Contributing writer for The Intercept, Trevor Aaronson, joins the show as a guest to talk about his feature story, "The Sting: How the FBI Created a Terrorist." We discuss the FBI's target, Sami Osmakac, the FBI agent, Amir Jones, and a couple other of characters, who played a role in giving Osmakac the means, opportunity and desire to carry out a terrorism act. Aaronson also describes how this case fits into other similar cases and whether he has seen a shift in how the media or public react to the FBI manufacuturing their own terrorism plots that they can thwart and then pretend they had nothing to do with creating. 

During the discussion portion, Rania Khalek provides a rundown on the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We both talk about the controversy at a New York high school involving the Pledge of Allegiance recited in Arabic. Discussion concludes with some climate disruption headlines and talk about the Obama administration censoring and keeping secret information at a greater rate than ever. 

Researcher at UK CAGE 

Page May of We Charge Genocide and Babur Balos of the Chicago Light Brigade join the show to talk about the Chicago Police Department and reports that the department has a "black site" for arrestees. They connect the reports to a push for reparations for police torture survivors that is ongoing in the city. Then, we talk about Mayor Rahm Emanuel being in a runoff primary and highlight a lawsuit filed against police and the city for the killing of 19-year-old Roshad McIntosh. 

Co-host Kevin Gosztola interviews former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou, who was released from Loretto prison in Pennsylvania after 23 months in jail. He pled guilty to violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, but it was not until he spoke up about waterboarding being torture in an interview in 2007 that he became a target for prosecution. He maintains that, while what he did was wrong, he was the subject of a selective and vindictive prosecution. 

While in prison, he wrote at least 15 "Letters from Loretto," which Firedoglake published. We talk about how the Bureau of Prisons designated him a "dangerous" prisoner because of his crime, what he witnessed in terms of medical emergencies and unhealthy food and what it meant for him to be able to write letters from prison that were guaranteed to reach a wide audience. 

In the second part of the interview, we outline all the ways the CIA attempts to control information through prepublication review boards and secrecy contracts. We discuss whistleblowers like Jeffrey Sterling and Stephen Kim, who have similarly had their lives destroyed. 

Kiriakou is the guest for the full hour. 

Kevin Gosztola and Rania Khalek are joined by Dahr Jamail, Truthout writer, to talk about his monthly "Climate Disruption" dispatches. He provides an overview of thresholds that have perilously been crossed as a result of human-caused climate disruption. He highlights methane blowholes, disease and even describes electromagnetic war games the Navy has engaged in to the detriment of wildlife and humans. As the talk becomes more gloomy due to the reality of climate disruption, Jamail talks about dealing with depression and how scientists, institutions and even governments are fighting back against these dangerous developments.

During the discussion, we talk about the Chapel Hill murders, the FBI targeting anti-oil sands activists and Chelsea Manning being granted hormone therapy by the Pentagon.

Kevin Gosztola and Rania Khalek are joined by Baraa Shiban, a human rights activist and Reprieve project coordinator based in Yemen. He describes the significance of the US government's continued drone strikes, even when there is no person officially running Yemen right now. Shiban also recounts the rise of the Houthis and later addresses the effect the US has had on Yemen.

During the discussion portion, the hosts talk about a new weapon Ferguson police officers may be trying out soon, a Republican state representative's view on rape (we think he probably has raped his wife), Corrections Corporation of America inspecting the tampons of people who visit inmates in their facilities and US politicians' fact-free and fringe views on Guantanamo Bay. 

Hosts Kevin Gosztola and Rania Khalek are joined by VICE News journalist Jason Leopold to talk about some of his latest scoops related to Guantanamo Bay prison. He highlights a military legal document recently obtained, which shows the Pentagon understands forced-feeding violates medical ethics and international law. Leopold also discusses his effort to get the uncensored executive summary of the Senate report on CIA torture released and how the full torture report may never be seen by the public if some officials in government have their way. 

During the discussion, the hosts talk about the FBI listing the brother of a US citizen challenging the No Fly List as a "most wanted terrorist," former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling being convicted and a vile sex crime ring with influential people like Alan Dershowitz involved, who are working to cover up what happened.

Marcy Wheeler, a journalist whose latest work can be found at ExposeFacts.org, appears on the show to discuss the Jeffrey Sterling trial. The former CIA officer has been facing charges stemming from allegations that he leaked details that exposed a botched CIA operation in Iran involving flawed nuclear blueprints. Wheeler recounts closing arguments and other aspects of the government's prosecution, which mostly relies on circumstantial evidence. She also addresses how this fits into the Obama administration's record of going after whistleblowers and undermining press freedom. 

During the discussion portion of the show, hosts Kevin Gosztola and Rania Khalek talk about the fawning over a dead tyrant, King Abdullah and Speaker John Boehner inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to provide a rebuttal to the State of the Union. The first book published by a Guantanamo prisoner is highlighted and excerpts are read on air. And Khalek discusses her efforts to expose the propaganda in the film, "American Sniper." 

The first episode of Season 2: 

Dan Cohen, a Palestine-based journalist and Mondoweiss contributor, appears on the show to discuss the impact of a recent winter storm on Gaza. Still feeling the after effects of Israel's assault last summer, the people of Gaza are struggling to find shelter and warmth. Cohen also highlights some of his experiences as a Jewish person and how Israelis react to him when they find out he visits and reports from Gaza. 

During the discussion portion of the show, hosts Kevin Gosztola and Rania Khalek talk about Guantanamo Bay being designated a "battle lab" for developing and testing torture techniques, the violent Islamophobic backlash after attacks in Paris and the arrest of a young Ohio Muslim, who was targeted in an FBI sting operation and allegedly plotted an ISIS-inspired attack against the US capitol.