high-definition drone footage.Martin Sieff, senior fellow at the American University in Moscow, joins us to discuss Eastern Europe. Russia has released diplomatic cables showing that France and Germany rejected a peace plan for the Donbass region in Eastern Ukraine. Also, John Bolton argues for overt regime change in Belarus.Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss Africa. There is a danger of US military intervention in Ethiopia as the US state department warns pilots of surface-to-air fire in the war-torn nation. Observers are concerned that the African nation may be the latest target for regime change as neocons begin their usual regiment of propaganda against the sitting government.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. The US has floated a temporary nuclear deal to Israeli officials for approval before presenting it to an Iranian diplomatic corp that is sure to reject the hapless plan. Also, the Yemen war may be coming to an end as Saudi mercenaries are forced to withdraw from areas that have been seized by Houthi fighters.George Koo, journalist, social activist, and international business consultant, joins us to discuss China. International security observers are concerned that the US TV show "60 Minutes" operates as a mouthpiece for the Washington neocons by pushing absurd propaganda about a potential Chinese invasion of Australia. Wyatt Reed, Sputnik News analyst, joins us to discuss Nicaragua. The US and its regime change proxy, the Organization of American States, are pushing another coup attempt against Nicaragua by refusing to recognize its elections. Also, a bipartisan sanctions regime levied against the people of the Central American nation is designed to cause misery and starvation.Dan Lazare, author, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss fuel problems in Europe. Germany's failure to quickly certify the Nordstream 2 pipeline could guarantee a long and brutal winter for its citizens. In a self-defeating move, the fuel-starved European power is prolonging the certification of its fuel lifeline to Russia, and the people and industries of Germany are likely to pay a dear price throughout the cold season.

Shane Stranahan, co-host of Fault Lines, joins us to discuss US foreign policy. A recent study shows that the US and its allies are causing a worldwide decay of democracies through attacks on voting rights, judicial independence, and freedom of the press. According to the report, "36% of all democratic "backsliding" has happened in the U.S. and U.S.-aligned countries, including Turkey, Hungary, and Israel."Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, joins us to discuss Julian Assange. Two unannounced inspections at Belmarsh Prison in London revealed that the embattled publisher is living in unbearable conditions. The inspections found that the deplorable conditions are not compatible with an inmate maintaining a reasonable state of mental health and that precautions to prevent self-harm are almost nonexistent.Nick Davies, peace activist and author of "Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion of Iraq," joins us to discuss the Pentagon budget. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has said that the US needs to get its priorities straight as he plans for a no vote on the latest military budget. Also, retired US Army Major Danny Sjursen argues that the US empire is pinching pennies for its citizens and opening the financial floodgates for the military-industrial complex.K.J. Noh, peace activist, writer, and teacher, joins us to discuss China. President Xi Jinping has identified 3 basic principles and 4 priorities for the Asian world power. After he met with Biden, the Chinese leader made it clear that the US must turn his words of moderation into action. Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss the likelihood of the US joining in a military engagement to support the Neo-Nazi government of Ukraine and/or the island of Taiwan. Patrick Lawrence argues that the people of the US would not be willing to accept the losses involved in such acts of folly and that the US government is well aware of that reality.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss two major US court cases. The jury continues to deliberate on the Kyle Rittenhouse case, and the European Union is calling on Oklahoma to commute the execution of Julius Jones. A petition for the commutation of Jones's execution has garnered over 6 million signatures.James Carey, editor/co-owner at Geopoliticsalert.com, joins us to discuss Israel. In a move that some observers view as propaganda, Israeli security personnel are drilling for a potential "dirty bomb" attack ostensibly by Hezbollah. Also, Defense Minister Benny Gantz continues to ramp up hawkish rhetoric against Iran as he claims that Israel is ready to go to war with the Islamic Republic.Ricardo Vaz, political analyst and editor at VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins us to discuss Venezuela. The US State Department is again condemning the Venezuelan elections before they occur. Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro lambasted the regime change neocons, stating that “It is shameful how the Department of State intends to interfere in the internal affairs of Venezuela.”

Dr. Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri- Kansas City, joins us to discuss domestic politics. A record 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September as inflation skyrockets and investors turn to gold. Also, some businesses are taking advantage of inflation to increase profits.Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Eastern Europe. Despite absurd accusations of fueling the Belarusian border crisis, the Russian government is working to help resolve the issue. Also, NATO's aggressive military actions near Russia's border are fueling a potential crisis with the US client state of Ukraine. Finian Cunningham has written a piece in which he outlines a number of non-military options that the Eurasian power could choose to retaliate.Yolian Ogdu, member of the Black Alliance for Peace and Horn of Africa Pan-Africans for Liberation and Solidarity, joins us to discuss Ethiopia. There is significant speculation that the US empire pushed the TPLF to launch their latest attack in Ethiopia. It is believed that US/EU operatives are pushing this war to overthrow the democratically elected government of Abiy Ahmed.Dan Lazare, author and investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss President Biden and Vice President Harris's polling data. President Biden's infrastructure bill success seems to have done little to counteract the inflation crisis as his approval ratings continue on a swift downward trajectory. Also, Vice President Kamala Harris continues to burden the administration with historically low approval ratings.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. A US airstrike in Syria is creating a considerable buzz as information surfaces that the military worked to cover up the deaths of over 60 women and children at their hands. Also, Houthi fighters are enjoying more success as the critical port city of Hodeida falls under their control. John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Nerves are on edge, and the National Guard stands by for possible unrest in Minnesota as closing arguments of the case are made.K. J. Noh, peace activist, writer, and teacher, joins us to discuss China. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in anticipation of a scheduled virtual meeting between the leaders of the two world powers. Also, China has some interesting options for addressing climate change that may be valuable for Western powers to consider joining or imitating.Margaret Kimberly, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report, joins us to discuss Cuba. The latest ham-handed US regime change plan for Cuba is scheduled to commence today, as CIA-sponsored protests have been pushed by deep state operatives in the tech giants of social media.

Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economy. President Biden talked about inflation and the supply chain crisis concerns during his trip to the Port of Baltimore. Also, the weekly jobs reports are in and the US plan to dominate the computer chip industry is running up against Chinese resistance.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss this week's important legal stories. Counselor Burris joins us to talk about the Ahmaud Arbery and Kyle Rittenhouse cases. Legal observers are questioning the strategy of the prosecutors in the Rittenhouse case as some glaring mistakes are being exposed. Also, defense attorneys in the Arbery case are complaining about the presence of civil rights activists sitting with the family in the courtroom.Greg Palast, investigative reporter, joins us to discuss Steven Donziger. Greg covers his new article about human rights lawyer Steven Danziger. Danziger was convicted and sentenced by persons directly connected to the fossil fuel corporation that he successfully sued in South America. Greg argues that Western media outlets are deliberately ignoring the story. Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, and Dan Lazare, author and investigative journalist, join us to discuss important stories of the week. The Kremlin is arguing that the Russia-gate operation was instrumental in collapsing US/Russia bilateral ties. Also, President Joe Biden has threatened economic retaliation against the people of Nicaragua after they reelected socialist President Daniel Ortega in a landslide victory, Russia and China are working on military technology, and President Biden's poll numbers are cratering.Dr. Colin Campbell, DC Senior News Correspondent, and Nick Davies, peace activist and author of "Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion of Iraq," come together to discuss this week's important stories. The eviction crisis is moving like a glacier rather than an avalanche as the disaster slowly builds in communities across the nation. Also, they discuss the US drone program, the crash of the Biden/Harris poll numbers, and the Black misleadership class in the United States.

