Fault Lines

On today’s episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan discussed the environmental catastrophes enveloping the United States, 'vaccine nationalism,' and the American nation's troubles attempting to get its kids back into schools.

On today’s episode of Fault Lines, hosts Shane Stranahan and Jamarl Thomas discussed the news of the day and discussed a variety of topics from the UAE/Bahrain deal with Israel to the executed Iranian wrestler to “Zebellion.”


GUESTS


Laith Marouf - Award-winning Multimedia Producer and Media Policy/Law Consultant | UAE/Bahrain Deal and the Latest on Beirut


Medea Benjamin - Co-Founder of Human Rights Group Global Exchange and Peace Group 'CODEPINK' | Trump’s Iranian Policy and Building a Peace Movement


Wyatt Reed - News Analyst and Producer for the Radio Sputnik show By Any Means Necessary | “Zebellion” and Head Injuries From Crowd Control Weapons


In his opening monologue, Jamarl talked about the recent news story about a whistleblower nurse and explained why, based on his thirty years of dealing with hospitals, he believes people should always have someone with them in hospital to watch out for them and talked about how this was made harder under COVD-19.


Then Jamarl and Shane were joined by Laith Marouf, who began by discussing the Trump administration's brokered peace “deal of the century” with Israel and various Arab Gulf states and said that it is a major betrayal to Palanstinians and pointed out that these states were manufactured by British and French forces and that the families connected to the house of Saud were brought in as leaders. He said that the peace deal is setting the stage for a war with Iran and said that the recent oil price drop was designed to hurt the economies of Russia, Iran and Venezuela. Turning to Lebanon, Laith said that the explosions and recent fires are connected to this effort to boost a Saudi-backed war with Iran as well.


In the second hour, the hosts were joined by Medea Benjamin, and they began by discussing the Trump administration's recent statements and actions on Iran, which she says is dangerous. She also said she believes political parties are war parties, but the Obama administration was better on issues Like Cuba and Iran. Then they begin a discussion of the wider issue of promoting a peace movement, and Medea said that she thinks some groups such as Black Lives Matter do a good job of pointing out how the peace movement ties into other issues such as racial justice and the environment. Medea also repeated her strong support for voting for Biden in this election because she says it gives progressives much more leverage, and she pointed to the example of Joe Biden's recent involvement with the Poor People's Campaign as an example of this. They also discussed the effectiveness of the idea promoted by many libertarians that going after the military budget is an effective strategy for winning public support, and although it is an important issue, it is not the only approach she advocates.


In the third hour, Shane and Jamarl spoke to Wyatt Reed, and they began by talking about a recent war planning report that describes how Generation Z sees itself as agents for social change, and Wyatt described scenarios where a decentralized band of cyber Robin Hoods steal from corporations and give to people around the world. Wyatt said that, while it’s no surprise the military is planning for these scenarios, it’s somewhat surprising that they acknowledge the problem of things like the instant transfer of millions of dollars though cybersecurity. Wyatt said that when the limits of liberalism show themselves, fascim shows itself, and he also said that the kind of Generation Z scenario discussed in the war planning would be a watershed movement exposing the fault lines. Wyatt discussed how he’s been hit by rubber bullets while covering protests and said there needs to be a reckoning for what he says are out-of-control cops and said that the man who shot and killed a member of Patriot Prayer was himself assassinated by police. Wyatt said the state exists to...

On today’s episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan discussed America's misunderstanding of China, recent events in Belarus, Pentagon civil war games, and the deep philosophical issues at the core of modern political thought.

GUESTS

Peter Lavelle - Host of CrossTalk on RT, American journalist | How Misunderstanding China Is Affecting The US Elections

Michael Malouf - F. Michael Maloof is a former Senior Security Policy Analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, author and a regular Contributing Analyst on RT and other media outlets | Pentagon War Games Prep for Zbellion

Tom Luongo - Geopolitical Analyst & Publisher of the Gold Goats 'n Guns Newsletter | Boris Johnson Calls Out Brussels' On Dirty Tactics

In his monologue, Jamarl talked about the problems he'd been dealing with in the hospital for the last week, as well as whether Bernie Sanders should be seen as culpable for playing along with standard DNC party politics when he could have known better or fought harder.

