Clearing The Fog With Co-hosts Margaret Flowers And Kevin Zeese

Surveillance systems and infrastructure are being built at an alarming rate in the United States. Often, contracts are signed with surveillance corporations without public input or oversight. At the same time, a national movement that spans the political spectrum is rising up to challenge the security state. Communities are removing infrastructure, canceling contracts and passing moratoria. Clearing the FOG speaks with Ed Vogel of Southerners Against Surveillance Systems and Infrastructure about the extent of surveillance on the streets, in our schools and elsewhere, and how people are investigating what systems are in their communities and are organizing to end mass surveillance. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

July 2 marked 1,000 days of the current phase of escalated genocide of Palestinians, particularly in Gaza. The Israeli military continues bombing and murdering Palestinians daily despite a ceasefire and blockading food, medicines, and other supplies from entering Gaza. Clearing the FOG speaks with Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon from the United States who has volunteered in Gaza twice and has spoken out about the atrocities being committed there. He reports on the state of the healthcare system and the illegal detention and torture of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and other Palestinians. Dr. Sidhwa makes the critical point that the United States is behind and responsible for all of the crimes being committed by the Zionist state. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

As people in the United States mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, stories of the Founding Fathers abound but much of this analysis misses the deeper account of how a decade of nonviolent resistance to the British Empire contributed to independence and was subverted by a military campaign led by oligarchic generals. Clearing the FOG speaks with author and nonviolence organizer Rivera Sun about that period where people used their power through boycotts, protests, and the creation of alternative institutions to become independent, and how this worried the wealthy class, which then wrote a property rights Constitution that was anti-democratic and founded a republic that permitted the ownership of people. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The United States and its allies have escalated their war on Latin America - killing hundreds of fisher people with impunity, invading and kidnapping the President and First Lady in Venezuela, tightening economic blockades, and manipulating elections. Clearing the FOG speaks with Claudia O'Brien-Moscoso of the Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team about recent right wing gains in countries such as Colombia, Peru and other countries in retaliation to the popular gains of the Pink Tide and how social movements are fighting back. O'Brien-Moscoso describes the international campaign to build a Zone of Peace in Our Americas. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

As the Obama-era Memorandum of Understanding on US military financial aid to Israel is set to expire, Congress has added a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2027 (Section 224) that would fully integrate the Israeli and US militaries, making the countries mutually dependent and giving the Zionist state full access to US intelligence. Clearing the FOG speaks with Benjamin Freeman of The Quincy Institute about the dangers of this section. For example, the new law would increase the power of the Israeli lobby over US politics, remove any limits on financial support, and end Congressional authority or oversight over aid to Israel. He also discusses what people can do to stop it. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) has been fighting for eleven years to stop construction on top of a desecrated African cemetery and to build a museum to honor and educate about the erased history of the death camps that profited from the breeding of African girls, who are buried there, for forced labor. In what is considered a progressive bastion, Montgomery County in Maryland, not a single politician has supported their struggle. Clearing the FOG speaks with BACC co-founder Dr. Marsha Coleman- Adebayo about their efforts on the streets, in legislative bodies and in the courts and why their work is foundational to ending white supremacy. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org. Warning: Sensitive content regarding human trafficking, rape, pedophilia and KKK terrorism. 

The 2026 World Cup, taking place in North America, begins on June 11. In the United States, the games will be played in 11 cities from coast to coast with 'security' being provided by federal agencies, including ICE, which have been terrorizing communities, detaining travelers, residents, and citizens in inhumane conditions, and committing violence with impunity. The Anti Fascist Football Coalition opposed holding the games in the US to avoid legitimizing a country that supports genocide in Palestine and is waging illegal wars, and is now calling for a boycott. Clearing the FOG speaks with Maria Hernandez, an organizer with UNITE HERE Local 11 in Los Angeles, where stadium workers are still fighting for a contract and assurances of their safety in a space where ICE agents are present, and Ajamu Baraka of the Black Alliance for Peace, who explains the boycott and why we must take the games back from the billionaire class. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

Only one tanker of oil has been delivered to Cuba this year as the United States imposes a brutal economic blockade enforced through a naval occupation and threats of force. The ramifications are tremendous - industries and transportation have shut down, what little food is available is rotting due to lack of refrigeration and hospitals are unable to provide life-saving care. Clearing the FOG speaks with Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, who has been leading humanitarian delegations to Cuba, about the crisis, retaliation against her and others for their efforts and the possibility of a military invasion. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

At the end of April, Colombia and the Netherlands co-hosted a climate conference in Santa Marta that brought nearly 60 nations together to strategize on ways to transition off of fossil fuels. The genesis for the conference is the failure of the United Nations Conference of Parties process over the past 30 years to respond effectively to the growing climate crisis. Clearing the FOG speaks with climate activist and author, Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright, who was part of an Afro-descendant delegation to the conference and a people's summit that took place before the Santa Marta Conference. Rogers-Wright discusses the challenges we continue to face in building a climate justice movement that focuses on the integral crises of White Supremacy, racism, imperialism, colonialism and patriarchy. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The healthcare crisis in the United States is worsening - the prices of insurance and care are rising, more people are becoming uninsured and life expectancy is declining. The Republicans don't have a solution to the crisis and Democrats are, once again, pushing a false solution. In an election year, we have an opportunity to push for a healthcare system that puts patients over profits. Clearing the FOG speaks with Dr. Ana Malinow of NationalSinglePayer.com about a new campaign: the Declaration of Independence from the Medical-Industrial Complex. Dr. Malinow also describes the current state of the US healthcare system, how it compares to other countries, and a new report on Moral Injury in physicians. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

