Grayzone Radio 11: The Little Red Chinese Balloon

Spy balloon freakout, Ilhan the Imperialist and the threat of NATO boots in Ukraine

Summary:

The first part is about the recent media freakout over a balloon that the Pentagon labeled "a Chinese spy balloon." Was the balloon just an innocent weather balloon that got lost on its way to a thunderstorm? Was it a literal test balloon - something deployed by the Chinese military to appraise Americas reaction to a looming threat? Or was it a spying device collecting detailed imagery of sensitive US military sites? Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate discuss how literal hot air is fueling a new cold war. Keep in mind our conversation took place two days before a US F-22 aircraft took out the slow moving Chinese balloon with a single sidewinder missile, a feat of gallantry unmatched in modern military history.

The next part covers the furor over Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy stripping Rep. Ilhan Omar of her assignment on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. McCarthys motives were twisted for sure - he was canceling Omar for her speech, and specifically for criticizing the Israel lobby that funds his campaigns and those of his allies. But Omars allies in the progressive squad claimed she was removed simply because she was a woman of color. Was that really the case? And is Ilhan Omar actually advancing the antiwar cause, or is she, in fact, an insidious enabler of imperialism in Somalia, the country of her birth, as well as Ethiopia? This discussion might make you think twice about Ilhan and the squad.

The third part is about Ukraine, where British military and political leadership is beginning to call for boots on the ground. Thats right, the country that supposedly functions as the poodle of US empire is actually helping drive escalation, and pushing Washington further than it may want to go. Will there be NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine?

About:

Grayzone Radio is a production of The Grayzone, an independent news website dedicated to original investigative journalism and analysis on politics and empire. Washington DC-based independent journalist and author, Max Blumenthal, founded The Grayzone and is your host on Grayzone Radio.

For more info on The Grayzone and their reporting, please go to https://thegrayzone.com

Hosted by Max Blumenthal

Produced and edited by Christopher Weaver