John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Kyle Rittenhouse trial and Ahmaud Arbery cases. The simultaneous trials of two high-profile cases are both related to racial tensions in the US. Ahmaud Arbery was killed by vigilantes in Georgia, and Kyle Rittenhouse shot several people during George Floyd protests in Minnesota. Counsellor Burris has a long history of handling high-profile cases related to police violence against Black citizens.Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economy. Weekly jobless claims have come in a bit lower than expected as a possible sign of economic healing, but inflationary prices are taking a bite out of any potential advancement for consumers. Also, House Democrats are voting on their 1.75 trillion dollars economic package, but the left flank of the party is still quite displeased with the final product.Wyatt Reed, Sputnik News analyst, joins us to discuss Nicaragua. Reed joins us from Manaugua, Nicaragua as he covers the upcoming national election. The US empire's interference has become overt, and many observers suspect that violence and coup-mongering are in the air. Also, social media tech giants and other US State Department tools are being used to suppress free and fair elections in the socialist nation.Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, and Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," join us to discuss important stories of the week. The Russia-gate plot thickens as Clinton operatives are outed as having created and spread numerous falsehoods regarding former President Donald Trump's connections to Russia. Also, Dems take it on the chin in the Virginia election, Julian Assange faces extradition, and the US empire's relationship with Russia may be at its lowest point ever.Dr. Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and global history at New Mexico State University, and George Koo, journalist, social activist, and international business consultant, join us to discuss Asia. South Korea is interested in officially ending the decades-long war with their northern sister nation, but the US empire is balking at any hint of peace. Also, hawkish members of Congress are pushing US leadership to trample on China's red lines, China has several ways to respond to the AUKUS realignment, and the Russia-China strategic partnership has increased dramatically in the field of naval defense.

Gary Flowers, host of “The Gary Flowers Show” on radio station Rejoice WREJ-AM 990, joins us to discuss the Virginia elections. Democrats brace for Virginia elections as economic problems and Biden's falling approval ratings set the stage for potential disaster. The polls show a close race, but the inability to pass meaningful economic legislation in Congress could negatively affect voter enthusiasm for the ruling party.Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss the supply chain. Supply chain problems show no sign of abating, and many analysts predict that the issues will worsen and bring increased inflation. Dr. Horne discusses the neoliberal system that has been exposed by completely closing and reopening a system that can't handle backups and sudden increases in demand.Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economy. Congressional wrangling over economic legislation has exposed fissures between the inclinations of the Democratic electorate and the corporate leaders of the party. Also, we discuss the reasons that President Biden can't increase taxes on corporations and his wealthy donors.Ajamu Baraka, 2016 US vice presidential candidate for the Green Party, joins us to discuss President Biden's "Build Back Better" legislation. Dr. Baraka argues that the legislation and the process by which most of the social safety net content has been removed demonstrates that the President was never genuine in his claims that he supported a political change of direction. Was the entire process a head fake to draw progressives into the false belief that Joe Biden is the new FDR?John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss major legal cases in the US. The Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments on Monday regarding Texas' S.B. 8 bill, which creates major restrictions for abortion. Also, a jury has been seated for the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, a man who shot and killed several people during a protest.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. The Sudan crisis deepens as the military coup government moves to lock down control over the African nation. Also, a significant commander of the military in the Darfur region has announced that he is siding with the new government.Cheryl LaBash, Cuban solidarity activist and co-chair of the National Network on Cuba, joins us to discuss Cuba. In a shocking display of hubris, the US has announced that they are creating a color revolution-style protest movement in Cuba that will be acted out in mid-November. A US State Department official has gone so far as to announce that the Biden administration will sanction the island nation if they attempt to interfere with these illegal regime change actions.George Koo, journalist, social activist, and international business consultant, joins us to discuss the US attempt to influence the world's computer chip industry. The Biden administration has demanded that semiconductor manufacturers turn over confidential information or they will try to shut the targeted companies down.

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, the first Black Secretary of State, has died at age 84. Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss the death of Colin Powell. Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell has died at age 84. Powell who was known for being the first Black Secretary of State was also criticized for his part in the Iraq invasion and occupation.Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Russia, China, and Eastern Europe. US international security analysts are reportedly shocked that China has developed and tested a hypersonic glide vehicle that circled the globe and attacked a target. Also, ties between Russia and Nato seem to have completely broken down.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War, "joins us to discuss the Christopher Steele interview. Despite the complete collapse of the infamous Steele Dossier. Christopher Steele has incredulously claimed that everything in the dossier is 100 percent true including the Russians' use of a non-existent consulate in Miami for financial payouts.Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, joins us to discuss Julian Assange. Caitlin Johnstone reports that Netflix is relaunching a "brazen smear job" on Wikileaks and Julian Assange just 3 days before the publisher meets a significant court date regarding his fight to stop extradition to the United States. Also, Joe Lauria writes that the information that CIA plans to assassinate or kidnap Assange was known to the world as early as 2010. Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss the US kidnapping of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. Saab, a diplomat who should be able to exercise all legal diplomatic protections under international law, was taken by the UNited states under the guise of extradition for money laundering. He works to help feed the people of the Bolivarian Republic as the United States works to starve the citizens.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Ahmaud Arbery case. The killing of Ahmaud Arbery is again in the news as the trial of three men involved in the death of the Georgia man begins this week. Crowds gathered outside of the courthouse over the weekend to protest the murder and push for justice.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Our esteemed guest updates us on the tense political situation in Lebanon. Also, the Influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has gained tremendous power due to the Iraqi elections and is laying out his plan for dealing with the US empire.Cohosts Dr. Wilmer Leon and Garland Nixon discuss the life of Dr. Colin Powell.

Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss the Pandora Papers. A trove of 11.9 million documents containing financial information on some of the world's richest and most powerful people has been released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The documents have already created embarrassing situations for powerful politicians in Ukraine and England.Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to discuss covid. Drugmaker Merck is about to release a powerful new antiviral medicine that is believed to be a breakthrough tactic for addressing the covid pandemic. Also, the winter approaches and observers expect the delta variant to begin spreading rapidly soon.Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute, joins us to discuss censorship. The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity temporarily lost their YouTube channel last week and no reasonable excuse was given by YouTube. Also, former President Donald Trump has filed papers in a Florida court arguing that Twitter acted on behalf of Democrat operatives in removing his personal account.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). The conservative SCOTUS is scheduled to make major decisions regarding issues that have both political and social ramifications. The major cases on the SCOTUS docket will address gun control, abortion, religious liberty, national security, and capital punishment, among other issues.George Koo, journalist, social activist, international business consultant, and chemical engineer, joins us to discuss China. China has shocked the US military planners with its aggressive response to the Taiwan threat. China has begun regularly flying warplanes in and around Taiwan, and has stated that they will be prepared to attack whenever the order is given. Also, they have admonished the EU to "mind their own business" regarding China's internal affairs.John Kiriakou, journalist, author and host of The Back Story, joins us to discuss a Common Dreams article on torture. The article addresses the issue of torture. Guantanamo Bay is discussed, but the article also speaks of another little-known remote torture site in Poland. Leo Flores, Latin America coordinator for Code Pink, joins us to discuss the Global South. An interesting war of words is taking place between Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and the former prime minister of Spain, José María Aznar. Maduro has recently argued that Spain should apologize for its colonial rampage of genocide and slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean, while Aznar simply laughs off the demands for acknowledgment of the evil deeds.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss Centcom. In his latest Responsible Statecraft article, Andrew Bacevich argues that the very existence of the Central Command and its 10 sister command centers is a horrible mistake for the US empire and the world. Bacevich goes on to point out that regional stability has decreased since the development of the command system.

