Unauthorized Disclosure
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On this week's episode, Andrea Ritchie joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola for a conversation about organizing for abortion decriminalization in a post-Roe United States. Andrea is a Black lesbian immigrant, and the author of the book . She is the co-author of the forthcoming book as well as the book . And Andrea is the co-founder of Interrupting Criminalization https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/. First, Andrea assesses the terrain for abortion decriminalization as it exists now that the US Supreme Court abolished federal rights to reproductive health care. She comments on the brewing threat of prosecutions against women and medical providers. Planned Parenthood in Montana announced they would no longer provide abortion medication to out-of-state patients. Andrea expresses her disgust and frustration with this decision. Later in the show, Andrea describes what people can do. Many of the ideas outlined stem from recognizing the connections between struggles for gender justice, migrant justice, economic and racial justice, sex workers’ rights, disability justice, etc.
Kit Klarenberg, a contributor to The Grayzone, joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to discuss his series of reports that show a right-wing intelligence plot in the UK to target antiwar academics, journalists, politicians, environmentalists, and other figures. It all connects to an increasingly popular brand of information warfare by elites to target those who make it more difficult for them to spread their preferred narratives about particular current events free from counterpoints and accountability. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Patreon.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure
Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the steady overturning of rights by courts in the United States judiciary system, including the Supreme Court. They spend time talking about a decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a law requiring contractors in Arkansas to pledge their loyalty to Israel if they want to be given a contract. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER at Patreon.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure for access to the full episode.
Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Stefania Maurizi, who is an Italian journalist with the daily Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano. She is also the author of the book, which is being translated https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745347615/secret-power/ into an English version. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Patreon.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure Stefania reacts to the decision by United Kingdom Home Secretary Priti Patel to approve the US government's extradition request against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Later in the interview, Stefania describes how she was surveilled and had her rights violated by a private security company's spying operation against the Ecuador embassy when she visited Assange. She discusses the criminal case that is pending in a Spanish court. Both the US and UK are obstructing this investigation. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Rokfin.com/UnauthorizedDis Stefania concludes by describing what happens next in the case and stating why it's important to be clear in our conversations that Assange is a journalist.
Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss all the action at the Summit of the Americas this past week. Rania's BreakThrough News team and attendees of a competing grassroots summit, the People's Summit For Democracy, were on the ground protesting and confronting officials, like US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. ***WANT EPISODES RIGHT WHEN THEY POST? Patrons get access to episodes on Friday. Become a patron at Patreon.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure***
Matthew Hoh returns to Unauthorized Disclosure to discuss his campaign for the US Senate in North Carolina. He is running as a Green Party candidate and recently qualified for the ballot after submitting 22,000 signatures. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Patreon.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure Matthew shares what he experienced while asking voters to sign petitions to get him on the ballot. He lays out his campaign platform and why it is important to give voters a choice outside the two-party system. Later, Matthew comments on the uptick in shootings that have made headlines over the past weeks. He describes what he thinks should be done to deal with gun violence. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Rokfin.com/UnauthorizedDis Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola also talk with Matthew about the war in Ukraine, including President Joe Biden sending killer drones to Ukrainians—something that will only draw the US further into a conflict with Russia.
Rania Khalek talks about her trip to Venezuela, including how she was called on by Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro to give a comment during a meeting she attended. She describes visiting Hugo Chavez's tomb and then breaks down the many ways you can clearly see that there are two Venezuelas—one for upper class communities, which the US supports, and one for the poor, which don't have that much support from the US. Then Rania and Kevin go through a letter from former US intelligence officials, who pleaded with Congress to not regulate monopolistic Big Tech companies because it will hamper their ability to help the US counter Russia.
Justin Podur, the host of the Anti-Empire Podcast, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the recent political developments in Pakistan. *BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Patreon.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from power by the country's parliament. Some evidence points to support from the United States government for toppling Khan's government. Khan was replaced with Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif who served three terms as prime minister of Pakistan. *BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Rokfin.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure Podur shares his analysis of what transpired in Pakistan and comments on the backlash to Khan's failed attempts to save his government. Later, he describes how Khan rose to power and what earned him popular support. A small part of it involved Khan's opposition to US drone warfare. The episode concludes with our weekly censorship report that covers the harsh environment for freedom of expression that has intensified as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Zoe Alexandra from The People's Dispatch http://peoplesdispatch.org/ joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola for this week's episode of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast. During the show, Zoe breaks down the significance of elections that were held in Colombia, where the left enjoyed some success. She dives into the history of United States involvement in the country. A judge in Honduras approved the extradition of Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, to the U.S. government for prosecution on drug trafficking charges. As Zoe points out, the approval is made even more remarkable by the fact that Hernández was previously backed by the U.S. government in a coup. In the final part of the show, Zoe helps Rania and Kevin highlight censorship from the past week, including suppression of RT en Español, for their new weekly feature, the "Censorship Report."
