Charles Derber is a professor of sociology at Boston College. He is currently collaborating on some work with Noam Chomsky, and he joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast to discuss a book he co-authored, "Moving Beyond Fear: Upending the Security Tales in Capitalism, Fascism, and Democracy."

The book outlines how elites manufacture security stories and protect their own wealth and power. Derber describes how this method of managing populations goes all the way back to the days of feudalism.

While it is abundantly clear how President Donald Trump names so-called enemies to solidify control over his base, it may be less obvious how establishment Democrats use this method to protect their power as well. Derber assesses how Democrats wield security stories and why they may find them useful.

Later in the show, Derber talks about the role of the "professional managerial class" and the reality that elites ignore particular threats that are real because to acknowledge them would threaten their power.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Max Ajl, who is a doctoral student in development studies at Cornell University. He speaks to them from Tunisia, where he is conducting research on the environment and agriculture as it relates to decolonization and post-colonial development.

Ajl discusses the Green New Deal, backed by numerous progressives, and offers a constructive critique that takes into account the impact of climate change on the global south.

During the interview, Ajl describes the origins of the Green New Deal and the limits of what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are proposing. But Ajl notes that many issues like climate debt and developmental aid for countries is missing in this America-focused plan.

Ajl addresses how the Green New Deal fails to deal with the massive pollution from the U.S. military industrial-complex and contends that this represents a larger issue with much of the U.S. left, which can be Eurocentric in their support for global policies.

And Ajl assesses the impact of US policies that have exacted an impact on countries in the global south and then outlines the kind of considerations that need to be made so that a collective response to climate disruption is inclusive and internationalist in its goals.

Overall, Ajl maintains we should not fight the Green New Deal. We should struggle to put issues on the table and seize an opportunity to develop a much stronger plan for dealing with global climate change.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola spend the full episode going through parts of the indictment against WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange. They react to his expulsion from the Ecuador embassy in the United Kingdom and how British police entered the embassy to drag him out to a police van.

Kevin, who has covered Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, and WikiLeaks since 2010, addresses how much of the indictment makes the case that Assange "aided" and "abetted" "espionage," even though what was charged is a computer crime. Contrary to what much of the U.S. establishment press contended, the Justice Department is targeting the publication of information. This case has troubling implications for world press freedom.

Later in the show, Rania and Kevin talk about whether the US will succeed in extraditing Assange and Ecuador's betrayal. The country granted Assange asylum, as well as citizenship, and then discarded him to be snatched up by the United States. Clearly, they are no longer an independent state. Their rulers are serving U.S. interests and not the Ecuadorian people or global human rights.

In one of their more free-ranging episodes of the year, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss censorship against Max Blumenthal by owners of the Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.

They talk about the latest developments involving Chelsea Manning, who has now been in jail for nearly a month as she continues her resistance against a grand jury investigation into WikiLeaks. Chelsea was in prolonged solitary confinement but released into general population this past week.

Rania and Kevin also comment on Joe Biden, including commentary from an Atlantic writer who attacked one of the latest people to accuse Biden of inappropriate touching by pointing out she loves Russia.

And during the middle of the show, they read a few comments and questions from patrons.

Note: There will be a break next week, but the show will be back after this short break.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by journalist Aaron Maté to talk about the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into President Donald Trump's campaign. Mueller was unable to establish that "members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”

Maté, a contributor to The Nation, was one of the few journalists who consistently questioned the Trump-Russia narrative, and he made the rounds this past week to several shows to discuss the death of Russiagate. We're very grateful that he stopped by "Unauthorized Disclosure."

This week he wrote, "RIP, Russiagate," for The Nation.

During the show, Maté talks about what it was like to be one of the few journalists in the United States media to cover the Mueller investigation responsibly. He highlights some of the media reaction to the end of the investigation, particularly among pundits desperate to keep the conspiracy alive.

We discuss how Russiagate will probably never go away entirely and why it was dangerous for Democrats to push it. Maté addresses how Democrats, especially staff from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, were so invested in pushing the Trump-Russia narrative.

And Maté reminds us that it was not only CNN and MSNBC that fueled this panic. To some degree, various progressive media outlets had journalists who bought into Russiagate as well.  

Journalist Ben Norton, who helps run The Grayzone, was in Venezuela for nearly 4 weeks from early February to early March. He talks with us about what he saw on the ground and how what he witnessed compares to what is reported in Western establishment news media.

Ben describes some of the enthusiasm among Venezuelans for political engagement in democracy. He also addresses some of the myths surrounding colectivos, which are self-defense organizations in communities in Venezuela.

Later in the show, Ben outlines "Regime Change Inc," which are the forces that are deployed inside and outside Venezuela pushing for the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro. He discusses what Venezuelans would like the government to do with members of a right-wing opposition that are intent on destabilizing the country.

We wrap the show with some conversation about what may have happened with Venezuela's electric grid and the major power outages that occurred.

In this week's episode, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola spend the first half of the episode replying to patrons, who suggested topics for discussion, including strikes by teachers unions and the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Then they talk about CNN and how they spent multiple days attacking Tulsi Gabbard after her town hall—all because she strays from the script provided to them by officials in the US foreign policy establishment, particularly when it comes to what she calls regime change wars.

And in the final part of the episode, they highlight how Chelsea Manning has been in a county jail for a week because she refused to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.

In this discussion episode, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola react to how the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives singled out Ilhan Omar this past week. Many politicians and commentators spent several days attributing words to Omar that she did not say, all so they could attack her for anti-Semitism and discourage her from speaking out against the influence of AIPAC.

Later in the show, Kevin talks about attending Bernie Sanders' kickoff rally in Chicago for his 2020 presidential campaign. Rania asks if the powers that be would ever let someone like Sanders be president.

This is the second part our interview with Dan Cohen, a reporter for RT America who recently returned from Colombia, where he covered the forced aid delivery at the Venezuela border.

We talk to Dan about "Killing Gaza," a documentary film that he worked on with journalist Max Blumenthal. It was censored by the Bluestockings Bookstore in New York because a small group of people complained to the bookstore about Max's work on the war in Syria.

Later, we talk about state-funded media, and Dan highlights the report he co-authored for the Grayzone Project, "The Making of Juan Guaido: How The U.S. Regime Change Laboratory Created Venezuela's Coup Leader."

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Dan Cohen, a reporter for RT America who was at the Colombia-Venezuela border to cover the U.S. government's forced delivery of so-called humanitarian aid on February 23.

Cohen describes what he witnessed. He also talks about Venezuela Aid Live, the concert put on by billionaire Richard Branson the day before the confrontation over aid. 

Later in the episode, Cohen recalls his interactions with poor and working class Venezuelans in Cucuta, which spoke to him about why they left their home country. He recounts his attempt to question Elliott Abrams, special envoy to Venezuela, when Abrams walked by him in Washington, D.C.

Cohen specifically outlines why the U.S. government is intent to deliver aid—getting it across the border likely will mean the "political death" of President Nicolas Maduro, since it will show he no longer has sovereignty over the country. 