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Forty Seven!  I hope you all remain safe and healthy out there.  I'm back in SMP World Headquarters after a brief hiatus (AKA herping) in Mexico of all places.  I went down to Baja California with a group of folks and we dipped all the way down to the northern portions of Baja Sur, and I can now claim to have traveled every inch of Mexico's highway one. I'm thinking there should be a patch or a merit badge for that. So a couple thousand miles in a little Chevy Spark and here's a shout-out to Jake Scott for being an excellent companion in that tiny car's close quarters. One step above a clown car and yet it only held two clowns and their luggage. PATRONS:  I want to thank all of the show's patrons who contribute to keep this show rolling.  It goes without saying that I appreciate each and every one of you.  And here together for the first time is a list of all the show's supoorters to date: Justin Michels, Jason Jones of Herp MX, Smetlogik AKA Rob Kreutzer, Ryan Borgmann, Joshua Wallace, Jill Rials, Marty Whalin, Chris Smith, Dr. Emily Taylor, John Burris, Kamil Scepanski, Brandon Kong, Issac Chellman, Dr James van Dyke, Brandon Ballard, Mike Rochford, Josef Thompson, Dr. Alex Krohn, Matt Ratcliffe, Jeroen Speybroek, Bryan Hughes, Brandon Bourassa, Josh Holbrook, James McGhee, Michael Moffat, Andy O'Connor, Jake Scott, Deb Krohn, Duane McDermott, John Sullivan, Josh Emms, Justin Elden, Matt Cage, Patrick Connolly, Chris McMartin, Michael Cravenss, Ana Ware, Tim Warfel, David Burkart, Adam Cooner, Dr. Bill Peterman, Cynthia Samake, Paul-Erik Bakland, William Bone, Jeremiah Easter, Richard Legere, Tom Eles, Jeremy Schumacher, Neill Jones, Alec Gordon, Martin Habecker, Daniel Dye, Clint Henke, Ross Maynard, Nick Sobel, Moses Michelsohn, Myles Masterson, and Ben Genter. Now THAT is quite a list, and some of the coolest people I know. Thank you all. Andrew DuBois is our featured guest for this episode.  Andrew and I have been friends for a number of years and we've been to a number of amazing herp spots across the planet in that time.  Andrew is a senior natural resources specialist (and a wildlife ecologist) with Jefferson County Open Space in Colorado and part of our conversation centered on the work he does there with leopard frogs, prairie rattlesnakes, and other interesting critters.  Microphone or not, I enjoy talking to Andrew, he is a deep thinker, and I always come away from our conversations having learned something new or seeing something from a different perspective.  Aside from collecting data and managing the herps and other flora and fauna that live on the 55K acres across JCOS, Andrew and other colleagues also engage with the general public who recreate on these lands, and I've included some related links, including Jefferson County Open Space Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  Andrew also took part in a rattlesnake education video produced by JCOS which provides an excellent overview of the single species of rattlesnake that can be found within JCOS, how to tell it apart from harmless snakes, and where and under what conditions rattlesnakes might be encountered.  Very useful for Coloradans who may encounter snakes within JCOS. Backpack 'Clip Card' mentioned in the show. As always I enjoyed talking with Andrew, not only about the work he's engaged in, but also about herpetofauna and herping as well.  You can find Andrew on Instagram and Twitter, his email is adubois@jeffco.us and his professional profile is on Weebly. Thanks for coming on the show again, Andrew! And thanks for listening everyone!  And as always, please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and please take time to rate the show on your podcast platform! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there's also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc. Cheers!  Mike      

Daniel Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "The Velvet Coup," joins us to discuss Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky met with Joe Biden in DC and was promised additional military assistance. Biden also made hollow promises regarding NordStream 2, but held back from ensuring the Eastern European nation a NATO membership and crossing Russia's red line.Julie Varughese, solidarity network coordinator for Black Alliance for Peace, joins us to discuss Afghanistan. White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said that he was unsure if the US will ever recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Also, a top general said that the US may coordinate with the Taliban to battle Daesh-K (ISIS-K).Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, joins us to discuss the US media. Our guest joins us to discuss the Western media's love affair with Joe Biden that washed ashore when he decided to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Also, we discuss Gareth Porter's Consortium News article about the corporate media's fealty to the permanent war state.Teresa Lundy, principal of TML Communications, a leading minority public relations, communications and advocacy firm in Pennsylvania, joins us to discuss the Texas abortion law. The US Supreme Court has refused to block Texas's restrictive abortion law. Also, President Biden stated that he believes the law blatantly violates the Constitution. Is Roe v. Wade on the chopping block?Professor Peter Kuznick, author and historian, joins us to discuss US military spending. A recent evaluation of military spending post-9/11 puts the cost of the so-called "War on Terror" at over 8 trillion dollars. Also, Alan Macleod's Mintpress News article reviews new documents and testimonies about the profligate spending in Afghanistan.Robert Fantina, journalist and Palestine activist, joins us to discuss Israel. Palestinian children have recently faced horrific abuses, including stoning and car-ramming from Jewish settlers in Masafer Yatta. Also, Presidents Biden and Bennett reportedly renewed an agreement on Israel's covert nuclear program.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the January 6th investigation. There are new controversies over the congressional investigation of the January 6th protests, as a House committee asks telecom companies to retain phone records related to the event. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R- CA) has threatened action against companies that comply with the request.Dr. Jemima Pierre, associate professor of Black studies and anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, joins us to discuss Haiti. The American Red Cross is working to raise money for the Haiti earthquake, but their performance after the tragedy of 2010 has critics urging people to avoid the organization.

Shane Stranahan, co-host of Faultlines, and Ted Rall, political cartoonist, join us to discuss the New York City vaccine mandate and an announcement regarding the sexual harassment investigation into Governor Cuomo. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has announced a mandate for vaccines for indoor activities including gyms, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Also, a report into sexual harassment allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been released.Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of MissouriKansas City, joins us to discuss the ending of the pandemic eviction moratorium. Landlords and tenants are packing courts across the nation as millions face homelessness. Also, President Biden is taking massive incoming political fire from the left flank of his party over his failure to stop the end of the moratorium.Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss the possibility of a military confrontation between Israel and Iran. Observers fear that the Middle East could go up in flames, as Israel threatens to retaliate against Iran after alleging that they are behind a fatal attack on an Israeli-linked vessel. Iran is denying complicity in the attack and stating that they will retaliate if Israel acts irresponsibly.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss police shootings. A pair of Florida policemen have been arrested after kicking a handcuffed suspect and punching the person who was recording the incident. Also, US police have fatally shot more than 6,400 people since 2015.Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss deteriorating relations between the US and Russia. The US has ordered 24 Russian diplomats to leave the country by September 3rd, in another move related to tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions that have been going on between the two nations for the last several years.RT European correspondent Peter Oliver joins us to discuss massive flooding in Germany. More heavy rain is forecasted for Germany, as the European economic power reels from apocalyptic flooding. There are now reports that the watery disaster will further complicate problems with international supply lines, and the government is trying to figure out who is to blame for failed or delayed warnings about last month's floods.Dan Kovalik, writer, author and lawyer, joins us to discuss Cuba. A counterpunch.org article argues that the US has no right to lecture Cuba about free and fair elections. The story expounds on the inconsistent standards that are not applied to US allies, recalls the presidential primaries in which the party establishment acted to stop Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and discusses how the Democrats used the courts to obstruct the Green Party's move to win the White House.KJ Noh, writer and peace activist, joins us to discuss China. China is pushing for true multilateralism and rejecting the US zero-sum argument which advances its hegemonic ambitions. China is now working to offset US attempts to build an Asian alliance to halt its rising economic advancements.

