Israel Airstrikes Kill 29 in Gaza; Colombia Protests Strengthen; Domestic Spying Expands

The Critical Hour

Ariel Gold, co-founder of Code Pink, and Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, join us to discuss Israel. Israeli airstrikes killed twenty Palestinians, including 9 children, as tensions continue to rise over the brutal crackdown in Jerusalem. However, when asked if the Palestianians have a right to self defense, US State Department spokesman Ned Price answered, “Broadly speaking, we believe in the concept of self-defense. We believe it applies to any state.”
Wyatt Reed, Sputnik producer and writer, joins us to discuss Colombia. Wyatt is in Colombia covering the massive protests and government violence. The Colombian people have taken to the streets to oppose neoliberal economic policies, including proposals for worsening the nation's regressive tax structure.
Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to talk about covid. A new "variant of concern" has been discovered in India. Also, there is an ongoing discussion about the vaccination of adolescents.
Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to talk about the US Coast Guard. In what should be reported as a strange occurrence, US Coast Guard vessels are now being used as normal navy patrol boats. Recent reports show that Coast Guard cutters are patrolling the straits of Hormuz off the coast of Iran and in the South China Sea under the absurd guise of monitoring fishing activity.
K. J. Noh, peace activist, writer and teacher, joins us to discuss China. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry states that China has to speak up for itself and oppose US global hegemony. Also, Hua Chunying, the spokesperson, pointed out that China, as the second-largest economy and the largest developing country in the world, deserves to have a voice in the global public opinion domain.
Dan Kovalik, writer and human rights activist, joins us to discuss Venezuela. Recent investigations reveal that neighboring Columbia has been involved in numerous attempts to overthrow the government of Venezuela and assassinate President Nicholas Maduro. Also, so-called humanitarian aid from USAID has been used for regime change operations in the besieged nation.
Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss Iran. Iran reports that US demands outside of the original JCPOA nuclear deal are complicating matters. Also, notorious neocon war hawks are intentionally disrupting negotiations by arguing that any sanctions relief enacted by President Biden will be easily undone by Congress.
Niko House, political activist and independent journalist, joins us to discuss domestic spying. The Biden administration is upping the domestic spying anti as they work on using private security firms to bypass the Constitution while spying on Americans.