In the first hour, hosts Jamarl and Shane spoke with Peter Lavelle about what's gone wrong in American foreign policy that has blinded the US government and American culture at large to the real interests and intents of the Chinese state. They moved into discussing the wildfires, the political system's inability to respond to the many and growing crises facing America today, and whether that inability has a deeper history in our inability to support and elect leaders with a genuine ethical backbone.

In the second hour, the hosts spoke with Michael Malouf about 'Zbellion,' the GenZ rebellion planned for by the Pentagon in a war game that took place in 2018, according to DoJ documents released by The Intercept in June. We moved into talking about the conflict between Greece and Turkey and what NATO would do if a hot war broke out in its ranks. At the end we briefly discussed Belarus, where the winds will blow Lukashenko's political fates, and what we should expect to see next from the former Soviet Bloc country now denounced by the west as 'the last dictatorship in Europe.'

In the third hour, the hosts spoke with Tom Luongo on a wide range of issues that serve to beat the heart of modern political thought: how we should think about culture, whether 'fascism' is the right term for most global governments, and whether philosophy matters more or less in an era of unprecedented political crisis.

On today’s episode of Fault Lines, host Shane Stranahan and guest co-host Garland Nixon discussed a variety of topics, including Trump and Biden heading to Pennsylvania for 9/11, Latin American foreign policy, sanctions against Iran, and how algorithms relate to politics.


GUESTS


Leo Flores - Political Analyst and Latin America Campaign Coordinator at Code Pink | Good Neighbors or the Monroe Doctrine


Daniel Lazare - Journalist, author of several books about the US Constitution and American urban policy | Sanctions Against Iran


Mark Frost - Economist, professor, consultant, drummer, Eagle Scout, Marine, capitalist, Schumpeterian, recovering libertarian | Politics and Algorithms


In the first hour, Shane and Garland discussed the economic consequences of the COVID-19 response and whether or not Trump is to blame. Then the hosts were joined by Leo Flores, who spoke about a letter he co-wrote to Medea Benjamin urging the Biden and Trump campaigns to adopt a good neighbor policy with Latin America. He talked about the history of ‘gunboat” diplomacy by the United States in the Caribbean and Latin America and said that he and Medea wanted to lay out a positive vision for what US policy could look like. He cited the writings of figures like anti-war General Smedley Butler and said it’s a shame that politics have come down to a pure power grab for the region and that voters in Florida have too much interest. He also discussed the problems with US militarizing the police in Latin America to fight drugs, and used recent rioting in Columbia as an example and said the drug war has been a disaster for the region.


In the second hour, Garland and Shane talked to Daniel Lazare, and they discussed the dysfunction in American politics and sanctions against Iran. Lazare used the blaming Iran for the 9/11 terror attack as an example and pointed out how both Democrats and Republicans do it. He discussed the formalistic and stylized disclosure in Congressional debates and how Americans eschew debate and don’t often consider the information outside of very narrow confines. Daniel discussed how the United States policy of imposing sanctions has backfired and how the U.S. sanctions were repudiated by the United Nations. Daniel said that the United States policy is actually making the Iranian regime look good and said that the anti-Shah movement resulted in the religious coup in the 1970s.


In the third hour, Shane and Garland were joined by Mark Frost, and they discussed the role of outlying information in algorithms and how that relates to US politics, particularly to the Black Lives Matter protests, which he said have been taken over by white thugs. He named several possible causes of the riots: Donald Trump, Ted Wheeler, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, the educational system, and things George Bush did. Then he talked about how he was skeptical of the Iraq invasion when it happened because he had been studying these types of algorithms. They also discussed distribution of land, property rights, and government-imposed shutdowns.

On today’s episode of Fault Lines, host Shane Stranahan, guest co-host producer Raheem, and guest co-host Garland Nixon discussed a variety of news topics, including Donald Trump’s handling of COVID-19, the situation in Belarus, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and US foreign policy in Venezuela and Iran.


