By Any Means Necessary

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by journalist and author Dan Lazare to discuss the Biden administration’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine and the devastating effects that those munitions have had all over the world, how the munitions are likely to make Ukraine’s counteroffensive even more brutal than it already is as it continues to stall, and how this decision and the broader US support for the conflict will affect the domestic political situation.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Richard Hooker, Secretary Treasurer and principal officer of Teamsters Local 623 to discuss the struggle of UPS workers for a contract as negotiations between the Teamsters and UPS have fallen through, why workers are fighting for a fairer contract, how the pandemic demonstrated the power of workers and contributed to the wave of unionization and strikes across many industries, and how people can show support for the workers if they do go on strike.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie discuss the anniversary of the adoption of the 14th amendment to the US constitution and how it has been used to defend the rights of corporations.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Ajamu Baraka, National Organizer of the Black Alliance for Peace to discuss the upcoming NATO summit and how the issues facing the coalition may threaten to unravel it, a recent report on rising food insecurity in the US in the aftermath of the expiration of pandemic-era SNAP benefits, and a Tulsa judge dismissing a lawsuit that sought reparations for the Tulsa race massacre.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman discuss the anniversary of the March of the Mill Children led by US labor activist Mother Jones and how it relates to rollbacks of child labor protections across the country today.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Justin Podur, Associate Professor at York University, author of America's Wars on Democracy in Rwanda and the DR Congo, and co-host of the Anti-Empire Project to discuss recent protests in France and how they are related to France’s history of colonialism in Africa, how France has continued its colonial relationship with Africa well after the formal decolonization of its former colonies, how the racism of colonialism has defined the police killing which sparked the protests and the response to them, and the role of colonialism in policing.

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 new women’s basketball league being founded by New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier to allow WNBA players to supplement their incomes domestically instead of playing overseas and how this issue is related to the issues of pay in the WNBA, how the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action policies in college admissions may affect the NFL’s Rooney rule which requires teams to interview candidates of color for some coaching jobs, ESPN’s recent layoffs of over a dozen on-screen personalities and how this reflects the trend in sports broadcasting.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Jon Jeter, award-winning journalist and foreign correspondent, radio and television producer, Bluesologist and Decolonizer, and author of the book “Flat Broke in the Free Market: How Globalization Fleeced Working People” to discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action in college admissions and why the policy often fell short for many activists, how affirmative action reflects the shortcomings of many reforms built to maintain the system, and how global uprisings against racism from the US to France reflect the growing shift against settler-colonialism.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Raya Hudhud, member of the Palestinian Youth Movement to discuss the recent Israeli military raid of the Jenin refugee camp and its historical roots in past operations by the Israeli military in Jenin, the history of Jenin in the resistance of Palestinian people against Israeli occupation and apartheid, and how US support has enabled these operations by Israel against the Palestinian people.