Our guest for this week is Eli Clifton https://twitter.com/eliclifton, a senior adviser at the Quincy Institute and an investigative journalist at large for Responsible Statecraft. Kevin and Rania talk with him about a report https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/03/08/the-unknown-oligarch-fighting-for-an-endless-korean-war/ he produced on Annie M.H. Chan, a right-wing oligarch living in Hawaii who has fomented conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Later, Eli shares his assessment of the risks posed by all the arms flooding into Ukraine from North America and Europe. He also discusses some of the work he's done on Big War CEOs and how their corporations were primed and ready for this war.
Our guest on this episode of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast is comedian Lee Camp, who hosted "Redacted Tonight" on RT America for eight years until it shut down this past week. Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola talk with Lee about why RT America shut down and the censorship environment as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lee and Rania both make the case for why this was a result of censorship. We discuss how RT America journalists (along with other foreign journalists) were forced in 2019 to register as "foreign agents" while working in the United States. Later in the show, Lee raises the issue of support for a No Fly Zone over Ukraine. Lee assesses what happens next as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate—with arms shipments pouring in from US/NATO and Russia preparing for the next phase in their military offensive.
On this week's "Unauthorized Disclosure," we have one of our favorite guests, Ben Norton, who is the editor of Multipolarista and the host of "Propaganda Today." Ben describes https://multipolarista.com/2022/02/14/canada-brazil-trucker-protests-right-wing/ how the so-called "trucker" protests (largely by non-truckers), which paralyzed the capitals of Brazil and Canada in the past six months, were backed by wealthy right-wing elites. Rania and Ben discuss fascism and the many forms it can take in a country. White working class people aren't the only group likely to engage in reactionary politics. Later, Kevin, Rania, and Ben go through examples of people at US think tanks and media outlets, who helped NATO and the military-industrial complex keep the temperature hot, even as Russia repeatedly stated it has no plans to invade Ukraine. On February 20, Russia is expected to conclude military exercises, including nuclear missile drill. Explosions were reported throughout February 18. Still, nothing points to an invasion of Ukraine yet. This weekend will be remarkable, as the laundering of disinformation around Russia and Ukraine enters its next phase. But one thing is certain: US journalists will continue to willingly publish the "intelligence" they receive, no matter how false or junky it may be.
Right after we recorded, U.S. intelligence sources laundered disinformation through outlets like CNN and the New York Times that Russia could invade Ukraine before the Olympics conclude in Beijing. Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeated that an invasion "could begin at any time" and provided zero evidence for this statement recklessly shared in his official capacity. We note that because the beginning of this episode does not reflect this latest development. In fact, up until February 11, the Biden White House had entirely abandoned any suggestion that a threat of invasion was "imminent." They moved to President Vladimir Putin is operating on his own time table for an invasion, and it could be a long one. That means an invasion could come in the summer or the fall or never. Our guest this week is Branko Marcetic, a staff writer https://jacobinmag.com/2022/01/president-joe-biden-one-year-review-promises-trump-policy for Jacobin Magazine and the author of the book Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden. Branko starts by assessing the media coverage of the potential for Russia to invade Ukraine and then provides a brief overview of how we got to this moment. He broadens our discussion with a critique of Biden's foreign policy record. Later, Rania asks Branko about his views on some of the left's attitudes toward public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin also asks Branko to share his thoughts on the conservative media ecosystem developing in response to censorship and pressure from social media companies.
Our guest this week on Unauthorized Disclosure is Branko Marcetic, a staff writer for Jacobin Magazine and the author of the book "Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden." *BECOME A SUBSCRIBER at patreon.com/unauthorizeddisclosure Branko starts by assessing the media coverage of the potential for Russia to invade Ukraine and then provides a brief overview of how we got to this moment. He broadens our discussion with a critique of Biden's foreign policy record. Later, Rania asks Branko about his views on some of the left's attitudes toward public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin also asks Branko to share his thoughts on the conservative media ecosystem developing in response to censorship and pressure from social media companies. (Note: This was edited for broadcast. Full unedited episodes are available for subscribers.)