GUESTS


Bradley Blankenship - Prague-based American Journalist, political analyst, freelance reporter, columnist for RT and CGTN.com | Lukashenko and the Future of Belarus


Mark Sleboda - International Relations and Security Analyst | Navalny & Nord Stream 2


Scott Ritter - Former UN Weapons Inspector and WMD Whistleblower | US Foreign Policy in Venezuela and Iran


In the first hour, proder Raheem and Garland criticized Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed the United States’ lack of preparation for it. They also talked about the questionable nature of the Navalny poisoning and the extradition of Julian Assange. Then they were joined by Bradley Blankenship, who spoke about the Lukeshenko press conference that he attended in Belarus. The thing that caught his attention was that Lukashenko said he wasn’t going anywhere but maybe has stayed too long. Mark said he thinks he’s correct and it’s tragic that he’s become the contrast to what the West would want to see happen in Belarus. According to Mark, this is not a repeat of Ukraine, but of course nefarious elements will infiltrate. Mark said Lukashenko’s task was to convince millennials to be socialist as the former Soviet Union fell to color revolutions, and now those young people are coming of age in the financial crash as Belarus’s GDP growth rate has been dismal. Their lives are not improving and they’re leaving the country, he said. Mark doesn’t think there will be a serious confrontation there partly due to COVID-19, though.


In the second hour, Garland and Shane talked to Mark Sleboda, who talked about the Navalny poisoning, which he called a “he said she said” situation. He said there are conflicting reports coming out of Berlin, with German media reporting a story in conjunction with Bellingcat saying Navalny is out of a coma and feeling better, despite the fact that he was hit with a super-strong version of Novichok, but Navalny’s own spokespeople have come out saying there are “numerous inaccuracies.” Mark said the Russians are asking for medical proof that it’s Novichok because the tests that were positive for Novichock were done by a German military lab that won’t release documents, saying it’s a national security threat. The hosts and Mark also discussed the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, with Mark saying it’s all but completed, though Trump is sanctioning companies constructing it. The German government is under enormous pressure from countries like the US and Ukraine who stand to lose out from this deal because they profit from substantial transit fees, which are passed on to Germany. Mark said the Ukrainian intelligence agency is notorious, citing the time a journalist faked his own death and blamed it on Russia, then passed it off as a joke. They might have been involved in the Navalny story, though there’s no proof yet. Mark said Trump himself pointed out that Germany didn’t make their defense spending goals and that they buy energy from Russia. Mark said that pipelines cause countries to have a cooperative relationship, and the US feels it needs to prevent this. He also noted that Navalny is anti-Putin and a fringe, far-right candidate in Russia and that there’s no indication his poisoning and miraculous survival will affect Russia.



In the third hour, Shane and Garland were joined by Scott Ritter, who talked about the three Liberian flag tankers that sailed to Houston under duress when parent companies told them they couldn’t go to Venezuela because the US believed the content of the ships was Iranian oil. Scott said the contents...

On today’s episode of Fault Lines, host Shane Stranahan was joined by guest co-host Garland Nixon, and they discussed a variety of current events, from the Navalny poisoning to tensions between Greece and Turkey to Joe Biden to the causes of endless war.


GUESTS


James Carey - Editor and Co-founder of Geopolitics Alert | Tensions Between Greece and Turkey


Mike Partyka - creator of the series The Black Lives Matter Riots and the Left's Moral Blindness on YouTube | Rochester Resignations


Ted Rall - Cartoonist, Author | Cartoons, Racism & Joe Bide


Danny Sjursen - Retired U.S. Army Officer and Former History Instructor at West Point | Does the USA Think All Lives Matter?


