Escuchar Political Misfits

Mark Sleboda, foreign affairs and policy analyst joins at the top of the show to break down the strategy that is unfolding in Ukraine as attacks on infrastructure intensify near Kiev. They also talked about how much military aid is being supplied by NATO to the Ukrainian military. Weapons are going into west Ukraine to support an insurgency according to Sleboda. Dr. Jack Rasmus, economist, radio show host & author of 'The Scourge of Neoliberalism: US Economic Policy from Reagan to Trump, 2020 and Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression joins the show to talk about how much sanctions slammed on Russia will impact its economy and economies beyond Russia”s border. No one really knows if sanctions will turn around and take a bite out of the U.S. and European economies, that remains to be seen, according to Dr, Rasmus. The real economy in Russia is connected to natural gas and oil sales not the stock market. It will be difficult for the global economy to make up the loss of Russia’s oil and natural gas. The Russian stock market remains closed since the beginning of the conflict and not slated to open until Monday. Russia is using Crypto to circumvent sanctions and using it in place of the banking systems that Russian’s do not have access to Dr. Rasmus said. Next, KJ Noh, a global justice activist, writer, teacher, and a member of Veterans for Peace joins the conversation to talk about the misinformation media war while trying to navigate the fog of war. The Misfits talk about the role of censorship in media: the EU banned RT and Sputnik News what does this type of action portend for media that does not align with a Western ideology and bandwidth? The Misfits discuss Russia’s relationship with China. What is China anticipating following sanctions placed on one of their major trade partners? China wants peace and will lift all wheat- import restrictions on Russia. Then they talk about the kind of assistance China will offer to Russia. China declares a multipolar world and economy a drive toward centralized digital currencies. And, China supports Russia’s security interest. The root cause of this crisis is the US and the Western expansion of NATO just as China possess similar security concerns in the Pacific according to Noh. For the last segment, John Kane, Mohawk activist and educator, producer and Host of the Let's Talk Native Podcast, and co-host of Resistance Radio on WBAI Pacifica Radio NY joins the show to talk about the Supreme Court taking up a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act.The battleground is over child placement. Overturning the legislation could potentially remove large amounts of regulations protecting tribes and their members. Forceable moving children from native households to place them with a white family. Texas, Louisiana and Indiana are challenging the child protection law they claim the law is racist and violates the 14th Amendment. Kane says that’s why the law is failing because it does not recognize the sovereignty and distinct cultural identities of native tribes. If SCOTUS overturns the legislation Indian casinos are at risk of loosing regulated gaming privileges which is important to native economies because there is no state income tax base on tribal lands. The Misfits sign off till tomorrow.

Jeremy Kuzmarov, managing editor of CovertAction Magazine and the author of several books on US foreign policy, discusses the implications of Europe’s new lethal aid for Ukraine and talks about the information war underway and how to view Russia’s justifications for its actions. The three also discuss Europe’s uneven responses to refugee crises and reports of Africans in Ukraine being blocked from trains and at borders. Mohammad Marandi, political analyst and professor of English Literature and Orientalism, University of Tehran, updates the Misfits on a possible new Iran deal and the additional protections Tehran wants, given Washington’s abrupt abandonment of the first agreement. He also discusses the failure of US sanctions as a tool of diplomacy. Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and a former foreign policy, civil liberties, defense and intelligence advisor to U.S. Congressman Ron Paul, discusses the implications of recent security decisions in Europe, including Germany’s huge new defense budget and Belarus’ rejection of its non-nuclear status. The Misfits also discussed the new economic sanctions against Russia, banning and labeling of Russian media, the role of propaganda in conflicts, left infighting over Ukraine, former Attorney General William Barr’s new book, the results of this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, and more.

Our first guest, Jim Jatras, retired former U.S. diplomat and GOP Senate foreign policy adviser, joins the show to talk about what is happening on the ground in Ukraine militarily and diplomatically. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to discuss a “neutral status” for his country. Russia said it was ready to send a delegation to Minsk, but of course, as these statements are being made, people are fighting and dying in Ukraine. They talked about the scale of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and the burgeoning protests in the region. Next, John Ross, author, economist, and senior fellow of the Chongyang Institute at Renmin University of China, joins the show to discuss the wave of sanctions the US has imposed. They talk about the immediate economic impact in Russia and elsewhere. Also, India is apparently trying to establish a rupee payment mechanism to trade with Russia - if other countries do this as well, does it eventually affect the value of the dollar overall? Kimberly Dvorak, investigative journalist, talks about the possible outcomes from Russia’s military engagement in Ukraine. They talk about whether Ukraine will become a divided state: Ukraine on the West and parts of Eastern Ukraine join Russia. The Misfits also talk about the impact the war in Ukraine will affect domestic politics and the 2022 midterm elections. For the last segment, Jacqueline Luqman, co-host of By Any Means Necessary which can be heard M-F 2:00p to 4:00p ET on Radio Sputnik, calls in to join the conversation to talk about what it means to fight for peace at a time of open conflict. There’s a lot of pressure right now in the West to take a side - and pressure to accept the idea that to be on the side of ordinary Ukrainians watching this horror play out is to be on the side of the US and NATO. Luqman points out that while Russia is striking Ukraine, Israel has been dropping bombs in Gaza for years with no sanctions from the West.

Peter Oliver, journalist and RT correspondent in Berlin, joins the show to talk about how Russia launched what it is being referred to as a special military operation in Ukraine last night, with the stated goal of demilitarizing and denazifying the government there. Michelle and Peter talk about how diplomacy has failed to resolve security concerns long held by Russia, which has escalated tension and led to military conflict. Mark Sleboda, international affairs and security analyst, joins the show to talk about Russian President Vladimir Putin's early morning announcement and the sanctions against Russia that followed. They talked about how Western sanctions target Russia which include freezing Russia’s financial assets. They discuss the potential impact it could have on businesses and individuals living in the region and how much pain will be felt beyond Russia’s borders? Dan Lazare, journalist and analyst, meets up with the Misfits to talk about the economic state of flux now that Russia has moved into Ukraine, Will there be a global energy shock? They also talk about the Russian electorate. How do Russians feel about military action and occupation of Ukraine? Does it help Putin with voters? And what will Putin decide to do with Western parts of Ukraine once the breakaway republics are secured? The Misfits sign off for today. We will be back tomorrow in this space to bring you the latest news and analysis. Till tomorrow…

At the top of the show, George Szamuely calls in to break down reaction to the sanctions the U.S. announced on Tuesday. They also talk about opposition within the Republican Party as Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) is calling for Russia’s economy to be destroyed, while Donald Trump praises Putin for being a canny operator. Next, Ford Fischer, a primary source documentarian whose works include Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning films and editor-in-chief of News2Share (@N2Sreports), calls in to talk with the Misfits about the truckers Freedom Convoy that is leaving from different parts of the U.S. and rolling into DC. Protesters say they plan to jam the beltway outside of DC today, and converge at the U.S. Capitol by March 1, 2022. Then, Kevin Gosztola, journalist, writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, joins the show. They talk about the recent announcement that Kyle Rittenhouse is launching a “Media Accountability Project." Rittenhouse has also filed lawsuits against reporters, saying he was defamed and wants to help others in his situation. Rittenhouse is the man who shot and killed two people during racial justice protests in Wisconsin in 2020, but who was found not guilty by virtue of having acted in self defense, the jury concluded. John and Michelle also discuss with Gosztola the litigation resulting from the opioid crisis. The Wall Street Journal reports that Purdue’s Sackler family has increased their opioid settlement offer to as much as $6 billion. The new settlement offer comes after the company’s prior Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan was overturned. For the last segment, Paul Wright, executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and the editor of Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News magazines, joins the show to talk about the crisis at New York's Rikers Island jail that houses thousands of people awaiting trial in New York City. Last month, news broke that over 2,800 guards were conspiring to skip work for so-called “sick leave” at any given time. On some days, as many as 35 percent of guards called in sick, claiming diarrhea or just not bothering to call in at all. This is a crime called time and attendance fraud, and it resulted in the city paying out millions of dollars in overtime for other guards to cover the missed shifts. In the meantime, prisoners missed more than 7,000 medical appointments because there was nobody to escort them.