By Any Means Necessary

Cuba Kept on US Terror List Despite History as Victim of Terrorism

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Aidan Jonah, Editor-in-Chief of The Canada Files to discuss the ongoing fallout of the Canadian parliament honoring former member of the Waffen SS Yaroslav Hunka and what it reveals about historical and contemporary support for Nazis and other right-wing elements in Canada, the absurdity of many arguments which attempt to characterize the controversy as playing into Russian propaganda, and how this incident may affect Canadian politics and continued support for the conflict in Ukraine. In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Margaret Flowers, Co-Founder of Popular Resistance and Director of the Health Over Profit for Everyone Campaign to discuss a Washington Post analysis on how chronic illnesses and the way the healthcare system does or does not deal with them are driving the decrease in life expectancy, how this reports highlights how race and class can determine how these chronic illnesses are treated or not treated, how the focus on expensive interventions when these illnesses get to a severe point compares to a system like Cuba which focuses on preventative care, and why organizers are pushing for a healthcare system that meets the needs of working and poor people. In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Miguel Garcia of the ANTICONQUISTA Collective, also the host and creator of the Sports as a Weapon podcast to discuss how Ron DeSantis’ right-wing education campaign is shaping the makeup of the New College and the role that student-athletes and their scholarships are playing in that campaign, “The Blind Side” author Michael Lewis’ comments on former NFL player Michael Oher’s lawsuit against Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy, and a new proposal for a stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida and how public money is a part of it. Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Gloria La Riva, coordinator of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five to discuss the anniversary of the sabotage of Cubana Airlines Flight 455 and how the US has supported terrorism in Cuba, how this connects to recent attacks on the Cuban embassy in Washington, DC as public opinion on Cuba begins to turn against the blockade, and how sanctions are behind the migration of Cubans and Venezuelans to the US and how the media mischaracterizes why they leave. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com [radio@sputniknews.com] Catch us in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

Chaos Reigns in Congress: How Should The Movement Respond?

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Walter Smolarek, a journalist, organizer and editor of Liberation newspaper, and managing editor of LiberationNews.org to discuss the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House over the deal he made to avoid a government shutdown, the roots of this event in the recent history of the Republican Party and its embrace of right-wing elements such as the Tea Party and Donald Trump, and how this dysfunction showcases the reasons why voters are dissatisfied with the political system. In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Zoe Pepper-Cunningham, a journalist with Peoples Dispatch to discuss raids carried out on the homes of journalists associated with progressive news organization NewsClick and Peoples Dispatch in India, how these raids may be connected to accusations made in the New York Times which characterized peace activists and journalists as alleged agents of China, and how organizations around the world are fighting back against repression and for press freedom. In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Danaka Katovich, national co-director of CODEPINK to discuss the arrest of eleven anti-war protesters who were protesting ongoing US aid to Ukraine outside the office of Senator Bernie Sanders, why progressives like Bernie Sanders have rejected an anti-war message despite their past statements to the contrary, why progressive activists are challenging progressive politicians to speak out for peace, and why a pro-peace message is resonating with a majority of Americans according to recent polls. Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Eleanor Goldfield, a creative activist, journalist, co-host of Project Censored, and the filmmaker behind the documentary “To The Trees” to discuss the recent anniversary of the founding of Wikileaks and why the US is so interested in persecuting Julian Assange for exposing the crimes of empire, the ongoing struggle by activists in Atlanta to stop the “Cop City” training facility and the repression they face, growing efforts to ban books from schools and what effect they could have on education, and how intensifying economic conditions necessitate building a political movement that speaks to the struggles of working people. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com [radio@sputniknews.com] Catch us in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

China Celebrates 74 Years of Socialism

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Luis Feliz Leon, staff writer for Labor Notes to discuss the ongoing strike by members of the United Auto Workers against the Big 3 automakers, how the stand up strike model being employed by the UAW has fit into the culture of striking in the union and how reforms within the union have changed it, the history of the UAW in supporting other social movements and how the current leadership of the union is rekindling that orientation, and how the visit by President Biden to the picket line demonstrates the resurgence of the labor movement. In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Jemima Pierre, Haiti/Americas Coordinator for the Black Alliance for Peace to discuss the United Nations Security Council approving a multinational force led by Kenya to intervene in Haiti, why the US is behind this intervention despite Kenya’s leadership in it, why Kenyan President Willaim Ruto’s justification for this intervention under the guise of pan-Africanism mischaracterize the nature of pan-Africanism, and how the conversations about gangs in Haiti have obscured the role of the imperialism in the country. In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Martín Varese, social media manager with People’s Dispatch and sociologist to discuss comments made by Argentine right-wing presidential candidate Javier Milei downplaying the number of disappearances that happened during Argentina’s military dictatorship, how the military dictatorship used these disappearances to suppress progressive dissent during its time in power, and why Milei is making these comments now as he continues his run for president in Argentina. Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University, an activist with the organization Pivot to Peace and author of the new book, “China's Revolution and the Quest for a Socialist Future” to discuss the 74th anniversary of the Communist Party of China coming to power in the country and how China’s revolution continues, a recent State Department report alleging that China is investing in disinformation and China’s refutation of that report and highlighting of US disinformation campaigns, and recent attacks on journalists and activists who have been characterized as controlled by China. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com [radio@sputniknews.com] Catch us in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