For the last episode of 2021, Mike Prysner, a producer for "Empire Files https://theempirefiles.tv/," joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to share his reporting on the Red Hill fuel leaks at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. Fuel tanks once again leaked petroleum and threatened the water supply of surrounding communities. The leaks poisoned military and non-military people, who rely on the same water. It is a problem that goes back decades and has likely resulted in hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel leaking into the water since World War II. Mike describes meeting with people impacted by the pollution and what indigenous communities are doing to fight back. He outlines the lies the U.S. Navy are telling Hawaiians and why they think they can get away with not shutting down the tanks, as even city officials in Honolulu are demanding. Later in the show, Mike comments on U.S. sanctions in Afghanistan and links it back to the suffering unfolding in communities nearby by the Pearl Harbor-Hickam military base.
Thank you for supporting the Unauthorized Disclosure weekly podcast. Rania Khalek was in Ethiopia with a Breakthrough News team, and we look forward to bringing you an episode in the next week or so that digs into what she witnessed and uncovered about the conflict and violence and destruction by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). But we still wanted you to have an episode so this week Kevin Gosztola highlights some of Rania's reporting that she managed to share. He also shares some of his commentary on the British High Court decision, which granted the US government's appeal and moved WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange closer to extradition.
***Thank you for listening to this free version of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast hosted by Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola.*** Zoe Alexandra, a journalist with People's Dispatch, joins the show to discuss the election in Honduras, where left-wing presidential campaign of Xiomara Castro triumphed at the polls. Going back to 2009, the United States backed a coup that forced President Manuel Zelaya out of power. The U.S. backed a fraudulent election in 2017. His wife, Xiomara, won in a free and fair election that somewhat astonishingly is not being contested by the U.S. government. That likely reflects just how corrupt and terrible 12 years of right-wing National Party rule has been for the people of Honduras. Zoe describes the deeply entrenched problems fueled by outgoing President Juan Orlando Hernandez and the role of the U.S. in making the root causes of poverty and violence worse through neoliberal exploitation, expansion of policing, and militarization of the country.
Krish Mohan, a radical comedian and the creator of "Road Reflections" and "Taboo Table Talk," joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to talk about his work producing political comedy. We discuss how comedy actually got worse under Donald Trump and what it is like now with President Joe Biden. Later in the show, Krish describes some of the topics he covers in his comedy, and the conversation veers into identity, representation, stereotypes, and people who disrupt comedians while they're on stage. *Episode unlocked for all listeners.
In this free edition of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola talk with Grayzone assistant editor Ben Norton about the United States' hybrid war against Nicaragua that is entering a new phase as the elections in November approach.
In this free version of Unauthorized Disclosure, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss Facebook's secret blacklist, as revealed by Sam Biddle of the Intercept. They also talk about a Facebook whistleblower (not the one who orchestrated a public relations campaign).
David McBride is a former military lawyer in the Royal Australia Regiment and Australia Special Forces. He completed two tours in Afghanistan and submitted an internal complaint against what he witnessed in the war. He immediately faced scrutiny and harassment. A few years later, David found journalists with the Australia Broadcasting Corporation who were willing to listen to him. They were interested in classified documents that showed the reality of Australia’s involvement in the war. What David had to reveal was published as “The Afghan Files.” It was a “quite a big story in Australia,” according to him. But the Australia government responded by raiding the ABC and targeting David with a prosecution for an espionage offense. In this episode from the “Unauthorized Disclosure” podcast, which Kevin Gosztola typically co-hosts with Rania Khalek, Kevin speaks with David about his deployments to Afghanistan. He shares his view on how the last several weeks, as the United States withdrew forces and then mounted an unprecedented evacuation effort with a mostly cooperative Taliban. *For more on whistleblower stories, subscribe to The Dissenter: https://thedissenter.org/#/portal/signup
Sara Flounders, a longtime activist and co-director of the International Action Center, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast to discuss the campaign to free Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. He was jailed https://towardfreedom.org/story/admin-admin/u-s-trying-to-extradite-venezuelan-diplomat-for-crime-of-importing-food-the-case-of-alex-saab-vs-the-empire/ in Cabo Verde while trying to obtain food and gasoline for Venezuelans from Iran. He faces extradition as part of lawfare by the U.S. to enforce crippling sanctions against Venezuela. Sara recently visited Cabo Verde with a delegation https://towardfreedom.org/story/admin-admin/the-case-of-alex-saab-u-s-abduction-of-venezuelan-diplomat-a-global-challenge/. She describes solidarity efforts https://twitter.com/FreedomAlexSaab that are underway, as well as some of the wider organizing she has done to show sanctions are not a peaceful alternative to war. She also outlines how the US is able to count on Cabo Verde to act as a client state and submit to their demands to violate human rights and international law.
