By Any Means Necessary

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Johnny Miller, PressTV correspondent to discuss the attack on the Novaya Kakhovka dam and the mainstream press’ immediate place of blame on Russia, how this attack will affect the people who live south of the dam in the Kherson region and in Crimea, why the blame for this attack on Russia does not make sense from a strategic standpoint, and how these escalating attacks on critical infrastructure places the world in danger.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Ryan Kidwiler, organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation in West Virginia to discuss the approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline through the debt ceiling deal and how that undermined the legal victories won by opponents of the pipeline, the concerning environmental impacts that the pipeline could have on West Virginia and how it would contribute to climate change, and how the movement against the pipeline will continue to struggle against its construction.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Zoe Pepper-Cunningham, a journalist with People’s Dispatch to discuss mobilizations in Colombia in support of the government of Gustavo Petro in response to allegations that a destabilization effort is underway, how a scandal involving some former officials of the Petro government is being characterized by the right-wing Colombian media to implicate illegal conduct by Petro, and why the Colombian right-wing and business class are interested in stopping the reforms promised by the Petro government.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie discuss the Atlanta city council’s approval of public funding for the Cop City facility, former Vice President Mike Pence’s announcement of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, and the response from Georgia senator Raphael Warnock to Cop City and why many activists have found it to be too weak.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman discuss the anniversary of the March Against Fear led by James Meredith and its connections to the approval of funding for Cop City by the Atlanta city council.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Garland Nixon, co-host of The Critical Hour, which you can hear from 6 to 8 PM EST right here on Radio Sputnik to discuss a recent article by the New York Times highlighting the use of Nazi symbols by elements of the Ukrainian military, the absurdity of the article’s attempts to downplay the meaning of the symbols and characterize them as symbols of Ukrainian pride, and how this demonstrates the role of the corporate press in pushing for war.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin podcast to discuss recent settlements between the Federal Trade Commission and Amazon over allegations of privacy violations with Amazon’s Alexa and Ring products, how plans by social media company Reddit to charge for a new API model would restrict the activity of third-party apps and could drive users away from the platform, and the Pentagon announcement of its purchase of Starlink satellite broadband service for use in Ukraine and how it demonstrates SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s ties to the defense industry.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Eleanor Goldfield, a creative activist, journalist, co-host of Project Censored, and the filmmaker behind the documentary “Hard Road of Hope” to discuss the growing assault on press freedoms in the US and how a case in Asheville, North Carolina demonstrates this trend, the role of alternative media in challenging the narratives of the mainstream media, and how the struggle against the Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia exposes why parts of the country dominated by right-wing politics should not be abandoned.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Amanda Yee, host of the Radio Free Amanda podcast to discuss the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests and how the western media has misrepresented what happened during the protests, the roots of the protests in China’s cultural revolution and the reform and opening up period, how the reality of the protests and the street clashes between some protesters and the PLA disrupts the narrative of the western press, and why the original demands of the worker-led protesters are often left out of the conversation.

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 a bill in the National Congress of Brazil which would limit the rights of the indigenous nations of Brazil to their ancestral lands, how the political forces behind this bill have connections to big agriculture groups, and how this bill connects to the history of colonialism in Brazil and the racism involved in that process.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Natalia Marques, writer and organizer from New York City to discuss the student loan debt component of the debt ceiling deal which mandates the end of the student loan payment pause, why Joe Biden sacrificed his promises on student debt in the debt ceiling negotiations and why that was not necessary to avoid a default, the economic impact that the continuation of loan payments would have on student loan borrowers.

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 debt ceiling deal and how it compares to past economic crises and how working and poor people are always the victims of austerity, how propaganda has contributed to Americans’ ignorance to concepts like austerity and the history of struggle in the US, and how the character of electoral politics in the US leaves an opening for popular movements to resist austerity.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Bezal Jupiter, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Atlanta to discuss the arrest of three members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund on charges of fraud in another escalation of attacks on activists opposed to Cop City in Atlanta, how these attacks reveal the character of the police in Atlanta and who will be impacted by the facility, and how activists will continue to struggle against Cop City despite this escalation.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Adrian Bonifacio, national chairperson of Bayan USA to discuss joint military drills between the US, Japan, and the Philippines in the South China Sea as tensions between the US and China continue to escalate, the broader context of military cooperation between the Philippines and the US under the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and how the inclusion of Japan in these drills indicates a larger role for Japan in US designs for conflict in the Asia-Pacific region.

