Clearing the FOG with co-hosts Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese

The fight to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from being built on tribal land and under Lake Oahe has brought together hundreds of tribes in an historic show of unity. Non-indigenous people and organizations have also joined to support this Indigenous-led effort. There is a long legacy of extraction of fuels on Indigenous land without respect for their sovereignty or treaties and without regard for the impacts these projects have on people, animals and Earth. Currently, another project is about to start – a Uranium mine on Havasupai land near the Grand Canyon. The Uranium ore will be carried by trucks through Diné (Navajo) and close to Hopi land to White Mesa Mill, which is close to a Ute community. President-elect Trump has declared a plan to privatize Indigenous land for coal, oil and gas extraction. Our guests will discuss the history of Indigenous rights in the United States and the current effort to stop the Canyon Mine. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_12_19_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 6:24pm EDT

Now that the election is over, we will discuss what it will take to build political power for the changes that we require. We'll look specifically at the Green Party, its history, its context within the current political environment and what must be done next. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_12_12_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 4:34pm EDT

On Dec. 1 and 2, the People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War will take place in Washington, DC. Organized by CODEPINK, people from around the world will testify or send testimony on the lies that were used to start the war and on the costs of war. We speak with two people who will participate, Sam Koplinka-Loehr of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee and Elizabeth Murray, a former intelligence officer who is now a peace activist. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org

Direct download: CtF_Show_11_28_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:36pm EDT

The unexpected election of Donald Trump has created confusion among the elites and political space for a new people's agenda. Bruce Dixon of Black Agenda Report joins us to analyze the elections results. Then Bill Moyer of the Backbone Campaign will discuss ways to build popular power to counter the potential harm of Trump's policies and demand changes that protect our communities and the planet. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_11_21_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 2:25pm EDT

On the eve of the election in an unprecedented election year, we speak with Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for President in the US, for an hour about the campaign, the Green Party and how to build political power for radical change in the United States. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_11_7_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:30pm EDT

Decades of lesser evil voting and a growing plutocracy have brought us to the two most hated presidential candidates in history. The public discourse has devolved to discussion of the illegal behaviors of the candidates while the United States and the planet are facing multiple crises. We can almost hear Nero's fiddles. To help us get through the next week, we invite political comedians Lee Camp and John F. O'Donnell to join us for some therapeutic humor. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_10_31_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 9:53pm EDT

Tensions are mounting between the US and Russia. The European border with Russia has seen an increase in NATO troops, missile systems and bases, while Russia has moved troops and equipment to their border. The conflict in Syria has grown worse with a failed cease fire, and Russia and the US are unable to agree to renewed talks. Russia has added additional air defense systems in Syria and for the first time in many years has dispatched 5,000 paratroopers to Egypt for joint anti-terrorist exercises. Russia has suspended several nuclear weapons agreements with the United States while the US continues to upgrade its nuclear stockpile with a trillion dollar program. The US media has been accusing Putin of being an aggressor. Our guests are former CIA official Ray McGovern and Gerry Condon, vice president of Veterans for Peace. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_10_17_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:59pm EDT

Most people in the US buy their food in grocery stores with little knowledge of the human and environmental injustices that went into bringing it there or the fights to improve the quality of our food. Today we speak with Maru Mora-Villalpando, who works with Families United for Justice, about a campaign led by farm workers who pick berries in the U.S. and Mexico that is starting to have victories. And then we talk with long-time food advocate Carlos Martinez about Monsanto, the consolidation of Big Ag and the fight for the right to healthy food. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_10_10_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 7:57pm EDT

The science is clear that no new fossil fuel infrastructure can be built. People around the world are taking it upon themselves to stop fossil fuel projects. The Sacred Stone Camp was created by the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Nations on April 1, 2016 to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), which would carry Bakken oil through four states. The DAPL could contaminate the Missouri River, as well as the land and other aquifers. Construction of the pipeline is destroying sacred sites and wildlife habitat. Matt Remle will speak with us about resistance to the pipeline and what people can do to support the efforts. We must also build alternatives to meet our needs for energy and transportation. Bill Moyer and Steve Chrismer have been working together on a project that they call Solutionary Rail. They envision rebuilding the rail system to run on electricity created through renewable sources to carry goods and passengers. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_10_3_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 7:04pm EDT