China's choice of the youthful, yet experienced diplomat Qin Yang as ambassador to the US may signal an intent to harden its stance against an increasingly belligerent US diplomatic corp. John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss police abuse. A flurry of police abuse cases including an Atlanta police officer kicking a handcuffed woman in the head and a Colorado police officer kicking, choking, and pistol-whipping a suspect have appeared in the last few days. Also, we discuss how police tactics are different around the world.Kathy Kelly, American peace activist, joins us to discuss Afghanistan. Despite the current reality that the Taliban is the overwhelming military and political force, US Secretary Antony Blinken is saying that Afghanistan will be a pariah state if the theocratic group comes to power. Meanwhile, China and several other world powers are meeting with Taliban representatives preparing for the eventuality of their rise. George Koo, journalist, social activist, international business consultant, and chemical engineer, joins us to discuss China. An editorial in the Global Times seems to indicate that China has come to its wit's end with trying to iron out its differences with an increasingly belligerent US adversary. China's choice of the youthful, yet experienced diplomat Qin Yang as ambassador to the US may signal an intent to harden its stance against an increasingly belligerent US diplomatic corp.James Carey, editor/co-owner at Geopoliticsalert.com, joins us to discuss Iran. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated on Wednesday that the US is being stubborn in its refusal to lift sanctions and return to the nuclear deal known as the JCPOA. Meanwhile, the US State Department is advising Iran that they are not willing to budge on their current offer when the new president takes office. Is the Iran deal dead in the water?Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss the economy. A bipartisan infrastructure deal that includes massive sell-offs of public utilities to private interests is encountering rocky roads, as Arizona Senator Krysten Sinema (D) appears to be joining the GOP in opposition. Also, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is taking fire for using right-wing talking points in opposition to student debt cancellation. Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to talk about his lifetime suspension from Twitter. Marouf was suspended for referring to Zionism as "Jewish white supremacy" in an argument with another Twitter user. Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss Cuba. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has scoffed at the notion that Mexico should honor a US-imposed embargo on Cuba. Lopez is sending massive fuel and humanitarian aid shipments to the besieged island nation in defiance of a decades-long draconian US blockade. Additionally, Russia has also sent a massive shipment of humanitarian supplies joining Mexico in showing disregard for US sanctions. Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and Counter Punch, joins us to discuss Ben and Jerry's move to stop selling ice cream in the Israeli-occupied territories. The founders of the ice cream company have penned an op-ed that appears in The New York Times discussing their position on the controversial issue.

Brad Pollard (Tenable CIO) thrived in the punk-rock atmosphere of startups. Check out the full interview to hear some of the highlights (and struggles) from his exciting career. Topics: Punk rock & startups (1:06) Innovation vs. Shadow IT (6:41) The time Brad was the source of a DNS attack (9:46) Advice from Tom Ashoff (11:09) Interviewing with Martin Roesch (13:23) Startup culture: 90's vs. now (15:46) Advice from Larry Abernathy & John Burris (20:51)

My guest today is John Burris, the Chief Strategy & Blockchain Officer at Together Labs. Together Labs aims to redefine social media as a catalyst for authentic human connection through the development of a family of products grounded in this core value. Together Labs are the makers of IMVU, a social gaming space that has been around since the early 2000s. It's similar to Second Life, where players gather with virtual avatars and items you can buy. The service operates in over 140 countries, and it's best thought of as an adult-oriented version of Roblox. Prior to joining Together Labs, John spent the bulk of his 20 year career working in very high growth industries: he began his career at Netscape as an engineer, he spent time at Sprint where he helped lead product, business development and marketing teams across a number of quickly transforming industries: media, music, sports, gaming, social, messaging, data plans, etc. He would later go on to be one of the founders of Silver Chalice, a capital deployment firm focused on building high-tech, sports and media businesses. In our discussion, we go deep on the Metaverse and how socio-economics present within the Metaverse. We also touch on why internet-first friendships are empowering, the future of live events, and why NFTs and the Metaverse will be a major sector in crypto. We also discuss IMVU, how they hosted the first metaverse fashion show, how they integrated crypto into a non-crypto native business and much more. Please enjoy my conversation with John Burris. --- Kava:  Kava is a leading DeFi platform trusted by Binance, Huobi, Kraken, Okex and Chainlink. Learn more about them at https://untoldstories.link/kava  --- ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out https://untoldstories.link/paraswap. ParaSwap's state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices, and lowest slippage.  *terms and conditions apply --- This podcast is powered by Blockworks. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at https://blockworks.co

My guest today is John Burris, the Chief Strategy & Blockchain Officer at Together Labs. Together Labs aims to redefine social media as a catalyst for authentic human connection through the development of a family of products grounded in this core value. Together Labs are the makers of IMVU, a social gaming space that has been around since the early 2000s. It's similar to Second Life, where players gather with virtual avatars and items you can buy. The service operates in over 140 countries, and it's best thought of as an adult-oriented version of Roblox. Prior to joining Together Labs, John spent the bulk of his 20 year career working in very high growth industries: he began his career at Netscape as an engineer, he spent time at Sprint where he helped lead product, business development and marketing teams across a number of quickly transforming industries: media, music, sports, gaming, social, messaging, data plans, etc. He would later go on to be one of the founders of Silver Chalice, a capital deployment firm focused on building high-tech, sports and media businesses. In our discussion, we go deep on the Metaverse and how socio-economics present within the Metaverse. We also touch on why internet-first friendships are empowering, the future of live events, and why NFTs and the Metaverse will be a major sector in crypto. We also discuss IMVU, how they hosted the first metaverse fashion show, how they integrated crypto into a non-crypto native business and much more. Please enjoy my conversation with John Burris. --- Kava:  Kava is a leading DeFi platform trusted by Binance, Huobi, Kraken, Okex and Chainlink. Learn more about them at https://untoldstories.link/kava  --- ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out https://untoldstories.link/paraswap. ParaSwap's state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices, and lowest slippage.  *terms and conditions apply --- This podcast is powered by Blockworks. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at https://blockworks.co

Dan Lazare, investigative journalist, author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss the latest news regarding Rudolph Giuliani. The DOJ searched the home and offices of the former NYC mayor, looking into his activities regarding the Ukraine-gate impeachment of former President Donald Trump. Giuliani's attorney argues that the DOJ has no case and that this is a politically motivated act.Caleb Maupin, journalist, and political analyst, joins us to discuss President Biden's speech to Congress. Biden focused on domestic politics as he pushed an aggressive agenda including major spending proposals for infrastructure and jobs. Also, he created some level of controversy when he referred to the January 6th incident at the capital as "the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War."Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss a new initiative called the "Foreign Malign Influence Center." Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines argues that this project will be working to address foreign efforts to sow discord and spread disinformation. Also, Scott Ritter's latest article argues that this new group is nothing more than an official cover for American intelligence interference in domestic politics. Alexander Mercouris, host of "The Alexander Mercouris Show" on YouTube, joins us to discuss far-right extremism in Ukraine. The German embassy and the main opposition party condemned the latest example of far right-wing extremists celebrating the legacy of Nazi support in the unstable Eastern European nation. Nationalists in Kiev held a rally on Wednesday evening to celebrate the SS Galicia, a World War 2 Nazi infantry division.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss police violence. A Department of Justice investigation has been opened into the killing of Ahmaud Arbery as a potential hate crime. Also, in an incident reminiscent of the George Floyd murder, police in California detained and kneeled on Mario Gonzalez for several minutes before his death. Law enforcement officials were responding to a call from an intoxicated person.Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss US/Russia relations. Russian officials have stated that relations with both the US and the European Union are at an all-time low. The Russian government will soon present a list of unfriendly countries and the US is guaranteed to be at the top of that list.Julie Varughese, solidarity network coordinator for the Black Alliance Committee for Peace, joins us to discuss Afghanistan. The Taliban will not attend the Istanbul peace summit as a protest against the US' failure to abide by the May 1st deadline for removing troops from the country. However, it is widely reported that they are asking Afghanistan officials for direct peace talks, sidestepping US and NATO intervention in the process.Dr. Jemima Pierre, associate professor of Black Studies and Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and editor of the "Black Agenda Review," joins us to discuss Haiti. 68 Democrats in the US House of Representatives have sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging him to “make clear that the U.S. will not provide any support, financial or technical, to facilitate the proposed constitutional referendum, including through multilateral institutions.” Also, according to The Harvard Crimson, "Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic published a report condemning state-sanctioned massacres in Haiti on Thursday."

