Fault Lines

On today's episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan discussed a variety of issues, including the fractured nature of current American politics, whether it's too soon for anarchy, and how US election hypocrisy has impacted the people of Venezuela.

Guests:

Greg Palast - Best Selling Author and Journalist, investigative reporter for the BBC, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone, author of the bestseller The Best Democracy Money Can Buy | Will Trump Steal 2020?

Tom Luongo - Geopolitical Analyst & Publisher of the Gold Goats 'n Guns Newsletter | Michael Flynn & Protests

Cynthia McKinney - Former Member of Congress | China

In the first hour, Jamarl's monologue expressed shock and dismay that some Democrats are urging Joe Biden not to debate Donald Trump, and Jamarl said politicians should put the country's interests ahead of their own. Then there was more of Jarmarl's interview with award-winning writer Greg Palast about election integrity in the US and places like Venezuela, where Palast says the US supported Juan Guaidó because he was white. Palast also said he believes race is an important problem in stealing votes from black people in America, citing examples of people being purged from voter rolls.

In the second hour, the hosts talked to Tom Luongo about the judge in the Michael Flynn case’s continued insistence in going forward, even though the justice department has said it will not prosecute Flynn. Tom thinks this is a purely political move and that President Trump should have pardoned Michael Flynn months ago, since the Democrats want to force him to pardon Flynn to try to use that against him in the upcoming election. They also discussed the ongoing national protests around the country, and Tom said that as a libertarian he is concerned about the militarization of police that is happening in places like the Pacific Northwest right now -- it's too much, too soon.

In the third hour, they had a short segment with author and former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney about her upcoming book on China. She said the Chinese people were used to wearing masks based on their experience with air pollution and the SARS virus, and so they complied with the government response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Then Shane and Jamarl discussed whether Donald Trump would attempt to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg if she were unable to continue her Supreme Court term prior to the election.

On today's episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan discussed a variety of issues, including the statement by Donald Trump that he may postpone elections, the release of new material in the Jeffrey Epstein/Ghislaine Maxwell story, and voting rights in the nature of protests.


GUESTS


Greg Palast - Best Selling Author and Journalist, investigative reporter for the BBC, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone, author of the bestseller The Best Democracy Money Can Buy | Will Trump Steal 2020?


Ted Rall - Political Cartoonist & Syndicated Columnist | Are Protests The Answer?


Max Blumenthal - Award-winning Journalist, best-selling author, documentarian, and founder and editor-in-chief of The Greyzone | Cancel Culture




In Jamarl's monologue he excoriated the GOP for opposing extending the $600 per week unemployment benefits and predicted millions would be evicted. Then he interviewed journalist Greg Palast, who claimed that Donald Trump stole the election in 2016 and used as an example the illegal purging of the voter rolls in Georgia, a technique that he said was similar to what the Democrats had done to Bernie Sanders voters in California. He also said that the Republicans have gotten more sophisticated, and he doesn't understand why Democrats don't push back. Palast suggests people double check their registration and also said there's a long history of what he says is voter suppression. Jamarl and Greg also talked about Venezuela, and Greg discussed how Hugo Chavez changed the 200 years of white / Spanish rule. Palast said he was shocked that Democrats supported Juan Guaidó and that it gives the Democrats no credibility on election integrity in the U.S.


In hour two, Jamarl and Shane interviewed Ted Rall, and they talked about the election and where things stand between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Ted opined that he actually thinks Donald Trump deserves some credit for the lack of complete economic disaster in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic but said he plans to vote for neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump. He also discussed the nature of protests historically, dating back to their origin as a way for the service to get a response from feudal lords. Rall also made the statement that protests are the best and sometimes only way to actually get anything done politically.


In the third hour, Jamarl interviewed journalist Max Blumenthal, who called out the people behind Harper's "cancel culture" letter and said while he's annoyed with some aspects of identity politics, he's more concerned with issues like the US’s treatment of Venezuela. On the nationwide protests, Blumenthal said that the left was rumbling for a street fight with the president and that the pandemic created the environment. He also said that Portland has enough anarchists that he expects the protests to continue. Blumenthal pointed out the post-911 national security state that is in use in Portland. Blumenthal also brought up the use of United States media resources to stir up protests in Hong Kong and create a new cold war, all part of a pattern of hybrid warfare that includes US-backed propaganda and information warfare and economic warfare.

