Podcast appearances and mentions of lucas koerner

Live from Santiago, journalist Lucas Koerner reports on a failed coup attempt in Venezuela involving US mercenaries, and his article "Venezuela: Two US Citizens Captured in Botched Coup Attempt" for Venezuelanalysis. https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14864

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Sputnik News analyst and By Any Means Necessary producer Wyatt Reed to talk about the wave of right-wing protests against shelter-in-place guidelines, the parallels between Trump's praise for those responsible for this weekend's incidents and for the far-right attendees of the "Unite the Right" rally whose reign of terror left a woman dead in Charlottesville, and why the protesters aren't necessarily wrong when they claim to represent "American freedom."In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Lucas Koerner, a writer with Venezuelanalysis.com to discuss how US corporate media is providing cover for Washington's unrelenting attacks on the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro, how crippling US sanctions make combatting the coronavirus even more difficult for Venezuelans, and the role of American media in whitewashing the impact of US policy on the country.In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Miko Peled, human rights and author of “The General's Son. Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and “Injustice, the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,” to talk about the deep injustice exposed by the Israeli response to the Coronavirus among both Palestinian and Haredi Jewish communities, how the alarming Israeli failure to allow imprisoned Palestinians to take even the most basic precautions has created outbreaks, and why these tactics and many others employed by Israel constitute genocide under UN and Geneva Convention frameworks.Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Kristine Hendrix, President of the University City School Board, Junior Bayard Rustin Fellow with the Fellowship for Reconciliation and contributor to the Truth-Telling Project and "We Stay Woke" podcast, to talk about the stark differences in how activists on the left and right are treating essential workers amid the pandemic, what Joe Biden's absence from the national dialogue says about the the thinking of Democratic party strategists, and the importance of activists and organizers stepping up to the plate and taking care of our communities when our elected leaders can't or won't.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by KJ Noh, a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.The New York Times published an article that attacked China because it allegedly did not utilize a virus database created in 2002 after the SARS epidemic entitled, “China Created a Fail-Safe System to Track Contagions. It Failed.” The mainstream media’s portrayal of the pandemic has been deeply anti-China, even when it means missed lessons for the U.S. healthcare system. We have all read and heard the stories about the critical shortages of surgical masks and other personal protective equipment across the country necessary for healthcare workers confronting the coronavirus. But garment workers, the ones who can solve this problem, are grappling with unsafe working conditions and exploding unemployment. Daisy Gonzalez, Lead Member Organizer at the Garment Worker Center, and Magdalena Utuy, a garment worker activist, join the show. The Justice Department’s Inspector General said yesterday that his investigators found errors in literally every single FBI application to the secret FISA court as part of an ongoing review. The statement suggests that problems exposed in the FBI’s probe of the 2016 Trump campaign extend far beyond just that case. It also raises questions about the validity of countless other FBI investigations. Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.” The Trump Administration said yesterday that it would lift crippling sanctions against Venezuela if both President Nicolas Maduro and Washington’s hand-picked coup leader Juan Guaido stepped aside in favor of a transitional government led by members of both the socialist party and the opposition. The move comes in the immediate aftermath of criminal charges against Maduro for conspiracy to commit narco-trafficking and conspiracy to commit narco terrorism. Maduro has rejected the idea outright. Paul Dobson, a writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, and Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, join the show. Wednesday’s weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, and Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author and journalist, the senior editor of Grayzone, and co-host of the podcast “Moderate Rebels.”Donald Trump appeared to step bank from the brink of all-out war yesterday, but tensions across the entire Middle East remain high in the aftermath of the US assassination of top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani. What comes next after the past week’s dramatic developments? After losing his bid for re-election as head of Venezuela’s National Assembly -- the basis on which he proclaimed himself the country’s President -- Juan Guaido has assembled a parliament of his own. Washington has recognized this farce, and said that it still considers Guaido to be the legitimate head of state of the country. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins the show. Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show. A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth: On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context. Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner. Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles. Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Aaron Maté, a journalist with The Grayzone and The Nation and the host of the show Pushback with Aaron Maté.As the impeachment process continues as the news headliner, another story continues to unfold. US Attorney for the state of Connecticut John Durham confirmed last week that his investigation into the origins of the Russiagate story has turned into a criminal inquiry. Durham has requested that the CIA turn over all of the phone records, emails, and contemporaneous notes of former director John Brennan. The CIA said that it is cooperating, as has Brennan. Durham is known for his dogged pursuit of gangsters and corrupt FBI agents, and he investigated the CIA’s torture program from 2009 to 2012. In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the resignation of Boeing’s CEO, tensions in Korea, death sentences in the trial of the killers of Jamal Khasoggi, and more. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show. At the start of 2019, the White House and the State Department wanted us to believe that Juan Guaidó was the legitimate President of Venezuela. Chosen by Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and John Bolton, Guaidó was a minor opposition figure when he was arbitrarily installed as President and recognized by more than 50 countries. But then something unexpected happened. The Venezuelan economy began to stabilize. The army remained loyal to the legitimate president, Nicolas Maduro, and Guaido watched his support inside and outside the country wane and then disappear. What will 2020 bring? Brian and John speak with Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com. Monday’s segment “Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers” is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. What’s happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,” joins Brian and John. Monday’s regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.

