US and Russian Officials to Meet on January 10; Ghislaine Maxwell Convicted in Sex Trafficking Trial

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss US Russia relations. Presidents Putin and Biden spoke again on Thursday evening in preparation for upcoming security talks over NATO expansion. Also, US and Russian officials are preparing their respective teams and issues for critical meetings in Geneva and Brussels.

Professor Nicolai Petro, professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island specializing in Ukraine and Russia, joins us to discuss Ukraine's crackdown on opposition media. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has again moved to close the opposition media. Three companies related to the main opposition party have also been heavily sanctioned. The Biden administration's lack of response is viewed as tacit support for the acts of blatant censorship. Also, far-right neo-Nazis are again marching to support World War 2 Nazi collaborators.

Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Israel has attacked civilian targets in Gaza once again claiming that their actions are in response to rocket attacks. Also, US bases in Iraq are facing drone attacks and some suspect that the new year will bring increased activities of this nature.

Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss Africa. Sudan's military rulers are maintaining power with the help of the US empire but the citizens are less than happy with their authoritarian leadership. Also, the US empire has transformed Djibouti into a tool of international military aggression.

Nick Davies, peace activist and author of "Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion of Iraq," joins us to discuss the Pentagon budget. The Pentagon is projected to hand over almost a half-trillion dollars to military contractors in 2022. Also, the $778 billion military budget in the face of massive debt and public strife may be the final nail in the coffin of the US empire.

Peter James Hudson, associate professor of African American Studies and History at the University of California, Los Angeles and author of the book Bankers and Empire: How Wall Street Colonized the Caribbean, joins us to discuss Haiti. Frederick Douglass was briefly the Ambassador to Haiti. We discuss how his brief tenure helps to define the imperial project in the beleaguered island nation.

Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch and author of "Danger in Society: Against Vaccine Passports,” joins us to discuss Ghislaine Maxwell. Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of several counts in her recent high-profile trial. We ask many questions including why the media and investigators seem to have such little interest in pursuing the powerful people who were active in the child trafficking network.

Marjorie Cohn, Professor Emeritus at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, Marjorie Cohn has penned an article about an important recall effort in San Francisco. Cohn argues that the recall effort is based on the basic paradigms related to the reason for the existence of crime.

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