By Any Means Necessary

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Chris Helali, political analyst, researcher and Independent investigative journalist to discuss the recent summit of the G7 powers and how it served to advance imperialist aggression against China and Russia, how the US decision to supply Ukraine with F-16 jets presents another dangerous escalation in the conflict, why Volodymyr Zelensky has seemed to shy away from efforts at brokering peace and how that could be related to the interests of the US and NATO, and how this affects the US standing in the world as it continues to isolate itself from nations that refuse to go along with its imperialist aggression.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Riley Seungyoon Park, writer, student, organizer and member of Nodutdol Korean Community Development to discuss a recent report detailing the sexual abuse of South Korean women by American soldiers on the peninsula and the south Korean government’s complicity in that abuse, how the legacies of these actions have lasted well beyond their time as American GIs continue to occupy the Korean peninsula, how this issue exemplifies the impact of US imperialism on South Korea, and how the movement in South Korea is working for justice for the victims of this exploitation.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin podcast to discuss Montana’s TikTok ban and legal challenges to it on grounds that it violates the US constitution, a recent report claiming that the FBI misused the section 702 surveillance database more than 278,000 times, and data analytics firm Palantir’s efforts to sell its software to Lithuanian authorities as the company positions itself as a key asset in new cold war efforts.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Ted Rall, co-host of The Final Countdown, which you can hear from 10am to 12 PM EST right here on Radio Sputnik to discuss the Biden administration’s apparent capitulation to House Republicans on the debt ceiling and why the Democratic Party is choosing him as its presidential candidate despite his abysmal poll numbers, the recent G7 summit and China’s response to the summit’s clear anti-China warmongering, and the NAACP issuing a travel advisory for Florida in response to some of the legislative actions of Governor Ron DeSantis.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by international affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda to discuss Russian forces taking control of Artemovsk, also known as Bakhmut, after a months-long grinding battle, the strategic significance of the city and how the western media and pro-Ukraine forces have worked to present it as a symbolic victory, why Artemovsk serves an important strategic purpose for further Russian offensive in Donbass, and how Volodymyr Zelensky’s tours around the world are exposing who is really in charge in Ukraine.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Anthony Rogers Wright, Director of Environmental Justice with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest to discuss a UN report on deaths from climate change during the last fifty years and the extremely disproportionate impact on the global south, how this report raises the issue of climate reparations and what culpability the US has for advancing climate change, and why a climate movement must build itself into a militant movement to demand more than the non-solutions proposed by the Biden administration.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Amanda Yee, host of the Radio Free Amanda podcast to discuss a recent study detailing that at least 4.5 million people have died as a result of post-9/11 wars, why most of those deaths have come from indirect deaths caused by those wars and why those deaths are often not included in discussions about the impact of US militarism and imperialism, and how the indirect deaths from imperialism can also be felt domestically as social spending continues to be slashed in favor of funding death and destruction.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Chuck Modiano, justice journalist and Sports writer for Deadspin to discuss the charging of DC Metropolitan Police Department officer Lt. Shane Lamond with leaking information to Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, the legacy of recently retired NBA forward Carmelo Anthony and his relatively unknown connections to social justice, and Daniel Penny proclaiming himself to not be a racist in an interview he did with the New York Post.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Eli Breidford, former organizer with HU Resist and an organizer with Ujima First and youth activist Channing Hill to discuss Joe Biden’s speech to Howard University graduates and why students chose to protest it, how issues on Howard’s campus are related to broader issues of imperialism and police terror, and how HBCUs work to perpetuate the capitalist system and advance imperialist policies.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Jeremy Kuzmarov, Managing editor of CovertAction Magazine and author of four books on US foreign policy, including The Russians are Coming, Again, with John Marciano and Obama's Unending Wars to discuss the recently released Durham report on the investigation of Russiagate by the FBI, the unexamined role of the CIA in propagating the Russiagate narrative and how that fit into US foreign policy goals in Russia, and how the lasting impacts of Russiagate have increased Russophobia among Americans and have contributed to the US support for the conflict in Ukraine.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Miguel Garcia of the ANTICONQUISTA Collective, also the host and creator of the Sports as a Weapon podcast to discuss a California state fund meant to serve as a pension for boxers and how it is failing to serve its purpose, a message of solidarity from players associations in support of the WGA strike, and the owner of the Arizona Cardinals accusing a former staff member of domestic violence seemingly in response to accusations of cheating, discrimination and harassment against the Cardinals’ owner.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Maximillian Alvarez, Editor in Chief of the Real News Network and and host of the podcast “Working People" to discuss what is behind the surge in labor activism since the beginning of the pandemic, how the pandemic forced many workers to face their own mortality and has arguably driven activism for better working conditions, and the lasting impacts of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio on the town’s residents.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Dr. Robert Hockett, Edward Cornell Professor of Law at Cornell University and Senior Counsel for Westwood Capital to discuss ongoing negotiations between the Biden administration and Congressional Republicans over the debt ceiling, how the tactics at play today have roots in American legal history dating back to the civil war, and why the Biden administration has reached this stalemate and what lies ahead for this debt ceiling debate and the debt ceiling as a political concept.