Clearing the FOG with co-hosts Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese

The healthcare crisis in the United States is worsening - the prices of insurance and care are rising, more people are becoming uninsured and life expectancy is declining. The Republicans don't have a solution to the crisis and Democrats are, once again, pushing a false solution. In an election year, we have an opportunity to push for a healthcare system that puts patients over profits. Clearing the FOG speaks with Dr. Ana Malinow of NationalSinglePayer.com about a new campaign: the Declaration of Independence from the Medical-Industrial Complex. Dr. Malinow also describes the current state of the US healthcare system, how it compares to other countries, and a new report on Moral Injury in physicians. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

Under international law, all countries that have signed onto the Genocide Convention are mandated to both prevent and stop genocides, yet the genocide of Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, has continued unabated. Given the failure of most governments to fulfill their duties, civilians from around the world are organizing humanitarian flotillas to break through the blockade on Gaza. Clearing the FOG speaks with James Marc Leas, a lawyer and Palestine solidarity activist who is in Italy to support the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. He discusses the conditions in Palestine, the laws, and Israel's illegal seizure of Global Sumud Flotilla boats and activists. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

In 1945, tens of thousands of occupied Koreans were forced to live in Japan, primarily as impoverished workers. When the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 70,000 Koreans were impacted. Though they and their succeeding generations have been severely harmed by the exposure to radiation, they still have not received recognition, an apology or compensation for their suffering. A delegation of atomic bomb victims just completed a tour of the United States and testified before the United Nations. Clearing the FOG speaks with Shim Jin-tae, Han Jeongsun and a representative of Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK) about their experiences and their struggle for a nuclear-free world. Translation provided by Hyunsook Elizabeth "Echo" Cho. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

Buried in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a provision to automatically register all males at the age of 18 with the Selective Service System (SSS) that, if not stopped, will go into effect this December. Clearing the FOG speaks with Edward Hasbrouck of Resisters.info. Hasbrouck was a draft resister in the early 1980's who was sent to prison for refusing to register. He discusses how a small number of resisters, who were willing to speak out, proved that the government could not enforce a draft. He adds that this new effort will similarly fail and how we can abolish the system altogether, and stop the United States' endless wars. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The plutocratic power structure in the United States is clamping down on our right to know and to dissent by illegally detaining individuals who speak out or shutting down their access to financial services. Clearing the FOG speaks with political analyst Ali Alizadeh about the unlawful detention of Iranian public policy PhD student at Virginia Tech, Yousof Azizi, who is frequently a guest on major media outlets. The second guest is Rainey Reitman of the Freedom of the Press foundation, who discusses her new book, "Transaction Denied: Big finance's power to punish speech." For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

In recent decades, the railroad industry has consolidated from more than 40 Class One Rail carriers to only six with disastrous results for the rail workers and the public. Despite a 1990's moratorium on mergers, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are applying for a new merger, the first one to be transcontinental. Workers, passengers, farmers, and other industries are joining forces to stop this merger. Clearing the FOG speaks with Ron Kamikow, a co-founder of Railroad Workers United, about the state of our rail system, the impact of the potential merger and the campaign against it. Kamikow says the UP-NS merger would definitely lead to further consolidation and would disrupt the supply chain at a time when it is already fragile. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The US-Israeli war on Iran and the resultant fuel shortages are already negatively impacting the global economy. One aspect that isn't gaining much attention is the impact of the war on an already fragile food system. Shortages and the rising prices of oil, fertilizer and pesticides are forcing farmers to make difficult choices and will lead to food scarcity this Fall. To understand where we are and what we can do to support food security, Clearing the FOG speaks with Kayla Dones of DD Geopolitics and Lauren Borsheim, a food policy analyst for Food and Water Watch who has been tracking the new Farm Bill legislation. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

On February 28, the Trump administration, in partnership with the Zionist state of Israel, launched an illegal attack on Iran that has broadened to involve the region. Prior to the attack, Iran notified the United Nations that they would view all US assets in the area as legitimate targets for their defense. US military bases and hotels where troops were staying have been bombed. Now, the administration is threatening a ground invasion and is mobilizing Marine Expeditionary Units. Clearing the FOG speaks with Mike Prysner of the Center on Conscience and War about the large increase in military members seeking conscientious objector status. And we bring back a portion of an earlier interview with James Branum of the Military Law Task Force about other options for active military members. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched an illegal attack on Iran that has ignited the Gulf Region and sent ripples throughout the world. Clearing the FOG speaks with military analyst Scott Ritter who argues that the US and Israel lost the war on the first day by targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and by throwing the rules of engagement out the window, as evidenced by the double bombing of a girl's school in Minab. Ritter explains that Pete Hegseth and others are guilty of war crimes. He describes the region as being at an existential crossroads that could weaken Israel and strengthen Iran in the end. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The Trump Administration is supporting the development of privatized libertarian enclaves that are not subject to local or national laws where the wealthy can exploit land and peoples for profit. Known as the Network State Movement, many of these 'special economic free zones' already exist in the United States and around the world, but their backers, such as Peter Thiel of Palantir, are searching for a place to create the first private 'nation'. Clearing the FOG speaks with Dr. Beth Geglia, an anthropologist and documentarian who focuses on tech-futurist territorial movements, about the first zones, how Trump's Board of Peace is connected to the Network State Movement and the fight back. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.