Live from Caracas, journalist Lucas Koerner on his FAIR articles "Media Conceal Chile’s State Criminality, Delegitimize Bolivian Democracy" and "Whitewashing Neoliberal Repression in Chile and Ecuador." https://fair.org/home/media-conceal-chiles-state-criminality-delegitimize-bolivian-democracy/ https://fair.org/home/whitewashing-neoliberal-repression-in-chile-and-ecuador/

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com.President Trump yesterday issued an executive order freezing all Venezuelan assets in the United States and prohibiting transactions with the country. The Wall Street Journal reports that the action amounts to a total economic embargo. The move puts Venezuela on par with North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Iran as the only countries subject to such stringent US sanctions and is a direct challenge to Russia and China, which continue to trade with Venezuela. The Treasury Department yesterday labeled China a currency manipulator after the yuan weakened to less than seven to the dollar, pushing the trade dispute between Washington and Beijing to its most severe point yet. The US action came after China said it would institute a moratorium on the purchase of US farm goods. US stock markets fell three percent yesterday. Richard Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and founder of the organization Democracy at Work. Prof. Wolff’s latest book is Capitalism's Crisis Deepens: Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown, joins the show. Two more shooting victims died yesterday in El Paso, bringing the total to 22 dead and dozens wounded in the worst anti-Latino attack in US history. Democrats and Republicans, however, are deeply divided on how to respond. And President Trump plans to visit the city tomorrow. Brian and John speak with Juan Carlos Ruiz, cofounder of the New Sanctuary Movement. Protests were held today across Pakistan to protest India’s constitutional changes that stripped Kashmir of its special status in a bid to fully integrate the Muslim-majority state into India, a move that involved the imprisonment of all top regional political leaders and the deployment of large numbers of additional troops. Kashmir is claimed by both countries and is a frequent flashpoint for violence. Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek joins the show. Toni Morrison, a giant of American literature who is perhaps best known for her 1988 novel Beloved, which explored the African American experience past and present, died today at the age of 88. Morrison was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and the author of many books, including his most recent “Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music” newly available from Monthly Review Press, joins Brian and John. Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Brian and John speak with financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey.Today’s regular segment that airs every Tuesday is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Women’s Assembly; Nathalie Hrizi, an educator, a political activist, and the editor of Breaking the Chains, a women’s magazine; and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

(Repeat broadcast of the January 25 episode) On a week when the U.S., Canada and other world powers are recognizing an opposition politician and not the democratically elected Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela, the Global Research News Hour examines the internal and external forces attempting to undermine the democratically elected government of Venezuela, their motives and what the future holds for the Bolivarian Republic. Our guests include Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based staff writer with Venezuelanalysis.com, Radhika Desai, Professor of Political Studies and member of the Winnipeg Venezuela Peace Committee, and Nino Pagliccia, Vancouver-based Venezuelan-Canadian, writer and activist.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria.The Trump Administration announced yesterday that it “sees signs that the Syrian government may again be using chemical weapons” in its offensive to recapture the last remaining rebel-held territory in the country, and warned that the use of chemical weapons would incur retaliatory measures from Washington. The alleged chlorine attack took place weeks ago against a group allied with al-Qaeda. These accusations take place, however, just a few days after a report by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons experts was leaked which casts doubt on the United States’ version of events with regards to a previous alleged chemical attack. The United States is preparing sanctions and criminal charges against Venezuelan officials whom they accuse of using food aid program to launder money for the Maduro government, as well as companies involved in supplying goods to the program. Millions of Venezuelan families rely on the program for food and other basic necessities because of hyperinflation caused in part by existing US sanctions on the country. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins the show. The latest Brexit proposal from British Prime Minister Theresa May is causing major controversy and dissension within her own party. May’s final effort to pas a deal comes ahead of elections for the European Parliament, which begin tomorrow. The new hard-right Brexit Party will likely finish first, if the latest polls are correct, with 35 percent of the vote. It shows the Liberal Democrats in second place with 16 percent, followed by Labour at 15 percent, and the environmentalist Green Party at 10 percent. The ruling Conservative Party is projected to finish fifth, with only nine percent of the vote. And the anti-Brexit Change Party, made up of former Conservative and Labour parliamentarians, is polling only five percent. Brian and John speak with Steve Hedley, the senior assistant general secretary of the the UK’s Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union. President Trump is expected to soon name former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli III to a senior White House position dealing with immigration policy. Cuccinelli is known as a hardliner on immigration and is a frequent contributor to Fox News. He is also the former convention delegate coordinator for Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign. Jacqueline Luqman, co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, where she livestreams every week on Facebook and Youtube, and a journalist with The Real News Network, joins the show. The corruption trial of former Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner begins today in Buenos Aires. Kirchner faces 12 separate trials and is accused of accepting bribes from a construction company in exchange for lucrative government contracts. She argues, however, that the charges are meant to keep her from being elected to office again. She is currently running for vice president and is polling strongly, especially among young people. Arnold August, a Canadian author and journalist, currently writing articles on Venezuela and Latin America for web sites in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Europe, joins Brian and John. Wednesday’s weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Today they discuss the explosive meeting between Trump and Pelosi, US-Iranian relations, and the continued attack on Venezuela. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Rousesll and Walter Smolarek joins the show.Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Rose Gardner of Alliance for Environmental Strategies in Eunice, New Mexico, join the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Kevin Zeese, co-coordinator of Popular Resistance and a member of the Embassy Protection Collective; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODE PINK and a member of the Embassy Protection Collective; and from Caracas by Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com.DC’s power company shut off the electricity in the Venezuelan Embassy yesterday reportedly on orders from Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaido’s so-called ambassador Carlos Vecchio. Members of the Embassy Protection Collective are still inside as tenants of the Venezuelan government. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government arrested the vice president of the national assembly for treason over his role in last week’s military push to overthrow president Maduro. Today we continue our weekly series “Criminal Injustice,” where we talk about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and Executive Director of the Human Rights Defense Center, joins the show. The Senate Intelligence Committee has now subpoenaed Donald Trump, Jr. over the Trump Tower meeting, despite the 400-page Mueller report that investigates that meeting and all contacts with the president’s campaign and finds no evidence of collusion. Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee voted yesterday to hold Attorney General Barr in contempt of Congress. The hosts are joined by Jim Kavanagh, founder of thepolemicist.net, whose most recent article on the subject is "Investigation Nation: Mueller, Russiagate, and Fake Politics."As the Trump administration adopts an increasingly hostile attitude towards North Korea, the DPRK has moved in the last week to conduct two new tests of weapons systems in a warning to Washington. Can the negotiations be put back on track? Brian and John speak with Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and a member of the Korean Peace Network. The European Union rejected the 60-day deadline announced by Iran in response to the latest round of suffocating U.S. sanctions. The future of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal is in deepening jeopardy. Massoud Shadjareh, founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins the show. South African voters went to the polls yesterday in an election marked by the rise of new left wing political forces and growing momentum behind land redistribution to address the legacy of apartheid colonial rule. Results are continuing to trickle in. Glen Ford, executive editor of Black Agenda Report, joins Brian and John. Today we continue our weekly segment dealing with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Karl Grossman, a professor at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury, joins the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Walter Smolarek (filling in for Brian Becker) and John Kiriakou are joined by Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, and Nicole Roussell, Sputnik News analyst and producer.Fierce clashes have taken place across Venezuela today as U.S.-backed self-proclaimed President Juan Guaido launched a military operation he claimed was the “final phase” of ending Nicolas Maduro’s presidency. Armed opposition supporters and a small group of military defectors are attempting to seize a key airbase in the capital, while huge crowds of Maduro supporters have rallied outside the presidential palace. Top Trump administration officials have publicly expressed their support for the coup attempt. We continue our regular segment Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. In this weekly segment we talk about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, a professor and organizer with the Geneva Women’s Assembly, joins the show. President Trump yesterday ordered new restrictions on asylum seekers at the southern border, including application fees and new restrictions on work permits. He also ordered that all asylum requests be decided within 180 days. Walter and John speak with Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition. The US military and intelligence prison at Guantanamo has been around for 17 years. Many of the prisoners there--almost none of whom have been charged with a crime--arrived when the facility was first opened. The military’s response is to gradually turn the prison into a geriatric care center and even into a hospice. Marjorie Cohn, former president of the National Lawyers Guild and editor of the book “The United States and Torture, Interrogation, Incarceration, and Abuse”, joins the show. British Prime Minister Theresa May said that cross party talks on a Brexit plan should conclude by the end of the week. But the Labour Party is divided. Some members support Brexit strongly, while others want a second referendum. Neil Clark, journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins Brian and John. We continue our weekly series False Profits -- A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Daniel Sankey, financial policy analyst, joins the show.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Trump administration friend Benjamin Netanyahu has won re-election in Israel. There's growing concern about what that means for the Palestinian people, including the possibility of a two-state solution as a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Our guest is Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis. On Wednesday, April 10, Mike Pence called on the United Nations to officially recognize Juan Guaido, the U.S.-backed unelected man who illegally declared himself President of Venezuela. The U.S. has also slapped additional sanctions on Venezuela. We get the latest on the ground in Venezuela from Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based political analyst and editor at the independent news outlet Venezuela Analysis. For our weekly Earth Watch, what's the problem with electric cars? We speak to Navajo Nation member Beverly Harry and Reno, Nevada resident and environmental campaigner Ian Bigley about the impact of copper and lithium mining on Nevada's environment. And we continue our coverage of the National Emergency Truth and Poverty Tour of the Poor People's Campaign. We will hear part of the poverty hearing in the Bay Area of California.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Trump administration friend Benjamin Netanyahu has won re-election in Israel. There's growing concern about what that means for the Palestinian people, including the possibility of a two-state solution as a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Our guest is Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis. On Wednesday, April 10, Mike Pence called on the United Nations to officially recognize Juan Guaido, the U.S.-backed unelected man who illegally declared himself President of Venezuela. The U.S. has also slapped additional sanctions on Venezuela. We get the latest on the ground in Venezuela from Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based political analyst and editor at the independent news outlet Venezuela Analysis. For our weekly Earth Watch, what's the problem with electric cars? We speak to Navajo Nation member Beverly Harry and Reno, Nevada resident and environmental campaigner Ian Bigley about the impact of copper and lithium mining on Nevada's environment. And we continue our coverage of the National Emergency Truth and Poverty Tour of the Poor People's Campaign. We will hear part of the poverty hearing in the Bay Area of California.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Trump administration friend Benjamin Netanyahu has won re-election in Israel. There's growing concern about what that means for the Palestinian people, including the possibility of a two-state solution as a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Our guest is Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis. On Wednesday, April 10, Mike Pence called on the United Nations to officially recognize Juan Guaido, the U.S.-backed unelected man who illegally declared himself President of Venezuela. The U.S. has also slapped additional sanctions on Venezuela. We get the latest on the ground in Venezuela from Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based political analyst and editor at the independent news outlet Venezuela Analysis. For our weekly Earth Watch, what's the problem with electric cars? We speak to Navajo Nation member Beverly Harry and Reno, Nevada resident and environmental campaigner Ian Bigley about the impact of copper and lithium mining on Nevada's environment. And we continue our coverage of the National Emergency Truth and Poverty Tour of the Poor People's Campaign. We will hear part of the poverty hearing in the Bay Area of California.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Trump administration friend Benjamin Netanyahu has won re-election in Israel. There's growing concern about what that means for the Palestinian people, including the possibility of a two-state solution as a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Our guest is Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis. On Wednesday, April 10, Mike Pence called on the United Nations to officially recognize Juan Guaido, the U.S.-backed unelected man who illegally declared himself President of Venezuela. The U.S. has also slapped additional sanctions on Venezuela. We get the latest on the ground in Venezuela from Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based political analyst and editor at the independent news outlet Venezuela Analysis. For our weekly Earth Watch, what's the problem with electric cars? We speak to Navajo Nation member Beverly Harry and Reno, Nevada resident and environmental campaigner Ian Bigley about the impact of copper and lithium mining on Nevada's environment. And we continue our coverage of the National Emergency Truth and Poverty Tour of the Poor People's Campaign. We will hear part of the poverty hearing in the Bay Area of California.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Trump administration friend Benjamin Netanyahu has won re-election in Israel. There's growing concern about what that means for the Palestinian people, including the possibility of a two-state solution as a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Our guest is Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis. On Wednesday, April 10, Mike Pence called on the United Nations to officially recognize Juan Guaido, the U.S.