Blinken Says Iran Sanctions Will Remain; Senate Passes Massive Anti-China Bill.

The Critical Hour

K.J. Noh, writer and peace activist, joins us to discuss China. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer has led the passing of a massive $250 billion spending bill that is alleged to be designed to counter China's technological advances over the US. The bill includes the usual neoliberal money-laundering as massive amounts of capital will be given away to corporations. Also, Schumer openly states that it is intended to maintain the US as the world's hegemonic hyperpower.
Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss the upcoming summit between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Ray McGovern has penned an article in which he reviews the circumstances leading up to the summit and discusses the pros and cons of the meeting. Ray concludes that the concept of American exceptionalism is at the heart of the enmity between the two world powers.
Dan Cohen, filmmaker and writer for the Gray Zone Project, joins us to discuss Colombia. Recent investigations have revealed that some of the most violent notorious death squads in Colombia have been trained and equipped by the Israeli military and paramilitary units. Dan Cohen comes on to discuss his recent article in Mintpress News and his work on this issue.
Leo Flores, Latin America coordinator for Code Pink, joins us to discuss the election results in Peru. Pedro Castillo, a farmer born of illiterate peasants, has won the election by a close margin and seems poised to move the South American nation in a leftward anti-imperialist direction. Will the US invent a motive for sanctions and attempt regime change through medieval siege warfare as they do in most of the Global South, or accept the reality that the region is moving away from a neoliberal empire?
James Carey, editor/co-owner at Geopoliticsalert.com, joins us to discuss Iran. In what could be a death knell for the JCPOA, Antony Blinken Says that the Biden Administration will not fully remove the Trump-era sanctions levied against Iran. Also, in his latest antiwar.com article, Daniel Larison argues that "U.S.-Iran policy is marred by many flaws, and some of the worst are threat inflation, imperial arrogance, and hypocrisy."
Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss the consequences of the UFO report due to be released any day. The mainstream media seems to be taking the opportunity of the UFO phenomenon to argue for increased military spending. This includes absurd insinuations that this otherworldly technology simply may be the usual boogeymen of Russia and China surging ahead of the US in aircraft technology.
Peter Bolton joins us to discuss Venezuela. Peter joins our hosts to discuss his recent article in which he discusses the devastating results of the US sanctions on Venezuela. Peter reviews the history of the sanctions, and carefully articulates both the media discussion of the issue and the reality on the ground.
Jim Kavanagh, author and writer at thepolemicist.net and Counter Punch, joins us to discuss Julian Assange. The Community Church of Boston is presenting its 2021 Sacco-Vanzetti Memorial Award for Social Justice to WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants who were convicted of murder and armed robbery in a trial that was considered a sham. The two have been regarded ever since as political prisoners. Also, an artist in the UK is complaining because he believes that his exhibit was denied due to references to the plight of Julian Assange.