At the Brink: Showdown Looms Between Spain and Catalonia

Loud & Clear

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dick Nichols, correspondent for Green Left Weekly in Barcelona.
With the imposition of direct rule by the central government looming in Catalonia, pro-independence forces are scrambling to come up with a response.
Crises and tensions are piling up in Asia as China continues to rise and the United States pulls out all the stops to maintain its power in the region. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s victory in yesterday’s election clears the way for a fully remilitarized Japan. Jude Woodward, the author of the new book “The US vs China: Asia's new Cold War?” is our guest for this discussion.
The United States has put its formidable fleet of nuclear B-52 bombers on 24-hour alert for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Kevin Kamps, nuclear waste watchdog at Beyond Nuclear, joins the show.
Next, Rex Tillerson made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan today before heading off to Iraq, as the Trump administration struggles to implement what it calls a new strategy to combat the Afghan insurgency. Ann Wright, a former U.S. State Department official and anti-war activist, joins Brian and John.
An article in today’s New York Times is the latest indicator that promoters of the “Russiagate” theory have no “smoking gun” and are seeking to control expectations -- but that doesn’t mean that the investigations are going to end any time soon. Ted Rall, editorial cartoonist and columnist, joins the show.
Rex Tillerson lashed out at Iran and allied armed groups ahead of his trip to Iraq today to meet with the country’s Prime Minister. Middle East analyst Robert Carter joins Brian and John to discuss these developments.