In the first hour, Shane and Garland discussed the claim by Belarus’s President Lukashenko that intercepted German calls prove the Navalny poisoning was faked. Then they were joined by James Carey, and they talked about the tensions between Greece and Turkey. James said it’s been going on for years, and Greece has become a contact point for forced migration because of drilling rights, which he said Erdogan manipulates to destabilize nearby nations. Erdogan’s party has an approval rating of about 30 percent, and things aren’t going well for Turkey economically. Turkey has worked out some agreements with Iran, who is on Turkey’s side because of the US support of the Kurds, and Turkey is also becoming friendlier with Russia. James also said Turkey was once the bridge between East and West, but Turkey’s role on the global stage has diminished because the US finds them unreliable.


In the second hour, Garland and Shane talked to Mike Partyka who said he believes the resignations of the top brass in the Rochester Police Department may be more akin to a cover-up. He said after seeing the police video that was held back for months, he believes that a brain hemorrhage might have been a contributing factor in addition to the PCP in his system. Mike questioned whether this was largely a training issue as opposed to malice by individual officers and said that he does not think it's fair to hold police officers accountable if they were trained badly. He also said we live in an age where shocking video is becoming more common.


Then the hosts were joined by cartoonist Ted Rall, who talked about his upcoming graphic novel The Stringer, and they talked about racism and misogyny in cartoons. Ted said there was a history of famous cartoonists using stereotypical characteristics and that he tries to not do that. Then they turned to discussing Joe Biden. Ted said Biden's platform is weaselly and doesn’t promise anything, and he doesn’t support the Green New Deal, which is becoming more and more critical because of climate change. Ted added that he thinks Biden will not move to the left. When discussing the presidential debates, Garland and Ted agreed that Donald Trump is sharper than Biden, who stumbles over his words even when prerecorded. Ted said it should be entertaining, though.


In the third hour, Shane and Garland were joined by Danny Sjursen, and they discussed the concept of endless war and what it would take to change. He said that change isn’t coming from the top or the establishment. We the people have to want it, but there is no draft now, and that has made people complacent. Danny said COVID-19 will be a test and noted that it made nations impotent in its face. He also thinks COVID-19 is a test for society and said that in American politics it's a third rail to ask anything of the American people. Danny wondered, what if part of the problem is us? American apathy on topics like endless war is problematic, and there is a lack of citizen urgency, he said. He thinks apathy is our biggest threat, and that won’t be solved by Biden. Danny and the hosts also discussed whether the cause of endless wars is systemic or whether...

On today’s episode of Fault Lines, host Shane Stranahan was joined by guest co-host Garland Nixon, and they discussed a variety of issues from the latest on the accusations against Russia in the poisoning of Alexi Navalny to President’s Trump statement on the military industrial complex to the Julian Assange trial to the fires in California.


GUESTS


Taylor Hudak - Journalist, Activist, and Co-Founder of Action for Assange | Julian Assange Hearing Live From London


Margaret Kimberley - Senior Columnist and Editor for Black Agenda Report | 2020 Election


Danny Max - News Anchor at KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles | California Wildfires & Heat Wave


In the first hour, Shane and Garland were joined by Taylor Hudak live from London where she has been covering the extradition trial of Julian Assange. She gave an update on the latest in the trial, which is entering a second day and is expected to last weeks, and discussed how a motion by Julian Assange’s defense team to move the trial date so that they could deal with new accusations was denied. She said there was some mainstream media coverage of the trial’s first day which she did not expect to last, but she said that she was heartened by the presence of hundreds of protesters who came out in support of Julian Assange. Taylor discussed implications of the trial on press freedom and the potentially dangerous precedent in such a case where English law seems to supersede international law. She also discussed the importance of the independent media in covering the Assange story.


In the second hour, Garland and Shane were joined by Margaret Kimberley, who talked about the nationwide protests and the upcoming election. Margaret said she believes Joe Biden should be much further ahead right now, however she thinks he is a weak candidate and at the end of the day is effectively no different than Trump. Margaret discussed her own political journey beginning in the early 2000s and how she went from a more traditional Democrat to a Green and that this affected the way she saw the Obama administration. Margaret said she was concerned that too many progressives put too much faith in the electoral process and said she sees a need for movement politics and real-change activism. She said that she believes that establishment Democrats are trying to purge the ranks and will do so no matter what the outcome of the election is.


