S5: Episode 6 - Aaron Maté

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.

Shaving Mirror Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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