Two oil tankers came under suspected attack in the Gulf of Oman today. Both the US and Iranian navies responded to distress calls, and the vessels' crews were safely evacuated. The attacks come amid heightened tension because the US and Iran and in the middle of a visit to Tehran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The Justice Department has asked US Attorney John Durham to investigate the origins of the Russiagate case. Durham said yesterday that he is seeking testimony from two CIA officers — one a counterintelligence expert and the other a senior analyst. CIA director Gina Haspel said that her people will cooperate, but would "protect sources and methods." Aaron Maté, a journalist for The Grayzone and The Nation and a former host and producer at Democracy Now and The Real News, joins the show.
Authorities in Memphis, Tennessee claim that 24 police officers and two journalists were injured in a melee last night that began when US marshals in a Memphis suburb shot a man 20 times and killed him while allegedly trying to serve him with an arrest warrant. It is unclear how many protestors were injured, but the event is yet another example of the volatility of confrontations with the police all across the country. Brian and John speak with Kym Smith, a community organizer involved in struggles against police brutality and mass incarceration.
Boris Johnson finished first in today's first round of voting for a new leader of the UK's Conservative Party. The field of 10 hopefuls is now winnowed to seven. The second round of voting will be held next week, and then the top two vote-getters will face off on July 22. Meanwhile, British authorities confirmed that the Department of Justice has formally requested the extradition of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange. Neil Clark, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Week, and Morning Star, joins the show.
President Trump yesterday said that he will transfer 1,000 US troops from Germany to Poland after Polish President Andrzedj Duda said he would spend $2 billion to build a new US military base in his country. Trump said that he liked the idea, but was not sure if he wanted to commit to a permanent presence in Poland. But he did like Duda's quip that he would name the facility Fort Trump. Mark Sleboda, an international affairs and security analyst, joins Brian and John.
Thursday's weekly series "Criminal Injustice" is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
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