As a special presentation from "Unauthorized Disclosure," here is the full interview CNN correspondent Drew Griffin conducted with J. Ray Sparks, the chief operating officer of Maffick Media, and Rania Khalek, a contributor to In The Now, which is owned by Maffick Media.

On February 11, the interview took place in Berlin, where Maffick Media is based. Short clips from the interview were used in a video report, and several quotes were included in a print report that appeared on CNN.com on February 15 under the headline: “Russia backs a viral video aimed at American millennials.”

Maffick Media management became aware that CNN was contacting associates of Maffick. They reached out on February 5 to Curt Devine and Donie O’Sullivan, two reporters that were trying to uncover dirt on Maffick Media.

Sparks indicated they would be willing to make individuals available to CNN and shared facts with CNN that related to their funding from the Russia government and the editorial structure of In The Now.

The interview offers a rare window into the mind of a US establishment journalist, who only is able to see the world through the framework of "Russia must be responsible for pockets of dissent in the country" or "the Kremlin must be behind whatever is wrong with America's current politics."

We expect this to become an important artifact of the "Russiagate" era in US history.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola put together this response to CNN's report on a Russia-backed video company, where Rania works.

A U.S.-funded think tank in Germany, the German Marshall Fund, went to CNN, and together, they convinced Facebook to suspend video channel pages that are owned by Maffick Media—including Soapbox. (You may have seen Soapbox videos from Rania, such as this one on Venezuela.)

Rania recounts how CNN went digging for dirt on Maffick Media. Management eventually reached out to CNN and informed them that they knew what CNN journalists were doing. They granted CNN access and agreed to answer just about any question CNN had about the company.

Kevin describes the German Marshall Fund, who is affiliated it, and why it is significant that the think tank came after In The Now. It is far less transparent in its promotion of a Hamilton 68 "tracker" to uncover alleged Russian influence operations than Maffick Media is with their videos.

Rania and Kevin note that CNN's investigation was pretty poor. They did not turn up much of anyhing, but they achieved censorship, which is what matters. This has real ramifications for Rania and whether she may keep her job.

Even more significantly, CNN keeps churning out reports that fuel panic over all things Russia because it is profitable. Russia and the U.S. control 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons. Instead of contributing to a world that can support peace between these two powerful countries, CNN serves the agenda of U.S. intelligence and military officials.

***

Further Reading

How CNN Led Facebook To Censor The Pages Of Russia-Backed Video Company And Manufactured A News Story

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Christina Schiavoni, who is a food sovereignty activist and doctoral researcher at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. She has engaged in solidarity work in Venezuela and focuses on food issues, and she lived in a working class community in Caracas from early 2016 to 2018.

Schiavoni describes how she became involved in activism around food sovereignty in Venezuela. She addresses the issues of food shortages and who owns most of the major food companies. She also grapples with the lack of diversification in Venezuela's economy.

Later in the interview, Schiavoni talks about food aid that is handed out to poor and working class Venezuelans by the government. She outlines the impact of sanctions and provides an explanation for why the government may not want to allow the humanitarian aid from President Donald Trump's administration to enter Venezuela.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome author Barry Eisler to the show. He spent three years in a covert position with the CIA's Directorate of Operations, and he has written several best-selling espionage novels. His most recent book is The Killer Collective.

During the show, Eisler talks about developing the story for Killer Collective. He is an avid reader and supporter of independent news media and describes how news headlines and perspectives from these sources influence his work.

Eisler recently tweeted, "I could spend all day tweeting about Putin hysteria. It’s become that omnipresent. For many liberals, there are no other frameworks for understanding reality anymore. Putin the Puppet Master has eclipsed everything else." He talks about this framework, as well as "information laundering," which establishment news media outlets do constantly.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined this week by educator and journalist Roberto Lovato. In 2015, he wrote the article, "The Making Of Leopoldo Lopez," for Foreign Policy.

Recently, he contributed a piece to Latino Rebels on the appointment of Elliott Abrams to represent the Trump administration as special envoy to Venezuela (particularly, the opposition).

Lovato, who is of Salvadoran descent, describes the dread he experienced when the former State Department official implicated in massacres in El Salvador in the 1980s was given a job by President Donald Trump's administration to help advance their agenda in Venezuela. He recalls bearing witness to a mass grave.

Later in the show, Lovato recalls what happened to him when he went to Venezuela to report on Lopez, the opposition leader who is a folk hero to many international human rights groups and Western media outlets. He highlights when he was threatened by a member of the opposition. When he returned home, a State Department employee gave him a creepy phone call.

Lovato also highlights some of the individuals in the opposition, who have ties to neo-fascists.

*Thank you to our patrons for supporting our show, and thanks for listening to the interview. If you like what you hear, become a patron.

In a special episode, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola stand up to a slew of smear attacks against Rania for speaking out on the attempted coup in Venezuela.

Particularly, journalists like Michael Weiss of The Daily Beast, Yashar Ali of Huffington Post, and Casey Michel of Think Progress attacked members of Congress who interacted with her tweets on Venezuela. They labeled her a "Russian propagandist" to further isolate and make them denounce her.

Rania's Wikipedia page was defaced around January 28. It was brought to editors' attention. A slanderous sentence was removed from the top of her page and then re-inserted further down. It was then locked making it difficult for anyone to remove what was added. She had to wait for nearly a half of a day before it was deleted altogether, and her page still going through maintenance so it conforms with Wikipedia's standards and does not attack her reputation.

This has lasted for about a week. In the words of Kevin, this sustained campaign of attacks are an effort to silence a strong and effective woman journalist who is unapologetic in her anti-imperial views. She agitated for members of Congress to come out against President Donald Trump's support for a coup in Venezuela, and it worked because multiple representatives responded to her favorably. That deeply upset those in media who despise her.

We spend nearly an hour going through several of the attacks. Most importantly, we give Rania space to deal with what she has endured. Nobody is going to shut Rania down on "Unauthorized Disclosure."

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola talk about what is unfolding in Venezuela, where Juan Guaido and the right-wing opposition refuse to recognize Nicolas Maduro as president. They have the support of President Donald Trump's administration and aim to overthrow Maduro.

Later in the show, the hosts shift to Tulsi Gabbard's announcement on CNN in the past week, where she said she will run for president in 2020. Both of the hosts challenge the media's reaction, as well as the left's reaction, while breaking down several of her strengths and flaws as a candidate.

Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are glad to be back for another season of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast.

For the first episode of the year, journalist and Nation contributor Aaron Maté joins the show to talk about a recent article he wrote, "New Studies Show Pundits Are Wrong About Russian Social Media Involvement in US Politics."

Maté highlights several aspects of reports on alleged Russian influence in the 2016 election that were co-signed by members of Congress. They show marketing campaigns were small, amateurish, and mostly unrelated to the election.

During the show, Maté addresses a recent story about Paul Manafort that was all but retracted entirely and how this happens frequently with "Russiagate" news reports.