John Burris, abogado especializado en derechos civiles, manifestó en la W que ahora en el caso de George Floyd ya la gente era consciente del abuso policial.

John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Derek Chauvin trial results. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd. The jury deliberated for approximately one day, and found Chauvin guilty of all charges levied against him. Dr. Emmit Riley, political scientist and assistant professor of Africana Studies at DePauw University, joins us to discuss the Derek Chauvin trial. The discussion revolves around the current and long-term social and legal impact of the guilty finding. Is this example of police personnel testifying against a fellow officer a harbinger of things to come, or an anomaly that only happens in the most egregious examples of police misconduct?Mark Sleboda, a Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin's address to the Federal Assembly. Putin's address focused principally on domestic issues, such as the coronavirus response and the prospects for subsequent economic recovery. However, he also urged other nations to refrain from crossing Russia's geopolitical "red lines." Nick Davies, peace activist and author of "Blood on Our Hands, the American Invasion of Iraq," joins us to discuss Chinese President Xi's recent speech. Speaking virtually at the "Boao Forum for Asia," Xi's remarks that "no nation should dictate global rules or interfere in the internal affairs of other nations," was clearly directed towards the United States.Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss the America First Caucus. A movement for a GOP-led "America First" caucus in Congress is flailing, as major pushback has occurred shortly after its manifesto was revealed. The document has the appearance of a cookie-cutter GOP policy platform with a sprinkle of Trump-style right-wing populism. Chris Hedges, author, speaker, and investigative journalist, joins us to discuss his latest article "The Unraveling of the American Empire." Hedges argues that the pattern of stumbling from one military debacle to another is a sign of a crumbling empire. He sees Afghanistan as "one in a string of catastrophic military blunders that herald the death of the American empire." Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss Israel's attempts to stop the US from returning to the Iran nuclear deal. Israel's recent moves have been brilliantly countered by Iran in a dangerous chess game that has left America's Middle East proxy with few options. Iran's latest move to enrich uranium at 60% in response to Israel's attack on their Natanz nuclear facility has made it more important for the US to return to the agreement.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss Caitlin Johnston's latest article on the CIA's influence on the media. Johnstone argues that the CIA no longer needs to infiltrate or influence the media because most of the media partners directly with the nefarious organization.

John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Derek Chauvin trial. As the prosecution and defense make their final arguments, the world watches and waits for the outcome of the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Also, many cities and large population centers are bracing for the possibility of protests and violence if Chauvin is not found guilty. Mark Sleboda, a Moscow-based international relations security analyst joins us to discuss Alexander Navalny and Ukraine. As Alexander Navalny serves a prison sentence for an embezzlement conviction, he is still being used by Western intelligence and media assets to attack Russia. Navalny is reportedly being moved to a different prison facility as he continues a three week hunger strike. James Carey, Editor/Co-Owner at Geopoliticsalert.com, joins us to discuss Afghanistan. President Biden's move to end the occupation of Afghanistan is being more closely scrutinized as the potential continued presence of intelligence assets and contractors raises new questions. Also, the 2.26 trillion dollar price tag of the occupation is drawing criticism as everyday Americans face misery due to the economic fallout from Covid.Robert Fantina, Journalist and Palestine Activist, joins us to discuss Iran. The Biden administration seems tied to the draconian Trump administration Iran sanctions that make it impossible to rejoin the nuclear agreement. This leads many international security experts to question the sincerity of their desire to return the deal. Also, there are reports that the Biden administration views Israel's attacks on Iranian assets as provocations specifically designed to disrupt the JCPOA negotiations and have demanded that they cease and desist such activity.Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss the Global South. Columbia is an obedient client state for the US Empire and is currently serving as a platform to attack Venezuela. Also, the mass protests in Haiti continue against the US supported dictator Jovenel Moise. Haitians argue that their long term pain and misery are a product of US intervention and oppression.Alexander Mercouris, host of "TheAlexander Mercouris Show" on Youtube, joins us to discuss the John Durham investigation. The investigation into the shady dealings of Western intelligence agencies during the investigation of Donald Trump drags on and many observers fear a cover up. There are reports that Durhan is looking into the origins of the infamous Steele dossier though an FBI inspector general investigation clearly articulated massive corruption related to that document long ago. George Koo, journalist, social activist, international business consultant and chemical engineer, joins us to discuss China. A US Japan partnership is quite alarming to China. China has brought up the history of Genocide and torture committed by Japan against it's neighbors and the myriad of human rights abuses committed by the US against the world as it argues that neither nation has the moral highground to condemn China. Obi Egbuna, Activist and US representative for the Zimbabwean newspaper The Herald, joins us to discuss Cuba. After sixty years of leadership by the Castro brothers, Cuba is about to face a future without either of them in charge. The United States' crippling sanctions have practically destroyed the economy but Joe Biden's former boss, Barack Obama, relieved some of the sanctions and isolation. Will a heavy far right wing neocon presence in the Biden administration prevent him from moving towards detente with the island nation?

Katty Kay and Carlos Watson discuss police brutality and shooting cases in the US. What needs to change? Last year 1127 people were killed by the American police; most of them were shot. People of colour were disproportionately the victims. Katty and Carlos speak to the civil rights attorney John Burris, who has taken on hundreds of police brutality cases, including most famously the case of Rodney King after he was beaten by LAPD officers in 1991. The second guest is Mecole Jordan-McBride, a community advocacy worker for the Policing Project, which is seeking police reform in Chicago.

Listener advisory: This hour contains explicit language. When quoting language used by police officers assaulting Rodney King in 1991, a guest uses a racial slur. The word is uttered by John Burris who represented Rodney King in his civil lawsuit against LAPD in 1994.  Almost 30 years ago, four Los Angeles police officers went on trial for brutally beating a man named Rodney King. Now in Minneapolis, a different trial, a similar defense. From LA in '92 to Minneapolis today, what has and hasn’t changed in America? John Burris and Vaughn Dickerson join Meghna Chakrabarti.

