Unauthorized Disclosure

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss John Bolton becoming President Donald Trump's national security adviser, the fifteenth anniversary of the Iraq War, and the vote on not taking a vote on withdrawing U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen.

Khalek and Gosztola also highlight some comments from patrons who support the show and talk about plans for future patron-exclusive episodes.

***This is a preview. For the full episode, go to http://www.patreon.com/unauthorizeddisclosure and become a Patron of Unauthorized Disclosure.***

Direct download: S5E10-DiscussionPreview.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:29pm EDT

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview Jana Nakhal, who is a member of the central committee of the Lebanese Communist Party and an independent researcher.

Nakhal recently traveled to Afrin in northwest Syria, which was recently occupied by Takfiri fighters backed by the Turkish army. They have looted, raped women, and targeted and killed Kurdish inhabitants, as well as others.

In this interview, Khalek asks Nakhal to describe what she witnessed on her trip to Syria. She talks about how the Takfiri fighters are ex-ISIS or ex-Nusra fighters mobilizing under the banner of the Free Syrian Army. They hate the Kurds.

She addresses the silence throughout the world as mass killing and destruction takes place in Afrin with the support of Turkish armed forces.

Later in the interview, she outlines the position of the Lebanese Communist Party on Syria and speaks about her identity as someone who was born in Syria and how the LCP has no love for the Syrian regime, which has targeted, tortured, and killed LCP members.












Direct download: S5E10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:15am EDT

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the Southern Poverty Law Center's apology to journalists for publishing a post that smeared them for allegedly being in alliance with white supremacists somehow under the influence of Russia. Khalek was one of multiple journalists attacked in this piece.

Later in the episode, they talk about Russian Twitter trolls a newspaper in Milwaukee says fueled a race riot before Donald Trump's election, Democratic senators joining forces with GOP senators to further deregulate Wall Street, and the nomination of deputy CIA director Gina Haspel to head the CIA.

Direct download: S5E9.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:01am EDT

In part two of our episode with journalist Ben Norton, we discuss Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's visit to the United Kingdom and ongoing war in Yemen. Norton addresses the significance a move by a few U.S. senators to withdraw U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war.

Later in the show, Norton talks about Senator Chuck Schumer and Democrats, who spoke at the Israel lobby's conference. The show concludes with discussion of South Korea's success at possibly setting up peace talks between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump.

(*TECHNICAL NOTE: There is a bit of an audio issue in isolated parts of this episode. It is due to a microphone problem, and we apologize for how it may distract from the content of the interview. It should not occur in future episodes.)

Direct download: S5E8_Part_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21pm EDT

Writer Alexander Reid Ross produced an article for the Southern Poverty Law Center's blog, "Hatewatch," that was headlined, "The multipolar spin: how fascists operationalize left-wing resentment." It mentioned Rania Khalek, Ben Norton, and journalist Max Blumenthal, who has been a guest on this show multiple times.

The article, which equates left-wing antiwar and anti-imperialist journalism and commentary with fascism, was taken down from SPLC's site with little to no explanation.

Journalist Ben Norton, a producer and reporter at The Real News, joined the show in this first part of our two-part episode to talk about the attacks on Rania, Max, and him, which have escalated in the past week.

Norton and Khalek dig into the origins of vitriol against journalists whose work counters support for the international war on Syria.

Later in Part 1, Norton and Khalek address socialist factions in the United States and their positions on Syria and what animates their politics. Both pivot to the Middle East to examine left-wing factions and sectarian politics, where similar attacks are deployed.

(*Technical Note: There is an echo in five or six points in the first part. It never lasts for more than a few seconds, but that stems from a microphone issue. We apologize for how it may distract from the content of the interview.)

Direct download: S5E8_Part1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:35pm EDT

Host Kevin Gosztola was in Augusta, Georgia, during the past week to cover a hearing in NSA contractor Reality Winner's case. It was his first time in the city, and he describes the setting as an unintentionally appropriate backdrop for the government's prosecution. So, host Rania Khalek interviewed him.

The downtown area is an example of what towns look like in late-stage capitalism. There are also several Confederate monuments (Gosztola talks about one that shocks Khalek.) Then, there is a Georgia Cyber Training And Innovation Center that will be a hub of private and public partnerships between security corporations and the U.S. security apparatus, including the NSA.

Gosztola also shares some of what he witnessed at the hearing, like how the Federal Justice Center is very fortified compared to other courthouses. He addresses the lack of national media coverage of what unfolded at her hearing to suppress statements she made to FBI agents.

Later in the show, Khalek and Gosztola highlight the teachers strike in West Virginia, which leads them to the closure of more black public schools in Chicago. That leads Khalek to wonder: why is Rahm Emanuel still Chicago mayor?

Direct download: S5E7.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:20am EDT

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