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Mohamed Elmaazi, a UK-based freelance journalist, and contributor to numerous outlets including The Dissenter, Jacobin, The Canary and Electronic Intifada to discuss the UK National Security Bill and the threats that it could pose to journalism, how this bill uses the specter of "foreign interference" to make it easier to prosecute people for publishing about leaked information originating from another nation, and how this bill compares to the use of the Espionage Act in the US and abroad.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Tunde Osazua, the Coordinator of the US Out of Africa Network, a project of the Black Alliance for Peace to discuss an upcoming national conference in Atlanta on Black Self-Determination and Pan-African unity, why this conference is being organized at this moment as Black liberation organizing experiences a resurgence, and how Black politics have shifted over time and why that shift necessitates a focus on self-determination and pan-African unity.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie discuss Ron DeSantis’ expected announcement of his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, attacks on abortion across the country as the Biden administration continues in its refusal to take action, and recent polls highlighting the economic pressures on US workers as inflation continues to rise.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman feature commentary from political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal on the US persecution of Julian Assange and the occupation of Palestine.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Martín Varese, social media manager with People’s Dispatch and sociologist to discuss the dissolution of Ecuador’s National Assembly by President Guillermo Lasso and how that action is related to the impeachment proceedings against Lasso which were underway, what lies ahead for Ecuador as Lasso will be able to rule by decree until new elections are held, and whether Lasso will attempt to advance a campaign of neoliberalization during this uncertain period.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by James Patrick Jordan, National Co-Coordinator for the Alliance for Global Justice to discuss Colombia President Gustavo Petro’s warnings about a potential coup attempt against his government by right-wing forces in the country, the mischaracterization of Petro’s government as Marxist by right-wing forces in Colombia and abroad in response to Petro’s policies toward Venezuela and peace in Colombia, and whether popular movements are likely to mobilize to prevent a potential coup as the struggle for peace in Colombia continues.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Gloria La Riva, coordinator of the Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee and co-founder of the Hatuey Project to discuss ongoing negotiations over the debt ceiling between the Biden administration and Congressional Republicans and Biden’s demonstrated willingness to cede ground to Republicans, the killing of Amaree’ya Henderson by police in Kansas City, Kansas, and why the only adequate response to racist police terror and other issues must come from a working class movement.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Wafa Aludaini, Gaza-based journalist and activist and head of the 16th October Media Group to discuss the 75th anniversary of the Nakba and Israel’s history of displacement of Palestinians from their homes, how the history of the Nakba connects to the ongoing occupation of Palestine by Israel, how Palestinians continue to resist the Israeli occupation and demand the right to return, and how the western media distorts the images of Palestinian resistance.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Mazda Majidi, long-time antiwar and social justice activist who is from Iran and has written extensively on the nuclear deal and other issues pertaining to Iran and the Middle East to discuss elections in Turkiye and what current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s failure to secure a victory in the first round of voting means for Turkish politics, why Erdogan is still likely to secure re-election as Turkiye and how that will affect the country’s place in the geopolitical divide over the conflict in Ukraine, and where Kemal Kilicdaroglu stands politically and how the region would be affected if he were to win the presidential runoff.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin podcast to discuss Elon Musk’s decision to name Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter and how Musk’s fans have reacted to Yaccarino’s connections to the World Economic Forum, why this decision is clearly an attempt to attract advertisers back to Twitter and exposes the reality of Musk’s commitment to “free speech,” and a report from the Chinese government alleging that the CIA has used cyberweapons to attack digital infrastructure and support color revolutions around the world.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie discuss the aftermath of the end of the Title 42 immigration policy and how it exposes the Democrats’ refusal to present an alternative to the Trump immigration policies that Joe Biden campaigned against, a new report detailing the death toll from post-9/11 wars across the Middle East and North Africa, and the response to Howard University graduates who protested Joe Biden’s commencement address.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman discuss the anniversary of the arrest of Kalief Browder, who died after his incarceration on Rikers Island, how it compares with the killing of Jordan Neely, and how both cases showcase the brutality that the capitalist system depends on.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Karleigh Webb, an athlete, activist, journalist, socialist, contributor to @Outsports and host of the TransSporter Room and Sputnik News Analyst Morgan Artyukhina to discuss the silencing of Montana state representative Zooey Zephyr and how the movement fought back against this silencing, how this anti-democratic action fits in with other attacks on trans and Black legislators throughout the country, and how the attacks against Black people must be met with a broad-based working class movement.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Jemima Pierre, Haiti/Americas Coordinator for the Black Alliance for Peace to discuss revelations in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise alleging that the accused assassins expected support from embassy officials in Haiti, how this alleged involvement of embassies would fit into the history of intervention in Haiti and how it compares with efforts to remove former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and how those historical narratives have changed to fit today’s situation as the west continues its attempts to use Haiti for its broader geopolitical designs.