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 latest developments in the controversy over the Los Angeles Dodgers’ invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a strike by pro ESports players after Riot Games dropped a rule requiring top teams to field teams at lower levels, and Senator Tommy Tuberville’s comments on inner-city schools in Baltimore and how that may reflect his attitude toward the football players he coached at Auburn University.

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 strained relationship between the US and South Africa as South Africa prepares for the upcoming BRICS summit, Henry Kissinger’s comments on Ukraine joining NATO for the sake of European security, and Dr. Horne’s new book on the history of racism in Washington, DC and resistance against it.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman discuss the arrests of three members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which has provided jail support and bail funds for Cop City activists, the escalating repression against Cop City activists as the struggle against the facility continues to intensify, and how this demonstrates the importance of organization in the face of repression.

In the second 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 “No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests” to discuss an on-the-ground report from Crimea on the situation there as Kiev vows to take the peninsula, how the people of Crimea view the 2014 return of Crimea to Russia and the region’s long history as a part of the Soviet Union and Russia, and how Crimea factors into the current conflict in Ukraine and how Crimeans view it.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Kevin Kamps, Radioactive Waste Watchdog at Beyond Nuclear to discuss the stagnated effort to contain radioactive waste at a former nuclear weapons manufacturing facility at the Hanford site in Washington state, the tremendous environmental impact that this site has already had on the area and the further impact that could result from the lack of action on the radioactive waste, how US officials have continued to delay storage of the waste and are now proposing inadequate solutions that only delays the environmental impact, and how this situation demonstrates why nuclear power cannot be an answer to the climate crisis.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie discuss the anniversary of the clearing of Lafayette Square in Washington, DC during the protests against the killing of George Floyd in 2020 and the debt ceiling deal and how the so-called compromise focuses spending cuts on non-military spending despite a clear need to fund the necessities of life.

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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 debt ceiling deal and why it is unlikely to realistically address the national debt while cutting social spending, why the cuts to social spending are even bigger than what is being widely reported while the US military-industrial complex will be largely spared from such cuts, and how this may affect the 2024 presidential election campaign and how the media is spinning this deal to look better than it is actually is.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by geopolitical journalist John P. Ruehl to discuss the ongoing porcupine-ization of Taiwan as the US and NATO continue their pursuit of conflict with China, the privatization of this process on Taiwan as private security companies aim to fulfill shortcomings that Taiwan cannot fulfill on its own, and what the proliferation of private security companies means for global security.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Clau O'Brien Moscoso, member of the Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team to discuss the approval of US troops training Peruvian soldiers and national police by the Peruvian congress despite controversies following police responses to protests against the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo and how the politics of the Peruvian congress aids in the neoliberalization of Peru and its roots in the rule of Alberto Fujimori.

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 meeting between Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as part of a meeting of South American leaders as Lula pushes for South American integration, what integration in Latin America and potential alternative currency would mean for global politics and the developing multipolar world order, and what regional integration in Latin America would mean for democracy in the region.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman discuss the history of memorial day and its origins in celebrations of fallen Union soldiers in Black communities following the Civil War, the history of the 1937 Memorial Day massacre and what lessons it continues to teach about the power of organizing, and why memorial day commemorations today fail to confront why US soldiers are sent to war.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Abayomi Azikiwe, the editor of the Pan-African News Wire to discuss the recent commemoration of African Liberation Day and how the lessons of Kwame Nkrumah apply to today's issues of a new cold war between the US and NATO and Russia and China, the history of African unity during the cold war and the involvement of China and the Soviet Union on the African continent, and the consequences of African disunity caused by US intervention on the continent and in the African diaspora.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin podcast to discuss comments by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warning of "overregulation" as the European Union prepares new rules over the use of artificial intelligence, the disbanding of the National Eating Disorder Association telephone helpline and its replacement by an AI program, the curious timing of this closure just as staff unionized and what this replacement by AI demonstrates about the future of labor struggle, and reports that the San Francisco Police Department requested live access to surveillance cameras to monitor a protest in response to the killing of Tyre Nichols.