-backed unelected man who illegally declared himself President of Venezuela. The U.S. has also slapped additional sanctions on Venezuela. We get the latest on the ground in Venezuela from Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based political analyst and editor at the independent news outlet Venezuela Analysis. For our weekly Earth Watch, what's the problem with electric cars? We speak to Navajo Nation member Beverly Harry and Reno, Nevada resident and environmental campaigner Ian Bigley about the impact of copper and lithium mining on Nevada's environment. And we continue our coverage of the National Emergency Truth and Poverty Tour of the Poor People's Campaign. We will hear part of the poverty hearing in the Bay Area of California.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Trump administration friend Benjamin Netanyahu has won re-election in Israel. There's growing concern about what that means for the Palestinian people, including the possibility of a two-state solution as a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Our guest is Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis. On Wednesday, April 10, Mike Pence called on the United Nations to officially recognize Juan Guaido, the U.S.-backed unelected man who illegally declared himself President of Venezuela. The U.S. has also slapped additional sanctions on Venezuela. We get the latest on the ground in Venezuela from Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based political analyst and editor at the independent news outlet Venezuela Analysis. For our weekly Earth Watch, what's the problem with electric cars? We speak to Navajo Nation member Beverly Harry and Reno, Nevada resident and environmental campaigner Ian Bigley about the impact of copper and lithium mining on Nevada's environment. And we continue our coverage of the National Emergency Truth and Poverty Tour of the Poor People's Campaign. We will hear part of the poverty hearing in the Bay Area of California.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Trump administration friend Benjamin Netanyahu has won re-election in Israel. There's growing concern about what that means for the Palestinian people, including the possibility of a two-state solution as a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Our guest is Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis. On Wednesday, April 10, Mike Pence called on the United Nations to officially recognize Juan Guaido, the U.S.-backed unelected man who illegally declared himself President of Venezuela. The U.S. has also slapped additional sanctions on Venezuela. We get the latest on the ground in Venezuela from Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based political analyst and editor at the independent news outlet Venezuela Analysis. For our weekly Earth Watch, what's the problem with electric cars? We speak to Navajo Nation member Beverly Harry and Reno, Nevada resident and environmental campaigner Ian Bigley about the impact of copper and lithium mining on Nevada's environment. And we continue our coverage of the National Emergency Truth and Poverty Tour of the Poor People's Campaign. We will hear part of the poverty hearing in the Bay Area of California.

On today's show, I'll have updates on the crises in Haiti and Venezuela from the co-founder of Haiti Action Committee Robert Roth and Venezuela Analysis journalist and editor Lucas Koerner. The post International Updates: Haiti and Venezuela appeared first on KPFA.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star. The British parliament decisively rejected changes to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, defeating a measure that she said would reduce the risk that a backstop to prevent a hard border with Ireland would become permanent. European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker said this was the UK’s last chance to negotiate a smoother exit from the EU. As Venezuela continues to feel the effects of an alleged cyber attack on its electrical system, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last night that he had ordered all American diplomats to leave the country, saying their presence was “a constraint” on US policy there. Those diplomats will spend the day shredding documents and destroying equipment, and the marine guard will lower the flag. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins the show. Marielle Franco was a local politician in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil who fought against police violence against the city’s poorest residents. She was murdered a year ago Thursday. But yesterday, authorities arrested two former policemen in a killing that prosecutors are calling “a meticulously planned assassination.” Brian and John speak with Dr. Francisco Dominguez, a senior lecturer at Middlesex University and the head of the Centre for Brazilian and Latin American Studies. The United States has threatened Germany that if they keep working with Chinese tech company Huawei on 5G technology, then the United States will cease some intelligence sharing with Germany. Will this further fray ties between the United States and Europe? Jude Woodward, the author of the book “The US vs China: Asia's new Cold War?,” joins the show. President Trump yesterday sent his record $4.75 trillion budget to Capitol Hill for congressional consideration. Democrats in the House declared it “Dead on Arrival” because of provisions that would cut $1.9 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid and that would eviscerate federal employee pay and benefits. Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at rall.com, joins Brian and John. Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Today they focus on job reports and whether the United States and the globe are on their way to a recession. Brian and John speak with financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey.Today’s regular segment that airs every Tuesday is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. This week they talk about the strikes and rallies with millions of people worldwide for International Women’s Day. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Women’s Assembly, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer who is the author of the book “The Plot to Control the World: How the US Spent Billions to Change the Outcome of Elections Around the World.” Former FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe told NBC’s Today Show yesterday that he had briefed senior Congressional leaders--called the Gang of Eight--on the counterintelligence investigation that he had initiated against President Trump and that “no one objected--not on legal grounds, not on constitutional grounds, and not based on the facts.” President Trump said in a speech in Miami on Monday that there is “no going back” in his efforts to oust Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro as fears of a staged provocation along the border with Colombia this Saturday mount. Meanwhile, supporters of U.S.-backed self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido have reportedly seized control of the Venezuelan embassy in Costa Rica. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins the show. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his annual address to the nation, threatened to use new weapons systems to target countries that host offensive missiles and countries that deploy them, calling out the United States in particular. Putin said that Moscow is not seeking confrontation with Washington, but that it objected to the recent US decisions to withdraw from the INF Treaty and to deploy US missiles to central and eastern Europe. Brian and John speak with Steven Starr, a professor at the University of Missouri in the Peace Studies Program on the environmental, health, and social effects of nuclear weapons, and a senior scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility. Three British Conservative Party parliamentarians quit the Tories and joined eight former Labour MPs in a new independent political group that looks like it’s becoming a bona fide political party. The conservatives left the party over Brexit, while the Labour members, who are widely to be considered centrist “Blairites”, accused their former party of anti-Semitism. The new Independent Group is now the fourth largest political grouping in parliament, along with the Liberal Democrats. Jess Cobbett, a researcher for a British Labour Party Member of Parliament, joins the show. The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to consider the Maryland Attorney General’s bid to revive a state law aimed at preventing price gouging by pharmaceutical companies. The court let stand a Circuit Court ruling that it was a constitutional violation to try to stop big pharma from raising the prices of medication. Dr. Margaret Flowers, a medical doctor and the co-coordinator of Popular Resistance whose work is at www.popularresistance.org, joins Brian and John. Wednesday’s weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Today they talk about Bernie Sanders announcing his bid for the democratic nomination, Trump’s attempted coup in Venezuela, the danger of war against Venezuela, and the effort by the Trump administration to pull the plug on a high speed train linking Southern and northern california. Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which hosts a livestream every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook, and Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek, join the show.Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.