Funding for Child Care Lapses as US War Machine Marches On

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Caro Yao, educator and organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation in New York City to discuss torrential rain and flooding in New York City and how the city failed to give advanced warning about the flooding and to prepare infrastructure to deal with it despite past instances of flooding, how climate change is threatening to bring more of these disasters to New York City as economic conditions for working people continue to deteriorate, and why the inaction of the city and the country must be met by a birad-based climate movement. In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Erica Caines, founder of Liberation Through Reading and Editor of Hood Communist Blog to discuss how popular conceptions of Black feminism often fall short by lacking a class analysis, how revolutionary African feminism can provide an alternative that is more focused on structural inequality and colonialism, and why a more collective vision of feminism is vital for movements that wish to speak to the issues facing working class Black women. In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, co-host of the CovertAction Bulletin podcast to discuss an upcoming test of the national emergency alert system and how victims of domestic violence and others can silence their devices for their safety, a recently revealed set of notes from a Google executive who compared the company’s economic model to the economics of cigarettes and illicit drugs as Google continues to be involved in an antitrust trial, and a new report detailing the extent of surveillance ordered under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as the provision’s renewal heads to Congress. Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Esther Iverem, artist, author, independent journalist, and host and producer of On The Ground: Voices of Resistance from the Nation’s Capital, which you can listen to both as a podcast and on Pacifica Radio to discuss the end of pandemic-era aid for child care centers and what affect that will have on children and their caretakers, how the Biden administration’s approach to journalists such as Shireen Abu Akleh and Julian Assange expose its orientation toward journalism, a recent shooting at a demonstration against the installation of a statue of an American colonizer in New Mexico, and the UN Security Council approving a multinational foreign intervention in Haiti. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com [radio@sputniknews.com] Catch us at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

Poll Reveals Voters Unenthusiastic About Trump-Biden Rematch in 2024

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Lee Camp, stand-up comedian, writer, activist and author of “Bullet Points and Punch Lines: The Most Important Commentary Ever Written On the Epic American Tragicomedy” to discuss an upcoming event calling for peace in Ukraine which features Cornel West and other activists, a recent article written about the event which attempts to characterize West as allying with Russia and China sympathizers, why the media is so focused on stifling dissent by calling activists radical and focusing on past employment in state-funded media, and why these attacks are coming now as the hyped Ukrainian counter-offensive continues to falter. In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Robert Hockett, Edward Cornell Professor of Law at Cornell University and Senior Counsel for Westwood Capital to discuss the resumption of student loan debt repayment and how it could affect efforts to achieve a “soft landing” out of the inflationary crisis, how the Federal Reserve has intervened in past debt crises and why similar logic behind those decisions could apply to the student loan debt crisis, and how the resumption of repayment could affect Joe Biden’s efforts to be re-elected in light of his campaign promises to cancel student debt. In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Calla Walsh, Co-chair of the National Network on Cuba to discuss the indictment of Senator Robert Menendez on charges of bribery and how activists against the blockade against Cuba have responded, Menendez’s role in maintaining the blockade on Cuba and promoting anti-Cuba policy through his past role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and what the future might hold for US-Cuba relations as the Biden administration continues to maintain Cuba’s status on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Kristine Hendrix, President to the University City School Board, Junior Bayard Rustin Fellow with the Fellowship for Reconciliation and contributor to the Truth-Telling Project and "We Stay Woke" podcast to discuss a new poll documenting the lack of enthusiasm for a potential Biden-Trump matchup in the 2024 election, the recent visits by Trump and Biden to the UAW picket line and how they demonstrate why many voters might be apathetic toward politics, and how US celebrity culture has warped many Americans’ understanding of politics. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com [radio@sputniknews.com] Catch us at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM