Unauthorized Disclosure

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?Shaving Mirror Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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.Shaving Mirror Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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 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.Shaving Mirror Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/