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On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and Walter Smolarek, sitting in for John Kiriakou, are joined by Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODE PINK and member of the Embassy Protection Collective, and by Ann Wright, a retired United States Army colonel and former U.S. State Department official in Afghanistan, who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq and became an anti-war activist.

Last night, the police cut the locks on the door of the Venezuelan Embassy in DC and entered. But after about half an hour of tense negotiations with activists still living in the embassy and their lawyer, the cops resealed the door and left in a resounding win for the Embassy Protection Collective. This comes amid Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido public request for a U.S. military invasion to rescue his failed coup attempt.

Tuesday’s weekly series is False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey. Brian and Walter speak with financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey.

Donald Trump today denied reports that his administration was considering plans to send up to 120,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East in preparation for armed conflict with Iran. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for talks that included Iran and the 2015 nuclear deal that the Trump administration is intent on sabotaging. Brian and Walter speak with Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst.

With 95 percent of the vote counted in the Philippines, it appears that all 12 Senate seats up for a vote will be filled with supporters of far-right President Rodrigo Duterte. With the House of Representatives filled with Duterte’s allies as well, what can the opposition do to combat the increasingly repressive policies of Duterte’s government? Bernadette Ellorin, the spokesperson for BAYAN USA, a progressive organization fighting for justice and democracy in the Philippines, joins the show.

A recent opinion poll shows the once-dominant Conservative Party running in fourth place for the upcoming European Parliament election. The new right wing Brexit Party looks almost certain to come in first. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins Brian and Walter.

Today’s regular segment that airs every Tuesday is called Women & Society with Dr. Hannah Dickinson. This weekly segment is about the major issues, challenges, and struggles facing women in all aspects of society. Hannah Dickinson, an associate professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an organizer with the Geneva Women’s Assembly, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell join the show.