Blinken’s Latin America Tour; Daniel Hale Imprisonment; Federal Reserve Controversy

Secretary Blinken visits Ecuador and Colombia in a Latin America tour. How the legacy of US intervention undermines claims of promoting democracy.

William Camacaro, senior analyst at the Council of Hemispheric Affairs, artist, radio host, and activist, joins us to talk about US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s tour of Latin American countries, stopping in Ecuador and Colombia to promote the US brand and to “promote democracy” in the region. We talk about the actual chequered history of US intervention in the hemisphere that has, more often than not, led to undemocratic regimes, how these interventions have shaped and often times scarred the countries affected, with consequences that can be felt after generations, and how the immigration crisis could be directly linked to US support for conservative and right wing groups in the hemisphere. We also talk about how this visit, particularly in Colombia, is related to the continuing economic stranglehold on Venezuela and support for the opposition there.

John Kiriakou, co-host of The Backstory on Radio Sputnik, tells us about drone whistleblower Daniel Hale being sent to the notorious Communications Management Unit at the maximum-security US Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois to serve a 45-month sentence, rather than the low-security prison at Butner, North Carolina and how this could be used to set an example and have a chilling effect on other potential whistleblowers. We also talk about the Biden administration’s top spies and scientists releasing the first-ever National Intelligence Estimate on the global security threats posed by climate change, and how diminished energy supplies, food, and water security could shape international relations in the future.

Steve Grumbine, founder and CEO of the nonprofits Real Progressives and Real Progress in Action and host of the podcast Macro n Cheese, joins hosts Michelle Witte and Bob Schlehuber to discuss the controversy at the Federal Reserve, where it has been revealed that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell sold between $1 million and $5 million worth of stock from his personal account during the pandemic in 2020, which raises questions about ethics and insider trading, Biden saying that he doesn’t think there are enough Democratic votes to raise tax rates in a deal on his economic agenda.

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