On today's episode of Fault Lines, hosts Shane Stranahan and Jamarl Thomas discussed a variety of topics in the news headlines, including yesterday's hearings on antitrust and high-tech companies, the spiking numbers for the COVID-19 pandemic, and strategies for building stronger advocacy for single payer healthcare.


GUESTS


Eleanor Goldfield - Award-winning Documentary Filmmaker, activist, journalist, and co-host of the podcast Common Censored | Fighting For Health Care


Dr. David Samadi - Newsmax Contributor, Fox Contributor, expert on prostate cancer | Banned from Twitter


Ian Goodrum is Senior Editor and Columnist at China Daily | Myths About China


Dr. Gerald Horne - Historian, Author, Professor | The USA's Charges Against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Global Pandemic Preparedness


In his monologue, Jamarl discussed the push to send kids back to school. Then the hosts were joined by Eleanor Goldfield, who discussed the Democrats' reticence to advocate for single payer healthcare, which she said is vastly popular with the American people and claimed it had an 88% approval rating. She also brought up the push for state run healthcare in the context of the current protest movements across the United States, saying that issues often need strong advocacy in order for the establishment to want to change, using the example of President Woodrow Wilson giving women the right to vote despite his claimed misogyny.


In the second hour, Shane and Jamarl were joined by Dr. David Samadi, who was suspended from Twitter for a day because of three offending tweets that discussed COVID-19 and hydroxychloroquine. The doctor made it clear that he is not advocating for a specific discussion but was pointing out some of the differences in studies and said that he is very concerned about the power the social media and high-tech companies have to censor ideas. Dr. Samadi was especially concerned about the idea of censoring medical and scientific discussion.


Then the hosts were joined by Ian Goodrum from Beijing, China, who discussed his experience there and said that while the Chinese government has huge criticisms of American foreign policy, the people he has met do not hold his being American against him. He also discussed China's shift from extreme poverty into a market socialist economy that has not just a manufacturing center, but is currently building a high tech and service economy. He also dismissed concerns over a dam on the Yangtze River and said while there is a problem there, the danger is being exaggerated by reporting from Shanghai.


Finally Shane and Jamarl were joined by Dr. Gerald Horne. They discussed the international reaction to the protests across the United States and the Black Lives Matter movement.


They also discussed the reaction at the UN and by African nations trying to look into policing policy in America and agreed that police with guns were not needed to respond to things like traffic accidents or noise complaints.They also discussed the differences between defunding the police and abolishing policing. He also discussed the benefits of the Black Lives Matter movement becoming more centralized, citing the example of the Black Panther Party is an example of both of benefits and hazards of his approach.

GUESTS


Mark Sleboda - International Relations & Security Analyst | China Policy


Jacqueline Luqman - Political Analyst | Media Coverage of Black Lives Matter


Dr. Bill Honigman - Emergency Room Physician, Progressive Healthcare Activist and National Outreach Director at Progressive Democrats of America.org | Single Payer and Democratic Platform



In the first hour, Jamal's monologue dealt with rejecting the Democrats for what he sees as an inevitable capitulation to Republicans on their COVID-19 stimulus bill. Then Shane and Jamarl were joined by geopolitical analyst Mark Sleboda, who discussed China and pointed out that the United States and other foreign nations’ investments helped set up China's economic success for decades by using cheap labor in China. They also discussed the conflict in the South China Sea and pointed out that the United States wants to be able to deploy land based ballistic missiles to prepare for a Naval conflict, which is pushing the United States to withdraw from short term ballistic treaties. Mark said that there is censorship in American media that does not present anything but the establishment foreign policy views on China, Russia, Iran, and other counties.


In the second hour, Shane and Jamarl were joined by Jacqueline Luqman, who expressed her view that media coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement is inaccurate, and she said that in a country where most of the media is controlled by six corporations tied to political parties, it is not a surprise that the media coverage is biased. She also pointed out what she sees as the hypocrisy of people calling the Black Lives Matter movement illegitimate for violence when other protest movements have done things that she believes are equivalent but have not been delegitimized, using the examples of the anti-mask protests and anti-quarantine protesters in Michigan. She also discussed what she sees as the impossibility of discussing race without discussing class.