We speak with Ajamu Baraka about his work for decades as a human rights defender, about his current run for Vice President on the Green Party ticket and his activism at the Sacred Stone Camp in North Dakota recently in solidarity with the fight to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_9_12_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 12:58pm EDT

As predicted, major insurance companies are complaining that they are not making enough money and so they are pulling out of the health insurance exchanges. What does this mean for health professionals and patients? How do we solve the ongoing health care crisis in the United States? We speak with Sam Jordan about his fight to force Care First Blue Cross to live up to its public obligations and Dr. Steffie Woolhandler about the current state of healthcare in the United States and what impact proposed solutions would have. For more information, please visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_8-29.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 1:00pm EDT

As we enter the final months of the presidential campaigns, voters are looking towards the debates. The first one will be in New York on September 26. However, unless we mobilize to change the process for presidential debates, voters will not get to hear the views of all candidates who are on the ballot in enough states to win the election. We'll talk about the presidential debate commission, which is really a private corporation, the ways that debates are restricted by the Democrats and Republicans and what we can do to create greater democracy. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOG.org.

Direct download: CTF__8-22.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:16pm EDT

The final national presidential nominating convention is over for this election season. To discuss the upcoming elections and what they mean, we are joined by Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report and Eugene Puryear, an activist based in Washington, DC. What will it take to build the political power necessary for transformation to a more just and peaceful society? For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOG.org.

Direct download: CtF_8_15_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:44pm EDT

Decades of lesser evil voting and the failed policies that have been the result are creating a political realignment in the United States. Such a realignment has been going on in other countries recently such as Spain, Venezuela, Greece and Iceland. The two major parties in the US, the Democrats and Republicans, are shrinking and more people are joining third parties or switching to be unaffiliated. We’ll discuss this political realignment and what it means with Darcy Richardson and Ashley Smith. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_6_27_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 2:49pm EDT

A study from 2014 showed that 99% of domestic terrorist plots in the US are aided in some way by the FBI; only 4 out of 400 were not FBI stings. And human rights groups found that the way the sting operations are conducted violate human rights. Sue Udry of Defending Dissent will speak about the ways these sting operations have been used to fuel hatred against Muslims. And to discuss the shooting and mass murder in Orlando, FL, Janaid Ahmad of Just International and Peace for Life speaks about the rise of homophobia and violence within Muslim communities because of Western influence and support for extremist sects such as the Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 5:35pm EDT

As President Obama completes his final term in office, his administration is working closely with Big Business and Big Finance to sneak the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) through Congress during the lame duck session after the November election. The TPP is an international agreement that was negotiated in secret with the help of hundreds of corporate advisers. If ratified, it will rig the political system even more to benefit multinational corporations at the expense of our sovereignty and our ability to protect our communities and the planet. Bill Waren of Friends of the Earth will join us to discuss the close ties between the financial industry and the office of the US Trade Representative and why it is critical that we stop the TPP. Gillian Locascio  of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition will speak with us about how people are organizing to stop the TPP. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

 

Direct download: CTF_6-6-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 1:00pm EDT

Three members of the Corean Alliance for Independent Reunification and Democracy (CAIRD) are in the United States on a peace expedition. They speak with us about the brutal history of the US’ involvement in Korea and their work to end the Korean War, bring reunification and build democracy. Their work builds on decades of work by Korean activists. Under the current leader, this work is being made even more challenging by the application of a National Security Law. We also discuss the impact of trade agreements on Korean farmers and workers. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_5_30_16_Corea.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 10:21am EDT

May has been a month of escalated resistance to fossil fuel industries and a call for a rapid transition to clean renewable sources of energy. The month began with Break Free: two weeks of direct action targeting coal, oil and gas around the world. That was followed by a week of action called the Rubber Stamp Rebellion protesting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its approval of new fossil fuel infrastructure without adequate consideration of the impacts new projects will have on the health and safety of communities, harm to the environment or worsening of the climate crisis. We speak with three advocates who are working to stop dangerous fossil fuel projects. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_5_23_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 10:09pm EDT

We discuss the current election environment in the context of the movement: how the movement and the Sanders campaign have impacted the campaigns and the political parties and what a political revolution means.  Our guests discuss their ideas for continuing the momentum beyond this election season and for having an impact on whomever is elected. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_5-1616.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:51pm EDT

