Loud & Clear

President Obama is in Cuba for the first visit of a sitting U.S. president in 88 years. The visit follows the December 2014 announcement that Cuba and the United States were working to restore normal diplomatic relations. However, the economic blockade remains in place and the Guantanamo Naval Base remains in the hands of the United States. To analyze the significance of Obama's visit, host Brian Becker is joined by Wayne Smith, the Chief of the US Interests Section in Havana between 1979 and 1982; Gail Walker, the executive director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) and Pastors for Peace; and Michael Steven Smith, co-author of the book “Who Killed Che?” and the co-host of the nationally broadcasted radio show “Law and Disorder”.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by journalist Pepe Escobar and Priscilla Chandretti of Brazil's Journalist Union to discuss the reasons behind the protests in the street demanding the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. Is this about corruption as her critics claim or is that a pretext for a political and class struggle?The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is holding its conference in Washington, DC this Sunday, but the conference will be met by protests. Becker is joined by author and journalist Max Blumenthal to analyze the influence that AIPAC has on U.S. politics, how powerful the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) has become, and why Bernie Sanders is not attending the conference.RT reporter William Whiteman describes his firsthand experience in southeastern Turkey where Kurdish cities have been destroyed by the Turkish military. He filmed the devastation and now RT is launching a petition to the United Nations Human Rights Council to call for a thorough international investigation into the massacres.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker discusses the announcement that Kurdish Syrians are creating a federation in the area that they control. Becker is joined by Mutlu Civiroglu, a Kurdish-Syrian analyst, and Zafar Bangash, an editor with Crescent International, to talk about why with peace talks resuming this week in Geneva, the Kurds were once again excluded, prompting the declaration of the Federation of Northern Syria. What does this move mean for both the Kurdish population and the whole of Syria?In the second segment, author and cartoonist Ted Rall joins Becker to talk about President Obama's final proposed military budget. The budget proposes quadrupling U.S. military expenditures in Europe, as well as characterizes Russia, Iran, China and North Korea as threats to the security of the United States.The European Council is holding a summit today and tomorrow in Brussels with Turkey aimed at coming to a deal on the refugee crisis. Doubt hangs over the ability of the two sides to put a proposed deal into effect. To analyze the prospects for a Turkey-EU deal, Becker is joined by analyst Stephen Gowans.

On today's special episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by Stewart Alexander, 2012 Presidential candidate of the Socialist Party USA and Gloria La Riva, the 2016 Presidential candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump move closer to being the nominees for the presidential race after Tuesday night's primary results in five states. Alexander and La Riva speak about the role of the media in the rise of Donald Trump, the rising tide of white supremacy and Islamophobia, why the mainstream media has embraced the campaign of Hillary Clinton while turning its back on Bernie Sanders, the institutionalized exclusion of third party candidates from debates and key parts of the election process, and what a Trump vs. Clinton election would look like.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker talks to writer and activist Dr. Tim Anderson about Russia's announcement that it will begin withdrawing its forces from Syria today after President Putin said the objectives of its operation had been achieved. How did Russia’s intervention in the war affect the fight against ISIL, Al Qaeda and other armed groups, and what will happen now?In the second segment, political commentator Chauncey DeVega gives a first hand account of the shut down of the Donald Trump rally in Chicago last Friday. With primaries taking place today in five states that could have a major impact on who become the presidential nominees, could Donald Trump more or less seal the Republican nomination?Finally, today is the International Day Against Police Brutality. Becker is joined by activists Eugene Puryear and April Goggans to discuss how the Black Lives Matter movement is challenging the powers that be and changing America.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by political analyst Hafsa Kara-Mustapha to discuss whether Syria will be federalized into three parts. With peace talks set to begin in Geneva again today, could proposals for a federal structure ultimately lead to a partition of the country into mini states?Iran ordered to pay $10.5 billion in damages to victims of September 11, 2001? That’s what a New York federal court ruled last week after Iran’s government refused to be part of a court proceeding in a lawsuit accusing them of involvement with al-Qaeda as part of the 9/11 conspiracy. Becker is joined by historian, author and journalist Gareth Porter.Newly released documents obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund show the extent to which the U.S. government used counter-terrorism powers not against terrorists but against the Occupy Wall Street movement and other political dissidents in the United States. Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, executive director of the Partnership For Civil Justice Fund, joins Becker to talk about the documents.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by Jeremy Varon, an activist with Witness Against Torture, to talk about why14 years after the first detainee arrived at the Guantanamo Bay, the prison camp remains open. With Republican presidential candidates calling on President Obama to open Guantanamo to new detainees, what happened to Obama's promise to close the torture center?It’s been five years today since the Tohoku earthquake that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster one day later. But what is life like now for those affected by the disaster? And is the United States prepared for a similar situation if it were to occur here? We are joined by Damon Moglen, the senior strategic advisor at Friends of the Earth.Today marks two years since Crimea declared independence from Ukraine. Just days later, voterswent to the polls in a referendum in which 96.7 percent voted to join Russia. Western powers continue to say Crimea is part of Ukraine and was annexed by Russia. But what was really behind the declaration of independence? Joining Becker to discuss this issue is Ray McGovern, former CIA official and political activist.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker speaks to independent political commentator Wahid Azal about why Iran launched ballistic missiles test at the moment Joe Biden arrives in Tel Avis with the promise of $40 billion more in US fighter craft, missiles and other high tech weapons.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Washington for the first visit of a leader from north of the border to the United States in almost two decades. International human rights lawyer Christopher Black joins Becker to discuss the significance of Trudeau's visit, what he represents, and if the Canadian government is really independent of the United States.Donald Trump continues to pick up victories in the primaries, and the Republican establishment is attempting to stop him. Is their last resort a brokered convention this summer? Chauncey DeVega, political essayist, and Kevin Akin, Secretary of the California Peace & Freedom Party, join Becker to analyze what a brokered convention is and whether there is a chance that Trump could run as an independent.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by Kemal Okuyan, a leading columnist for the newspaper SoL, to talk about the deal reached between Turkey and the European Union. Okuyan exposes the twists and turns of Turkey's domestic and foreign policy. Millions of refugees have become a political football. Could an American citizen be the Prime Minister of Ukraine by the end of the week? Is the United States treating Ukraine as a virtual colony? Regime change in Ukraine is followed by massive NATO military build up. We are joined by geopolitical analyst Daniel McAdams to assess the situation.Finally, Professor Ghada Talhami assesses Joe Biden's trip to Israel and the plans to increase U.S. military aid by more than $40 billion during the next decade. What'snew in the relationship between the U.S and Israel?