In the third hour, Shane and Garland were joined by newsman Danny Max, and they discussed the record two million acres of wildfires currently burning in Southern California. He said this level of fires are unprecedented, particularly so early in the fire season. He also said that the concept of the fires has become heavily politicized, with Democrats saying the fires are caused by global warming, but he pointed out that many firefighters and others believe that there have not been enough controlled burns to stop the fires. He also said that the recent record temperatures in Los Angeles are only a couple of degrees cooler than the previous record but still significant and have contributed to the fires. They also discussed the role of lightning in the current fire epidemic and ended by discussing the additional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fire situation.

On today’s episode of Fault Lines, hosts Shane Stranahan and Jamarl Thomas talked about a variety of issues from the police killing of the suspect in the murder of a Trump supporter in Portland to the People’s Convention to the “Rittenhouse Method” of avoiding being killed by police.


GUESTS


Niko House - Broadcast Journalist, political activist, founder and CEO of the MCSC Network | People’s Convention Wrap


Pete Ingami - Radio Host, blogger | Is America The Best Country For Immigrants Ever?


Caleb Maupin - Speaker, writer, journalist, political analyst, and author of City Builders and Vandals in Our Age: Articles and Essays on Socialism | The Danger of The Right Owning Outrage


In Jamarl’s monologue, he predicted that the 2020 election will be disputed and said that it’s a betrayal of Americans.


Then the hosts were joined by Niko House, who discussed The People’s Convention that he was part of and agreed with the idea that there was not enough diversity of views, which led to a convention that was heavily dominated by left-wing ideas with no real attempt to respond or acknowledge libertarianism or right-wing populism. Niko also pushed back on the idea that including those ideas would somehow be a betrayal to the concept of the People's Party. Although Niko thought the event was good and that it gave equal time to both people voting for Joe Biden and those who are refusing to support him, he also commented that he thought the convention should've given more time and acknowledgment to Julian Assange, an issue he said had broad support among the attendees.


In the second hour, Shane and Jamarl were joined by Pete Ingami, who began by discussing how he views his conservatism to be compatible with his Christianity. Then he and the hosts talked about how whether or not America has produced the best results of any country for both immigrants and descendants of slaves. Pete talked about his own family's heritage as well as what he has learned from reading contemporaneous history. Then they turned to the topic of inequality in general and finally discussed what he called the "Rittenhouse Method" of avoiding violence with the police, which Pete said is to not resist arrest.


In the third hour, Shane and Jamarl were joined by Caleb Maupin who gave his own take on the Democrat and Republican conventions and said that on policy he agreed with the Democrats’ content more but he thought that the Republicans’ overall messaging was actually more in line with his sentiments, particularly the idea of supporting the worker. However, Caleb pointed out that this messaging is phony and that he thinks there is a real danger in leading the right on the anti-elitist message. They discussed history and how Marx pointed out in the 19th century that elitists would take both sides of an argument in order to protect the status quo.

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan discussed the news of the day as well as issues like the situation Belarus, the upcoming elections, and how the world will look after the protest and the pandemic subside.


GUESTS


Alexander Mercouris - Editor-in-Chief at TheDuran.com | Belarus Balancing Act


Garland Nixon - Sputnik Political Analyst and Co-Host of The Critical Hour and Critical Hour Extended airing M-F from 6:00-8:00pm EST on Radio Sputnik | What Will Life Look Like After Protests


Dr. Linwood Tauheed - Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City | Economics, Biden & Covid


In Jamarl’s monologue, he discussed listening to the People’s Party Convention and expressed his astonishment that Democratic voters continue to support candidates and parties who don’t support what he thinks are obvious policy choices.


