Brazil’s Bolsonaro Heads Straight to CIA HQ Upon Arrival in DC

Published: March 19, 2019, 10 p.m.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by João Rodríguez, a Brazilian activist who is currently a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro arrived in Washington yesterday in his first foreign visit since being elected and he went almost immediately to CIA headquarters for consultations. He was accompanied by his son and by Brazil’s Minister of Justice, who has long been accused of having ties to the CIA. Today, he went to the White House to meet with President Trump.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller revealed today that he had sought search warrants for Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s records in July 2017, far earlier than previously revealed. His investigators went through those records before referring them to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced that he would be staying in his role longer than expected, and anticipation builds over the final release of the Mueller report. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books—“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War,” joins the show.

74 cities, 65 counties, and four tribal areas in Nebraska declared states of emergency today following massive floods caused by days of heavy rain and snowmelt. Nebraska has seen three deaths so far, but waters are raging in 14 other midwest states, affecting more than eight million people. At least 200 miles of levees have been compromised and thousands of people have been driven from their homes. Brian and John speak with Craig Sterle, the president of the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League of America, which works to conserve, restore, and promote the sustainable use and enjoyment of our natural resources, including soil, air, woods, waters, and wildlife.

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled the country since the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, resigned this morning. He said that the speaker of the upper house of parliament, Kassym Jomart-Tokayev, will serve out the remainder of his term. Nazarbayev sacked the entire government several weeks ago because of the weak economy. Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst, joins the show.

Israel’s Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, is out with one of the most controversial election commercials we have ever seen. Shaked is a member of a far-right political party called The New Right. The black-and-white commercial shows Shaked putting on a fancy dress and earrings, and then spritzing herself with a perfume called “Fascism.” She then looks at the camera and says, “To me it smells like democracy.” But the Israeli media says the ad may backfire. All Israelis see is their Justice Minister dousing herself in fascism. Miko Peled, the author of the books “The General’s Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” and "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,” joins Brian and John.

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

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.