Chaos Reigns in Congress: How Should The Movement Respond?

McCarthy Ousted In Historic Move, Journalists’ Homes Raided In India, Protesters Arrested Outside Bernie Sanders’ Office

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Walter Smolarek, a journalist, organizer and editor of Liberation newspaper, and managing editor of LiberationNews.org to discuss the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House over the deal he made to avoid a government shutdown, the roots of this event in the recent history of the Republican Party and its embrace of right-wing elements such as the Tea Party and Donald Trump, and how this dysfunction showcases the reasons why voters are dissatisfied with the political system.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Zoe Pepper-Cunningham, a journalist with Peoples Dispatch to discuss raids carried out on the homes of journalists associated with progressive news organization NewsClick and Peoples Dispatch in India, how these raids may be connected to accusations made in the New York Times which characterized peace activists and journalists as alleged agents of China, and how organizations around the world are fighting back against repression and for press freedom.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Danaka Katovich, national co-director of CODEPINK to discuss the arrest of eleven anti-war protesters who were protesting ongoing US aid to Ukraine outside the office of Senator Bernie Sanders, why progressives like Bernie Sanders have rejected an anti-war message despite their past statements to the contrary, why progressive activists are challenging progressive politicians to speak out for peace, and why a pro-peace message is resonating with a majority of Americans according to recent polls.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Eleanor Goldfield, a creative activist, journalist, co-host of Project Censored, and the filmmaker behind the documentary “To The Trees” to discuss the recent anniversary of the founding of Wikileaks and why the US is so interested in persecuting Julian Assange for exposing the crimes of empire, the ongoing struggle by activists in Atlanta to stop the “Cop City” training facility and the repression they face, growing efforts to ban books from schools and what effect they could have on education, and how intensifying economic conditions necessitate building a political movement that speaks to the struggles of working people.

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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