Is Trump Planning Major Escalation of War in Afghanistan?

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, who recently returned from Afghanistan.

Secretary of Defence James Mattis made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Monday. The visit came on the heels of Donald Trump dropping the largest non-nuclear bomb on the country and the Taliban stepping up its attacks across the country — is a serious US escalation on the horizon?

As the US sends aircraft carrier USS Vinson and an accompanying "armada" of vessels toward the Korean Peninsula ahead of another important holiday in the North, Xi Jinping has urged restraint in a phone call with Donald Trump. Brian speaks with Will Griffin, an organizer with US-based Stop THAAD in Korea and US Militarism in Asia and & Pacific, and Kevin Zeese, co-director of Popular Resistance.

Venezuela's opposition openly calls for an economic war against the government of Nicolas Maduro as deadly right-wing protests continue around the country, but large pro-government demonstrations are ignored by the western media. Journalist and lecturer Arnold August joins the show.

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