Unauthorized Disclosure

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou to the podcast. He is a writer and the host of the "Loud and Clear" radio show.

Kiriakou briefly recounts how he blew the  whistle on the Bush administration's use of waterboarding and was the target of a leak prosecution. He was in prison for nearly two years. 

He addresses some of the whistleblower's allegations, as well as whether it actually shows that President Donald Trump wouldn't provide military aid to Ukraine if the government didn't help him investigate Joe Biden's son. 

We get into the issue of impeachment and what led Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to do an about-face and allow an inquiry to begin. 

Later in the episode, Kiriakou responds to the New York Times' decision to publish information that outed the whistleblower as a CIA employee, who worked in the Trump White House. 

We raise the issue of the military aid to Ukraine and how it is aimed at potentially provoking Russia, as well as how Democrats like Adam Schiff  have not been supportive of whistleblowers.

In the final part of the interview, Kiriakou discusses the case of Daniel Hale, an alleged drone whistleblower, and how the government uses his case to ensure whistleblowers cannot put on a defense when they face Espionage Act charges.

Direct download: S6E33.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:11am EDT

Host Rania Khalek, along with journalists Max Blumenthal and Anya Parampil, were condemned for traveling  to Damascus, Syria, to report on recent developments in the country.

Both Rania and Max have been targeted before by these individuals who have forced or  attempted to force the cancellation of their speaking events. They have rendered them toxic to publishers so their journalism does not reach a wider audience.

Previously, on "Unauthorized Disclosure" we've talked about this relentless unending campaign that Rania must confront.

Rania responded, "All the bullying and intimidation is meant to stifle attempts at  reporting the reality of the government areas where the overwhelming majority of Syrians live. If Americans saw the reality, the regime change narrative would collapse right away.”

This is a 37-minute segment where host Kevin Gosztola leads listeners through what unfolded.

It includes comments from Rania, but she was unable to participate in the production of this segment because she is busy producing videos and interviews that feature what she learned from her recent trip. Oh, and she's working to make sure this faction does not succeed in shutting her down.

Kevin goes through his article that documents who attacked Rania and Max and why their attacks have no merit. It synthesizes various streams from Twitter that reflect the meltdown.

We have to defend Rania and support the critical work she does, especially on conflicts and political developments in the Middle East.

If you want to challenge this faction that obsesses over Rania and diminish the effect of their smear campaign(s), become a patron here.

Direct download: S6-RaniaReturnsToDamascus.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:40pm EDT

For this week's episode, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola spend the episode answering questions and discussing comments from patrons.

The show's hosts begin by talking about books. They share some of their favorites and talk a bit about what they they're reading currently. They get into whether it matters if you get your analysis of issues or politics from books or podcasts.

Later in the show, they discuss how Twitter has impacted their work as radical independent journalists. Rania responds to a question about the similarity between those who attack people for opposing regime change against Iran and those who attack people for opposing regime change against Syria.

The show concludes with further discussion of journalists and what leads them to be driven by narratives over more objective facts. And then there's a few minutes on Stephen King and horror films.

Direct download: S6E32.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:05pm EDT

*The episode was made available early for patrons. Thank you for making this show possible.

The backdrop for this week's episode is especially grim. Forests are burning throughout the global south from the Amazon to the Congo basin.

Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss our burning planet. But the episode is far from depressing.

In the latter part of the episode, they discuss the media plan put out by Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign, which gives them hope because the collapse of journalism should be a political issue during the 2020 primary.

And in the first half of the show, the hosts talk about Dave Chappelle's Netflix special. They both laughed and enjoyed it and push back on much of the outrage while having a larger conversation about politics in comedy. 


Direct download: S6E31.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:09pm EDT

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