Sessions is Gone: What Next in Washington’s Unfolding Political Drama?

Loud & Clear

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Julie Hurwitz, a civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James, and Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer and the author of the new book “The Plot to Control the World: How the US Spent Billions to Change the Outcome of Elections Around the World.”
Jeff Sessions is out as Attorney General after a long period of tension with Donald Trump. Brian reviews the ultra right-wing policies that earned him the ire of so many millions of people across the country, and considers what his replacement by acting Attorney General Whitaker means for the future of the Mueller investigation.
Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
12 people were killed in a horrendous mass shooting at a bar in southern California last night. Details are still emerging, but news is now reporting that the shooter was a 28-year old combat veteran of the Marine Corps in Afghanistan. Mike Prysner, a U.S. veteran who served four years in the Army in Iraq, a documentary filmmaker, and co-host of the anti-war podcast Eyes Left, joins the show.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fell and broke three ribs late last night. With conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch in their 50s and Samuel Alito and John Roberts in their 60s, what could the court look like if Trump makes more appointments? Brian speaks with Deborah Golden, an attorney with Human Rights Defense Center and a national expert in prisoner human rights litigation.
Dangerous new anti-abortion ballot measures passed in Alabama and West Virginia this week, setting up for an intense and protracted court battle. Is the historic Roe vs. Wade decision in jeopardy? Mia Raven, an advocate for women at the Reproductive Health Services of Montgomery abortion clinic, and the cofounder of the nonprofit next door to the clinic called POWER House – People Organizing for Women’s Empowerment & Rights, joins Brian.
Intense fighting took place last night in the province of Takhar, killing 14 Afghan government soldiers. As the government loses ground, is there any hope for a negotiated peace? Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, the Scholar-in-Residence and director of the Middle East Institute’s Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies, joins the show.
The second half of this week’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Brian speaks with Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear.