James Risen

Journalist James Risen discusses Sen. Frank Church's investigation of CIA misdeeds, including assassination plots, LSD mind-control experiments, and spying on Americans. The podcast explores the Church Committee hearings, the controversial MK Ultra program, the transformation of the CIA after 9/11, the Discord leak controversy, and the importance of in-depth reporting on national security and intelligence institutions.

James Risen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, joins David Sirota, an economic and political writer, and Maximilian Alvarez, editor of The Real News Network, along with Terry Gerstein from Harvard Law. They dive into CIA failures around the Ukraine invasion and critique the health insurance industry's pricing abuses despite government support. The panel also examines labor dynamics, the right to strike, and the influence of corporate interests on the Supreme Court, emphasizing the need for collective action and stronger worker rights.