On today's show, with talks over who runs the country of Venezuela at an impasse, not much has changed. This is a rebroadcast of A Rude Awakening with Venezuela Analysis editor and journalist Lucas Koerner. Hosted by Sabrina Jacobs. The post Venezuela and the US-Created Crisis appeared first on KPFA.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Paul Dobson, a writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, and Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com.The Trump Administration succeeded last week in advancing its overthrow of the Venezuelan government and in controlling the public relations agenda. A false narrative that President Nicolas Maduro blocked a food and aid convoy was all over the mainstream media. Former Vice President Joe Biden jumped on the bandwagon to endorse puppet figure Juan Guaido, and the US moved to cripple CITGO, the US-based retail branch of the Venezuelan national oil company. Monday’s regular segment Technology Rules with Chris Garaffa is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show. Negotiators clashed on Sunday over whether to limit the number of migrants whom authorities can detain at the border, creating a new hurdle as the two sides try to strike a compromise before the government shuts down--again--on Friday. Brian and John speak with Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition. Monday’s segment “Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers” is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. What’s happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,” joins the show. What is a stock buyback? It’s a common way for companies to prop up their stock prices and create wealth for shareholders. The company uses cash on hand to buy its own stock on the open market, thus propping up the price regardless of what the economy is doing. But is that necessarily a good thing? Couldn’t the money be put to better use if it’s spent on innovation or on workers? Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of “Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression” whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com, joins Brian and John. The US and South Korea struck a last-minute deal over the weekend on the cost of the US military presence there. South Korea will pay $890 million a year for the US military to occupy its country, an 8.2 percent increase over the previous five-year deal. South Korea already was paying 50 percent of the cost of the US military presence, but the US had sought at least $1 billion per year. Author and professor Tim Beal whose most recent book is “Crisis in Korea,” joins the show.President Trump refused to abide by a legal mandate to tell Congress by Friday whether the White House thinks Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman was responsible for the death of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A senior Administration official said, “The president maintains his discretion to decline to act on congressional committee requests when appropriate.” Brian and John speak with Ariel Gold, a peace activist and the national co-director of Code Pink.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which hosts a livestream every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook, and Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek.Wednesday’s weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Today they discuss the Venezuelan coup attempt and Kamala Harris’s near-immediate walkback of Medicare for all. Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Walter Smolarek, join the show. Former presidential advisor Roger Stone entered not guilty pleas on seven felony counts in a federal court in Washington, DC yesterday and then immediately took to the airwaves to proclaim his innocence, to repeat that he will not testify against the president, and to warn the president that the Mueller investigation could mean the end of his presidency. Brian and John speak with Dr. Jerome Corsi, an author and political commentator who was close to Roger Stone and who wrote the book, “Silent No More: How I Became a Political Prisoner of Mueller’s Witch Hunt.” Large-scale protests are taking place in Venezuela both for and against the government today after the Supreme Court moved to freeze U.S.-backed self-proclaimed president Juan Guaidó’s bank accounts and to impose a travel ban on him. Guaidó responded by calling on the military to side with him and he asked the United States to send weapons and advisors to help him overthrow the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins the show. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, CIA Director Gina Haspel, and FBI Director Christopher Wray delivered their annual intelligence threat assessment yesterday in an open hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Notably, they contradicted Donald Trump on nearly every major issue: the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, ISIS, and China. Kevin Zeese, the co-coordinator of Popular Resistance, which is at popularresistance.org, joins Brian and John. The US and China met today to try to dig out from a damaging trade war with a new round of high-level talks aimed at bridging deep differences over China’s intellectual property and technology transfer policies. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer represented the United States, while the Chinese delegation was led by Vice Premier Liu He. The deadline for an agreement is March 1. Jude Woodward, the author of the new book “The US vs China: Asia's new Cold War?,” joins the show.The British Parliament yesterday narrowly failed to approve an amendment giving it the power to instruct Prime Minister Theresa May to seek a delay to avoid a disorderly and possibly chaotic exit from the European Union on March 29. May later lost a nonbinding amendment that said the UK should not leave the EU without a Brexit deal. With chaos deepening, Prime Minister May today held a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party. Brian and John speak with Steve Hedley, the senior assistant general secretary of the the UK’s Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers Union.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by from Caracas by Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, and from Merida, Venezuela, by Paul Dobson, a writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, and in studio by Sputnik news analyst and producer Walter Smolarek.Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared himself the country’s president and was immediately recognized as such by the U.S. government. Huge numbers of government supporters have taken to the streets to fight back against this coup effort. Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show. Wednesday’s weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and puts them into perspective, including the ongoing government shutdown, which is in Day 33, the successfully ended LA teacher strike, the indefinite detaining of journalist Marzieh Hashemi, and the news that Julian Assange is now working to have his US charges unsealed. Brian and John speak with Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which hosts a livestream every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook, and Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek. The six-day Los Angeles teachers strike ended yesterday as teachers and staff threw their support behind a new agreement negotiated with the school board. The agreement, which garnered the votes of a super-majority of union members, calls for a six percent pay raise, a gradual decrease in class sizes, and the hiring of more librarians, nurses, and counselors. Cecily Myart-Cruz, a teacher in the LA Unified School District for 23 years and the Vice President of United Teachers Los Angeles/National Education Association, the teachers union, joins the show. Turkish President Erdogan is in Moscow today to meet with Russian President Putin on Syria. The two will discuss coordination in Syria, where they’ve been on opposing sides. Meanwhile, the Syrian government has floated the possibility of a retaliatory strike against Israel if it carries out another attack on the Damascus airport. Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran, and Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins Brian and John.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Tim Shorrock, a Washington-based investigative journalist who grew up in Japan and South Korea, authored SPIES FOR HIRE: The Secret World of Outsourced Intelligence, and whose work has appeared in many publications in the United States and abroad. Today marks the 38th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, also known as the May 18 Democratic Uprising. It was on May 18, 1980 that the people of Gwangju, South Korea rose up against authoritarianism and dictatorship. Today, peace and reunification hangs in the balance as U.S. military drills has prompted doubt over high-profile diplomacy.On today’s regular Friday segment covering the upcoming midterm elections, Brian and John talk about races in Pennsylvania, Florida, and elsewhere, and about why Democrats voted for Gina Haspel for CIA Director. Jacqueline Luqman and Abdus Luqman, the co-editors-in-chief of Luqman Nation, and they host the livestream “Coffee, Current Events & Politics” Thursdays at 9 a.m., join the show. Trump will announce today that organizations with Title X funding will not be able to say “abortion” any longer. Title X funding is for family planning and health care, and Planned Parenthood is one organization that relies on this funding to provide care to women and men, including abortions. The hosts speak with Danielle Norwood, a reproductive rights activist and a therapist specializing in treating adult and adolescent survivors of trauma. After a week of intense wrangling, two populist Euro-skeptic parties have agreed to form a government in Italy. One of the parties, the Five Star Movement, is an eclectic mix of left and right wing policy proposals, and the other, Lega Nord, is virulently anti-immigrant. Both parties ran on platforms that threaten conflict with the eurozone and the EU. Legendary anti-war activist and former British parliamentarian George Galloway joins the show. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is poised to win reelection on Sunday, despite the country’s economic woes due to western sanctions. He has incredible popular support. Meanwhile, opposition groups have incited violence in the country. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins Brian and John. Republican Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama said yesterday that rising sea levels are a result of soil erosion or rocks falling into the ocean, not of climate change. Believe it or not, Brooks is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Fred Magdoff, professor emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont and the co-author of “What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism” and “Creating an Ecological Society: Toward a Revolutionary Transformation”, joins the show.The hosts continue the regular segment of the worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John, speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his blog Left I on the News, which you can find at lefti.blogspot.com, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dick Nichols, the correspondent for Spain and Catalonia for Green Left Weekly, and Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek. Yesterday’s Italian elections are set to produce a deadlocked parliament, as the populist Five Stars Movement and the far right Northern League surge, leaving the Center-Left bloc of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in an embarrassing third place. The Trump Administration and Congress have been working to dismantle the Affordable Care Act despite their failure to outright repeal the law. While some states have embraced this effort, others are pushing back. Leo Cuello, an attorney and the director of health policy for the National Health Law Program, and Mary Gerisch, an organizer and member chair of the Rights & Democracy health care justice team, join the show. The leaders of West Virginia teachers unions say that they will remain out on strike after the state senate voted to cut the five percent pay increase they negotiated with the governor. Meanwhile, teachers in Oklahoma are discussing a strike, inspired by West Virginia. Is this the beginning of a wave of teacher activism? Brian and John speak with Liz Davis, president of the Washington Teachers Union who has taught in DC public schools for 41 years, and Dr. Curry Malott, a professor of education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania where he is the mobilization chair of the faculty union.Today is the last day of the NAFTA talks between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. After intense anti-NAFTA rhetoric on the campaign trail, Trump has now taken the position that if what he calls “a new and fair NAFTA agreement” can be agreed upon, then he’ll exempt the two neighboring countries from the steel and aluminum tariffs. Pete Dolack, an activist and writer with Trade Justice New York Metro, and the author of “It’s Not Over, Learning from the Socialist Experiment,” and Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of “Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression,” joins the show. The Israeli extreme right has a high profile at the ongoing annual conference of AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel lobby in the country, with a seminar being held today headlining some of the biggest names in the pro-Settler movement. This comes hours before Netanyahu and Trump are scheduled to meet here in Washington, with confrontation with Iran high on the agenda. Miko Peled, the author of “The General’s Son: A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” and a new book called "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five," joins Brian and John. In the first visit of high-ranking South Korean officials to North Korea since Kim Jong Un took office in 2011, South Korean National Security Office director Chung Eui-yong and intelligence agency head Suh Hoona led a delegation to North Korea to discuss a potential historic meeting of the leaders of both Koreas. Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and a member of the Korean Peace Network, joins the show.Venezuela’s presidential election, which had been scheduled for late April, has been postponed until May 20 as a faction of the opposition breaks ranks and decides to participate. Will the country’s Bolivarian Revolution continue its streak of electoral success? Can the country overcome economic turmoil? Brian and John speak with Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dean Baker, the co-director of the Center for Economic Policy and Research.The stock market plunged again losing more than one thousand points at the same time as Congress raced to avert another government shutdown. Instability within the government and in the larger economy has become a hallmark of the crises looming in the United States.In this segment, “Underreported America,” the hosts look at some of the less widely covered stories from around the country. A few days ago, a livery driver in New York City committed suicide in front of City Hall, apparently as a result of his inability to make a living under current taxi and livery regulations. The hosts look at regulations and the advent of ride-sharing. Johnice Earle, a business agent with the Washington DC Taxicab Association, a part of Teamsters Local #922, and the President and Secretary of the DC Taxicab Association, join the show.Today is another installment of “Criminal Injustice,” where the hosts talk about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Brian and John speak with Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, and Paul Wright, the founder and Executive Director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News.The US and its allies struck Syrian government forces with air and artillery fire last night, killing more than 100 Syrians. This is the deadliest confrontation in Syria so far that involved the US military. Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins the show.Negotiations between the Venezuelan government and opposition in the Dominican Republic were indefinitely suspended, as the opposition meets today to decide whether to participate in a controversial presidential election in April, despite the barring of its two strongest candidates. Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins Brian and John.A federal judge in Oklahoma recently gave a woman guilty of passing bad checks and possessing drugs a choice: Be sterilized or go to prison for a longer stretch. She was sterilized. Eesha Pandit, a writer, activist, and co-founder and managing partner at The Center for Advancing Innovative Policy, joins the show.House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke for eight hours on the floor of the House yesterday about the Dreamers, the longest House speech in American history. Regardless, they still will not be protected in the proposed bipartisan budget deal. Meanwhile, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said that most Dreamers never got their citizenship because they were “lazy.” Brian and John speak with Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos.The Department of Homeland Security’s Cyberwarfare chief said unequivocally yesterday that Russia hacked into the election systems of a number of US states in 2016. The state election commissions, however, said that was simply not true and there was no evidence of any hacking, from Russia or from anywhere else. Joe Lauria, a journalist, political commentator, and author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton," joins the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and Walter Smolarek are joined by journalist Mojtaba Masood and Kani Xulam, founder of the American-Kurdish Information Network.Iraqi pro-government forces have swept into the disputed region of Kirkuk, taking Kirkuk city from Kurdish peshmerga soldiers. As the fight over the shape of post-ISIS Iraq ensues, could another war be on the horizon?In a surprise turn of events in Venezuela, pro-government candidates won the vast majority of governorships in yesterday's elections. The opposition is crying fraud, but the government says that the election shows that the momentum is with the country’s Bolivarian Revolution. We are joined by Carlos Ron, the Charge D’affairs leading the Venezuelan embassy in the United States, and by Lucas Koerner, a journalist with Venezuelanalysis.comThe Supreme Court will hear a major case on about e-mail privacy. Does the government’s ability to subpoena personal e-mails extend to every corner of the globe? Editorial cartoonist Ted Rall and news analyst Daniel Sankey join the show.Next, tension is growing as as the Spanish government threatens to invoke a controversial article of the constitution to dissolve the regional government of Catalonia while left-wing pro-independence forces press him to declare independence. Dick Nichols, correspondent for Green Left Weekly, joins the show the discuss these developments.The right wing surged in yesterday’s election in Austria, and the far-right Freedom Party is expected to enter the government following a stinging defeat for the ruling Social Democrats. Ilona Pfeffer, Sputnik News analyst, joins Brian and Walter.European Union Foreign Ministers gathering for a summit in Luxembourg have taken a strong stand in support of the Iran nuclear deal in the latest sign of friction between the EU and the Trump administration. Brian and Walter are joined by Catherine Shakdam, independent journalist.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and Walter Smolarek are joined by political analysts Shabir Razvi and Ajit Singh, as well as Mohammad Marandi from the University of Tehran, to look at Trump's Iran policy after he confirmed that he will be decertifying the nuclear deal and went on a tirade against the country, accusing it of sponsoring terrorism. Donald Trump delivered what many consider to be a death blow to the Affordable Care Act today by cutting off cost-sharing subsidies. The healthcare system in the United States is in crisis. Dr. Carol Paris, President of Physicians for a National Health Plan, joins the show. A new study from Harvard University has found that a shocking number of people who were killed by police had their cause of death misreported on death certificates. Brian and Walter speak with Aislinn Borsini, an organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement. Crucial elections are taking place to elect state governors in Venezuela on Sunday, and the future of the country’s Bolivarian Revolution hangs in the balance. Joining the show from Caracas are Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, as well as Steve Hedley who is in Venezuela as an election observer. A heavily armored convoy of Turkish troops have entered Idlib province of Syria to set up a “de-escalation zone”. Will clashes with Al-Qaeda follow? Rick Sterling, investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement, joins the show.

