Investigative journalists Claire Provost and Matt Kennard join Jon Schwarz to discuss their book 'Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy' and explore the international structures and laws that enable corporate dominance. They highlight cases in Honduras, South Africa, and Palestine, emphasizing the need for awareness about the impact of corporate power on democracy. The hosts also discuss the importance of freedom in journalism and encourage readers to cause some trouble by reading their book.

Intercept reporter Alice Speri and Palestinian American writer Yousef Munayyer discuss the recent violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict, the spread of misinformation, the historical bias of the media, and the impunity surrounding attacks by Israeli forces.

Vincent Bevins, veteran foreign correspondent and author of “If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution,” joins Ryan Grim to discuss the outcomes of global protests from 2010 to 2020. They explore the co-opting and repression of these movements, covering the Arab Spring, anti-austerity demonstrations in Brazil, and the hijacking of the Maidan uprising by the far right in Ukraine. They also examine the challenges of replicating successful protests, the divide between left and right in the Maidan uprising, and the power of viral videos in leaderless protests.

Guest Amanda Lewis, partner at the law firm Cuneo, Gilbert, and LaDuca, and co-founder of the Responsible Online Commerce Coalition, joins Ryan Grim to discuss the antitrust lawsuits against Amazon and Google. They delve into Amazon's control over pricing, Google's manipulation of internet access, and the challenges faced by third-party sellers. The podcast also explores Amazon's vertical integration and exploitation of monopoly power, its response to political scrutiny, and the lack of transparency in the trial between Google and the Department of Justice.

Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain discuss their reporting on a secret arms deal between the U.S., Pakistan, and Ukraine, exploring the political and economic crisis in Pakistan, the U.S.'s pressure to remove former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the influence of the IMF, and the complex relationship between Pakistani democracy, the military, and weapons sales. They also discuss Pakistan's current political situation, the dominance of the military, and give recommendations for true crime podcasts.

Naomi Klein explores the world of conspiracy theories and the right's ability to sow confusion. They discuss the impact of right-wing media, YouTube's role in promoting conspiracy content, and censorship by tech giants. They reflect on the challenges of the progressive left, the role of a writer in a data-driven world, and the importance of education and kindness during COVID-19. Advertisements for All Bird's shoes, Starfield video game, and Kroger brand products are also included.

The U.S. and Venezuela are in talks to further relax sanctions in exchange for a free and fair election next year. This week on Deconstructed, Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, joins Ryan Grim to discuss the recent trip he, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other progressive Democrats took to Latin America, visiting with leaders and discussing the impact of past and present U.S. policies in the region — and how to rectify them. Casar discusses the U.S. role in dirty wars throughout the region, the urgency in establishing new relations with Latin America, and impact of policies on the region today.If you’d like to support our work, go to theintercept.com/give, where your donation, no matter what the amount, makes a real difference.And if you haven’t already, please subscribe to the show so you can hear it every week. And please go and leave us a rating or a review — it helps people find the show. If you want to give us additional feedback, email us at Podcasts@theintercept.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works, joins Ryan Grim to discuss the struggle to lower drug prices, the power of the pharmaceutical industry, and the future of drug price negotiation. They delve into corruption in healthcare policy, the battle for HR3, strategic blockades by politicians, and the impact of Medicare drug pricing negotiations on insulin and anti-retroviral drugs.

In honor of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s lousy performance in the first presidential debate, we are rerunning our episode on his intervention in wild politics of The Villages, Florida.In 2019, residents of The Villages, an iconic retirement community in Florida, were suddenly hit with a 25 percent hike in their property taxes. In the master-planned community of 130,000 across the state’s Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties, many residents are on fixed incomes. The tax hikes were intended to subsidize new developments south of the community, rather than cover new amenities or upgrades for current residents. The entity known locally either as “the developer” or “the family” benefited from the tax hike and could then escape paying fees associated with the expansion of their development. This week on Deconstructed, host Ryan Grim takes us to The Villages to meet residents who banded together to rollback the tax hike but who were ultimately blocked by powerful players. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the local political machine run by The Villages fought the residents, leading to one of their champions being thrown in jail.If you’d like to support our work, go to theintercept.com/give, where your donation, no matter what the amount, makes a real difference.And if you haven’t already, please subscribe to the show so you can hear it every week. And please go and leave us a rating or a review — it helps people find the show. If you want to give us additional feedback, email us at Podcasts@theintercept.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Intercept journalists Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain published a bombshell investigation into Pakistan’s political crisis. Grim and Hussain were provided a Pakistani intelligence document by an anonymous source, outlining how the U.S. government pressured the Pakistani government to oust former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This week on Deconstructed, Grim and Hussain discuss their reporting, the leaked cable, and the fallout from the political crisis in Pakistan.If you’d like to support our work, go to theintercept.com/give, where your donation, no matter what the amount, makes a real difference.And if you haven’t already, please subscribe to the show so you can hear it every week. And please go and leave us a rating or a review — it helps people find the show. If you want to give us additional feedback, email us at Podcasts@theintercept.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.