Loud & Clear Discussion of Primary Election Results (6/24/2020)

Primary election results point to important upsets

There were a number of surprising political upsets in primary races in Kentucky, North Carolina, and New York yesterday. In Kentucky, the race between establishment Democrat Amy McGrath and progressive state legislator Charles Booker to take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is too close to call. But in New York, Jamaal Bowman, a progressive middle school principal appears to have defeated Congressman Eliot Engel. Engel has been a member of the House since 1988 and is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. And in North Carolina, a 24-year-old real estate investor, Madison Cawthorn, defeated a Trump-endorsed candidate to win the nomination to succeed Rep. Mark Meadows, who is now White House Chief of Staff. He’ll face Guantanamo whistleblower Col. Morris Davis in the general election. Brian and John speak with Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net.

[Related article: Joe or No?]

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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.)

By Any Means Necessary Discussion of John Bolton's Criticisms of Trump (6/22/2020)

Liberal #Resistance Embraces 'Warmonger' John Bolton Amid Book Release

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Jim Kavanagh, a political analyst and contributor to Counterpunch and ThePolemicist.net, to talk about former National Security Adviser John Bolton's new book, why "#resistance" pro-establishment Democrats have largely embraced the far-right neocon despite his bellicosity, and the reactions by the international community to his claims.

Listen to "Liberal #Resistance Embraces 'Warmonger' John Bolton Amid Book Release" on Spreaker.

Critical Hour Discussion of Protests, Provocateurs, and Elections (6/12/2020)

Minnesota Government Asks Whether Outsiders, White Supremacists Lit Fires in Twin Cities

It’s Friday, so that means it’s panel time.

A very interesting article ran Friday in the Wall Street Journal, entitled "Who Set the Fires in the Twin Cities?" It reads, "Ever since protesters flooded the streets following the killing of George Floyd in police custody, residents here have wondered: Who burned down so many businesses in the Twin Cities, and why? While a few arrests have been made so far, the question continues to go largely unanswered. ... The ATF [US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] has released photos and videos, asking for the public’s help in identifying suspects caught on security cameras lighting fires, pouring accelerants and throwing an apparent Molotov cocktail. ... Minnesota state officials have pointed to unspecified and unconnected outsiders, including white supremacists, anarchists and drug cartels for turning peaceful demonstrations into violent riots that left scores of businesses looted, damaged or destroyed by flames." That’s an interesting narrative to me. US President Donald Trump has described protestors as thugs, playing into a racist stereotype from what’s been displayed in the media.
[Related article: Over the Rainbow: Paths of Resistance after George Floyd]

Loud & Clear Discussion of Rod Rosenstein Senate Testiimony (6/10/2020)

Major development in case of former NSA Flynn, Rosenstein testifies

John Gleeson, a former judge leading a review of the Department of Justice’s handling of the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, released a brief today expressing strong disapproval of the Department of Justice’s effort to drop the prosecution of Michael Flynn after he already pled guilty. Also, Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testified last week before a Senate Committee on the origins of the Russia investigation. What he had to say was devastating for those pushing the narrative that there was collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. Rosenstein told the committee that the FBI never had any evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, but that he had asked Robert Mueller to lead an investigation because he had already determined that the FBI had lied to him. Rosenstein’s testimony contained a half-dozen bombshells that turn the entire Russiagate affair on its ear. Jim Kavanagh, the editor of thepolemicist.net, joins the show.
[Related articles: Investigation Nation: Mueller, Russiagate, and Fake Politics, Dead Man’s Hand: The Impeachment Gambit, Be Careful What You Ask For: Wasting Time with Manafort, Cohen, and Russiagate]

Listen to "Major development in case of former NSA Flynn, Rosenstein testifies" 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.

By Any Means Necessary Discussion of Nationwide post-George Floyd Uprising and My "Over the Rainbow" Article (6/9/2020)

At George Floyd's Funeral, Biden Offers Lots of Words, Little Action

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Jim Kavanagh, a political analyst and contributor to Counterpunch and ThePolemicist.net, to talk about his latest article, “Over the Rainbow: Paths of Resistance After George Floyd,” the awkward and largely-symbolic responses by Democrats to the mass uprising, and why both the party and the black capitalist class appear to be attempting to co-opt the language of protesters while refusing to commit to core demands like defunding the police.

Over the Rainbow: Paths of Resistance After George Floyd

Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime
-Aristotle

It has been an extraordinary week. On the heels of a pandemic and months-long lockdown, a nationwide uprising erupted in response to the brutal killing of George Floyd. In some 75 cities across at least 16 states, and around the world, militant, multiracial gatherings of thousands of rightfully-enraged people overwhelmed police forces, prevented arrests, forced the evacuation of, and burned, a police precinct, and damaged and burned dozens of buildings. Mainstream news reporters from around the world were arrested and fired upon with rubber bullets on live television. Police SUVs drove into crowds of people. It has been the most extensive, and the most threatening, explosion of popular rage against the machine since the uprisings of 1967-8.

Critical Hour Discussion on George Floyd, Pressure on Biden, Stealing Stimulus (5/29/2020)

Former Officer Derek Chauvin Faces Murder Charge for Killing George Floyd — Will Others Be Charged?

It’s Friday, so that means it’s panel time!

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Derek Chauvin on Friday on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Chauvin is the now-former Minneapolis Police Department officer filmed with his knee on the neck of George Floyd on Monday. "Police responded to a convenience store in the area after someone called 911 claiming a person believed to be Floyd used a counterfeit bill and appeared drunk," 24/7 News Source reported Friday. "Floyd passed out and died a short time later." Chauvin and three other officers were fired this week for their involvement in Floyd's death. Hennepin County prosecutors said the others may be charged but did not provide specifics.

More than 40 million Americans have filed claims for unemployment benefits since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and about 30 million are receiving them, according to the US Labor Department. "For millions of Americans left out of work by the coronavirus pandemic, government assistance has been a lifeline preventing a plunge into poverty, hunger and financial ruin," the New York Times reported Thursday. "The $1,200 checks sent to most households are long gone, at least for those who needed them most, with little imminent prospect for a second round. The lending program that helped millions of small businesses keep workers on the payroll will wind down if Congress does not extend it."

"Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is facing growing pressure from activists and party leaders to pick a nonwhite running mate in the wake of explosive incidents involving race and police violence that have stoked widespread outrage," the Washington Post reported Friday. "Biden has pledged to select a woman, prompting leading Democrats to publicly and privately promote several high-profile women of color for the job."
[My related article:  Joe or No?]

GUESTS:
Caleb Maupin — Journalist and political analyst who focuses his coverage on US foreign policy.
Dr. Colin Campbell — TV news reporter for more than 20 years. As a senior Washington, DC, correspondent since 2008, he has been a reporter-at-large covering two presidencies, Congress and the State Department.
Jim Kavanagh — Political analyst and commentator and editor of The Polemicist.

[My segment begins ~21:41]
Listen to "Former Officer Derek Chauvin Faces Murder Charge for Killing George Floyd — Will Others Be Charged?" on Spreaker.

The Critical Hour is a daily 60-minute news analysis and talk radio program on Radio Sputnik hosted by Dr. Wilmer Leon. Introduction above is theirs, with related articles of mine referenced in brackets.