Movement To Create Unregulated 'Billionaire Fiefdoms' Gaining Momentum

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.

While there has been an ongoing expansion of immigrant detention centers in the United States for nearly two decades, the government recently allocated $38.3 billion to put that on hyperdrive in order to add the capacity to detain 92,000 more people. The government is purchasing warehouses in communities across the US and even considering using military bases. Clearing the FOG speaks with journalist Sam Carliner about the expansion, who is being detained, the appalling conditions in these prisons, who is profiting and how communities are organizing to stop what are essentially concentration camps. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

On January 29, which coincides with the twelfth anniversary of the declaration of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace (at the CELAC meeting in Havana, Cuba), the Trump administration designated Cuba as "an unusual and extraordinary threat... to the national security and foreign policy of the United States." As a result of this designation, the US is tightening the economic blockade on Cuba, with a particular emphasis on stopping fuel deliveries, and is threatening any nation that provides aid. Clearing the FOG speaks with Netfa Freeman of the Black Alliance for Peace about the impact of the blockade, the significance of Cuba's example of internationalism and defending its sovereignty, as well as assisting other nations in doing the same, and efforts to support the Cuban people. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The Trump administration's 'Metro Surge' in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where 3,000 or more federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security have been deployed to terrorize residents and arrest thousands of people a day, has been met with fierce resistance both locally and through national and international solidarity. Clearing the FOG speaks with FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley, who lives close to the cities, about the current situation there, the illegality of the tactics used by federal agents, and the fight back against them. Then, India McKinney of the Electronic Frontier Foundation speaks about the use of facial recognition technology, the need to abolish it, and people's rights to record law enforcement. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

This week, Clearing the FOG speaks with Ajamu Baraka, a political analyst, activist, and internationally-recognized human rights defender. Baraka discusses the recent protests in Iran, including the media misinformation campaign, manipulation of Iran's currency to lower its value, and the US-Israeli attempt to create chaos and install the son of the brutal Shah, who was ousted in 1979. He also talks about the campaign to move the World Cup out of the US and the recent violent occupation of cities by ICE in the context of the US government building the apparatus to instill terror and suppress all dissent. Baraka explains the need to educate ourselves, organize, and take action on many fronts to stop the US-led rise of global fascism. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

Last Fall, Italians turned out in massive numbers to support the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza and to stop weapons shipments to Israel. They held nationwide days of action to "Block Everything." The Unione Syndicale de Base (USB), a grassroots worker-led organization, supported those actions and is now building an international day of action on February 6 against militarization and for stronger social programs. Clearing the FOG speaks with Francesco Staccioli, who leads USB's international organizing, about the current conditions for workers in Italy, state repression, and the necessity of building a global movement against the rise of fascism. Staccioli describes fascism as a product of capitalism and warns that we must work in solidarity to stop fascism and build alternative structures. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

The occupied islands of Okinawa, formerly the Ryukyu Kingdom, have been heavily militarized since the end of World War II. 70% of the US military bases in Japan are in Okinawa, which represents less that 1% of Japan's landmass. In preparation for a hot war on China, the US and it's client state, Japan, are building more bases, particularly on islands close to Taiwan. Clearing the FOG speaks with Japanese-American activist Rachel Clark about her recent tour of Okinawa where she visited the islands. Clark speaks about the history of the militarization of Japan, including forced changes to its pacifist Constitution, and the similarities between media propaganda in Japan and the US. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.

On January 3, the Trump administration authorized a large-scale military invasion in Venezuela that killed one hundred people. The US bombed infrastructure in and around Caracas, and in other states, and kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro and First Combatant (aka First Lady) Cilia Flores. Outright lies are being reported in the corporate media on a massive scale to justify crimes committed by the US military and to mislead the public. Clearing the FOG speaks with activist and policy analyst Leonardo Flores. Flores addresses many of the common myths and provides the facts you need to understand that President Maduro is still the President of Venezuela, that the US-backed far-right opposition led by Maria Corinna Machado has little power within Venezuela, that the Venezuelan government and the Bolivarian Revolution remain strong and united and that gains claimed by the Trump administration are exaggerated. He also discusses what people in the US are doing to mobilize in support of President Maduro and First Lady Flores. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org

The new book, "Killing Democracy: Western Imperialism's Legacy of Regime Change and Media Manipulation," is a timely account of the West's efforts to control countries around the world through soft power and, when necessary, military power, and the critical role the media plays in forming popular opinion to support these efforts and view them as legitimate. Clearing the FOG speaks with two of the five co-authors, Finian Cunningham and K J Noh. They discuss the West's efforts not only to overthrow governments but also to go after and, in some cases, annihilate the Left. They also speak about current efforts, including the very recent kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a night raid. For more information, visit PopularResistance.org.