Then Shane and Jamarl were joined by Alexander Mercouris, who discussed the situation in Belarus, which he said seems to be stabilizing. Alexander said that he now believes that there was some degree of voter fraud in Belarus’s recent election, however he still believes Lukashenko did get a plurality of votes. He pointed out that the protests seem to have settled down to a level of about once a week. He said he believes Russia will be brokering a more diplomatic exit for Belarus’s leader after some constitutional reforms. Then they discussed the political situation in the UK, and Alexander said that Boris Johnson's incompetence in handling the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in the polls for Labor leader Kirsten Armor. Alexander also said that he thinks Scottish independence is a growing possibility.


In the second hour, the hosts were joined by Garland Nixon, who discussed the protests and what he thinks will come next. Garland said he believes that the "pandemic generation" will end up asking for more government services and said that the situation after World War II in Europe is something he considers a historical antecedent. Garland also discussed the upcoming election and said that since a vote is often perceived as an endorsement, he can either endorse Joe Biden or Donald Trump. Garland cited foreign policy as an area where the two candidates are indistinguishable.


In the third hour, they were joined by Dr. Linwood Tauheed, and they discussed the current jobs numbers, which are slightly better than they have been in recent weeks. However, the doctor cautioned that because of a new method of accounting, they are effectively the same. They then turned to the issue of deficit spending, and the doctor said he believes deficit spending is completely appropriate in emergencies such as a pandemic, and they discussed the conditions that would lead to worry about inflation. Finally, they looked at how a Biden administration might handle the pandemic if he is elected, and they agreed that Biden would go along with some form of austerity proposal.

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan discussed a variety of issues, including who progressives should vote for or not vote for, the future of Republicans, and the People’s Party Convention.


GUESTS


Chris Smalls - Activist and Organizer | May Day Workers' Strike at Six Major Online Retailers


Medea Benjamin - Co-Founder of Human Rights Group Global Exchange and Peace Group 'CODEPINK' | China/Pompeo/Inspector General


Kim Iversen - Independent Journalist and Host of the Kim Iversen Show on YouTube | Covid-19 Response



In Jamarl’s monologue, he said that Joe Biden's recent comments that writing and looting are not the same as protesting wasn't a valid position since Biden did not provide enough context about what may be motivating some protesters.


Then the hosts were joined by former Amazon manager Chris Smalls, who was a speaker at the recent People's Party Convention. Smalls said it is important for progressives and socialists to stay the course and support Joe Biden, who has the support of Bernie Sanders and members of "The Squad." He said that third-party reform is important, which is why he spoke at the convention, but getting rid of Donald Trump is a priority. Smalls talked about his organizing work when he was at Amazon and how raising concerns about Amazon workers being exposed to COVID-19 had cost him personally. He also discussed his recent post showing that Amazon was looking to hire people with an intelligence community background to research union organizers, especially after a protest where they had a guillotine outside Jeff Bezos's mansion.


In the second hour, Shane and Jamarl were joined by Code Pink's Medea Benjamin, who also spoke at the People's Convention, and she said she is "absolutely" voting for Joe Biden, even though she supports a variety of tactics to get the Democratic Party to support a more socialist agenda including third parties, influence campaigns in the Democratic Party, and voting for alternative parties such as the Green Party. Medea pondered whether one should push back on the idea that the Obama administration was worse than the Trump administration, citing the war in Yemen as an example of where the Trump administration escalated what she said is the bloodiest and deadliest conflict in the world today. Medea also said that on domestic policy the Biden administration would not be ideal but would be better than the Trump administration for a second term.


In the third hour, Shane and Jamarl were joined by Kim Iverson, who said she had watched the People's Party Convention and was disappointed because she thinks there is a potential for a real third-party movement, but what she saw was going to be at best an alternative to a third party such as the Green Party. She said that the language at the convention was firmly rooted in standard leftist politics and argued that what is needed is a new kind of centrist political policy that also appeals to people on the right, while differentiating dissent from simple establishment rhetoric. She also agrees that while policy is important, it needs to be a more inclusive policy, and she talked about historical examples where new parties have been able to succeed, such as the Bull Moose Party in America. Kim said that she sees the issue of money in politics as a unifying issue that could bring together the Republican and Democrat base; however, she does not see either party touching that issue en masse. Kim said she also sees a possible scenario where Republicans become the party of the workers.