John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the shooting of Daunte Wright. Tense times continue in Minneapolis, as pepper spray and rubber bullets fly and 60 people are arrested. Also, Washington County attorney Pete Orput has been charged with handling the decision of potential prosecutions to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest.Mark Sleboda, a Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss the phone call between President Putin and Biden. President Putin outlined a political settlement for the current military crisis in Ukraine. Putin's position is that the settlement should be rooted in the "Minsk package of measures."Julie Varughese, Solidarity Network Coordinator for the Black Alliance for Peace, joins us to discuss Afghanistan. President Biden has stated that US troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. While there is some level of jubilation amongst anti-war activists, there is also great trepidation over the possibility of this move turning out to be a tactic for further delay. Also, the Taliban has announced that they will not attend any peace talks until US troops no longer occupy their nation.Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to discuss the current state of covid vaccination. The US' unofficial covid czar Dr. Anthony Fauci advises that he sees similarities between clotting issues that have arisen as a result of both the AstroZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Also, increasing reports of side effects are slowing the world vaccine drive.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss Iran. Iran has announced that they intend to enrich uranium to 60% by next week, in response to a recent terrorist attack by Israel. Also, Secretary of Defense and former Raytheon board member Loyd Austin advised Israel that the United States will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.Kweku Lamumba, external relations coordinator for KOSSSA, joins us to discuss Haiti. Haiti prime minister Joseph Jouthe has resigned, as the island nation has devolved into chaos over the illegal extension in office of US-backed president Jovenel Moise. As Jouthe is a supporter of Moise, opposition figures are asking if this is an example of rats jumping off a sinking ship or possibly offering him as a sacrifice in hopes of appeasing the opposition? Nicholas Davies, peace activist and author of "Blood on Our Hands: the American Invasion of Iraq," joins us to discuss US weapons sales. The US State Department has announced that they intend to move forward with the Trump administration's deal to sell 23 billion dollars in arms to the United Arab Emirates. The deal was crafted by the Trump foreign policy team as a sweetener for the agreement to normalize relations with Israel.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss US endless wars. In a detailed article in Newsweek, William M. Arkin writes that America can't stop its endless wars. He articulates in detail the development of a US war infrastructure that has made ongoing military conflict an integral part of our economic and political reality. He also explains how the US has developed methods for fighting war without the need for troops on the ground in targeted nations.

Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to talk about this week's important stories. The Amazon union vote in Bessemer, Alabama seems to be going in favor of the company, but union officials are crying foul. Iran is signaling that the nuclear agreement negotiations in Vienna are going well, but they will hold their ground on reasonable demands. Also, the US agreement to leave Iraq has no timetable which many observers interpret as a neocon stalling tactic. John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Derek Chauvin trial. Medical experts have testified that the death of George Floyd was caused directly by the pressure of a knee placed on his neck for over nine minutes. Also, an array of police personnel in Chauvin's department testified on behalf of the prosecution.Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor in the economics and politics departments at St. Mary's College of California, joins us to discuss the economy. The new stimulus bill has 5 billion dollars to address homelessness, weekly jobs claims are higher than expected, and Joe Biden is getting pushback for increasing the military budget.Danny Haiphong, author and contributor to Black Agenda Report, teams up with Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and author of "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents," to discuss news stories of the week. A post-election legislative movement is taking place in red states seemingly designed to make voting more difficult. Also, more information is coming out about Hunter Biden's laptop hard-drive, and social media censorship is growing and seems specifically targeted towards groups and individuals who oppose mainstream narratives.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, and Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss foreign policy. President Biden has humiliated Germany by placing a former gas lobbyist and board member of a Ukrainian state gas company in charge of thwarting the Nord Stream 2 project. Also, Biden is balking at leaving both Iraq and Afghanistan as the DC war machine seems to be back in charge of foreign policy.

Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. President Biden urges caution as California to reopen to pre-pandemic normal in June. Arkansas becomes first state to ban youth transgender treatments. Day 7 in ex-cop, Derek Chauvin's murder trial for death of George Floyd. John Burris files suit against Danville officer for shooting death of black man. Biden administration and Iran to negotiate re-entering nuclear accord. California lawmakers introduce bill to reclassify port truck drivers. California lawmakers propose bill to end parking mandates with new developments. The post California to reopen to normal in June; Day 7 in Derek Chauvin's murder trial; John Burris sues Danville for police killing of schizophrenic black man – April 6, 2021 appeared first on KPFA.

National Director for Code Pink Ariel Gold joins us to discuss the Iran nuclear deal. The signatories of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) are meeting in Vienna today to work on seemingly intractable differences between Iran and the US. The Biden administration has signaled their desire to renegotiate and expand the deal to include other issues, as the Iranians have preemptively rejected that request.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss President Biden's foreign policy. The Biden administration is engaged in extremely dangerous activities in Eastern Europe as they appear to be trying to push Ukraine into a disastrous conflict on the Russian border. Also, Patrick Buchanan writes an article in which he argues that it is not in the geo-strategic interests of the US to go to war with Russia or China over Ukraine or some obscure islands near the South China Sea.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Derek Chauvin trial. In an extremely rare occurrence, the Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department testified against an officer on his force. He argued that Derek Chauvin's actions were not in keeping with departmental policies, ethics, or morals. Also, the prosecution is putting forth more witnesses today.Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss China. The late Zbigniew Brzezinski argued that the worst possible scenario for the US empire would be a strategic alliance between China, Russia, and Iran. The policies of Presidents Trump and Biden have brought that to a reality. Also, the US is sending more warships to the South Sea, and they have released a white paper regarding their success in ending poverty.Greg Palast, investigative reporter, joins us to discuss Georgia voting issues. The partisan battle over Georgia's new voting laws heats up as the GOP pushes back against corporations that are boycotting the state. Also, there are a large number of corporations who donated to politicians involved in drafting and passing the voting restrictions. Netfa Freeman, host of Voices With Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM, Pan-Africanist and internationalist organizer, joins us to discuss Haiti. The Black Alliance for Peace is releasing a document in which they argue that the Black Lives Matter initiative should also be applied to Haiti. Also, they are demanding that the US completely remove itself from involvement in Haitian politics and stop supporting the current dictator Jovenel Moisie.Kathy Kelly, American peace activist, joins us to discuss Yemen. President Biden is refusing to disclose exactly what level of support they are providing for the Saudi war on Yemen. Also, the Saudis seem to be losing the war, and there are significant signs that they are searching for an exit strategy that will allow them to withdraw without losing all of their strategic objectives and suffering an obvious military loss.Nicholas Davies, peace activist and author of "Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion of Iraq," joins us to discuss Syria. The US is making a hypocritical move as they look to provide aid to Syria in response to a disaster that they have caused through draconian sanctions and illegal occupation of the nation's oil fields. Also, Washington has backed several jihadi groups that are involved in crimes against humanity.

John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the Derek Chauvin trial. The cashier that exchanged money with George Floyd moments before his murder has testified before the court. Also, many are wondering if the nation will experience another round of civil unrest if Chauvin is not convicted. Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations and security analyst, joins us to discuss international politics with a focus on Eastern Europe. Russian leaders are voicing their concern that a buildup of Ukrainian forces in the eastern zone of conflict is a destabilizing act that could restart the conflict. Also, the Kremlin argues that their movement of troops in Russia is an internal decision and that, in light of the current situation, it is taking "all the necessary measures to ensure the security of its frontiers." Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss China. China is extending its powerful arm into the Middle East. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is calling for a regional security dialogue to discuss the use of local currencies in order to reduce dependency on the US dollar. Also, to no one's surprise, the US military has come up with another project that will enrich US arms manufacturers. The US army is pushing for more long-range missiles to "confront" China on its home turf.Nick Davies, peace activist and author of "Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion of Iraq," joins us to discuss US claims regarding human rights. A new US human rights report is being panned by a number of nations. China argues that the US is not the world's authority on this issue and that "if country reports on human rights practices are needed, it is supposed to be the duty of the UN."Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, joins us to discuss Iran. President Biden is facing rising pressure to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal, as a number of Democrats push him to move first on the agreement. Representative Ro Khanna argues that, “We have to try to get back into the JCPOA by getting back into the JCPOA, not playing a game of chicken.” Also, an interesting article in Responsible Statecraft maintains that the current foreign policy decision-makers have learned the wrong lessons from the Cold War.Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss US attempts to thwart the independence of nations in the Global South. Activists in sixty nations have begun protests and other activities to push back against brutal US sanctions against Cuba. Also, France, Canada, and the US have been instrumental in blocking the Haitian people from independently choosing the political path for their nation.Immigrant-rights activist Maru Mora-Villalpando joins us to discuss Kamala Harris. Harris has been tasked with pumping money into Central American nations, in an attempt to inject neoliberal solutions on a problem that was created by neoliberal policies. Photos from border-detention facilities show that conditions have changed little since the Trump administration was castigated by the mainstream media for their handling of the crisis.Dr. Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss US foreign policy in the Middle East. In a consortium news article, As`ad AbuKhalil "summarizes the bipartisan consistency with which Israeli interests dominate in U.S. foreign policy." AbuKhalil also argues that the Biden administration "is not that different from the Trump administration, as far as U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East."

