Can Russia Create a Self-Sustaining Economy to Circumvent Sanctions?

CIA proxy war in Ukraine, acquitted conduct sentencing, safety and security of nuclear plants.

At the top of the show, Jeremy Kuzmarov, managing editor of Covert Action Magazine, and the author of three books, most recently, “The Russians Are Coming–Again: The First Cold War as Tragedy, the Second as Farce” joins the show to talk about Yahoo News reporting on CIA training paramilitary troops to fight against Russians in Ukraine. Then they talk about whether Russia can develop an independent economy free from reliance upon foreign imports as a way to ameliorate the impact from sanctions. Then the Misfits discuss how more commentators, including former CIA Director David Petraeus, are saying that they see this war ending soon. Ukraine is too big to occupy. Its people are willing to fight to the end. And that a diplomatic solution is likely.

Next, Paul Wright, Managing editor Prison Legal News and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center joins the conversation to talk about Criminal Legal News magazine reporting about the practice of acquitted conduct sentencing. The magazine illustrates how it works: “Gregory Bell was indicted on 13 drug charges. He exercised his right to a jury trial. The jury acquitted him of 10 charges and convicted him of just 3 distribution charges that together added up to only 5 grams of crack cocaine. Since Bell had no criminal history, his sentencing guideline was 51-62 months in prison. But at sentencing, the judge concluded that Bell had probably participated in the acts for which he had been acquitted. The judge then used that conclusion to arrive at a higher guideline and sentenced Bell to 192 months, 16 years, in prison.”

Then, Jon Jeter, author and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist with more than 20 years of journalistic experience. He is a former Washington Post bureau chief and award-winning foreign correspondent on two continents joins the program to talk about recent American economic news. The Fed announced its long awaited rate hike yesterday, but also said it planned several more for the rest of the year - perhaps 7 more, bringing interest rates possibly up to 2% by the end of the year. And, they talk about the implication of a Honduran court ruling that the country’s former president can be extradited to the United States on drug trafficking and weapons charges. The former president, Juan Hernandez, can still appeal. He says the charges come from other drug traffickers his government extradited who want revenge against him.

For the last segment, Kevin Kamps, Radioactive Waste Specialist, Beyond Nuclear joins the show to talk about the safety of nuclear plants in conflict zones and the recent damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant after a 7.3 earthquake hits the coast off of Japan.

The Misfits sign off for today.

Join us again tomorrow because its Friday and its Stories of the Weird.

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