On April 13, a runoff presidential election between the incumbent Daniel Noboa and the progressive candidate Luisa Gonzalez was held in Ecuador. Leading up to the election, a very tight race was expected and conditions pointed to a likely victory by Gonzalez. However, on election day, Noboa was declared the winner with a lead of more than 11%. Clearing the FOG speaks with Pedro Labayen Herrera, who is a researcher at the Center for Economic and Policy Research where he focuses on Ecuador. Labayen was present for the elections. He reports on the scandals just before the election, violations of the Constitution by Noboa and what happened on election day. He also describes the deterioration of conditions within Ecuador and the challenges ahead. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The Trump administration is imposing tariffs on a growing list of countries in a desperate effort to find leverage for protecting US interests abroad and to ostensibly re-industrialize the United States. Clearing the FOG speaks with Jon Jeter, author of "Class War in America: How the elites divide the nation by asking are you a worker or are you white?", about the motives behind the trade war and how this may impact both the global and domestic economies. Jeter explains that the United States is entering uncharted territory as it increasingly isolates itself from the rest of the world and hurtles toward another Great Depression. For the first time, the US may experience a situation in which the shelves are empty and families are unable to afford what is left. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The Trump Administration is dismantling the Department of Education, placing tens of millions of student loan debtors in an uncertain situation. Clearing the FOG speaks with Braxton Brewington of the Debt Collective about the weaponization of debt as a form of social control and the ongoing efforts to erase federal student loan debt. Brewington explains the bipartisan effort to block debt relief and what student loan holders should be doing now to protect themselves. He also discusses the April 17 National Day of Action for Free College for All and the actions that need to be taken to create an educational system that empowers and protects all students, faculty and staff. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The repression of people who show support for Palestinian liberation has escalated. The Trump administration is using an antiquated immigration law and executive orders to target student activists, threatening them with deportation, and has gone so far as to kidnap students and professors. Clearing the FOG speaks with a Cornell University PhD student, Sriram Parasurama, who was suspended for participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations and is currently a plaintiff in a case challenging two of President Trump's executive orders and with Chip Gibbons, a lawyer with Defending Rights and Dissent and the author of an upcoming book on the FBI, surveillance and the national security state. Both explain the urgency of fighting violations of our Constitutional rights and how to do that, as well as the implications of not taking action. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.