Brian Nam-Sonenstein, co-host of the "Beyond Prisons" podcast and publishing editor of Shadowproof, appears on "Unauthorized Disclosure" to help the show outline the issue of censorship in United States prisons and jails. 

He describes why free speech advocates should absolutely care and how censorship has intensified as facilities move away from physical mail.  

Censorship is not limited to banning books. Nor is it only retaliation against an incarcerated individual who wants to write a letter for publication. 

At the end of the show, Kevin highlights declassified files that show how a propaganda department of the British Foreign Office targeted Kwame Ture, who was a Black liberation leader, with a disinformation campaign.




















 

"Think about what we're saying and the fact that it is coming from us. We have been consistent in our views. We have been consistent in our positions," Rania Khalek says on this week's "Unauthorized Disclosure." "So we're not some liberal hacks."  

"Please remember our body of work as you hear what we have to say," even if it just so happens to intersect with some annoying liberals. 

Rania and Kevin Gosztola respond to the backlash their interview with Ben Norton has received. They also comment on the terrorism charges against former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoing safe injection sites, and the extremely lenient punishment that Paul Pelosi (Nancy Pelosi's husband) received for drunk driving. 

Ben Norton of The Grayzone joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola for this week's edition of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast.  

He speaks to us from Ecuador about the election results, where President Lenin Moreno's party was absolutely trounced. The left-wing candidate Andrés Arauz won by a wide margin, but he did not secure enough of the vote to avoid a runoff.   

As Ben outlines, a US-backed coalition is forming around a pseudo-left candidate named Yaku Pérez, who is controlled opposition. Pérez identifies with the US and other neoliberal institutions of power that threaten the well-being of Ecuadorians.   

Later in the show, Ben addresses some recent stories involving Chile, Nicaragua, and Brazil—all of which illustrate the US government's continued commitment to crushing the so-called Pink Tide in Latin America as it surges back into power throughout the region.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola kick off the episode with a conversation about how they're faring during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we are right around the one-year anniversary of the world shutting down.   

Rania and Kevin provide an update on the latest round of censorship. Team YouTube demonetized The Convo Couch, Progressive Soapbox, Graham Elwood, and Ford Fischer. They spend time on the justification Fischer received from YouTube for their action.   

Later in the episode, Rania and Kevin play several clips and cover the Senate hearing for the nominee for deputy Pentagon secretary, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot's national media campaign against the Chicago Teachers Union, and a jaw-dropping Fox News segment on Guantanamo Bay prisoners.

For this week's episode, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome Briahna Joy Gray, who is a co-host of the Bad Faith podcast and a former press secretary for Bernie Sanders.

Briahna talks with Rania and Kevin about the aftermath of #ForceTheVote and her attempt to have a good faith debate with The Majority Report's Sam Seder.

We ask her about the unwillingness of progressive Democrats to challenge the Democratic Party establishment, especially when it comes to third party campaigns outside of the Democratic Party.

Later in the episode, Rania and Kevin discuss the unwillingness among many left-leaning pundits to reach out to working class people who are likely open to progressive, or even socialist ideas.

We also raise the issue of political voids created by many of these same commentators who will not speak on matters that wind up becoming conservative or right-wing libertarian issues when they dismiss them as unimportant. 

Journalist Yasha Levine, the author of "Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History of the Internet," joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the final days of President Donald Trump's administration and what we can expect from monopolistic tech companies under President Joe Biden.

Yasha comments on the removal of Trump from Twitter and describes why he believes Section 230 should be abolished.

Throughout the episode, Yasha grapples with the limits of social media when it comes to politics and organizing communities.

Journalist Roberto Lovato joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss his memoir, Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas. He also shares his view on what a Biden administration will mean for the communities documented in his book.

As Roberto puts it, from San Francisco to El Salvador his memoir shares a journey along a 2,500-mile chain of dead, forgotten, and devalued life. He travels in search of a better understanding of his personal past but also seeks a greater comprehension of the roots of violence.

Roberto outlines what happened with a gang truce between the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs that did not last and was not supported by the United States. He comments on what he found in his search for why kids join these gangs.

Also, amid a discussion of his book, Rania and Kevin talk with Roberto about Alejandro Mayorkas, who was part of the Obama administration and will likely be running the Homeland Security Department under Biden.

Mayorkas was involved in carrying out mass deportations during the Central American refugee crisis at the tail end of Obama's presidency, and as an official he had to co-sign several horrible anti-immigrant policies that Trump enthusiastically embraced. 

Comedian Jamie Kilstein returns to the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to talk about his new comedy album, "25 Percent Capacity," which was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about muddling through the political landscape and writing personal and political material for the album.

Kilstein moved from California to Arizona this year, and during our discussion, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss what the left gets wrong about COVID. And what is the left? Rania tries to nail down our definition of this amorphous group of people to make it clear just who we're all really frustrated with.

Kevin talks with Jamie about what was lost already, and Jamie shares a story about a venue that shut down in Austin, Texas, where he performed.