The show opens with Maté and the hosts discussing how incredible it is that there were no sonic weapons attacking U.S. embassies in Cuba. It turns out the sounds supposedly making officials ill were crickets.

Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola wrap up this year's season of "Unauthorized Disclosure" with MintPress News founder and editor-in-chief Mnar Muhawesh.

During the show, they reflect on some of the more pernicious social and political developments in the past year. Mnar talks about censorship by Facebook, Twitter, and other social media companies, and the impact it is having on independent journalists and alternative media outlets, especially the effect on MintPress News.

Later in the show, Mnar and Rania discuss the wars in Yemen and Syria. They take a moment to address the most recent development—President Donald Trump ordering the withdrawal of troops from Syria.

The show ends with Mnar, Rania, and Kevin each highlighting something they believe went significantly under-reported or virtually ignored in the U.S. press, including progressive media.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss yet another round of blaming Russia for dissent. They highlight the protests in France. Then, Gosztola shares how he was accused of helping Putin undermine faith in the rule of the law and the justice system by a think tank in Washington, D.C.

The hosts pay tribute to William Blum. He died at 85 and published work that was essential for anyone interested in fighting U.S. imperialism.

Finally, the hosts talk about the successful Yemen war powers resolution vote in the Senate and how Paul Ryan served the war industry by ensuring the House could not hold a similar vote. 

We recorded last week's show, and then the news came hours later that former President George H.W. Bush died.

As much as people have largely moved on, we could not ignore the media's nauseating revisionist portraits of who Bush was as a public figure. So we spend a large part of the show offering a kind of antidote to what was broadcast and published about Bush.

Later in the show, Rania Khalek highlights a Pew Research Center poll that shows how young people's views on U.S. foreign policy and military dominance in the world are dramatically different from their parents and grandparents.

The show concludes with a bit of discussion about Beto O'Rourke and Clinton people insisting there's some conspiracy by supporters of Bernie Sanders to tarnish him before he runs for president in 2020.

For this week's show, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola rage against CNN for firing Marc Lamont Hill over comments he made before a United Nations committee on Palestinians and their struggle against Israeli military occupation.

They talk about a vote in the U.S. Senate, where a war powers resolution to end U.S. military involvement in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen moved forward.

Later in the show, the hosts highlight a piece in POLITICO that was published by an unnamed author to promote a wild conspiracy theory about Russia planting a Paul Manafort-Julian Assange story in the Guardian.


[*Note: Unfortunately, we recorded less than 24 hours before former President George H.W. Bush's death was reported. We have plenty to say about his legacy and the response to his death. It will be nothing like what you're hearing on cable news networks, and we'll share our thoughts next episode.]

Gregory Shupak, author of "The Wrong Story: Palestine, Israel, and the Media," joins the show to discuss his book that sharply critiques how establishment and left-of-center media cover the Israeli military occupation.

He organizes his criticism into three categories: how the media promotes this idea that "both sides" are equally responsible for violence, how the media pushes this idea that all would be resolved if extremists were eliminated from power, and how the media argue Israel has a right to defend itself to justify any sort of warfare against Palestinians.

Later, Shupak talks about recent examples of media coverage because this past week Israel launched more air strikes on Gaza.

It feels like it was way, way more than a month since host Rania Khalek was last heard from on "Unauthorized Disclosure." Finally, she is done making mini-documentaries and was able to do a show again.

Both Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the 2018 midterm elections, including ballot initiatives that passed. They criticize the Democrats for not doing more to fight voter suppression and talk about how they lost several seats in the U.S. Senate.

Aside from the elections, they recap some of what they missed an opportunity to talk about in October. Both also have good rants in response to CNN's Jim Acosta, who had his White House press pass revoked.

Joanildo Burity is a lead researcher at the Social Research Institute at Fundação Joaquim Nabuco. He is near the east coast of Brazil. His work involves research projects and post-graduate teaching in the areas of Brazilian and Latin American politics and religion and politics.

During the interview, Burity provides his initial analysis for why the far-right candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, was able to win the election. He provides a brief rundown of what led up to the election, which includes mention of the police forces that were deployed to universities to investigate election materials that teachers unions were sharing.

He talks about the issue of how Brazil's democracy is young and faces a particular threat to its institutions, as well as the threats posed to the Amazon rain forest and other natural lands that Bolsonaro is intent to sell off to mining or logging corporations. He describes the threat to workers and their livelihoods.

Finally, Burity shares his views on whether or not Brazil could return to military dictatorship (whether the threat is real) and notes the role the American right, including Steve Bannon, played in Bolsonaro's rise to power.

Bernard Harcourt, author of The Counterrevolution: How Our Government Went To War Against Its Own Citizens, joins the show for a conversation on President Donald Trump and what Bernard calls the Counterrevolution.

He outlines counterinsurgency and its objectives and how it accelerated after the September 11th attacks to become a form of government in the United States.

We discuss how Trump and his administration is counterinsurgency on steroids and highlight Cesar Sayoc, who was arrested for allegedly sending mail-bombs to targets of Trump's vitriol.

For this week's episode, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss recent attacks on Max Blumenthal and his journalism on Nicaragua. They became especially vicious in the past couple weeks, as The Guardian and Buzzfeed wrongly accused Blumenthal of having a Guardian freelancer Carl David Goette-Luciak deported from the country.

Also, former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery for killing Laquan McDonald. Gosztola, who is based in Chicago, highlights some of what happened during Van Dyke's trial.

In this week's episode, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola highlight some of what was said at the UN General Assembly, particularly by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.

They, of course, spend some time on the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testified.

Later in the show, the hosts talk about Democratic candidate for governor in Florida, Andrew Gillum, and what he had to say about Venezuela. They revisit the issue of progressives being progressive except when it comes to other countries in the world.

Both share some personal updates during the show as well.

In this additional segment from Mike Prysner and Spenser Rapone, hosts of the "Eyes Left" podcast, we talk about the U.S. military's colonization of sports, particularly the NFL.

Then we discuss the Veterans Affairs Department and why it is important to care about the dysfunction and systemic problems with the agency.

Finally, Prysner updates listeners on the status of "Empire Files" with Abby Martin. He is a producer on the show, and the show recently lost all funding from Telesur in Venezuela as a result of sanctions from President Donald Trump's administration.

Hosts of the "Eyes Left" podcast join the show to talk about creating the conditions for more resistance within the United States military.

Spenser Rapone, known as the "Commie Cadet," spoke out for NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and expressed his support for left-wing politics. He was issued an other-than-honorable discharge nearly one year ago.

Michael Prysner is an antiwar activist, who enlisted in the military following the 9/11 attacks, and a producer of the "Empire Files."

Together, they share their thoughts on antiwar organizing under President Donald Trump and whether the terrain has shifted considerably since President Barack Obama was in office. They share their back stories, address the never-ending war in Afghanistan, discuss U.S. support for a right-wing coup in Venezuela, and more.

