Discussion of Brexit Delay and Syrian Situation on The Critical Hour (10/28/2019)

John Conyers Jr., Longest-Serving African American Congressman, Dies at 90

Former Michigan Rep. John Conyers Jr., a liberal Democrat from what is now Detroit’s 13th Congressional District, has died at the age of 90. Conyers was first elected in 1964, becoming one of five African Americans in the House of Representatives. His overwhelmingly Democratic constituents reelected him 26 times over a period spanning 10 presidents, from Lyndon B. Johnson to Donald Trump. He passed Sunday at his home in Detroit.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died. He was killed during a US military raid in northwest Syria on Saturday. Trump announced Sunday that al-Baghdadi died after running into a tunnel, where he detonated an explosive vest, killing himself and three of his children.

Loud & Clear Discussion on Release of Maria Butina (10/25/2019)

Political prisoner Maria Butina released from prison

Political prisoner Maria Butina has been released today after serving over a year in prison, most of which was in solitary confinement. She was accused of failing to register as a foreign agent and slandered by the corporate media. Her case became a main component of the now-debunked Russiagate narrative. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net whose most recent article is “The Empire Steps Back,” which is at Counterpunch and thepolemicist.net, joins the show.

Listen to "Political prisoner Maria Butina released from prison" 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.)

Loud & Clear Discussion on Bill Taylor Testimony re Ukraine (10/23/2019)

Impeachment battle rages on in Washington

Ambassador Bill Taylor, the US Ambassador to Ukraine, testified on Capitol Hill yesterday and made explosive charges against President Trump, including that the President directed officials to withhold aid to Ukraine over demands that the Ukrainian government open an investigation of the Biden family. Taylor said that he was convinced in July that the White House was withholding aid for electoral purposes. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, whose most recent article is “The Empire Steps Back,” which is at Counterpunch and thepolemicist.net, joins the show.

Listen to "Impeachment battle rages on in Washington" 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 (10/11/2019)

Trump Claims Victory Trade Deal, Did Xi Give Sleeves From His Vest?

US President Donald Trump said Friday that the US and China have reached what he called a substantial “phase one“ trade deal in which Beijing agreed to limited measures to improve trade ties between the countries. In exchange, Trump will not move forward with another round of tariff increases against roughly $250 billion in Chinese goods that had been set to take effect on Tuesday. Who really won in this deal?

Week in Review Discussion on Loud & Clear (10/18/2019)

Week in Review

Friday is Loud & Clear’s weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the Turkish invasion of Syria, the impeachment probe, and the possible breakthrough in UK-EU negotiations over Brexit. Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net whose most recent article is “The Empire Steps Back: Trump Withdraws From Syria – Impeachment Now Possible,” and Sputnik News analysts and producers Walter Smolarek and Nicole Roussell.

Listen to "Week in Review" 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.)

The Empire Steps Back: Trump Withdraws From Syria – Impeachment Now Possible

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Week in Review Discussion on The Critical Hour (10/4/2019)

Will the Ukraine Scandal Turn Out to Be a Double-Edged Sword for Dems?

It's Friday, which means it's panel time!

On Thursday night, investigators from the House of Representatives released a trove of text messages obtained from former US Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, in which US State Department officials and Rudy Giuliani — US President Donald Trump's personal attorney — negotiated with a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The texts show that US officials felt Trump would not agree to meet with Zelensky at a summit unless the Ukrainian president publicly promised to investigate both the 2016 US presidential election and a Ukrainian energy company that employed Hunter Biden, the son of current Democratic presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden. As this continues to play out, where’s the leverage? Who has the advantage?

[My related article: Dead Man’s Hand: The Impeachment Gambit]

Week in Review Discussion on Loud & Clear (10/4/2019)

The Week in Review

Friday is Loud & Clear’s weekly hour-long segment The Week in Review, about the week in politics, policy, and international affairs. Today they focus on the new details in the impeachment inquiry and the US’s longer-term relationship to Ukraine, plus the protests in Iraq and Hong Kong. Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, editor of thepolemicist.net, and Sputnik News analyst and producer and Nicole Roussell.
[Related article: Dead Man’s Hand: The Impeachment Gambit]

Listen to "The Week in Review" 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.)