In the third hour, they were joined by Dr. Bill Honigman and discussed a recent move by Bernie Sanders delegates to withhold support for the Democratic platform unless it supports single payer healthcare or what they call Medicare for All. Bill said that Americans would be healthier and better able to handle crises such as COVID-19 with Medicare for All, but both the Democratic party and the Biden campaign are resisting what he sees as inevitable change. They also discussed whether progressives should always support the Democratic Party.

On today's episode of Fault Lines, hosts Shane Stranahan and Jamarl Thomas discussed a variety of topics from the motives of the protesters in Portland to the origins of the White Helmets movement to the forensic and other evidence on Russiagate.


GUESTS


Maram Susli - Political Commentator and Geopolitical Analyst | Syria and the White Helmets


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


Ian Miles Cheong - Journalist Who Covers Media, Politics & Culture, Managing Editor at HumanEvents.com | Portland Protests


Bill Binney - Former Technical Director at the NSA | The Lies of Russiagate

In his monologue, Jamarl expressed his disgust over the Democrats rejecting Medicare for All in their platform.



Then Jamarl and Shane were joined by geopolitical analyst Maram Susli, who discussed the recent incident where a US military jet buzzed an Iranian passenger plane over Syrian territory, an incident that Maram says was effectively an act of terrorism by the United States. They also discussed the White Helmets organization and the recent death of that group's founder. Maram explained the history of the group and how it was formed as a way to deflect from direct government support by the United States of Al-Qaeda forces.


In the second hour, the hosts were joined by Danny and they talked about whether the United States imperial state values all lives. Danny pointed out the danger in the aggression hidden behind many so-called humanitarian motives. They also discussed what it would take to change the current system’s core policies, and Danny said that he believes it is impossible under the current political leadership.


They also talked about what he thinks the goals are of the protesters in Portland, which is to beat the police into attacking them in order to create a nationwide uprising. He talked about other goals of the protesters including the abolition of the family unit. He also discussed how the protesters are opposed to being filmed because they fear arrest and have attacked journalists.


Then Shane spoke with former NSA technical director Bill Binney, who explained why he gave affidavits in the Roger Stone and General Michael Flynn cases, both of which were denied to be introduced as evidence by the Obama-appointed judges. Binney said there's forensic evidence that shows the information did not and could not have come from a hack. He also discussed his history at the NSA and how he quit in 2001 when the NSA began focusing on spying on individuals. He also said that he has seen no evidence directly that Seth Rich was involved.

On today's episode of Fault Lines, hosts Shane Stranahan and Jamarl Thomas covered a variety of topics ranging from the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests to the nature of capitalism to the latest revelations about the Steele Dossier and the latest news headlines.



GUESTS


Alexander Mercouris - Editor-in-Chief at TheDuran.com | New Steele Dossier Shocker


Pete Ingami - Radio host, blogger | Democrats Repeat Anti-Fed Talking Points From Civil War


Mark Frost - Economist, professor, consultant, drummer, Eagle Scout, Marine, libertarian’ish | Portland Protests and Property Rights


Wyatt Reed - Sputnik News Analyst and Producer for By Any Means Necessary, which airs on Radio Sputnik M-F from 2-4PM | Attacks on Journalists in Portland


In today's first hour, Jamarl's monologue dealt with the subjective nature of values. Then the hosts were joined by Alexander Mercouris, who discussed the revelation that the "primary sub source" in Christopher Steele’s dossier was a researcher for the Brookings Institute. Alexander said that this new information is yet another fatal blow to the dossier having any credibility whatsoever. Then they discussed the protests sweeping across the US and contrasted them with the Yellow Vest protests in France. Alexander said he believes that, while the Black Lives Matter protesters were making a valid point about police brutality, they've been co-opted by the Democratic establishment in a way the protesters in France have not been. They also discussed the difficulty UK voters had in voting for Boris Johnson due to his position on Brexit, knowing that he planned to dismantle Britain’s NHS.


In the second hour, they were joined by Pete and Kami and discussed Pete’s recent article saying that the Democrats’ arguments against federal troops being used in Portland are repeating arguments they made in the past about ending slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.


Then Shane and Jamarl were joined by Mark Frost, who gave his view on the protests, particularly in Portland, and stated that his primary value was property rights and that the two months of attacks in Portland had convinced him to do something he thought might've been impossible, which is to vote for Donald Trump.They also discussed the nature of capitalism and whether it made sense to value property over human life.