President Biden inadvertently pushed Germany into a fight against imperialism when he attacked Berlin's eleven billion dollar pipeline project with Russia.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us at the opening of the George Floyd trial. Derek Chavin, the Minnesota police officer charged in the killing of George Floyd, faces a criminal proceeding that will draw attention worldwide. Judge Peter Cahill started the trial by hearing a preliminary motion about what lawyers can say about George Floyd's state of mind during the arrest.Neil Clark, journalist and broadcaster, joins us to discuss Julian Assange. Stella Morris, Julian Assange's partner and the mother of his children, revealed that the Pope sent a private message to the beleaguered journalist. She would not reveal the contents of the message but thanked him for his concern. Also, there are reports from London that his legal team will be filing a special appeal today. Daryl Jenkins, retired Chief Engineer in the Merchant Marine and a current fleet maintenance manager in the industry, joins us to discuss the shipping crisis in the Suez Canal. There has been some movement made in the attempt to refloat a ship that is blocking the Suez Canal. Shipping experts estimate that there are approximately 10 billion dollars in trade each day. As a result, many shippers are starting to consider alternative routes in case the canal is disrupted again. Kevin Gosztola, the managing editor of Shadowproof.com, joins us to discuss internet censorship. Congress called in the heads of the US social media giants last Thursday and grilled them over the issue of online censorship. They argued for increased censorship, and argued that the January 6th capitol protest was an example of why further crackdowns are needed. Also, Facebook has frozen the account of Iran's Press TV.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, the Supreme Court and the Decline of American Democracy," joins us to discuss the Nordstream 2 pipeline. The fight between Germany and the US over the Nordstream 2 pipeline is really a battle over national sovereignty and imperialism. The US has inadvertently pushed Germany to join Russia in an anti-imperialist battle against US hegemony. The Biden team and the US Congress argue that they have the right and the political might to force Germany and, by proxy, any other European nation to bow to their whims.KJ Noh, peace activist, writer and teacher, joins us to discuss the strategic partnership between China and Iran. The two nations have signed a historic 25-year deal that international experts have estimated could easily top a half-trillion dollars. China's entry into Middle Eastern affairs is a game-changer, and will likely affect America's ability to use violence and coercive measures to execute their foreign policy.Netfa Freeman, host of Voices With Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM, Pan-Africanist and internationalist organizer, joins us to discuss the global south. Brazilian politician Lula De Silva has been cleared of the illegal plot which was used to remove him from contention for the nation's presidency during the last election process. The 74-year-old politician is extremely popular and, in light of the disastrous coronavirus response from the Bolsonaro regime, may have a chance of gaining the top spot.Dr. Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss Amazon employees' fight for union membership. The fight for unionization at the Bessemer, Alabama location has grand implications as workers nationwide await the outcome. There are reports that Amazon owner Jeff Bezos is pushing his executives to fight the process, as he fears that the move for employee representation will spread.

Eric Echebaeger from IU Kokomo talks with Coach, ISC Network's Greg Rakestraw talks Boy's High School Basketball Semi-Finals (1A and 2A South Games) , Kurt Gutgsell from WBCD joins IST to talk High School Basketball, Rob Blackman from the Purdue Radio Network calls to talk about Purdue's loss to North Texas, and  Coach Burris from Southwood High School talks with Coach Lovell about their Semi Final match-up.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New York Times is reporting that the Biden administration is planning massive cyberattacks against Russia in retaliation for unsubstantiated claims related to the "Solar Winds" hack.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss a report that the Biden administration is planning a cyber-attack against Russia. The New York Times is reporting that the Biden administration is planning new sanctions and massive cyber attacks against Russia. The same groups that blamed Russia for the Solar Winds hack are now blaming China for another recent cyber intrusion. The Biden foreign-policy team is reportedly looking into cyber attacks against China as well, as they transform into an online warfare regime.Niko House, political activist, independent journalist and podcaster, joins us to discuss COVID relief. Congressional Democrats are taking heat as they renege on the promise to deliver $2,000 checks to voters. The Biden team has also given in to "blue dog" Democrats by introducing means testing for COVID-relief checks, resulting in 17 million fewer citizens being eligible for the help. Additionally, the fight for a 15-dollar minimum wage has died, as several millionaire democrats doomed the effort in the Senate.Ted Rall, a political cartoonist and syndicated columnist, joins us to discuss the plight of Andrew Cuomo. Governor Andrew Cuomo is signaling that he plans to hold onto his position as calls for a resignation grow. New York Senate-Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has joined the chorus of politicians calling for Cuomo's resignation on Sunday arguing that Cuomo should resign "for the good of the state." Also, the state legislature has voted to strip the embattled governor of his emergency powers.Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief at TheDuran.com and host of "The Duran" on YouTube, joins us to discuss international censorship. Facebook has censored Russian media outlets. A recent investigation has unearthed that the censorship has come at the behest of a shadowy group called "Stopfake" which is related to both Ukraine and the NATO-funded group "The Atlantic Council." Also, the shadowy group "Stopfake," which is being used by Facebook to identify posts for censorship, has ties to one of the most dubious attacks on alternative media in years, the infamous Washington Post "Propornot" article. Greg Palast, investigative reporter, joins us to discuss voting. President Biden has signed an executive order instructing his subordinates to develop a strategic plan for promoting voter registration and participation, including potentially applying to be a state-designated voter registration agency and providing recommendations on leave for federal employees to vote or to serve as poll workers. This comes on the anniversary of the infamous "Bloody Sunday" in which hundreds of civil rights activists were severely beaten while marching for voting rights.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss criminal justice. The trial of the officer accused in the death of George Floyd is set to begin. Also, the subject of the death penalty in America is at the forefront, as the Julius Jones execution date hangs in legal limbo. The parole and probation boards in Oklahoma are reviewing the application for commutation for Mr. Jones, and both the Attorney General and defense team have weighed in.William J Astore, retired lieutenant USAF colonel and a senior fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network, joins us to discuss Pentagon spending. Open Secrets has an article about the methods used by foreign governments and arms-industry representatives to influence government contracts for arms sales. The article reveals that defense companies have directed $285 million in campaign contributions and $2.5 billion in lobbying-spending to influence defense policy.Miko Peled, an author and activist, joins us to talk about Israel. Pro-Palestinian organizations are lambasting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his recent comments about the International Criminal Court. Blinken has joined the Israeli government in opposing the ICC investigation into potential Israeli crimes against Palestinians.