In this week's episode, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss latest developments in Idlib in Syria, where al Qaida "rebels" face attacks from Syrian government forces supported by Russia. President Donald Trump's administration, especially through US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, has pounded the table constantly in the past week and threatened war if those forces are attacked.

Later in the show, the hosts talk about national security adviser John Bolton and his attack on the International Criminal Court. Particularly, the hosts focus on how the U.S. government has never really supported the court and Bolton is, for the most part, hostilely expressing a policy that has been long-held by the government.

In Part 2 of our interview with investigative journalist Yasha Levine, we discuss the power Silicon Valley corporations like Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc, are claiming to engage in censorship and how troubling it is to see liberals cheer corporations.

Later in the show, Levine recalls attacks he experienced for investigating the Tor Project, a popular tool for protecting one's privacy on the internet. He addresses the issue of journalists and how they should respond to constant surveillance enabled by tech corporations.

Levine argues there needs to be a political solution that shifts the culture around privacy, but that cannot and will not come from Silicon Valley.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview investigative journalist Yasha Levine about his book, "Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History Of The Internet," which was released this year.

There are two parts to the interview. In Part 1, Levine describes how the origin of the internet is rooted in the United States military. It was developed for counterinsurgency and anti-communism efforts. This is a narrative that is typically missing when the history of the internet is told.

Later in the segment, Levine gives a brief history of Google and talks about the CIA's support for Google Earth. He also discusses the amazing power that Google's search streams give the corporation.

[NOTE: Part 2 will be posted for patrons later tonight. It will be made available for all listeners of the show on Wednesday.]

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola spend most of the episode assessing the media coverage of John McCain's death from brain cancer. They focus on the myth of McCain that was promoted and pretty much adopted across the spectrum from Republicans to progressive Democrats.

They read a few examples of the worst hagiography. Like did you know he wasn't only a "war hero" but also a "climate hero"? And he was even an "anti-racist hero" too?

Toward the end of the episode, Gosztola talks about the national prison strike, and in particular, media coverage by the Marshall Project that promoted the organization's bias against prisoner-led resistance.

***

Thank you to our patrons. At the end of August, we had 182 patrons. We're 18 patrons shy of our goal of 200 patrons. We believe we can get there by October. And we'll plan a special edition for patrons if we reach this goal.

On the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Sarah Smith, a Democratic Party candidate running for Congress in Washington's 9th District. She recently beat the Republican to qualify for the general election against the incumbent, Democratic Representative Adam Smith.

Sarah Smith is both a member of the local Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America. She's run a scrappy grassroots campaign that consists of all volunteers. She also has garnered a reputation as a rare antiwar candidate in the 2018 midterm elections because she views foreign policy as a top issue.

For Part 2 of our interview with Sarah Smith, she discusses her views about the Democratic Party, what she thinks about Democrats who claim corporate money does not influence them, and how she views the Democratic National Committee's recent decision to encourage donations from the employer political action committees of fossil fuel companies.

Later, she shares what she thinks about Democrats, who believe in climate change but will not act meaningfully to combat disruption to the climate. She also talks about why disability rights is a top issue for her campaign.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Sarah Smith, a Democratic Party candidate running for Congress in Washington's 9th District.

She recently beat the Republican to qualify for the general election against the incumbent, Democratic Representative Adam Smith.

Sarah Smith is both a member of the local Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America. She's run a scrappy grassroots campaign that consists of all volunteers. She also has garnered a reputation as a rare antiwar candidate in the 2018 midterm elections because she views foreign policy as a top issue.

In Part 1 of our interview with Sarah Smith, we talk about why she decided to run, why foreign policy is so important to her campaign, and what she thinks about the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel for its occupation of Palestine.

Later, the show's hosts get her thoughts about the war economy, Puerto Rico, and the head tax proposal in Seattle to raise funds for affordable housing, which Amazon defeated.

*Part 2 will be posted on August 22.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the latest bloodshed caused by Israeli military forces and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition backed by the United States, which continues to wage war on Yemen. They wonder if there's some kind of competition.

The episode highlights the assassination attempt against Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, as well as the media coverage of the attempt.

Later in the show, the hosts talk about Alex Jones and the several platforms that banned him and the recent round of primaries, which much of the media treated as a signal that socialism was rejected by voters.

In the final minutes, Rania and Kevin review the August 5 episode of Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?".

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome journalist Max Blumenthal, the editor of the Grayzone Project and co-host of the podcast, Moderate Rebels. He recently returned from a reporting trip in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua has experienced violence over the past months, as opponents of President Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas launched an insurrection back in April.

The U.S. government, as Blumenthal reported, laid the groundwork for what has unfolded. He also interviewed Ortega.

Blumenthal describes how he was shocked by the "extent of sadistic violence that was meted out against average supporters of the Sandinistas during the period in which the national police were ordered to stay in their barracks."

He recalls meeting one person after another who was tortured, beaten, or kidnapped and how their stories were overwhelming.

Blumenthal also outlines what he found out about the students who Western media have treated as leaders of democratic uprising, when that is not really the case.

Later in the interview, Blumenthal breaks down how opposition groups set up roadblocks to establish zones of control and strangle the country economically.

Blumenthal goes on to discuss how right-wing Republicans, like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, have helped meddle in Nicaragua, and the impact that U.S. sanctions have had.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview journalist Tim Shorrock, who recently returned from a trip to South Korea. He was in Singapore to cover the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un

He has covered Korea since the 1970s. He is a contributor for the Nation and a correspondent for the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism. He has a new piece recently published at the Nation: "An Audacious Proposal for a U.S.-North Korean Alliance."

In the interview, Shorrock describes his background covering North and South Korea, as well as the U.S. military presence in South Korea and the surrounding region. He contextualizes the diplomatic negotiations between Trump and Kim.  

Shorrock provides a history of the armistice that was signed in 1953, which could potentially be used to establish peace. He addresses why South Koreans would not want U.S. troops—30,000 of them—to remain in their country and how South Korea is really responsible for most of the progress toward peace so far.

Later in the show, Shorrock offers a brief history going all the way back to the Korean War,  which highlights the impact of the U.S. war and the ramifications it has had for Koreans seeking peace and democracy in the past decades.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Aaron Maté, a host and producer for The Real News. He has regularly covered Russiagate and all the media coverage around President Donald Trump and Russia for well over a year. And he was a guest on the show five months ago.

During the show, Maté addresses the reaction to the summit with Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. He describes what from the summit does matter and then breaks down what led up to the summit and why there is such a frenzy over it now.

Later, Khalek and Gosztola read multiple tweets and share quotes from liberal Democrats, who have totally lost it. They also wonder what it will take to defeat Trump if this is where Democrats continue to focus.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss how MSNBC gave Jonathan Chait a platform to promote a wild conspiracy theory about President Donald Trump being a Russian asset. They also get into how the network encourages attacks on journalists like Glenn Greenwald, who are skeptical of certain allegations about Russia and the Trump administration.

Later in the show, they talk about media by highlighting the introduction to journalist Seymour Hersh's memoir, "Reporter." They also spend a bit of time talking about Boots Riley's "Sorry To Bother You."