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 study reporting that up to half of all drinking water from US faucets may contain “forever chemicals” and why the US has allowed this to happen, the documented effects of forever chemicals on the human body and why this finding is so important, and how this study may fit into the growing trend of the privatization of water.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Kevin Kamps, Radioactive Waste Watchdog at Beyond Nuclear to discuss the International Atomic Energy Agency’s approval of Japan’s plan to dump nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear site into the Pacific ocean, what risk this plan would pose to the environment and to other countries in the Asia pacific region, and what other options that the Japanese government could take to reduce the risk of even wider contamination of the environment.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston, and author of dozens of books, including “Revolting Capital: Racism & Radicalism in Washington, D.C., 1900-2000” to discuss the real history of US independence and how the historical force of white supremacy lives on today, recent rulings by the Supreme Court and the Court’s explicit exemption of military academies from the ruling on affirmative action, how the recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit fits into the shifting geopolitical order, and the upcoming NATO summit where Ukraine is expected to appeal for membership into the alliance.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Gail Walker, Executive Director of Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, and Calla Walsh, Co-chair of the National Network on Cuba to discuss recent demonstrations against Cuba’s placement on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, how this fits into the decades-long blockade on Cuba and the Biden administration’s refusal to take Cuba off the list, and how activists were arrested for attempting to speak with Senator Bob Menendez and advocate for a peaceful policy toward Cuba.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin podcast to discuss Meta’s announcement of the Threads app as a Twitter competitor as the latter company continues to limit access to the platform, the use of facial recognition technology by the TSA at airports, and the anticipated shutting down of Gfycat, a site which hosted popular reaction GIFs which were uploaded by users and how that demonstrates questions of ownership on the internet.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Richard Becker, author of “Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire” to discuss Israel’s raid on the Jenin refugee camp, accusationf of planning an attack on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant from both sides of the conflict, the breakdown in negotiations between the Teamsters union and UPS as the union prepares for a strike later this year, and and the naming of Elliott Abrams to a diplomatic panel despite his record on human rights.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Dr. Jack Rasmus, economist, radio show host, & author of 'The Scourge of Neoliberalism' to discuss the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Biden administration’s student loan debt relief program, how this decision is going to affect the economy as debtors prepare to begin repayments starting in September, and how this will affect Joe Biden’s re-election campaign as the political system continues to deteriorate.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Amanda Yee, host of the Radio Free Amanda podcast to discuss the origins of the America First foreign policy ideology making a resurgence today and why the anti-war left would not ally themselves with its proponents, how America First proponents decide to wage war on workers in the US and on other targets such as migrants and China, and why this ideology is experiencing a resurgence as US support for the conflict in Ukraine continues to balloon.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Abayomi Azikiwe, the editor of the Pan-African News Wire to discuss the recently approved constitutional referendum in Mali and what it means for the current government in power there, the security issues that suppressed turnout in the vote and how that affects the characterization of the referendum outside of Mali, and how economic and security issues continue to weigh heavily on the consciousness of voters in Mail as UN peacekeepers have withdrawn from the country.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Bryce Greene, Contributor to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting to discuss a study documenting the use of Pentagon-contractor funded think tanks as authoritative sources on the conflict in Ukraine in the mainstream press and how that demonstrates the nature of propaganda in US media, the US considering sending cluster munitions to Ukraine despite the risk they pose to civilians and how that demonstrates the purpose of US support for the conflict in Ukraine, and the Pentagon reporting that the supposed Chinese balloon that captured media attention did not collect information while it was over the US.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Karla Correa, organizer with the Tampa Bay branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation to discuss a bill set to take effect in Florida that would introduce restrictions on the rights of undocumented immigrants in Florida, how this bill fits into the presidential ambitions of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his other policies targeting working and poor people, and how immigrants and working people are organizing to fight back against this bill.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Milton Allimadi, Chief Editor of Black Star News, producer/host of the Black Star News Show on WBAI in NY and author of “Manufacturing Hate: How Africa was Demonized in Western Media" to discuss members of Congress attempting to withhold military aid to Uganda in response to the recently passed anti-homosexuality law, the history of US support for Uganda and the rule of President Yoweri Museveni.

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 the suspension of multiple NFL players over violations of the league's gambling policy, the hypocrisy of these suspensions as the league encourages gambling and players generate profits for the league, the raid of the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics related to investigations into the awarding of public contracts, and Nevada State Education Association mobilizing against the use of public funds for the planned Athletics stadium in Las Vegas.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Afeni, co-director of organizing with Life After Release to discuss the Supreme Court’s rulings against affirmative action programs and the Biden administration’s student debt relief program and what they demonstrate about American democracy, why the actions of the Biden administration demonstrate its abandonment of the voters who brought them into power, and how a popular movement of working and poor people can fight for a new system.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, president of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition to discuss a ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals on the sale of the property containing the historic Moses Macedonia African Cemetery in which enslaved Africans were buried, how the court’s ruling undermines the rights of Black and indigenous cemeteries today and sets a concerning precedent, how this ruling affirms the legal subjugation of Black people in the US going back to the country’s founding, and how the struggle to preserve the cemetery will move forward after this ruling.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Vicki Cervantes, North America Coordinator of the Honduras Solidarity Network to discuss the anniversary of the 2009 coup in Honduras which overthrew President Manuel Zelaya, the US involvement in the coup and why it was interested in removing Zelaya, why the US has historically had an interest in Honduras as a base of operations against movements in Central America and how that legacy continues today, and how Honduras is charting a new path for sovereignty under the government of Xiomara Castro.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie feature a commentary from Mumia Abu-Jamal on climate change and wildfire smoke blanketing the US east coast.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and author of the book "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents" to discuss the fallout from the presumed implosion of the Titan submersible vehicle and the many ways that working and poor people are killed every day that are ignored, a report documenting the links to slavery among top US government officials and how that demonstrates the foundational role white supremacy plays in the US, and millions of people losing access to Medicaid as a result of the end of pandemic-related social programs.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Sputnik News Analyst and activist Morgan Artyukhina to discuss the anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion and its context in socialist and anti-imperialist politics, the centrality of the issue of police terror in uprisings.

