Big Brother America: Secret Police Given Free Reign by House Vote

Loud & Clear

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Bill Binney, a former NSA technical director who became a legendary national security whistleblower, and Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent named 2002 Time Magazine person of the year with two other whistleblowers.
The House of Representatives is set to vote on a provision that would reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act while President Donald Trump appeared to torpedo his Administration’s own position on the act. Meanwhile, Democrats will go it alone on their Russia investigation, as Republicans in Congress are reluctant to chase the Russian boogeyman.
The Trump Administration said today that it would allow states to impose work requirements on people in the Medicaid program. Mary Gerisch, an organizer and member chair of the Rights & Democracy health care justice team, joins the show.
President Trump waived part of the fines for five banks charged with fraudulent conduct, including Deutsche Bank, where he has at least $130 million of debt. Brian and John speak with Jack Rasmus, author and professor of economics.
The issue of war and peace is the issue of the day in Colombia. Will the ceasefire and peace process continue or is it being derailed? Mario Murillo, author and professor of Communication and Latin American studies at Hofstra University, joins the show.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange tweeted yesterday that he has been given an Ecuadorean passport, leading to speculation that he may leave that country’s embassy in London. Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek joins Brian and John.
A myriad of human rights groups demonstrated in front of the White House every day this week to protest the government’s failure to close the military and intelligence prison at Guantanamo. Jeremy Varon, a professor at the New School in New York and one of the organizers of the demonstration, joins the show.