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's incredible victory in New York over a 10-term corporate Democrat, Joe Crowley. They also address the news of Justice Anthony Kennedy's resignation from the Supreme Court.

Gosztola provides an update on Reality Winner's case after traveling to Augusta, Georgia, to cover a hearing, where she pled guilty.

Matthew Hoh, a former Marine and diplomat from the State Department who resigned in protest over the Afghanistan War, joins the show this week.

During our interview, he talks about how the U.S. government is dropping a bomb every 12 minutes. He discusses the military industrial-complex under President Donald Trump, as well as under President Barack Obama. He addresses the ongoing war in Yemen.

Later in the show, Hoh describes what it is like for someone to endure post traumatic stress disorder and outlines the scope of the issue for military veterans, especially those with moral injuries. He also comments on news that NSA whistleblower Reality Winner accepted a plea deal.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the massacre of dozens of people in Gaza by Israeli military forces. Khalek talks about the reaction to it and why it may have been different than what typically happens after Israeli violence.

Gosztola and Khalek also talk about the milestone for women in the CIA who have tortured and are pro-torture. Men have been able to run the agency and be pro-torture. But now, after the help of six Democrats, Gina Haspel is CIA director and women will never have to wonder if they can escape accountability for torture like their male counterparts ever again.

Finally, Gosztola highlights the Venezeula elections and a segment on HBO's "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver that was done very poorly.

Gareth Porter, investigative journalist and author of "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare," joins the show to talk about the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

Porter addresses recent events involving the backlash to President Donald Trump's decision, as well as Israel's military strikes on Iranian targets in Syria.

He outlines the threat of war with Iran and discusses his report, "The Latest Act in Israel's Iran Nuclear Disinformation Campaign," which was published at Consortium News.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola navigate Rania's travel schedule to continue the show — without taking a break!

During this week's episode, Khalek and Gosztola talk about Benjamin Netanyahu's latest propaganda on Iran aimed at sinking the Iran nuclear deal.

Later in the show, the hosts take an opportunity to discuss Michelle Wolf and the backlash to it, even though they know full well the news media has moved on from it all. They also highlight a few other stories that have flown under the radar.

To become a patron, please go here and support the show for $3/month or more.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola open the show by talking about the unhinged and idiotic reaction to Rania's appearance on Katie Halper's show, which Katie handled well.

Then the show's hosts discuss what has unfolded with MSNBC host Joy Reid, her homophobic posts from the late 2000s, and her claims that her blog was hacked.

The episode wraps with some talk about the proposed authorized use of military force (AUMF) by Senators Bob Corker and Tim Kaine, which further enables perpetual war.

Our guest this week is Ryan Cooper, a national correspondent for The Week. He's also the co-author of a policy paper for the People's Policy Project called "Foreclosed: Destruction Of Black Wealth Under the Obama Presidency."

We talk about the exuberance and reverence for former FBI director James Comey and his new book among The Resistance™ to Donald Trump.

Then, Cooper addresses the ways in which neoliberal Democrats have contributed to GOP efforts to dismantle financial regulations and the impact this will have on poor and working class black Americans.

Later in the show, Cooper highlights his policy paper, "Foreclosed," and what happened to black homeowners under President Barack Obama.

The episode concludes with discussion about the Democrats' continued focus on Trump-Russia allegations and what this means for the midterm elections.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola address the madness around Syria and President Donald Trump's latest round of military strikes.

Gosztola has Khalek provide a context that is sorely missing in the U.S. press. Together they break down all the issues with jumping to the conclusions that there was incontrovertible proof that the Syrian government was behind an alleged chemical attack.

The conversation continues with talk about Arab voices shilling for more war, as well as human rights organizations that fuel the climate for military action. Gosztola talks about how Democrats were largely silent in the run-up to the strikes, as well as how Democrats failed for the past decade to assert authority over war powers—and that is part of why Trump was able to launch strikes without coming to Congress first.

Finally, Gosztola and Khalek set their sights on a few media pundits and skewer their commentary on Syria.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the Great Return March by Palestinians and how Israeli forces gunned down more than a dozen demonstrators. They talk about police killing Stephon Clark in Sacramento and how Louisiana refused to charge any officers responsible for killing Alton Sterling. 

On a much lighter note, Gosztola wraps the show by going through an official Democratic Party survey he filled out.

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.***

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.

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.

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.)

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.)

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?

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Aaron Maté to counter the media frenzy around Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the investigation into alleged election interference by Russia.

Maté addresses how politicians and commentators are comparing the information operation described in Mueller's indictment of 13 Russian nationals to Pearl Harbor or the 9/11 attacks. He recounts how Facebook investigated ads purchased by Russians during the 2016 Election but Democrats disapproved of the company's conclusions.

Much of the alleged scandal started with claims that Russians hacked the election, but now, it has shifted to Russians meddled by abusing social media to sway voters. Maté talks about the narrative and how U.S. media advances this narrative around Russia and the 2016 Election with extremely thin evidence.

Later in the show, Maté discusses how Democrats decided to pin their hopes of opposing Donald Trump to blaming Russia for Hillary Clinton's loss. He contends one of the consequences is suppressing anyone who challenges the Democratic Party—including the foreign policy agenda which both Democrats and Republicans support.

Host Kevin Gosztola interviews whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg about his recent book, "Doomsday Machine: Confessions Of a Nuclear War Planner."

Ellsberg, who is most known for leaking the Pentagon Papers, worked as a consultant for the Defense Department, and he even drafted a set of nuclear war plans for Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in the early 1960s.

His book recounts his journey as he discovered how close a nuclear strike by the United States government or a war between the U.S. and Soviet government could bring the Earth's population to near-extinction.

In the interview, Ellsberg highlights how he came to learn the military's estimate for how many hundreds of millions of people would die if a nuclear attack was launched. He describes how there was no way to call back pilots if an execute order was given. He shares how his father refused to be part of the production of the H-bomb and talks about how he had classified documents on nuclear matters, which he planned to release until they were tragically lost.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola address a Daily Beast piece claiming to "expose" the Russian-funded Redfish, a grassroots media project where Khalek briefly worked. Khalek talks about the sheer disingenuousness nature of this attack. 

Later in the show, Khalek and Gosztola discuss recent airstrikes by the United States against pro-government forces in Syria and how the U.S. media went along with the idea that this was "self-defense." They also talk about President Donald Trump's desire to hold a gaudy and lavish military parade, as well as another news story about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 Election.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola pay tribute to investigative journalist Robert Parry, who founded Consortium News and died recently. 

They also address President Donald Trump's plans to develop more nuclear weapons and the latest developments in NSA whistleblower Reality Winner's case.

And with great distress, they talk about Devin Nunes' goddamn stupid fucking memo — because they suppose they had no choice but to mention it.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome Karen Smith, an organizer with the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC). She is also part of the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons. She joins the show to provide an update on Operation PUSH, which is a prison strike that is currently ongoing at several facilities in Florida.

