Giving War a Chance: Trump Prepares to Tear Up Iran "Nuclear Deal"

Published: Oct. 5, 2017, 10:36 p.m.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and Walter Smolarek are joined by Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, to talk about the Trump administration’s plans to decertify the Iran nuclear deal as well as the death of U.S. special forces troops in Niger.

Then, we are joined from London by Robert Carter, a journalist and political commentator on Middle Eastern politics, to discuss the historic summit between top Turkish and Iranian officials, including President Erdogan and Prime MInister Rouhani, to dial up the pressure on the Kurdistan Regional government of Iraq.

In the second hour, Brian and Walter look at the last major population center held by Daesh in Iraq being retaken by Iraqi government forces and its allies. The so-called Islamic State is on the run, but remains a deadly threat. Mojtaba Masood, film maker and journalist, joins the show.

Next, the Spanish government has sent a detachment of soldiers to Catalonia and the Supreme Court has suspended Monday’s session of the regional parliament, when a declaration of independence was expected. Alberto Garcia Watson, former Middle East correspondent for HispanTV, joins the show from Madrid.

Then, in an unusual move, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee gave a press conference updating the public on the status of their Russia investigation. The bottom line: expect the witch hunt to be drawn out indefinitely. Dan Kovalik, union organizer and author, joins Walter and Brian to talk about the latest developments in the Russiagate scandal.

Finally, the Trump administration is reportedly preparing to scrap the Clean Power Plan, instituted under the Obama administration to curb emissions by U.S. power plants. But what will it take to really address the climate crisis? Fred Magdoff, author of What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism, joins the show.