Unauthorized Disclosure

Donna Murch, an associate professor at Rutgers University, joins hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to talk about her report for Boston Review, "Paying for Punishment." We talk about "criminal justice debt" and how black Americans are more likely than whites to face municipal court judgments for debt collection. Murch also addresses the rise of the electronic monitoring industry as a form of "offender-funded justice." 

In the discussion portion of the show, Murch stays with us and shares her views on Lena Dunham, the protesting by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players, and the need among Hillary Clinton's campaign and her supporters to connect all things they despise to Russian President Vladimir Putin somehow. 

Direct download: S3E23.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:35am EDT

Azzurra Crispino, the media co-chair for the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC), talks with us about a nationwide labor strike planned by prisoners. It will coincide with the rebellion by Attica prisoners, which took place 45 years ago. Crispino describes why prisoners are striking and the stakes for prisoners, who take the risk to engage in resistance.

During the discussion portion, host Rania Khalek discusses the re-branding of an al Qaeda group in Syria and how multiple journalists have fallen for it. Kevin Gosztola talks about the New York Times' yellow journalism on WikiLeaks. 

 

Direct download: S3E22.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:20am EDT

Robbie Martin, co-host of Media Roots radio and creator of the three-part documentary, "A Very Heavy Agenda," joins the show to talk about Hillary Clinton's alliance with neoconservative Republicans. We discuss the wild allegations around the DNC being hacked by Russia, which the Democrats have promoted. We highlight former CIA director Mike Morell's endorsement of Clinton his suggestion that Donald Trump is some kind of Manchurian candidate. Host Rania Khalek and Martin also talk about what they witnessed at a fundraiser for Clinton, which featured neocon Robert Kagan. 

Direct download: S3E21-Robbie_Martin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:31am EDT

Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant from the Socialist Alternative joins the show this week to talk about the walkouts of Bernie Sanders delegates at the Democratic National Convention, as well as how she has successfully defied the Democratic Party establishment to achieve reforms like the $15 minimum wage in Seattle. 

Sawant addresses Sanders' view on third party politics and the need for citizens to build independent political power. She also confronts the issue of "lesser evilism" in electoral politics, which she says is the most important in the next three months. 

During the discussion portion, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola talk about their coverage of the DNC this past week, particularly how the Democratic Party worked to enforce conformity so they could make it appear delegates had successfully unified around Hillary Clinton. 

Direct download: S3E20_KshamaSawant.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:47am EDT

The co-editors of Verso's book, "Policing The Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter," join the show this week to help us apply a much-needed analysis to the police executions of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, as well as the tragedy which unfolded with the Dallas Shooting. 

Christina Heatherton, assistant professor of American Studies at Trinity College, and Jordan T. Camp, a postdoctoral fellow for the Institute of International Affairs at Brown University, highlight the policy of "Broken Windows" and its relationship to the neoliberal present. They address how many of the actions of police are a part of a "class project that has displaced the urban multiracial working class worldwide." The limitations of liberal frameworks for reforming police are also discussed. The two also talk about the "War on Terrorism" and its effect on policing, like for example, how the Dallas police used a "bomb robot" this past week to kill the shooter.

Direct download: S3E19GuestInterview.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:40am EDT

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola recap what unfolded with the Democratic National Convention Platform Committee, where individuals appointed by Hillary Clinton and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz rejected key progressive policies from inclusion in the platform. 

Gosztola shares reporting on the New York state meeting, where a Clinton delegate hit a Sanders delegate and young woman of color with his cane. Khalek talks about the latest Republicans and neoconservatives to endorse Clinton.

 

Direct download: S3E18Discussion.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:05pm EDT

Palestine Legal founder and director Dima Khalidi joins the show to talk about Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive order against the BDS movement, which includes a provision to blacklist companies or groups which boycott or divest from Israel. Khalidi breaks down the constitutional and free speech concerns created by this order and also places it within the context of a broader trend in state legislatures to crack down on the BDS movement. She also highlights recent cases where students have been criminalized for their Palestinian solidarity activism. 

Direct download: S3E18GuestInterview.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:19pm EDT

This part of the episode opens with discussion about the Orlando massacre, especially how Senate Democrats responded with a filibuster and push for legislation that included a provision to expand the terrorism watch list in order to enforce gun control. The show's hosts pivot to the People's Summit, a gathering of two to three thousand Bernie Sanders supporters in Chicago. Host Kevin Gosztola attended shares observations from the summit.

Direct download: S3E17-Discussion.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:21pm EDT

Vice News reporter Jason Leopold joins the show to talk about new CIA documents he obtained as a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The documents contain revelations related to the case of Gul Rahman, who was tortured and died in his cell at the Salt Pit black site in Kabul, Afghanistan. Leopold highlights the implications and also shares how he was able to pry the documents loose from the grip of the United States government.

Direct download: S3E17GuestInterview.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:12pm EDT

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and identity politics is a recurring topic on the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast. This week, in a mega episode, we talk with our guest, Katie Halper, about the media anointing Clinton the nominee before the California primary last week. Halper addresses some of the latest absurd identity politics in the election, such as a New York Times reporter asking if it was sexist for Bernie Sanders to stay in the race. 

The episode runs quite a bit longer than other shows produced previously. However, the extra 30 minutes is Rania Khalek, Kevin Gosztola, and Katie Halper reading some of awesomely atrocious and marvelous writing or arguments put together by Clinton boosters. Gosztola reads a piece from Slate that makes Khalek want to vandalize her room. Halper reads an exchange she had on Twitter with Jeffrey Wright. And Khalek reads a glorious piece from Blue Nation Review, a truly award-winning pro-Clinton project now owned and driven by David Brock. 

Direct download: S3E16_PostHillCoronationMegasode.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:11am EDT