Following Smith's interview, we speak to Marbella Chavez, an organizer with the Coalition Against the Elkhart County Immigration Detention Center. CoreCivic, a private prison contractor, planned to build a center in Elkhart County, Indiana. However, as Chavez describes, several from the community came together to build opposition to CoreCivic and stopped the company from building a new facility.

In the season 5 premiere of "Unauthorized Disclosure," hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview Mickey Huff, who is the director of Project Censored. He is co-host of "The Project Censored Show" and works on an annual book that includes the Top 25 Censored Stories each year.

Huff describes the work of Project Censored for those unfamiliar the effort. He discusses the issue of Facebook, Google, and these massive conglomerates that control technology we depend on to get news and information. He addresses the prevalent issue of "fake news" but notes it has existed for decades as propaganda.

We dive deeper into how the media continues to move the goalposts in its allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election and why it has such a stranglehold over political discussions.

Later in the show, Khalek and Gosztola highlight two examples of "Censored" stories from the 2016-2017 book that was released last year.

Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola bid farewell to 2017 in the season's finale.

During the show, the hosts talk about Donald Trump's foreign policy and what liberal imperialists and neoconservatives disliked about Trump's first year.

We celebrate what parts of Trump's agenda grassroots resistance was able to stall while addressing where opposition really faces an intense struggle.

At one point in the show, Rania takes a true-false quiz based on the Trump administration's environmental policy.

Happy New Year!

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview Todd Miller, the author of Storming the Wall: Climate Change, Migration, and Homeland Security. It was published by City Lights Books in September and was praised by Bill McKibben, Christian Parenti, and Dahr Jamail, who has appeared on this podcast multiple times.

Miller traveled to the Philippines, Honduras, Guatemala, the Mexico-Guatemala border, the United States-Mexico border, and Paris. There he observed and met individuals witnessing the escalating impacts of climate change on their communities. He also attended multiple expos or conventions, where people from the security-industrial complex spoke about how they are preparing for climate change—in order to control borders and make profits off future calamities.

During the hour-long interview, Miller discusses the "21st Century Border," as well as the concept of "Prevention Through Deterrence"—how countries deter migration by increasing the potential for death. He highlights what he observed in the Philippines and recalls his experience at Milipol, a massive Homeland Security expo he attended in Paris days after ISIS attacked the city and around the time the Paris climate agreement was deliberated over by much of the world.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss President Donald Trump and his administration's plans to move the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. They also comment on the tax bill and react to Senator Al Franken's resignation over sexual harassment allegations.

Khalek, who is involved in a new project called Redfish, is currently based in Berlin. She talks about what she is working on for the project and the culture shock she is experiencing as she adjusts to Germany.

Finally, the show's hosts raise the issue of Patreon's changes, which will shift the fees creators were paying to patrons. It is outrageous, and they mention a way patrons will be able to support the show without going through Patreon.

Dan Berger, author of Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing In the Civil Rights Era, is our guest on the show this week. He joins the show to talk about his contribution to Rebellious Mourning: The Collective Work Of Grief. This is the second interview in a current series on grief and loss in organizing.

Berger describes prison as a "grievous institution" and talks about the AIDS organizing that went on in prisons in the 1980s. It was revolutionary and saved countless lives and contains many lessons for a political moment in which grief and loss seems to surround us all to a greater extent every day.

In the discussion portion, Kevin Gosztola talks about the tax bill that passed through the Senate and how we should be mindful of the fact that Democrats have been in this situation before. They could not stop corporate tax cuts under President George W. Bush, and most of what passed was never repealed.

Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola start the show talking about the Keystone XL pipeline, which gushed 210,000 gallons of oil into South Dakota because, who knew that was probably going to happen?

It is a rather bleak open that leads into a conversation about Russia Today and the Justice Department coercing the foreign media outlet to register as a foreign agent. Then, they talk about the frenzy around Donald Trump Jr's correspondence with WikiLeaks that was terribly overblown and dominated by what the CIA would like the public to think about the media organization.

Finally, the show's hosts address the rising flood of sexual assault allegations but begin with the cautionary example of Jordan Chariton of Young Turks, who was falsely accused of rape this past week. The Huffington Post did a story based upon vindictive allegations that they later had to take down from their site.

Arab American professor and activist Rania Masri joined the show from Lebanon to talk about Saudi Arabia and how they are holding Saad Hariri, the Lebanese Prime Minister, captive.

In the interview, Masri, a guest for the full episode, breaks down what has unfolded, briefly outlines political responses in Lebanon, what King Mohammed bin Salman may be seeking to accomplish, and how media is whitewashing the regime by treating Salman as a "reform king." She also addresses the blaming of Iran by the Saudis, Israel, or the United States to justify the escalation of tensions among countries.

Later in the show, she recaps the first year of Donald Trump's presidency and how the administration has reinforced the agenda of the Saudi regime.

Host Rania Khalek has mostly finished a transition to a new journalism project and returns to the show.

On this week's episode, hosts Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss 2016, a year that seemingly will never end. The election remains a constant conversation, with the past week dominated by allegations against the Democratic National Committee from Donna Brazile. They both talk about the anniversary of Donald Trump's election or Hillary Clinton's miserable failure.

Later in the show, Khalek discusses Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation in Saudi Arabia and what that may mean. She also addresses the CIA's dump of Osama bin Laden files so it could propagandize people into believing al Qaeda is tied to Iran.

The show concludes with talk about the EPA, climate change, and Joe Ricketts, a vulturous billionaire who shut down DNAinfo.com and The Gothamist because staff at one of the offices successfully unionized.

Cindy Milstein, the editor of Rebellious Mourning: The Collective Work Of Grief, joins the show for an interview on why we should not bury or make private our pain when we are grieving from death or loss as a result of injustice or systemic oppression. She talks about creating space for open grieving, as well as the authoritarian manners in which many citizens are expected to grieve.

Milstein contends that grief can open cracks in the walls of the system and create possibilities for contestation and reconstruction, intervulnerability and strength, empathy and solidarity."

It is the first in a series of interviews from contributors to the collection of essays available from AK Press. 

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss reports that Russia is behind racism, xenophobia, and all other topics that divide Americans and stem from systemic oppression. They also talk about the referendum for independence in Kurdistan, the #TakeAKnee protests by NFL players, St. Louis police waging war on protesters, and more.

In a discussion, posted in addition to a conversation with host Rania Khalek about her reporting in Iraq, hosts Khalek and Kevin Gosztola talk about Hillary Clinton's incredible persistence (she just won't go away), Bernie Sanders' introducing a "Medicare For All" bill with the support of 16 Democratic senators, and The Intercept's coverage of Syria. 

We also introduce a new segment, where we roast someone on social media. 

Host Rania Khalek of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast spent a week with the Yezidi Yezidi Popular Mobilization Forces in newly liberated south Sinjar in August. She learned many Yezidis join the PM to protect their families, defend their towns, and save those in their family captured by ISIS.