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Rachel Hu, organizer and co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin Podcast to discuss the killing of Jordan Neely in New York and what’s missing in mainstream media narratives which attempt to justify vigilantism, Joe Biden’s speech at Howard University’s commencement and why his efforts to garner support from young Black voters are failing, and the troubling surge in reported cases of child labor in the US and how the economic war on the working class is facilitating it.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Jeff Schuhrke, Assistant Professor of Labor Studies in the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies at SUNY Empire State College to discuss potential strikes by airline pilots’ unions and why airline pilots are striking, what quality of life issues pilots have to deal with and how airlines squeeze pilots for profits, how past administrations have used the Railway Labor Act to break pilots’ strikes in the past and why the Biden administration’s demonstrated willingness to use that act will affect the probability of a strike, and how this demonstrates a shift in worker attitudes post-pandemic.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Christian Garramone, organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation to discuss the 2018 Supreme Court ruling in Janus v AFSCME case and what it meant for American workers, how it fits into the history of attacks on American workers from the US government, and how anti-labor forces engineered this case in order to attack former pro-labor rulings and actions.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Miguel Garcia of the ANTICONQUISTA Collective, also the host and creator of the Sports as a Weapon podcast to discuss recent controversies around student athletes and sports gambling and why the embrace of sports gambling by some institutions highlights a double standard in how it is treated, former Auburn football coach and Senator Tommy Tuberville downplaying the issue of white nationalists in the US military and calling the military a “hard-nosed killing machine,” and the questions that these comments raise about Tuberville’s relationship with the Black players he coached at Auburn.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Netfa Freeman, Coordinating Committee member with the Black Alliance for Peace, organizer with Pan-African Community Action, and host of Voices with Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM to discuss a recent brigade to Cuba marking International Workers Day and the impact of the sanctions on those celebrations, the harassment of members of that brigade by US customs authorities and what it reveals about the grasp of US imperialism, and how Cuba provides examples of civic engagement that would not happen in the US.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by K.J. Noh,a scholar, educator and journalist focusing on the political economy and geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific to discuss Japan considering opening a NATO office in the country and how that would affect the geopolitics of the region as the US pursues a conflict with China, how Japan is being used as a vassal state by the US and how the US has militarized the Asia Pacific region, and why the introduction of NATO into the region would mark a dangerous new escalation.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Abayomi Azikiwe, the editor of the Pan-African News Wire to discuss ongoing peace talks over the conflict in Sudan and the challenges to peace mounted by outside forces, how the situation in Sudan is related to past US interventions in north Africa and the Middle East, and how the conflict in Sudan is allowing for imperialist powers to rationalize further militarization on the continent of Africa.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by geopolitical Journalist John P. Ruehl to discuss what is behind western hysteria over so-called “Chinese police stations” and the true role of these security operations overseas, the US hypocrisy in stirring up anxiety over these stations as US law enforcement has its own partnerships overseas, and how this hysteria is being used as a part of the propaganda campaign against China.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Richard Becker, author of “Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire” to discuss the attacks on Gaza by Israel and how the government in Israel is contributing to this latest round of attacks, the anniversary of the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and why the US continues to give money to Israel despite its transgressions against supposed core US values, and the readmission of Syria to the Arab League twelve years after it was expelled.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman discuss a public service announcement produced by the FBI promoting the Run, Hide, Fight strategy for surviving a mass shooting, what this PSA reveals about the inability of the US to address the root causes behind mass shootings, and how the PSA presents mass shootings as an inevitability and survival as a personal responsibility.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by journalist Waqas Ahmed to discuss the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and massive protests opposing his arrest, why people are turning out in support of Khan and how it is related to some of the reasons he may have been ousted from his premiership, and what regional impacts this instability will have as Pakistan seeks a bailout from the IMF.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Jose Luis Granados Ceja, Staff writer and podcast host at Venezuelanalysis.com to discuss a recent resolution signed by the US government to hand over the Venezuelan company CITGO to the right-wing Venezuelan opposition, how this fits into the sanctions campaign against Venezuela and what the status of that campaign is after the ouster of Juan Guaido as leader of the opposition, and how a recent conference on the future of Venezuela demonstrates the shifting regional political dynamics.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Radhika Desai, a Professor at the University of Manitoba, Director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group, and author of Capitalism, Coronavirus and War: A Geopolitical Economy to discuss the melodrama in Washington over the debt ceiling and how the squabbles over social spending are hiding bipartisan unity in service of the ruling class, the signs of de-dollarization in the global economy and how they compare to some warning signs of the 2008 financial crisis, and the need for a people-oriented economy as the world resists US hegemony and inflation troubles continue to persist.

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