On today’s episode of Loud & Clear, Shawn Garcia, Executive Director of Revolutionary Fitness; Gloria La Riva, who was the Coordinator of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five; and Greg Cruz, an activist who will soon be traveling to Puerto Rico to take part in relief efforts, join the show.In our first hour, we discuss the crisis in Puerto Rico. After the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, there are dire shortages of essential goods and services. On top of this, Puerto Rico is still suffocating under a mountain of debt and the colonial status imposed on it by the United States. The far right Alternative for Germany has made a breakthrough in last week’s election, securing nearly 13 percent of the vote and entering parliament. What’s behind the party’s stunning rise and deep internal divisions? Marcel Joppa, a journalist and Sputnik News analyst, talks about the issue.Incumbent Republican Senator Luther Strange has been defeated in a landslide by far right challenger Roy Moore in the Alabama primary election. What does it mean for Trump, McConnell, and the future of politics in the United States? Ray Baker, the host of the podcast Public Agenda, discusses this development.The Venezuelan opposition has broken off talks with the government that were being held in the Dominican Republic, just weeks ahead of crucial regional elections. Lucas Koerner, a Caracas-based activist and writer for VenezuelAnalysis.com, joins the show.Saudi Arabia’s government has announced that it will legally permit women to drive for the first time following years of protest. But horrific restrictions on women’s rights still persist in this close ally of the United States. Catherine Shakdam, a political analyst and author, talks about this issue

On today’s episode of Loud & Clear, Lucas Koerner, an activist and journalist for VenezuelaAnalysis.com, political analyst Ajit Singh, and former State Department official turned anti-war activist Ann Wright join the show.Donald Trump’s debut speech to the United Nations General Assembly drew gasps from the audience as he threatened the destruction of North Korea, slammed Iran and Venezuela, and boasted about U.S. military might.The Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act was left for dead, but a last minute push by Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy seems to have gained serious traction. We are joined from Nashville by Dr. Carol Paris, President of Physicians for a National Health Plan, joins the show.We do some pretty amazing things here at Sputnik News, including, according to three members of Congress, time travel. In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai they claimed that we influenced the election through our broadcasts on 105.5 FM, which began eight months after election day. Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer and author, talks about the issue.Defense Secretary James Mattis has announced that 3,000 more U.S. troops are going to Afghanistan as part of the Trump administration’s push to deepen the longest war in U.S. history. Phil Wilayto of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, joins the show.Donald Trump’s unbelievably bellicose speech at the United Nations today took aim at Iran, slamming the JCPOA nuclear deal and calling for regime change. Catherine Shakdam, an independent journalist and author, talks about these developments.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Lucas Koerner, a Venezuela-based activist and writer for VenezuelaAnalysis.com.Venezuela’s government has repelled an attack on a military base that was conducted by armed elements of the right wing opposition -- the latest bid to destabilize the country after the inauguration of the constituent assembly.Donald Trump has signaled his frustration with the situation in Afghanistan, where the brutal U.S.-led occupation is in its 16th year. A bitter divide within the administration and the growing influence of Washington’s opponents inside the country is further weakening the U.S. position. Brian Terrell, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence who has organized many solidarity trips to Afghanistan, joins the show.As new sanctions are enacted against North Korea for more missile tests, the United States is banning its citizens from traveling to the country beginning on September 1. Is this ban on American travel a signal that the US might soon take military action? Juyeon Rhee of the Solidarity Committee for Democracy and Peace in Korea who recently led a peace delegation to South Korea opposing U.S. militarism, joins Brian to discuss the latest developments.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Lucas Koerner, an activist and writer for VenezuelaAnalysis.com, and by Dan Kovalik, an author and human rights lawyer.The results have been announced for Venezuela’s constituent assembly that was elected on Sunday and convenes tomorrow. The Constituent Assembly is convening despite threats from the United States and sanctions against President Maduro.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. is not interested in regime change and seeks dialogue with North Korea if it gives up nuclear weapons, but Senator Lindsey Graham has called for the destruction of the country. This comes as the Senate’s top Democrat Chuck Schumer urges Trump to take a harder line against Chinese investments in the U.S. Patrick Lawrence, author and columnist, joins the show.The Trump administration’s attack on civil rights continues, as the Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions announces that it will use the power of the federal government to end affirmative action in college admissions. Mondale Robinson, Electoral Campaign Manager at Democracy for America, speaks to Brian about the implications of this move.

This week Eric sits down with Venezuela-based journalists Rachael Boothroyd-Rojas and Lucas Koerner to discuss the latest developments in that country, and the broader political, economic, and geopoltical implications. The conversation begins with a detailed analysis of the opposition protests, responsibility for the violence, and the role of the domestic private media, and international corporate media in stoking tensions. From there, Rachael and Lucas explain some of the methods and tactics employed in the ongoing economic and propaganda war, as well as who is behind them. Economic destabilization and mismanagement, political assassinations, and psychological war all figure prominently in understanding the complex reality of life and politics in Venezuela today. What will the US policy toward Venezuela be in the Age of Trump? Will the Maduro government survive? Will the Bolivarian Revolution continue? These and many other questions tackled this week on CounterPunch Radio. Don't miss it! Music: Rebel Diaz - "Work Like Chavez" More The post Rachael Boothroyd-Rojas and Lucas Koerner – Episode 85 appeared first on CounterPunch.org.

This week Eric sits down with Venezuela-based journalists Rachael Boothroyd-Rojas and Lucas Koerner to discuss the latest developments in that country, and the broader political, economic, and geopoltical implications. The conversation begins with a detailed analysis of the opposition protests, responsibility for the violence, and the role of the domestic private media, and international corporate media in stoking tensions. From there, Rachael and Lucas explain some of the methods and tactics employed in the ongoing economic and propaganda war, as well as who is behind them. Economic destabilization and mismanagement, political assassinations, and psychological war all figure prominently in understanding the complex reality of life and politics in Venezuela today. What will the US policy toward Venezuela be in the Age of Trump? Will the Maduro government survive? Will the Bolivarian Revolution continue? These and many other questions tackled this week on CounterPunch Radio. Don't miss it! Music: Rebel Diaz - "Work Like Chavez"