Khalek wrote about the stories she heard from Yezidis for "The Grayzone Project." Those she spoke with described tales of genocide and conflict to her, sometimes in utterly horrific detail.

We talk about her time in Iraq with the Yezidi PMF.

As Hurricane Irma hits Florida, we have an interview with Niecee X of the Black Women's Defense League about the organizing work the organization is doing to provide relief for those in the Houston area impacted by Hurricane Harvey. They are particularly focused on women of color and marginalized people, who are neglected and under-served after natural disasters.

During the discussion portion of the show, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola talk about Hurricane Irma, Hillary Clinton's unwanted book tour, and North Korea.

In this abbreviated episode, the show highlights listener comments and covers President Donald Trump's decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan. Particularly, the show focuses upon how President Barack Obama kept the war going and takes to task Democrats who are meekly pledging to demand specifics to ensure Trump's strategy works. The specifics that matter are the statistics that reflect the human toll - the number of civilians killed, the children killed in airstrikes, the number of refugees who have fled, etc.

On this week's show, we interview Juan Demetrixx, an organizer of Howard University Resist, and Jared Ware, journalist and producer of the "Beyond Prisons" podcast. Demetrixx talks about what he witnessed on the ground in Charlottesville a little more than a week ago. Ware highlights Redneck Revolt, one of a large contingent of left-wing groups that was present in Charlottesville.

Later in the interview, Demetrixx and Ware share their perspectives on confronting or challenging white supremacists and the response of Donald Trump's administration to the violence in Charlottesville.

The second half of the show is spent reading a statement from Palestinian American activist Rasmea Odeh, who had her sentencing hearing in Detroit. The judge refused to let her read this statement. She will be deported. And also, we highlight a settlement in lawsuit against CIA torture psychologists and pay tribute to the black comic and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, who died on August 19.

Host Kevin Gosztola interviews Tom Secker, the co-author of "National Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence Of Government Control in Hollywood." The interview highlights a few examples of Pentagon or CIA influence, including "Contact," "The Interview," and "Hulk" in the Marvel cinematic universe. The two discuss the nature of national security cinema, how government agencies go to lengths to keep records on their collaboration with Hollywood secret, and why. They also get into the military's interest in demilitarizing or "civilianizing" movies.

This is is a snippet of Patron Exclusive content, which was recently posted. Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss Venezuela.

The exclusive was recorded on August 6. The crisis in Venezuela continues to be intense. It has escalated sharply since the world rejected President Nicolas Maduro's call for a constituent assembly vote. Or to put it another way, since the opposition in Venezuela refused to participate in a democratic process and instead carried out another round of violent protests to further destabilize the country.

For access to the full discussion, become a Patron of our show.

Amal Saad, a professor of political science at Lebanese University and the author of a book called, "Hezbollah: Politics and Religion," joins the show to talk about Hezbollah and its role as a resistance army in Lebanon. Hezbollah recently liberated a part of Lebanon near the Syria-Lebanon border that was controlled by al Qaida.

We spend the hour with Saad, as she describes Hezbollah's history of protecting what it sees as the "Resistance Axis," countries in the Middle East which challenge the U.S. and Israel. She addresses the notion of sectarianism around the Shia crescent and outlines the reality on the ground — the demographics of people who truly faced violence and oppression for their identity and needed help to survive.

Later in the episode, Saad and Rania Khalek break down some of the key misperceptions the left has about identity, terrorism, and resistance in countries like Lebanon.

Hosts of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast welcome Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein, co-hosts of the "Beyond Prisons" podcast, to the show. Wilson and Sonenstein discuss their new show, which covers prisons and prison reform from an abolitionist perspective. It elevates people directly impacted by the system of mass incarceration by featuring their voices.

In the latter half of the episode, a short segment highlights how CIA torture architects James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen invoked the cases of accused Nazi war criminals to argue they should not be held responsible for torture.

Abdul Malik Mujahid, president of Sound Vision, which does public relations for Muslim American communities, joins the show to talk about the Muslim Ban, the Islamic State, the refugee crisis, wars in the Middle East, and more.

During the discussion portion, Rania Khalek, who is in Syria, talks about some of what she is witnessing and uncovering. Khalek and Kevin Gosztola spend the rest of the show on issues, such as the lack of left opposition to the right-wing destabilization of Venezuela.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola highlight previous clips from the show in this "Best Of" episode that features: Nima Shirazi, Douglas Williams, Vivek Chibber, and Donna Murch.

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou and former US Marine Joseph Hickman join the show to discuss their new book on Abu Zubaydah called "The Convenient Terrorist: Two Whistleblowers' Stories Of Torture, Terror, Secret Wars, and CIA Lies."

Kiriakou was involved in the capture of Abu Zubaydah, who the U.S. government initially claimed was the No. 3 man in al Qaida. Hickman was stationed at Guantanamo Bay. They wrote a definitive book on Abu Zubaydah to call attention to details the U.S. government would prefer the public ignore about him.
 

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola highlight some pretty awful and horrible stories on this week's show but not before talking about the Democratic Party's latest epic fail with Jon Ossoff's loss in Georgia.

After discussing what happened with Ossoff, the show moves on to the United States and a network of torture chambers in Yemen. They cover developments in Syria, a Supreme Court decision against Arab or Muslim immigrants rounded up in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and the video of Officer Jeronimo Yanez killing Philando Castile.

The show ends on a lighter note with a look at the Democratic challengers that have come forward to challenge Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in 2018.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the rift between Saudi Arabia and Qatar and tension among the Gulf countries in the Middle East. They talk about the Saudi arms deal, which the Senate would have opposed if five Democrats had not voted against a bill to block the deal.

Later in the show, Khalek and Gosztola talk about how Bernie Sanders and the movements he is aligned with ignore ongoing U.S. wars and their impact and contrast that with British political leader Jeremy Corbyn, who frequently makes connections between terrorism and the United Kingdom's support for wars.

The rest of the show is spent on the People's Summit, which Gosztola attended, and the GOP baseball shooting in Alexandria. In particular, the hosts criticize the New York Times for their coverage, which suggested Bernie Sanders supporters may bear some responsibility for a former campaign volunteer turning to violence.

Abby Martin and Mike Prysner, who produce the weekly independent show, "The Empire Files," join the show to talk about their recent reporting trip to Venezuela.

Both describe the nature of the opposition in Venezuela. They share details about the violence they witnessed and speak about opposition figures targeting them with a vicious campaign of intimidation and harassment (particularly online).

Throughout the episode, the left-wing Chavism's ability to withstand this opposition is highlighted. Martin and Prysner talk about the engagement of Venezuelans, especially lower class citizens, in participatory democracy. They address what they thought they would uncover and outline what they found to be so very different about the country's government.

If you would like to support the show and help keep us going strong, please become a subscriber on our Patreon page.

Peter Van Buren is a former State Department employee, who blew the whistle on malfeasance and corruption related to reconstruction efforts in Iraq. He also is a writer and fiction book author. He joins the show to discuss his new book, "Hooper's War."