In this free clip from a premium episode of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola comment on the petty smear campaigning of the Young Turks of the past few weeks and what their attacks on journalist Aaron Mate for his coverage of Syria say about progressive media.
We hope you appreciate this free episode of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast with Max Ajl, a postdoctoral fellow with the Rural Sociology Group at Wageningen University and author of the book, "A People's Green New Deal." During our interview, Max outlines what a People's Green New Deal would look like and why we need a People's Green New Deal instead of the Green New Deal that is favored by most progressive Democrats. Ajl addresses the flawed rosy proclamations from business leaders around technology being able to save us from climate catastrophe and the ways the capitalist class is co-opting energy around calls to action. ***Access premium content from the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast by becoming a subscriber at Rokfin.com/UnauthorizedDis***
In this free version of the weekly "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast, Jordan Chariton, a journalist and co-founder of Status Coup, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss YouTube's censorship regime, the importance of independent media solidarity, and navigating a media landscape dominated by establishment media gatekeepers.
Asa Winstanley, a journalist and podcaster with the Electronic Intifada, joins hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to discuss the latest cycle of Israeli government violence against Palestinians. Plus, later in the show, Asa highlights a report he produced on the British secret police and their infiltration of activist groups. To subscribe to this podcast, go to Rokfin.com/UnauthorizedDis
CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to go through President Joe Biden's foreign policy agenda during his administration's first 100 days. Her organization put together a poll for people to grade https://www.codepink.org/bidenpoll the Biden administration. Medea gives the Biden White House a "D," which is barely a passing grade. Biden has pulled back from some of the extremism of his predecessor, President Donald Trump. The United States re-entered the Paris climate agreement, the new START treaty was renewed with Russia, the Muslim ban was lifted, and there are plans for a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan (though she notes Trump negotiated a withdrawal). But Biden has also failed terribly and instead promoted militarism and prolonged inhumane policies. As Medea highlights, crippling sanctions remain in force against Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. The U.S. military continues to support the Saudi war on Yemen, and the administration has delayed returning to the Iran nuclear deal. Later in the episode, Medea discusses how it is harder to organize for peace under a Democratic administration and highlights some of the campaign work that CODEPINK is engaged in while Biden is in the White House.
"We know they're not a revolutionary party, but they're not even reformers. The Democrats are not even fighting for strong social reforms at this moment. They're managers," says Ryan Knight, a socialist, activist, and host of the "Amped Up" podcast. "They're trying to kind of manage this decrepit capitalist and imperialist system, despite the massive levels of suffering that it's inflicting in our country and throughout the world." Ryan joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola for this week's episode of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast. He outlines the chief dilemma with progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who fear confrontation with President Joe Biden's administration and establishment Democrats that control the party. [*NOTE: This is a free version of the episode. The episode posted at our Rokfin channel - rokfin.com/UnauthorizedDis - contains our entire discussion.]
Ollie Vargas, a reporter with Kawsachun News in Bolivia, and Leonardo Flores, the Latin America coordinator for CODEPINK, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the runoff election in Ecuador. Flores was in Ecuador as an election observer. Guillermo Lasso, a conservative banker supported by the United States and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), beat Andrés Arauz, the left-leaning candidate. It was a bleak development for the left, as this means President Lenin Moreno's destructive neoliberal policies will continue to wreak havoc on the Ecuador economy. Ollie describes each of the two candidates, who were in the runoff, and addresses the outcome. Leonardo highlights a poll from a right-wing firm called Cedatos that had some impact on the integrity of the election. Later in the episode, the two guests discuss the media in Ecuador, which played a role in demonizing Arauz. They describe some of the obstacles the left in Ecuador failed to overcome and confront some of the new personnel in President Joe Biden's administration, who will count on Lasso to serve US interests.
Kshama Sawant, a member of the Seattle City Council and Socialist Alternative, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the unprecedented recall effort against her. The state supreme court in Washington gave a green light to the Recall Swant campaign on April 1. It explicitly targets Kshama for promoting a tax on corporations like Amazon in order to help the city fund housing for lower income residents. Kshama is also unfairly singled out for attending a protest against Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan at her home, which was part of a push in June to defund the Seattle Police Department. The grassroots mobilization took place in the weeks following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. The news of Amazon's so-called victory in thwarting a union at a plant in Bessemer, Alabama, came right before we recorded our interview. Kshama reacts to the news and highlights the ways they corrupted the election.