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 debt ceiling deal and its reported inclusion of an expansion of work requirements for SNAP benefits over the age of 49, a lawsuit challenging an upcoming Florida law banning some Chinese citizens and some citizens of other countries from buying real estate in Florida and how that fits into DeSantis' right-wing agenda on which he is campaigning for president, and reports that Biden campaign officials plan to boost the image of Vice President Kamala Harris as a part of Biden’s re-election campaign.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Ari Paul, Contributing Writer to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting to discuss Montana’s TikTok ban and how the mainstream media has set the stage for national efforts at a ban on the app, how this is related to a xenophobic cold war mentality that has driven efforts at censorship of Chinese media outlets and other foreign media outlets, and how this anti-Asian hysteria has played out in other aspects of political life as anti-Asian legislation continues to intensify.

In the second 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 latest controversy involving Memphis Grizzlies Guard Ja Morant after he was filmed with a gun for a second time and why this controversy exposes a double standard between black and white gun ownership, racist abuse against Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior by fans and LaLiga’s lackluster response to it, the Los Angeles Dodgers dis-invitation and re-invitation of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drag group, and the latest developments in the Oakland Athletics potential move to Las Vegas.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie feature a documentary about the Jackson State killings, which happened 53 years ago this month.

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 ongoing negotiations over the debt ceiling and how Democrats will likely their tradition of capitulating to Republican demands to further slash social spending, the third anniversary of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the inaction from the Biden administration on police terror, and what the latest recommendations from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party reveal about the weakening grip of US imperialism on the world.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Tina Landis, organizer and author of the book, ‘Climate Solutions: Beyond Capitalism’ to discuss a deal struck between California, Nevada, and Arizona on reducing their usage of water from the Colorado river, why this deal is just a band-aid on the much larger problem of the drying of the American west and how that is related to climate change, why agricultural systems responsible for much of the consumption of water will not change under capitalism, and Joe Biden’s latest broken campaign promise in his administration’s approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by John Ross, the senior fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China and author of the book, “China's Great Road: Lessons for Marxist Theory and Socialist Practices” to discuss the false assumptions behind The Economist’s latest prediction of China’s impending economic doom, how the US has responded to China’s growth by attacking its economy and companies based in China, and why the US and media outlets like The Economist are so interested in suggesting that China commit economic suicide.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Miko Peled, human rights activist and author of “The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and “Injustice, the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five” to discuss the annual Flag March in Israel and how it symbolizes the racism inherent in Zionism, how Israel’s obsession with demographics is part of an attempt to legitimize its colonization of Palestine and erasure of Palestinians, and why the narrative of Israel’s founding is based in myth.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Ajamu Baraka, National Organizer of the Black Alliance for Peace to discuss Ron DeSantis campaign for the Republican nomination for president and the right-wing program that he has instituted in Florida as governor, the release of the Durham report on the Russiagate investigation and the lasting impacts of Russiagate on the American political consciousness, and the danger of escalation following Russian forces taking control of Artemovsk.

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In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Amir Khafagy, an award-winning journalist based out of New York City who you can follow on Twitter @AmirKhafagy91 to discuss a strike by residents at Elmhurst hospital in Queens, New York City in response to low wages and strain exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, why Mount Sinai was refusing to negotiate with residents and how its control of Elmhurst exemplifies the impact of the privatization of healthcare, and how this strike demonstrates the exploitation that immigrant workers are subjected to and why it’s important to organize against that exploitation.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Joe Emersberger, co-author of Extraordinary Threat: The US Empire, the Media and Twenty Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela to discuss the ongoing political crisis in Ecuador and how its framework was set up with US support under former President Lenin Moreno, how political parties and movements are responding to the political crisis as Ecuador faces elections later this summer, and the prospects for a return to a progressive government in Ecuador and what that would mean for Latin America.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Karla Correa, organizer with the Tampa Bay branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation to discuss the arrest of organizers in Tampa, Florida who were protesting against the policies of Governor Ron DeSantis, why the idea of people leaving Florida in response to his agenda is misguided and obscures the true nature of these policies, and how the movement can fight back against the repression of the Tampa Five and against the radical agenda in Florida.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Carlos Martinez, author and activist, co-founder of No Cold War, and co-editor of Friends of Socialist China to discuss the new book The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century, why China is still a socialist country despite claims to the contrary, how China's foreign policy has shifted with changes in its development and why China is asserting itself on the global stage today, and why the US is desperately attempting to stop China's rise and the emergence of a multipolar world order.

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