We speak with Joe Guinan and Dana Brown of the Next System Project about their ambitious work to draw from new economic institutions that are being used in the United States and around the world to build real alternatives that solve the crises of economic, racial and environmental injustice. They just completed a series of teach-ins across the country. They share with us what they've learned so far and what exciting new initiatives are developing out of the teach-ins. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_5-9-16.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:52pm EDT

On the day after May Day, we focus on the current situation forworkers and how they are building power to lift up wages and workerrights. We speak with Professor Richard Wolff of Democracy at Workand Mike Somers, President of CWA Local 2100. Nearly 40,000 CWAmembers have been on strike against Verizon since April 13. Theyare calling for a national day of action on May 5. For moreinformation, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_5-2-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 1:04pm EDT

On the one year anniversary after the uprising in Baltimore over the murder of Freddie Gray, we broadcast a two-hour special live from Baltimore. We speak with people who are directly impacted by police violence and those who are working to stop the injustices. Joshua Harris is a leader and visionary who advocates on behalf of the community. He is dedicated to creating attainable solutions for the challenges Baltimore faces. He is currently running for Mayor of Baltimore seeking the Green Party nomination. For more information, visit www.clearingthefogradio.org.

Direct download: One_Year_After_the_Baltimore_Uprising_4_Joshua_Harris.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:39pm EDT

On the one year anniversary after the uprising in Baltimore over the murder of Freddie Gray, we broadcast a two-hour special live from Baltimore. We speak with people who are directly impacted by police violence and those who are working to stop the injustices. Derrick Chase was born and raised in Baltimore. He is currently the president of the Coalition for the Transformation and Betterment of Baltimore, known as Stand Up Bmore. For more information, visit www.clearingthefogradio.org.

Direct download: One_Year_After_the_Baltimore_Uprising_3_Derrick_Chase.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:30pm EDT

On the one year anniversary after the uprising in Baltimore over the murder of Freddie Gray, we broadcast a two-hour special live from Baltimore. We speak with people who are directly impacted by police violence and those who are working to stop the injustices. Kelly Holsey is a paraeducator for the Baltimore County Public School system. She is the fiancee of Keith Davis, Jr. who remains in jail after being chased and shot by Baltimore City Police in June, 2015 for a crime that he did not commit. For more information, visit www.clearingthefogradio.org. To support Keith and Kelly, visit https://fundrazr.com/b16kK3.

Direct download: One_Year_After_the_Baltimore_Uprising_2_Kelly_Holsey.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 2:08pm EDT

On the one year anniversary after the uprising in Baltimore over the murder of Freddie Gray, we broadcast a two-hour special live from Baltimore. We speak with people who are directly impacted by police violence and those who are working to stop the injustices. Abdul Salaam is a Baltimore resident and father who works in as a mental health provider. He was brutally beaten during a July 1, 2013, traffic stop in Northeast Baltimore. The same officers beat and killed another Baltimorean, Tyrone West, during a traffic stop a few weeks later. Salaam was recently awarded $70,000 in a case related to the beating. The officers continue to work for the police force and have been promoted. For more information, visit www.clearingthefogradio.org.

Direct download: One_Year_After_the_Baltimore_Uprising_1Apr_2016.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 2:00pm EDT

We speak with two Refusers from Israel, Yasmin Yablonko and Khaled Farrag, who are on tour in the United States to raise awareness about the conditions that youth face in Israel. Yasmin and Khaled are part of a coalition of organizations called the Refuser Solidarity Network that supports teenagers who decide not to serve in the Israeli Defense Force. Then we speak with Ramah Kudaimi of End the Occupation and Chip Gibbons of Freedom to Boycott - Maryland about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to end Israeli Apartheid and the push back against it in the United States. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_4-25-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 1:21pm EDT

The release of the 'Panama Papers' reveal the secret world of shell companies used by the rich to hide their wealth and avoid paying taxes on it. While it appears that the release of information was intended as a tool to demonize Russian President Vladimir Putin, it has backfired and instead led to a probing of who in the US is involved in this type of scheme. McClatchy News is publishing investigative pieces revealing the same activity taking place in states such as Nevada and Wyoming. The list of people involved connects directly to government figures such as US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. It has also led to massive upheaval in Iceland where protesters are calling for the resignation of the government and new elections. We explore what's going on with James Henry of the Tax Justice Network and Chuck Collins of the Institute for Policy Studies. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_4-10-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 2:16pm EDT

