Unauthorized Disclosure

Brian Nam-Sonenstein, co-host of the "Beyond Prisons" podcast and publishing editor of Shadowproof, appears on "Unauthorized Disclosure" to help the show outline the issue of censorship in United States prisons and jails.   **BECOME A SUBSCRIBER at TheDissenter.org for as little as $3/month**    Censorship is not limited to banning books. Nor is it only retaliation against an incarcerated individual who wants to write a letter for publication.  He describes why free speech advocates should absolutely care and how censorship has intensified as facilities move away from physical mail.     (Note: This is a free version of this week's episode. For the full episode, subscribe to the podcast at TheDissenter.org.)

This week, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola spend some time expressing their amusement at the right-wing response to the Justice Department investigation into former President Donald Trump's possession of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. They laugh at a comment from Trump's attorney that the Espionage Act is some "mundane" statute.    Rania and Kevin highlight Amazon's harassment of union organizers and cover one recent example involving Amazon whistleblower Christian Smalls, who played an instrumental role in organizing the union at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse.   Finally, Kevin shares some clips from a recent Callin episode that he recorded, where he explored the question of what we all think is the left. Rania responds and adds her own insights.

On this week’s “Unauthorized Disclosure” episode, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by journalist and MintPress News senior staff writer Alan MacLeod. Alan has spent the past few months digging through LinkedIn profiles to expose the revolving door between United States security agencies (CIA, FBI, etc) and social media companies. In particular, his reporting calls attention to the sheer number of people from the CIA who are at Facebook, including one notable former agent who is developing content moderation policies for the corporation. Facebook, as Alan points out, is “the most important news source around the world. Around 3 billion use Facebook every month for news, which means that something like forty percent of the world’s population is dependent on their news feeds. And that gives Facebook an enormous amount of leverage and influence.” We also asked Alan to break down his coverage of the so-called fact checking organizations that Facebook relies upon, particularly to moderate content related to the war in Ukraine, and how most of them receive direct funding from the US government.

Returning to the show, Ben Norton, journalist and editor of Multipolarista.com, discusses the FBI raiding former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate and some responses from people who are part of the left. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Sign up for the Unauthorized Podcast for $4/month here — https://thedissenter.org/#/portal/signup Ben also responds to an attack against his reporting by a neoconservative think tank that is funded by several Western governments, and he comments on the backlash among African countries to the US telling them what they can and can't import from Russia, when they are struggling and may have nowhere else to turn for particular goods.

In this free edition of the weekly Unauthorized Disclosure podcast, Matthew Hoh returns to the show. He's a former Marine, whistleblower, and Green Party candidate for the US Senate in North Carolina. Matthew provides an update on his Senate campaign. The Green Party was certified by the State Board of Elections, which means candidates may appear on the ballot in November. But the Democratic Party filed a lawsuit to stop the Green Party that was condemned by a major local newspaper. Later in the show, Matthew reacts to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan and also comments on the US drone strike against Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and what that signified.

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 Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color. She is the co-author of the forthcoming book No More Police: A Case For Abolition, as well as the book Queer (In)Justice. And Andrea is the co-founder of Interrupting Criminalization. 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, Secret Power: WikiLeaks and Its Enemies, which is being translated 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***