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 why the Ukrainian counteroffensive has so far failed to live up to the expectations that mainstream media figureheads and western officials promised, why the Biden administration is interested in a successful counteroffensive as the 2024 presidential campaign looms, the similarities between the conflict in Ukraine and the US wars in Vietnam and Iraq, and how the violence of the conflict in Ukraine and other conflicts is being felt in different ways in the US.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dan Kovalik, an adjunct professor of International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, author of the forthcoming book, “Nicaragua: A History of US Intervention & Resistance” to discuss the anniversary of the 1986 International Court of Justice Ruling in Nicaragua v. United States which held that the US violated international law through its support of the Contras against Nicaragua, why Nicaragua is making a renewed effort to collect on the reparations owed to them according to this decision, and how the US ignoring this ruling and refusing to cease support for the Contras highlights the US attitude toward international law.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Esther Iverem, artist, author, independent journalist, and host and producer of On The Ground: Voices of Resistance from the Nation’s Capital, which you can listen to both as a podcast and on Pacifica Radio to discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling in Moore v. Harper and the ethics issues regarding some of the justices, the Supreme Court’s decision against Norfolk Southern in a case that could have eroded workers’ ability to fight back against corporate abuses, and Daniel Penny pleading not guilty in the death of Jordan Neely.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Greg Elich, Korea Policy Institute board member and a contributor to the collection Sanctions as War: Anti-Imperialist Perspectives on American Geo-Economic Strategy to discuss the anniversary of the beginning of the Korean war and how the US divided the peninsula, how the war has had lasting effects on both sides of the Korean peninsula and led to intense repression of progressive political elements in the south, and why the Korean peninsula is so important to US imperialism.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Brian Mier, co-editor of Brasil Wire and author of Year of Lead: Washington, Wall Street and the New Imperialism in Brazil to discuss former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s electoral trial on charges of abuse of political power and misuse of public media stemming from meetings he held during his 2022 re-election campaign, how this is only the beginning of legal issues that Bolsonaro faces as he considers relocating to the US, and how the Brazilian right-wing has reacted to theses legal challenges and investigations into Bolsonaro’s 2022 campaign.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin podcast to discuss the Biden administration announcement of funding for the expansion of high-speed internet access and how it demonstrates the problems with broadband access that were intensified during the pandemic, how workers on Google’s Bard chatbot project are not being given enough time to fact-check the chatbot’s responses and how that could affect the quality of information that chatbot users receive, and how the US Navy underwater microphones detected the presumed implosion of the Titan submersible and why they still exist despite their original purpose for detecting Soviet submarines during the cold war.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by James Early, Former Director of Cultural Heritage Policy at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage at the Smithsonian Institution and board member of the Institute for Policy Studies to discuss the Supreme Court’s rejection of the independent legislature theory in its decision in Moore v. Harper and the nature of democracy in the US, an effort by some House Democrats to ease sanctions on Venezuela as the US continues its demonization campaign against the country, and how recent developments in Latin America are contributing to the growing shift toward multipolarity and represent a rejection of the Monroe Doctrine.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Justin Podur, Associate Professor at York University, author of America's Wars on Democracy in Rwanda and the DR Congo, and co-host of the Anti-Empire Project to discuss the history of the dollar system and how it relates to the burgeoning de-dollarization movement, the foundation of the British gold standard system on colonialism and why the dollar system that came after it is less stable, and why the dominance of the dollar and US actions to protect its dominance has ultimately facilitated a movement toward a new economic system.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Orisanmi Burton, assistant professor of anthropology at American University to discuss research on alleged experimentation on incarcerated people and indigenous children related to the MK Ultra program, the political purpose of experimentation on incarcerated people and its connection to the Attica prison uprising, and how the nature of mass incarceration in the US today is in part a response to Attica and aimed at suppressing organizing and revolutionary consciousness.

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 comments made by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick stating that Black liberation is not possible under capitalism, and the Stockton Kings NBA G League team becoming the first team to be led by two women in the head coach and general manager roles.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Rachel Hu, organizer and co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin Podcast to discuss the upcoming anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson overturning the right to abortion, the approval of an increase in rents for rent-controlled buildings in New York City as the cost of living crisis continues to intensify, and how a popular movement differs from the current political system and why it requires active involvement.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.