In the third hour, the hosts discussed whether the group Act Blue is simply an arm of the Democratic Party and whether the Black Lives Matter movement should disambiguate themselves from the Democrats and declare an independent ideology.


Then they were joined by Radio Sputnik producer Wyatt Reid, who has been at the protests in Portland. They discussed what he said was the "beauty" of the community that has been formed there to fight against federal law enforcement that has been dispatched to the area. He also discussed interviews he's done with Portland mayor Ted Wheeler and talking to the "Wall of Moms."

On today's episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan covered topics from UFOs to the latest moves by the US and UK against COVID-19 to US policy on Iraq and the Constitution.


GUESTS


Scott Ritter - Former U.N. Weapons Inspector & WMD Whistleblower | Iraq and America


Daniel Lazare - Journalist, author of several books about the US Constitution and American urban policy | Current Events and the Constitution


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


In his first hour monologue, Jamarl praised recent New York Times coverage of UFOs.



Then the hosts were joined by Scott Ritter about the recent history of US involvement in Iraq and how the decision to invade Iraq under the George W. Bush administration was made in advance, not due to circumstances on the ground. He pointed out that Saddam Hussein's continued leadership in Iraq was an embarrassment to the United States and how they were able to use their power and blatant deceit to gain support in the United Nations, something that Ritter says America has done over and over again, including in places like Nicaragua. Ritter also discussed his legendary showdown with Joe Biden during his testimony to the House about Iraqi weapons deception.


In the second hour, Shane and Jamarl were joined by Daniel Lazare and talked about a number of issues in the headlines, including the massive bribery scandal in Ohio involving that state's Republican House leader, the increasingly unpredictable 2020 presidential election, and the recent move in Turkey that opened Hagia Sophia as a mosque, which Daniel called a frightening move to resurrect the Ottoman Empire. Then they discussed Daniel’s three books on the Constitution, a document that he described as "incoherent" and that he says is the cause of some of America's racial problems, through structural mechanisms such as the system that assigns two Senators to every state regardless of population.


In the third hour, Jamarl and Shane were joined by Kim Iversen and debated a number of topics regarding COVID-19, including the idea of what immunity means with this virus and whether the death numbers are inflated. Kim argued that other outbreaks such as such swine flu showed how a different response could've been warranted in the case of coronavirus. They also discussed whether Sweden's response to COVID was a success.

On the latest episode of Fault Lines, hosts Shane Stranahan and Jamarl Thomas talked about a variety of subjects, including Donald Trump's sending more federal law enforcement to various cities and the reaction of city officials, the economy in the wake of COVID-19, increasing tensions between the US and China, and the news of the day.


GUESTS


Alexander Mercouris - Editor-in-Chief at TheDuran.com | Monarchy in the UK


Danny Haiphong - Contributor to the Black Agenda Report and Co-Author of American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: A People's History of Fake News | The New Cold War With China


Richard D. Wolff - Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst | COVID-19 Economy



In his first hour monologue, Jamarl discussed the announcement yesterday by President Trump that he would be sending federal troops into Chicago. Then the hosts were joined by The Duran editor Alexander Mercouris, who talked about the latest news in the UK and raised the question why Scotland has a noticeably less Russophobic stance than England. Then he turned to the subject of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and discussed how Prince Andrew’s disastrous interview and his seemingly relentless pursuit by US law enforcement is influencing UK public opinion. Alexander also discussed the continuing role of the monarchy in modern politics.


In the second hour, Shane and Jamarl talked to Danny Haiphong, who discussed the increasing levels of tensions between the United States and China, including a propaganda war on COVID-19, the diplomatic war over Hong Kong, and the dispute over the South China Sea. Danny said that the United States is trying to take advantage of pre-existing conditions between the Philippines, Vietnam, and China in the region to create a new cold war. Danny also discussed "the great American firewall" which he sees as the systematic suppression of viewpoints that do not fit the corporate agenda in the United States.