On the heels of Obama’s Nuclear Security Summit, we speak with Greg Mello of the Los Alamos Study Group and Lillyanne Daigle and John Qua of Global Zero to cut through the propaganda about nuclear weapons, discuss which countries pose the greatest threat and what activists are doing to push for nuclear disarmament. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_4-4-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 2:23pm EDT

We speak with Dr. Michael E. Mann, esteemed climate scientist, about the latest science regarding the climate crisis - the rise in global temperature, sea level rise, the impact of glacier melting on ocean currents and weather and what we can expect in the next few decades. Then we speak with Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson who has developed a 50-state plan for 100% renewable energy in the United States. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_3-28-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 1:41pm EDT

Farm workers in the United States and Mexico are uniting to protest working conditions. From March 17 to 20, workers marched North in Mexico and South in the United States to meet at the border, at Playas de Tijuana. They are commemorating a march and strike one year ago and they are calling for the right to organize and demand fair wages, overtime pay and more. We speak with Rosalinda Guillen and Edgar Franks of Food Justice. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_3-21-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 2:43pm EDT

We speak with two educators, Stephen Krashen and Timothy Slekar, about the newest federal legislation on education, the so-called “Every Student Succeeds Act.” Hidden in the more than 1,000 pages are provisions that will undercut the profession of teaching. We discuss why and how education is under attack, not just in the United States but globally, and what teachers are doing to fight back and create the high quality education that children deserve. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_3-7-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 3:45pm EDT

We speak with Vijay Prashad and Raed Jarrar about the politics of Saudi Arabia, its ties to the United States and its role in the Middle East. We also discuss the rise of ISIS and what steps to take to weaken it and end the war on Syria. Both Vijay and Raed will speak at the upcoming Summit on Saudi Arabia being organized by CODEPINK on March 5 and 6 in Washington, DC. A thread that ties this all together and that is not discussed enough is how the conflicts in this region reflect the U.S. foreign policy of hegemony, which is designed by and for the benefit of the wealthy. We ask: what would a foreign policy for the 99% look like? For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_2-29-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 1:51pm EDT

We speak with Neill Franklin from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) about the failed drug war, the damage it has done and alternatives to it that are working to create healthy and safe communities. We also speak with Yohanan EliYah of Move to Abolish 21st Century Slavery about the growing movement to amend the 13th Amendment and take the profit out of incarceration.For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org,

Direct download: CTF_2-22-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 2:01pm EDT

We speak with activists who are fighting to protect their homes from new fossil fuel projects. Cherri Foytlin from South Louisiana has been working constantly since the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to protect the people of that region and their livelihoods. She is currently organizing a mass action to peacefully protest an auction of more oil drilling leases in the Gulf on March 23. Megan Holleran is a landowner in Northeast Pennsylvania who is physically blocking Williams, the company that wants to build the Constitution gas pipeline, from cutting down more than 100 trees on her property. Williams has not yet been granted all of the permits required to build the pipeline. The Holleran family and supporters are maintaining a vigil on their property to stop any tree cutting. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_2-15-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 12:38pm EDT

When the 2008 financial crisis hit, Iceland had a very different response than the United States. Iceland let the big banks fail, nationalized them and prosecuted the bankers, sending 26 of the bank executives to jail for fraud and market manipulation. In the US, no high level bankers were prosecuted and the big banks were bailed out. The weak response in the US means that fraud and corruption by big finance continue and we are facing an unstable market which many people predict will crash again within the year. We speak with Bill Black of the newly formed Bank Whistleblowers United about the plan they have outlined to instill the rule of law on Wall Street and end fraud with the hope of mitigating the effects of the next financial crisis. And we speak with Randall Wray, an expert in financial instability and macroeconomics, about alternatives to the current financial system that would bring greater stability. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_2-8-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 12:57pm EDT

President Obama started the New Year off with a wave of ICE raids, including early morning raids of family homes with young children. Obama’s legacy, when it comes to immigration, will be one of mass deportations, the jailing of immigrants in for-profit prisons and of worsening the US foreign policies that drive people to leave their homes. We’ll speak with Abraham Paulos, executive director of Families for Freedom, which has taken bold actions to highlight and stop these practices. And we’ll speak with Alexis Stoumbelis of Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) about the policies that drive migration. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_2-1-16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 1:54pm EDT

We speak with four organizers who are currently involved in projects around racial, economic and environmental justice about what they are currently working on, what their goals are for the year ahead and how their issues are connected. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_1_11_16.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 1:20pm EDT

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