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by Dr. Frederick Mills, a senior fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, to discuss President Obama's renewal of an act declaring Venezuela a threat to the national security of the United States. Does Venezuela actually pose a threat to the U.S? Or is it the U.S. that poses a threat to Venezuela’s independent government?Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton go head to head in the Michigan primary today, after previously debating in Flint, Michigan on Sunday evening. Becker is joined by attorney Julie Hurwitz, one of the lawyers who filed three class action lawsuits on behalf of the people of Flint who have been forced to drink poisoned water during the past years.Today is International Women’s Day, a day celebrated as an official national holiday in many countries around the world. However, many do not know that the day actually has its roots in the United States. Jane Cutter, editor of LiberationNews.org, joins Becker to provide analysis on why International Women's Day and May Day were made forbidden in the United States for generations.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by political analyst Eric Draitser to discuss what's behind the European Union and Turkey holding an emergency summit today in Brussels on the refugee crisis. The EU wants Turkey to stop the flow of refugees, but what does Turkey want in return?North Korea in the crosshairs. Days after the UN issued tough sanctions against the DPRK, tens of thousands of U.S soldiers, sailors and marines and divisions of the South Korean military carry out war exercises simulating the invasion and destruction of the DPRK. We are joined by Gregory Elich, a member of the advisory board of the Korea Policy Institute.Where is China headed? China’s National People’s Congress started meeting Saturday. What’s going on inside China’s politics and why did the United States just send a carrier strike group of the Navy to the South China? Joining Becker is David Ewing, the chair of the San Francisco chapter of the U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by analyst Hafsa Kara-Mustapha, who talks about European Council President Donald Tusk telling refugees fleeing wars not to come to Europe. Kara discusses why 2,000 refugees are arriving in Greece daily, why 10,000 are stuck at the Greece-Macedonia border, the role of Turkey in the crisis, and whether the crisis has the potential to undo the European Union.Turkey’s war against the Kurds in the eastern part of the country continues. Becker is joined by Elif Sarican of the Kurdish Student Union in London to analyze if the destruction of the Kurdish town of Cizre by Turkey is a second Kobane, and why there is no outcry from western powers now that the devastation was not caused by the Islamic State, or ISIL.The Republican establishment goes into high gear to try to avert what looks like a likely Donald Trump nomination. But as the Republican establishment itself tries to derail Trump, is it the Party itself that created the Trump monster? Becker is joined by essayist and cultural commentator Chauncey DeVega, as well as Kevin Akin, California State Secretary of the Peace & Freedom Party, to discuss if and how Trump is really that different from the Republican establishment.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by Sarah Sloan of the ANSWER Coalition, who examines the tough new economic sanctions imposed on North Korea by the UN Security Council following its nuclear weapon test. The U.S. prepares to launch massive war games simulating the invasion and destruction of North Korea. In the second segment, Becker is joined by independent political commentator Wahid Azal to analyze why Saudi Arabia and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council have now decided to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. What does the terrorist designation mean and what are the roots of Hezbollah as a political and social movement?Women's rights on the chopping block. The Supreme Court takes up a Texas law that imposes strict regulations on abortion clinics and doctors. Thousands protested outside of the Supreme Court against the law. Karina Garcia of Women Organized to Resist and Defend (WORD) and Mara Verheyden-Hilliard join Becker to discuss just how significant this case is and what women are doing to fight for reproductive rights.

On today's special episode of Loud & Clear, host Brian Becker is joined by Rocky Anderson, former mayor of Salt Lake City and Gloria La Riva, 2016 Presidential candidate for the Party for Socialism & Liberation, to analyze the results of the Super Tuesday primaries in which Donald Trump continued on his path to take the nomination in spite of the efforts of the Republican Party establishment to stop him. Anderson and La Riva examine how the mainstream media is trying to create a self fulfilling prophecy by downplaying the electability of Bernie Sanders and presenting Clinton as the inevitable Democratic candidate. Why have the attempts of parts of the Republican establishment to stop the rise of Trump been unsuccessful? Why there is an open resurgence of white supremacist organizations and sentiment in the wake of Trump's bid to win the presidency.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, we bring you the second and final part of Brian Becker's exclusive interview with America’s most prominent intellectual, Professor Noam Chomsky. He talks about the attempt by the United States to topple the government of Syria, the overthrow of the Libyan and Iraqi governments under the Obama and Bush administrations, and Turkey's role in funneling support to ISIL.In the second segment, activist and writer Mazda Majidi joins Becker to talk about the initiation of a two-week ceasefire in Syria that came into effect over the weekend. The United Nations has said that so far it’s holding, but opposition leaders are saying it’s on the verge of collapse. What are the prospects for long term peace in a country ravaged by five years of war?Finally, it's Super Tuesday. We are joined by Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Executive Director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, who talks about the rise of Donald Trump, the role of white supremacy and racism in the Republican Party, the role of the Clinton administration expanding mass incarceration, and ending social and economic programs benefiting poor people. Can Bernie Sanders gain back his momentum?