Under international law, all countries that have signed onto the Genocide Convention are mandated to both prevent and stop genocides, yet the genocide of Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, has continued unabated. Given the failure of most governments to fulfill their duties, civilians from around the world are organizing humanitarian flotillas to break through the blockade on Gaza. Clearing the FOG speaks with James Marc Leas, a lawyer and Palestine solidarity activist who is in Italy to support the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. He discusses the conditions in Palestine, the laws, and Israel's illegal seizure of Global Sumud Flotilla boats and activists. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

In 1945, tens of thousands of occupied Koreans were forced to live in Japan, primarily as impoverished workers. When the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 70,000 Koreans were impacted. Though they and their succeeding generations have been severely harmed by the exposure to radiation, they still have not received recognition, an apology or compensation for their suffering. A delegation of atomic bomb victims just completed a tour of the United States and testified before the United Nations. Clearing the FOG speaks with Shim Jin-tae, Han Jeongsun and a representative of Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK) about their experiences and their struggle for a nuclear-free world. Translation provided by Hyunsook Elizabeth "Echo" Cho. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

Buried in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a provision to automatically register all males at the age of 18 with the Selective Service System (SSS) that, if not stopped, will go into effect this December. Clearing the FOG speaks with Edward Hasbrouck of Resisters.info. Hasbrouck was a draft resister in the early 1980's who was sent to prison for refusing to register. He discusses how a small number of resisters, who were willing to speak out, proved that the government could not enforce a draft. He adds that this new effort will similarly fail and how we can abolish the system altogether, and stop the United States' endless wars. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The plutocratic power structure in the United States is clamping down on our right to know and to dissent by illegally detaining individuals who speak out or shutting down their access to financial services. Clearing the FOG speaks with political analyst Ali Alizadeh about the unlawful detention of Iranian public policy PhD student at Virginia Tech, Yousof Azizi, who is frequently a guest on major media outlets. The second guest is Rainey Reitman of the Freedom of the Press foundation, who discusses her new book, "Transaction Denied: Big finance's power to punish speech." For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

In recent decades, the railroad industry has consolidated from more than 40 Class One Rail carriers to only six with disastrous results for the rail workers and the public. Despite a 1990's moratorium on mergers, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are applying for a new merger, the first one to be transcontinental. Workers, passengers, farmers, and other industries are joining forces to stop this merger. Clearing the FOG speaks with Ron Kamikow, a co-founder of Railroad Workers United, about the state of our rail system, the impact of the potential merger and the campaign against it. Kamikow says the UP-NS merger would definitely lead to further consolidation and would disrupt the supply chain at a time when it is already fragile. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The US-Israeli war on Iran and the resultant fuel shortages are already negatively impacting the global economy. One aspect that isn't gaining much attention is the impact of the war on an already fragile food system. Shortages and the rising prices of oil, fertilizer and pesticides are forcing farmers to make difficult choices and will lead to food scarcity this Fall. To understand where we are and what we can do to support food security, Clearing the FOG speaks with Kayla Dones of DD Geopolitics and Lauren Borsheim, a food policy analyst for Food and Water Watch who has been tracking the new Farm Bill legislation. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

On February 28, the Trump administration, in partnership with the Zionist state of Israel, launched an illegal attack on Iran that has broadened to involve the region. Prior to the attack, Iran notified the United Nations that they would view all US assets in the area as legitimate targets for their defense. US military bases and hotels where troops were staying have been bombed. Now, the administration is threatening a ground invasion and is mobilizing Marine Expeditionary Units. Clearing the FOG speaks with Mike Prysner of the Center on Conscience and War about the large increase in military members seeking conscientious objector status. And we bring back a portion of an earlier interview with James Branum of the Military Law Task Force about other options for active military members. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched an illegal attack on Iran that has ignited the Gulf Region and sent ripples throughout the world. Clearing the FOG speaks with military analyst Scott Ritter who argues that the US and Israel lost the war on the first day by targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and by throwing the rules of engagement out the window, as evidenced by the double bombing of a girl's school in Minab. Ritter explains that Pete Hegseth and others are guilty of war crimes. He describes the region as being at an existential crossroads that could weaken Israel and strengthen Iran in the end. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The Trump Administration is supporting the development of privatized libertarian enclaves that are not subject to local or national laws where the wealthy can exploit land and peoples for profit. Known as the Network State Movement, many of these 'special economic free zones' already exist in the United States and around the world, but their backers, such as Peter Thiel of Palantir, are searching for a place to create the first private 'nation'. Clearing the FOG speaks with Dr. Beth Geglia, an anthropologist and documentarian who focuses on tech-futurist territorial movements, about the first zones, how Trump's Board of Peace is connected to the Network State Movement and the fight back. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

Is the United States a fascist state? There is an authoritarian in the White House, systemic racism is rampant, our cities and towns are being militarized, concentration camps are under construction, and our politicians are controlled by corporations. Clearing the FOG speaks with longtime activist and lawyer, Michael Smith, host of Law and Disorder and editor of the new book, "From the Flag to the Cross: Fascism American Style", about where the United States is on the path to fascism, what we can expect and what we can do to change course. Smith explains what socialism is and why it is the solution for those who believe in democracy. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.