Trump Eggs on Anti-Government Protests

Published: April 20, 2020, 10 p.m.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jodi Dean, a professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a commentator on political issues, whose latest book is called “Comrade,” and Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist, whose work is at www.rall.com.

President Trump on Friday wrote several provocative tweets, saying, “Liberate Michigan,” “Liberate Minnesota,” and “Liberate Virginia” and urging residents of those states to protest in favor of their 2nd Amendment rights. Those tweets led to thousands of protestors marching on statehouses demanding an end to the coronavirus quarantine. Meanwhile, debate continues in Congress over the next steps on Coronavirus relief and economic recovery, and all conventional logic about the 2020 presidential election has been upended.

Coronavirus is ravaging the economies and societies of countries all across Latin America. Peru on Sunday reported 15,000 cases, the second most in Latin America behind Brazil, and the Finance Minister in Lima said that the economy there is in shambles. The virus is spreading through Brazil’s favelas and through the poor neighborhoods of Mexico City. Guatemala is trying to cope with a new outbreak caused when infected deportees arrived from the United States. Some governments in the region have acted proactively, but other politicians, especially Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, refuse to even acknowledge the seriousness of the pandemic. Patricio Zamorano, an academic and international analyst and Co-Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, COHA, joins the show.

Monday’s segment “Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers” is where Bill helps us look at the state of education across the country. What’s happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book “Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto,” joins Brian and John.

In this segment, The Week Ahead, the hosts take a look at the most newsworthy stories of the coming week and what it means for the country and the world, including the anti-China sentiment being launched by both corporate political parties, the anti-shutdown protests in a few places, and the economy. Sputnik News analysts and producers of this show Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.

Monday’s regular segment Technology Rules is a weekly guide on how monopoly corporations and the national surveillance state are threatening cherished freedoms, civil rights and civil liberties. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa and software engineer and technology and security analyst Patricia Gorky join the show.