In the third hour, Jamarl and Shane spoke with Professor Richard Wolff, who discussed economics in equity and especially the dangerous situation the United States finds itself in during the COVID-19 pandemic. He brought up the example of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who is by most accounts the richest man in the world and whose income rose considerably during the pandemic. Professor Wolff said this sort of situation, where there is such a dramatic imbalance between the suffering of the rich and the working class, has historically always led to disaster. Professor Wolff also sounded the alarm about the current level of tension, citing the mayor of Philadelphia's proclamation that he would have the federal law enforcement troops that Donald Trump sent to Philadelphia arrested as an example.

On today's episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan covered a variety of topics related to the latest numbers on the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing protests in places like Portland, as well as covering current events and the latest headlines.

GUESTS

Dr. Mikhail Kogan - Medical Director at the George Washington Center for Integrative Medicine | Latest Developments on COVID-19

Manila Chan - TV Reporter for RT America | Portland Protests

Ted Rall - Political Cartoonist & Syndicated Columnist | Would Biden be a Right Wing President?

John Kiriakou - Former CIA Officer and Co-Host of Loud and Clear, author of books including The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis and The Reluctant Spy | Fed Response To Protest

In Jamarl's first hour briefing, he expressed his considerable dismay at the plan by Republicans to cut back the $600 a week unemployment bonus that many Americans are currently receiving. The hosts also spoke to Dr. Mikhail Kogan, who talked about the reality that many schools may not be reopening in the United States in the fall. They also talked about the practical economic realities in the healthcare system of what the doctor called "incalculable" cost that will be associated with the pandemic and the search for some sort of treatment.

In the second hour, Jamarl and Shane Spoke to RT host Manila Chan about the ongoing protests in Portland and President Trump's response to it. Manila said that she thought that the "mom's protest" was a smart tactic for getting media attention although it was not clear who the moms were or what their agenda was. She also questioned the harsh response although expressed understanding that the protesters had been attacking police stations and the police and that such actions are bound to get a response.

In the third hour, Shane and Jamarl spoke to Ted Rall, who said that he believes that especially in foreign policy, Joe Biden is to the right of Donald Trump. There's also a discussion about what the terms left and right mean in modern American politics and Ted said he thought it was of our discussion whether President Trump is such an existential threat to democracy that voting for Joe Biden was a better option.

Then the hosts talked to John Kiriakou about President Trump's response to violent protests in Portland and violence in Chicago by sending in federal troops.John said he thinks the goal is not legitimate arrest but simply intimidation, however he granted that President Trump seems genuinely disturbed by protesters tearing down monuments and statues. There was also discussion about whether defunding the police was the better option then alleviating poverty.

On today's episode of Fault Lines, hosts Shane Stranahan and Jamarl talked about a variety of subjects focusing on the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, from the economic impact to its role in the current European Union summit to education, as well as discussing foreign policy and news of the day.

GUESTS

Stephen Lendman - Author and Geopolitical Analyst | Spiraling Sanctions

Andrew Spannaus - American Journalist and Writer in Italy | The EU Summit

Marshall Auerback - Market Analyst and Writer for the Independent Media Institute | Economic Contractions and the COVID-19 Economy

William Ayers - Author and Former Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) | Education After Coronavirus

In his first hour monologue, Jamarl called out Democrats for not taking Republicans to task and supporting an "imperial presidency" when it suits them.

Then Shane and Jamarl were joined by guest Steven Lendman, who discussed the role of sanctions in current US foreign policy. Lendman sited the the cases of sanctions against both China and Iran as examples described the cascading effect on foreign relations that the sanctions have and how they are part of a attempt to maintain America's global hegemony.

In the second hour, Jamarl and Shane were joined by Andrew Spannaus and talked about the European Union summit, and how is it has been stalled by the Dutch Prime Minister in a row with Hungry's leader as it is dealing with important issues that Europe faces as the COVID-19 crisis continues. They also talked about how the issue of who controls European Union's currency is an underlying conflict.

Then the hosts were joined by Marshall Auerback, who discussed the growing economic contractions around the world due to the COVID-19 virus and how the Trump administration is handling it. There was also discussion of the Austrian economic model of simply letting systems fail on their own, which Auerback rejected as dangerous in a time of great economic change where greater training of workers is required.

In the third hour, Shane and Jamarl welcomed William Ayers, who talked about the hypocrisy and contradictions when leading educational experts--including President Obama's former education secretary and people like Bill Gates-- advocate for an education system that they would not send their own children too. They also discussed the democratic ideals of public education, including what Ayers said is recognizing the "incalculable value" of every child.