Gary Flowers, radio talk show host and public policy analyst, joins us to discuss the digital-industrial complex. Amazon Web Services signed a massive contract with the CIA and is hiring former intelligence operatives to help run their online empire. Eisenhower could not have foreseen a massive digital industry dominated by intelligence services when he warned the world about the military-industrial complex. We discuss the ramifications of an internet dominated by US intelligence agencies and propaganda. Also, Consortium News has a Youtube video removed regarding election and voting problems.Immigration attorney Carlos Castaneda joins us to discuss Biden's immigration policy. President Biden is making a number of changes to President Trump's immigration policies. However, he has reneged on his promise to make changes on day one, and immigration advocates worry that he may return to the difficult days of the Obama administration. Also, he has lifted the pandemic ban on green cards that the Trump administration instituted last spring.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss the police killing of Elijah McClain. An independent investigation found that the Aurora, Colorado police had no legitimate reason to detain and physically attack the mentally challenged youth in 2019. McClain was stopped while walking, and was not suspected of violating any law. A police investigation exonerated all officers involved, although the physically frail young man was unarmed and begged for his life before being choked to death.Dr. Ranjeet Brar, British physician and National Health Service worker, returns to discuss COVID in the UK. Recent surveys indicate that 15.3% of England's population has had COVID as of mid-January. Will this number of people, along with the vaccine, help to slow the infection rate in the future? Also, the Sputnik V vaccine is being considered in the UK because it is easy to transport and store.Danny Sjursen, US Army Major retired and author of "Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War" joins us to discuss his latest article about Iraq. Sjursen argues that the muddled mission and US troop presence are creating the conditions for the current crisis. He also talks about the recent rocket attacks on US facilities and how they affect US relations with Iran. Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations and security analyst, joins us to discuss Armenia. Armenia is experiencing significant political problems, as the military has called for the prime minister to resign. The prime minister called the demand and coup attempt and dismissed Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, colonel-general Onik Gasparyan. The prime minister invited his supporters to gather at the Republic Square in Yerevan and pledged to address the nation soon.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss Alexei Navalny and US Sanctions. Ray argues that warmongers in the media and other entities are in fear that Biden's reentry into the START treaty could portend a thaw in US-Russia relations. However, he says that the harsh rhetoric against Russia will continue "in order to justify obscenely high levels of funding for "defense" against an "aggressive" Russia. " Also, Amnesty International strips Alexei Navalny of his "prisoner of conscience" status due to his history of hateful rhetoric. KJ Noh, peace activist, writer and teacher, joins us to discuss China. William Burns, nominee for CIA chief, is pushing the anti-China position as he answers Senate questions during his nomination hearing. Burns says that he sees competition with China - and countering its “adversarial, predatory” leadership as part of his principal mission. Also, Chinese President Xi is announcing that he has achieved victory in his work to campaign rural poverty.

On this episode of Silicon Valley Insider (#SVIN), Keith Koo’s guest are John Burris, Chief Strategy and Blockchain Officer and Nancy Beaton, Vice President of Strategy of IMVU the 20+ year old online metaverse game and social networking site. John and Nancy share how IMVU is the first company to ever received a “no action” letter from the SEC resulting in the company being granted the permission to sell VCOIN their digital tokens. On the “Cyber-Tip” Keith once again discusses the issues with vendor risk management and details a case in which a vendor is being blamed by their partner for being responsible for end customer’s data breach. To find out more about IMVU and VCOIN: https://secure.imvu.com/ Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more: https://www.svin.biz/

Greg Palast, investigative reporter, joins us to discuss the Georgia Senate runoff races. It will be a major blow to the GOP if Democrats are able to gain control of the Senate by taking both seats in the reliably red state of Georgia. Palast talks about the observations he made as he wandered through rural Georgia attending rallies and visiting polling stations on election day. Gary Flowers, host of “The Gary Flowers Show” on radio station Rejoice WREJ-AM 990, joins us to discuss the final leg in the race for president. US President Donald Trump called on Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election as the latter gets ready to preside over Wednesday's congressional tally of Electoral College votes. As the vice president, Pence's job is to "open the certificates of the electoral votes from each state and present them to the appointed 'tellers' from the House and Senate," and then announce the winner afterward, according to the Associated Press. At a rally on Tuesday, Trump called Pence a friend but indicated that he might not consider him a friend any longer if the VP does not act on his behalf.Neil Clark, journalist and broadcaster, joins us to discuss Julian Assange's bail hearing. On Wednesday, a British judge denied a motion to release the WikiLeaks co-founder from Belmarsh prison pending his appeal hearings. Assange's attorneys argued that his mental health could deteriorate if he continued to be separated from his partner and two young children and cited extremely high levels of coronavirus at Belmarsh as a threat to his physical health.Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations and security analyst, returns to discuss the potential addition of Victoria Nuland to US President-elect Joe Biden's State Department. Nuland is notorious for her leadership role in the 2014 overthrow of the democratically elected government of Ukraine. She is married to Brookings Institution senior fellow Robert Kagan and considered to be one of the most virulently anti-Russia neoconservatives in Washington.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss an attempt by the outgoing Trump administration to pare back civil rights protections for minorities. Under the proposed new rule on enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Justice Department would "continue to narrowly enforce the law's protections in cases where it could prove intentional discrimination, but no longer in instances where a policy or practice at issue had a 'disparate impact' on minority or other groups," the New York Times reported Tuesday.Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to talk about China. Trump is increasing military and economic tensions with China by banning US transactions with a number of Chinese mobile apps and holding a "political-military dialogue" with Taiwan. International political and security experts are calling this flurry of moves a last-minute political grandstand intended to both boost Trump's image of "toughness" toward China and hamstring the incoming Biden administration.Ajamu Baraka, former US vice-presidential candidate for the Green Party; and Yves Engler, Montreal-based writer, author and activist, join us to discuss recent developments regarding Haiti and Cuba. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently implied that he wants to once again designate "evil" Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, a baseless claim aimed at preventing the Biden administration from lowering tensions with the island nation. Also, Canada's foreign minister is trying to influence the rewriting of the Haitian constitution. Dr. Clarence Lusane, author, activist and political science professor at Howard University, returns to talk about Trump's recent rally and speech in Washington, DC. Calls for bringing guns to Wednesday's protest were sprinkled in with mentions of war and certainty that the election was stolen from the president on a number of online forums and social media sites. Meanwhile, Trump called for Pence to overturn the election by refusing to certify the votes of the Electoral College during the ceremonial procedure in which Pence will count the votes and officially announce the winner.

What is the intersection between gun ownership and access to guns and Stand Your Ground laws? John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss Governor Mike DeWine Signed 'Stand Your Ground' Bill Into Law on Monday. The so-called 'stand your ground' law removes the requirement for Ohioans to first retreat before using a firearm to hurt or kill another individual in self-defense. We'll also discuss the status of no-knock warrants in the Breonna Taylor case; Kenosha, Wisconsin where prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against police officers in the August shooting of Jacob Blake. Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou, joins us to discuss a judge's decision to deny bail for Julian Assange. This is the sad counterpoint to the excitement we felt Monday morning, when the US’ request to extradite Julian Assange was blocked by a UK judge. Today, the same judge also decided not to grant him bail. Richard Becker, author of "Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire," joins us to discuss Retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu ending 2020 with a call for the US to stop pretending and acknowledge what everyone knows: that Israel has a nuclear weapons arsenal. And one reason for his argument is that this denial violates the US’ own laws: we’re not supposed to be giving economic and military assistance to nuclear proliferators. We’ve gone to war or imposed brutal sanctions on countries, sometimes over just rumors of such weapons. Why does this exception continue to be made for Israel? Lena Taylor, who is serving her fifth term in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing the 4th Senate District, joins us to discuss the Senate race in Georgia; civil unrest in America and the disappointing decision in the Jacob Blake case as the national guard is deployed to keep the peace.