Russian Interference Story Continues to Unravel Like Cheap Angora Sweater

On this edition of The Critical Hour, co-hosts Dr. Wilmer Leon and Garland Nixon talk to Mark Sleboda, a Moscow-based international relations security analyst, about the question of Russian interference in the Brexit campaign.

Here is Patrick Lawrence’s segment during The Critical Hour:

To listen to the whole episode, visit The Critical Hour.

On the question of Russian interference in the Brexit campaign, Reuters reported Tuesday on a report by the UK’s Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, with the outlet noting that the report “said there were open-source indications that Russia had sought to influence the Brexit campaign. But hard evidence had not been produced.” Reuters said that “the committee was unable to determine whether Russia had attempted to influence the European Union referendum, which led to Britain’s exit from the bloc this year. When asked for evidence on suspected Russian meddling in the vote, Britain’s main domestic intelligence agency MI5 produced just six lines of text, the committee said.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday on how scientists are working to determine how deadly COVID-19 is. “That research — examining deaths out of the total number of infections, which includes unreported cases — suggests that COVID-19 kills from around 0.3% to 1.5% of people infected. Most studies put the rate between 0.5% and 1.0%, meaning that for every 1,000 people who get infected, from five to 10 would die on average,” the Journal noted. How significant is this?

“Homeland Security officials said Monday they are making preparations to deploy federal agents to Chicago, while President Trump threatened to send US law enforcement personnel to other Democratic-led cities experiencing spates of crime,” the Washington Post reported Monday. What are we to make of all of this, and is this an opportunity for groups like the former Blackwater, now known as Academi, to get a contract?

“President Donald Trump’s negotiators fanned out on Capitol Hill Tuesday over a new COVID-19 aid package as divisions between the White House and Senate Republicans pushed talks into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office to deal with the mounting crisis,” the Associated Press reported Tuesday. What will this mean for the American people and their pocketbooks?  

A Monday headline in MintPress New read: “Partisan Media Coverage of Epstein Masks His Links to Both Sides of the Political Establishment.” The subheadline noted: “A study conducted by MintPress’ Alan Macleod revealed that both MSNBC and Fox News intentionally slanted their coverage to highlight Epstein’s links to either Bill Clinton or Donald Trump.”

“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a teleconference call at the Economic Club of New York, where he spoke to the choir about the next phase of American foreign policy,” MintPress News reported Monday. How concerned should we be about what he articulated?

“Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said on a visit to Tehran on Tuesday that Iraq would not allow any threat to Iran coming from its territory,” Reuters reported Tuesday. Understanding the recent history of these two countries, is this a notable turn of events?

“In 1956, I shall not go to the polls. I have not registered. I believe that democracy has so far disappeared in the United States that no ‘two evils’ exist. There is but one evil party with two names, and it will be elected despite all I can do or say,” W. E. B. Du Bois wrote in The Nation in October 1956. Is this relevant today? If so, how and why? 

Guests:

Mark Sleboda – Moscow-based international relations security 

Margaret Flowers – Pediatrician, health reform activist and co-director at Popular Resistance

Ajamu Baraka – Co-founder of the Black Alliance for Peace and former US vice-presidential nominee for the Green Party

Kevin Zeese – Editor of Popular Resistance

Jamarl Thomas – Co-host of Faultlines on Sputnik Radio

Patrick Lawrence – Longtime columnist, essayist and critic 

Scott Ritter – Former UN weapons inspector in Iraq 

Margaret Kimberley – Editor and senior columnist at the Black Agenda Report and author of “Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents”