Loud & Clear Discussion on New Iran Sanctions (6/25/2019)

Iran says latest U.S. sanctions close off possibility of negotiations

The Trump Administration yesterday announced strong new sanctions on Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and moderate Foreign Minister Muhammad Zarif in response to the Iranian shoot-down of a US Global Hawk drone. The Iranians responded by saying that negotiations with the United States were over forever. Meanwhile, Russian officials say their own investigation shows that the drone was actually flying over Iranian airspace. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, whose latest article “Eve of Destruction: Iran Strikes Back” is on CounterPunch and thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
[My related article Eve of Destruction: Iran Strikes Back]

Listen to "Iran says latest U.S. sanctions close off possibility of negotiations" on Spreaker.

Loud & Clear is a daily program of news, commentary, and political analysis on Radio Sputnik, hosted by Brian Becker and John Kiriakou, featuring independent experts, activists, and political writers. (Introduction above is theirs, with related articles of mine referenced in brackets.)

Discussion on The Critical Hour about new Iran Sanctions (6/25/19)

Border Commissioner Resigns As Congress Battles Over Forgotten Migrant Children

The acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner is resigning amid a surge of immigrants at the southern border. John Sanders' resignation is set for July 5, and he didn't provide a reason for stepping down. The resignation comes as CBP deals with accusations of poor living conditions at US border facilities. House Democrats are battling over a $4.5 billion emergency aid bill for the southern border. Liberals are outraged over the treatment of migrant children and are pushing for more protections in the bill. They want tougher standards for facilities that house migrant families. In the meantime, the White House is threatening a presidential veto, as it seeks more funding for ICE detention. House leaders want to get the bill passed before next week's July 4 recess. 

Eve of Destruction: Iran Strikes Back

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It was a helluva week on the Iran front. It started with attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on June 13^th and ended with Donald Trump ordering, and then calling off, a military attack on Iran on June 20-21. How we got from beginning to end of that chapter in the ongoing US-Iran saga is worth close consideration.

Studied Ambiguity

Like everyone else who can say “Gulf of Tonkin,” “Remember the Maine,” and “Iraqi WMDs,” my instinctive reaction to the attacks on two tankers, a month after explosions hit four oil tankers in the UAE port of Fujairah, was: “Oh, come on now!” We know the United States, egged on by Israel and Saudi Arabia, has been itching to launch some kind of military attack on Iran, and we are positively jaded by the formula that's always used to produce a justification for such aggression.

Loud & Clear Discussion on DOJ Depending on Unredacted Crowdstrike Report (6/18/2019)

Authorities didn’t even see unredacted private company report before jumping to DNC hack conclusion

The Justice Department has admitted that the FBI relied on information provided by the private company Crowdstrike concluding that Russia was to blame for hacking into the Democratic National Committee’s servers, even though that information had been heavily redacted by the company. The FBI never had access to any of the original documents. That news was just made public yesterday in a filing by Roger Stone’s defense attorneys. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.

[My related article: Investigation Nation: Mueller, Russiagate, and Fake Politics]

Listen to "Authorities didn’t even see unredacted private company report before jumping to DNC hack conclusion" on Spreaker.

Loud & Clear is a daily program of news, commentary, and political analysis on Radio Sputnik, hosted by Brian Becker and John Kiriakou, featuring independent experts, activists, and political writers. (Introduction above is theirs, with related articles of mine referenced in brackets.)

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (6/14/19)

Assange Extradition Trial Scheduled For February, Will Justice Be Served?

A London court will decide in February whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be extradited to the US to face 18 criminal charges in connection with the leak of thousands of classified documents relating to US military activity in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange appeared at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court Friday by video link from Belmarsh Prison, where he is currently serving a 50-week sentence for skipping bail and fleeing to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012. It’s interesting to me that Assange told the London court he had not seen the latest indictment containing 18 US allegations against him.
[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange]

Loud & Clear Discussion on Trump's and CNN's Remarks on Vietnam War (6/7/2019)

CNN Criticizes Trump Criticizing the Vietnam War

President Trump this week criticized the war in Vietnam, a sentiment that many Americans share. Rather than concentrate on keeping America out of more wars, CNN took him to task about his comments and his not having served in the military, noting that many soldiers don’t want to serve but “it is the call of their country.” Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, editor in chief of thepolemicist.net.

Listen to "CNN Criticizes Trump Criticizing the Vietnam War" on Spreaker.

Loud & Clear is a daily program of news, commentary, and political analysis on Radio Sputnik, hosted by Brian Becker and John Kiriakou, featuring independent experts, activists, and political writers. (Introduction above is theirs, with related articles of mine referenced in brackets.)

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (5/31/19)

Vault 7 Charges Not Pursued For Assange, But He Still Faces Life For Espionage

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Lee Stranahan, co-host of Fault Lines on Sputnik Radio; Daniel Lazare, journalist and author of "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War"; and Jim Kavanagh, editor of The Polemicist. 

The Justice Department has decided not to charge Julian Assange for his role in exposing some of the CIA’s most secret spying tools, according to a US official and two other people familiar with the case. So instead, the Justice Department will go after Assange on the one count for allegedly assisting Chelsea Manning and the 17-count Espionage Act indictment. According to Politico, there are no plans to bring any additional indictments prior to his extradition. Is this as big a concession as many believe? 

[My related articles: Avoiding Assange and Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange]

Loud & Clear Discussion of Michael Avenatti Indictment (5/23/2019)

Ex-Darling of the Media: Michael Avenatti Charged Again as a Fraudster

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net.

Michael Avenatti, the attorney who rocketed to fame by representing adult film star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump, was charged yesterday with defrauding her of $300,000. Avenatti was charged earlier this year in New York on multiple felony counts of trying to extort the Nike shoe company of $25 million. And he faces yet more felony charges in Los Angeles, accusing him of defrauding other clients. However, at the height of his public notoriety last year, he was hailed as a hero by the corporate media and even established an exploratory committee and said he wanted to run for president.

Listen to "Ex-Darling of the Media: Michael Avenatti Charged Again as a Fraudster" on Spreaker.

Loud & Clear is a daily program of news, commentary, and political analysis on Radio Sputnik, hosted by Brian Becker and John Kiriakou, featuring independent experts, activists, and political writers. (Introduction above is theirs, with related articles of mine referenced in brackets.)