"Hooper's War" is a raw novel, caustic in tone and sober in its treatment of war and the forever rot that war creates within us.

During the interview, Van Buren highlights what influenced his story. We delve into the concept of moral injury. We discuss myths about wars that are told, particularly how those who served in World War II were the "Greatest Generation."

Later, Van Buren addresses endless war and what the book's main character, Hooper, might think about this current era, given that he is WWII veteran.

If you would like to support the show and help keep us going strong, please become a subscriber on our Patreon page.

On this week's discussion for the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss President Donald Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia and how ordinary Syrians view the armed opposition in Syria. They celebrate the release of Chelsea Manning.

The hosts also talk about the Comey memo scandal that has roiled the Trump administration and a news story published by Gosztola on a development involving Trevor FitzGibbon, the founder of a progressive public relations firm which abruptly shut down as sexual allegations were leveled against him. A U.S. Attorney's Office declined to pursue charges based on three criminal complaints, which were filed.

If you would like to support the show and help keep us going strong, please become a subscriber on our Patreon page.

In a special episode for the podcast, former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou joins the show to talk about his new book, "Doing Time Like A Spy: How The CIA Taught Me To Survive And Thrive In Prison."

Kiriakou talks about writing prison letters, how he came up with the concept for his book, and he shares some of his stories from his incarceration. He highlights the case of Mark Lanzilotti, who was given an extremely draconian sentence for his nonviolent drug offense.

Later in the discussion, he talks about why he became the target of prosecution and what lesson he learned from his time incarcerated.


If you would like to support the show and help keep us going strong, please become a subscriber on our Patreon page.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome Azadeh Shahshahani, who is a legal and advocacy director for Project South. She joins the show to talk about a report her organization worked on called "Imprisoned Justice: Inside Two Georgia Immigrant Detention Centers."

Shahshahani addresses how asylum seekers and immigrants are denied due process and in some cases even tricked into signing papers for deportation. At Stewart Detention Center and Irwin County Detention Center, solitary confinement is used as punishment against individuals who resist the conditions of their confinement.

She talks about the water in these facilities, the rotten food served to prisoners, and the labor they are expected to perform often for very little pay or no money at all. And Shahshahani describes the programs the government operates with local police forces that load up private facilities like Stewart with bodies for companies to make profits.

Later in the show, Khalek and Gosztola discuss a reaction to Max Blumenthal's interview last week, Chelsea Manning's upcoming release, and the firing of FBI director James Comey.

If you would like to support the show and help keep us going strong, please become a subscriber on our Patreon page.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome Max Blumenthal, journalist, senior editor of AlterNet's Grayzone Project, and author of The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza.

Blumenthal addresses how the Syrian conflict has created fractures among the left in the United States and its impact on the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

He talks about the International Socialist Organization and "Democracy Now!", including a recent appearance by journalist Anand Gopal on the show, and their politics on the conflict.

Later in the show, Blumenthal discusses how the far right in Europe capitalizes off the refugee crisis and the frenzy over Russia among Democrats.

If you would like to support the show and help keep us going strong, please become a subscriber on our Patreon page.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss UC Berkeley and Ann Coulter, immigrant prosecutions, President Donald Trump's busy day on April 26, and one of the most recent ominous reports about the Arctic ice melting.

With Rania in the Middle East for the next months, she is a bit detached from U.S. current events. She asked Kevin to give her an update on some of what she missed.

No guest this week.

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Host Kevin Gosztola interviews the filmmakers involved in the production of "Awake: A Dream From Standing Rock," which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22.

Josh Fox, Oscar-nominated director of "Gasland" and "How to Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can’t Change," produced Part 1 of the film.

Part 2 was created by James Spione, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work on the short film, "Incident In New Baghdad." He is also known for directing "Silenced," a documentary profiling whistleblowers.

Myron Dewey, founder of Digital Smoke Signals, is Newe-Numah/ Paiute-Shoshone from the Walker River Paiute Tribe, Agui Diccutta Band (Trout Eaters) and Temoke Shoshone. Through Part 3, he captures much of the indigenous perspective of what unfolded at Standing Rock in the struggle against the Dakota Access pipeline.

Dewey also is a media maker known for live streaming and flying a drone to capture what was unfolding on the ground. What appears in the film from this footage is stunning, whether what we see happening at Standing Rock is beautiful or tragic.

The film is available at AwakeTheFilm.org for streaming.

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Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Michael Mann, who is a distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Penn State University. He also directs the Penn State University Earth Science Center. And he's the co-author of the book, "The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Destroying The Planet, Ruining Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy."

Mann recounts his experience testifying before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, which is chaired by Republican Representative Lamar Smith, a massive climate change denier. He addresses the chilly atmosphere for scientists currently in Washington, DC, and talks about the dire situation the world finds itself on as President Donald Trump rolls back initiatives intended to combat climate change.

Later in the show, Mann talks about why he wrote a satirical book about climate change. He also highlights the Science March planned for April 22, when scientists will mobilize against the Trump administration for its agenda of climate change denial and attacks on science.

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Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola spend the full hour discussing President Donald Trump's attack on a Syrian airbase. In the beginning, the reaction of support from media personalities and Democrats and neoconservatives is highlighted.

Further into the show, the hosts break down who the media has referred to as sources for information on what happened in the alleged chemical attack that led Trump to escalate U.S. military action. The hosts also discuss the left's response to the strike and what the attack may mean for the Syrian conflict.

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Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Michael Lighty, policy director for National Nurses United. He has worked on health care reform for over 25 years.

Lighty addresses the need for Democrats to go on the offensive and push for a national Medicare For All system. He describes why the Affordable Care Act is flawed and not enough. He highlights a push in the state of California for a Medicare For All system.

Later, Lighty speaks to the Trump administration's agenda of dismantling environmental regulations designed to protect the public's health. He also previews People's Summit 2.0 in Chicago, which was announced this past week and will take place from June 9-11.

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Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss an effort to convince a student group at Oregon State University to disinvite Khalek from an event, where she is scheduled to speak with Mnar Muhawesh, editor of Mintpressnews.com, and journalist Abby Martin. The campaign is also targeting Muhawesh.

The students put out a statement refusing to cancel the event or disinvite Khalek. We talk about the stand the students took and then discuss the larger issue of "no platforming" or demanding groups or universities cancel speaking events.

In the last part of the discussion, Khalek and Gosztola address the expansion of war in Somalia by President Donald Trump's administration.

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Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Mark Ames, a journalist and co-host of the Radio War Nerd podcast. He also is the co-author of "The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia" and "Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion from Reagan's Workplaces to Clinton's Columbine and Beyond." He worked on a satirical publication that was shut down by the Kremlin.

Ames joins the show to talk about the history of the United States government's meddling in Russia, especially how the government backed Boris Yeltsin to lead the country. He addresses the frenzy over Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and the complete lack of evidence of conspiracy. He also discusses Putin and who he is as a leader and how it is ridiculous to suggest Putin is similar to Trump.

There is no discussion portion because Ames talked with us for a full hour.

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