Clearing the FOG with co-hosts Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese

On June 7, 2025, the Trump administration overstepped the state government and federalized the national guard in California. They were deployed to Los Angeles to suppress protests against the rampant raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In an unprecedented move, the administration also ordered marines to Los Angeles to join the guard. Clearing the FOG speaks with attorney James Branum of...

On May 16, 2025, an EF3 tornado tore through the city of St. Louis causing massive destruction. Instead of responding with aid to those who were impacted, the city deployed police to black communities and condemned 5,000 homes and buildings without fully reviewing if these designations were warranted. Some homes were condemned even though repairs were made. Clearing the FOG speaks with President W...

The Trump administration is reviving previous administrations' plans to build a missile defense system in space. They are calling it the "Golden Dome," similar to Israel's Iron Dome. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it will cost trillions of dollars at a time when the United States has a record-high national debt and is failing to meet domestic needs. Clearing the FOG speaks with Bruce Ga...

On May 22, veterans and their allies launched a 40-day Fast for Gaza with two core demands: provide humanitarian supplies to Palestinians and stop sending weapons to the illegal state of Israel. A core group of over three dozen fasters are holding a daily vigil in front of the US mission to the United Nations in New York City. They are joined by more than 400 solidarity fasters. Clearing the FOG s...

The Trump administration, which unilaterally withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Agreement during Donald Trump's first term, claims to be negotiating a new nuclear agreement with Iran. However, 'negotiations' are taking place under an escalation of economic coercive measures, a.k.a. sanctions, and military threats. Bahman Azad, president of the US Peace Council, delves into the hidden intentions of the...

On May 31, a large coalition of labor and community groups is holding a nationwide day of action to demand a national single payer healthcare system. Clearing the FOG speaks with Kay Tillow, an organizer of the action and member of the leading organization, NationalSinglePayer.com. Tillow speaks about the current healthcare crisis in the United States and why it is imperative that people organize...

The displacement, genocide, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians continue unabated with a total blockade of water, food, and supplies to Gaza, which is entering its third month. Yemen has now issued an aerial blockade of Israel in addition to its blockade of the Red Sea according to its obligation under the Genocide Convention. An international coalition attempted last week to bring aid to Gaza. I...

On April 13, a runoff presidential election between the incumbent Daniel Noboa and the progressive candidate Luisa Gonzalez was held in Ecuador. Leading up to the election, a very tight race was expected and conditions pointed to a likely victory by Gonzalez. However, on election day, Noboa was declared the winner with a lead of more than 11%. Clearing the FOG speaks with Pedro Labayen Herrera, wh...

The Trump administration is imposing tariffs on a growing list of countries in a desperate effort to find leverage for protecting US interests abroad and to ostensibly re-industrialize the United States. Clearing the FOG speaks with Jon Jeter, author of "Class War in America: How the elites divide the nation by asking are you a worker or are you white?", about the motives behind the trade war and...

The Trump Administration is dismantling the Department of Education, placing tens of millions of student loan debtors in an uncertain situation. Clearing the FOG speaks with Braxton Brewington of the Debt Collective about the weaponization of debt as a form of social control and the ongoing efforts to erase federal student loan debt. Brewington explains the bipartisan effort to block debt relief a...

The repression of people who show support for Palestinian liberation has escalated. The Trump administration is using an antiquated immigration law and executive orders to target student activists, threatening them with deportation, and has gone so far as to kidnap students and professors. Clearing the FOG speaks with a Cornell University PhD student, Sriram Parasurama, who was suspended for parti...

The Social Security Administration (SSA), which has been understaffed for a long time, is now facing collapse within months if changes made by the Trump administration are not reversed. 73 million people in the United States rely on Social Security for part or all of their income. Clearing the FOG speaks with Alex Lawson of Social Security Works about the cuts to the SSA workforce, the closure of...

Beginning with the so-called Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, which required the postal service to hold billions of dollars in reserve to fund retirement benefits for workers who have not yet been born, and then the sell-off of post offices, cuts to the workforce and price hikes, the ground for privatization of the US Postal Service, as was done in Canada and the United Kingdom,...

The Trump Administration seems to be taking steps to end the Ukrainian proxy war against Russia, in a significant shift of US foreign policy. This has led to renewed fervor by Democrats to keep the war going and talk of Europeans taking on greater weapons and other military support for Kiev. Clearing the FOG speaks with international human rights lawyer and author, Dan Kovalik, who has traveled to...

The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) launched the next phase of the Zone of Peace campaign, the creation of the US/NATO Out of Our Americas Network. Clearing the FOG speaks with Austin Cole of the BAP Haiti/Americas Team about the network, which debuted on February 21, the anniversary of the assassinations of Malcolm X and Augusto Sandino. Cole explains the origin of the term "Our Americas (Nuestra...

In the first month of the new Trump administration, there has been a widespread assault on federal workers led by billionaire Elon Musk and his new 'agency' called DOGE. Thousands of federal workers have lost their jobs, funding for government programs has been suspended and technocrats under Musk have entered agencies and demanded access to privileged data. Clearing the FOG speaks with a current...

The Trump administration is attempting an attack on federal workers at every agency and is allowing Elon Musk access to sensitive data. Federal workers are organizing and fighting back. In less than two months, one federal worker union, AFGE, has gained over 16,000 new members compared to 7,400 new members in all of 2024. Clearing the FOG speaks with Suzanne Gordon of the Veterans Healthcare Polic...

The United States' support for the genocide in Palestine, especially since the launch of Operation Al Aqsa Flood in October 2023, has led federal employees and active duty military members to take action in opposition to violations of domestic and international law. Clearing the FOG speaks with two members of the US Air Force, Juan Bettancourt and Joy Metzler, who have applied for conscientious ob...

White America is divided. There are poor whites, many of whom have not gone to college and who support President Donald Trump, and liberal whites, many of whom have college degrees and who support the Democrats. This division, fostered by the corporate media, serves the interests of the wealthy class. Clearing the FOG speaks with Danny Shaw, author of the six-part series, " Despised: The Poor whit...

The world is changing rapidly, driven by the necessity of creating alternative institutions to counter US domination and aggression. As the multipolar world rises, it is a critical time for the United States to re-evaluate and change its policies and practices in order to remain an active member of the global community. Clearing the FOG speaks with Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy about the ways...

As the Biden presidency ends, Clearing the FOG takes another look at Biden's legacy. This time the focus is on his economic and foreign policies. Margaret Kimberley, the senior editor of Black Agenda Report and author of "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents," describes Biden in the context of a country founded upon settler colonialism and chattel slavery. She discusses Biden's responsib...

January 11 marked the twenty-third anniversary of the opening of the US military prison on occupied land in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Clearing the FOG speaks with Andy Worthington, an investigative journalist and author of The Guantanamo Files. Worthington explains that the United States opened the prison in Guantanamo to avoid legal restrictions. He describes the connections between Guantanamo and th...

On January 10, President Maduro will be inaugurated and begin his third term in office. This follows a turbulent July election, which a US-backed opposition attempted to disrupt through violence, cyber attacks and allegations of fraud. Venezuelans mobilized successfully to thwart that effort but the United States continues to intervene through mercenaries, growing regional militarization and claim...

As the Biden presidency comes to a close, Clearing the FOG speaks with author and journalist Kevin Gosztola about his current series on Biden's legacy. Gosztola reports in The Dissenter on Biden's failure to fulfill his campaign promises when it comes to government transparency, accountability and press freedom, as well as how these have eroded through successive presidencies this century. Gosztol...

On December 3, President Yoon Suk-Yeol attempted to impose martial law in South Korea as part of an effort to take more power and reignite the Korean War. Social movements took to the streets en masse and stopped the coup. Legislators then successfully voted to impeach President Yoon, who is refusing to resign. Clearing the FOG speaks with Ju-Hyun Park of the Korean diaspora organization Nodutdol...