Pushback with Aaron Mate

Former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling is a double whistleblower: as an African-American, he challenged racism from superior officers; he also voiced concerns about a deeply flawed CIA effort to sabotage Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. government retaliated by accusing him, without evidence, of leaking classified information. Sterling joins Pushback to discuss his ordeal. Guest: Jeffrey Sterling, author of "Unwanted Spy: The Persecution of an American Whistleblower." Special thanks to the Allard Prize for International Integrity for arranging this interview.

Amazon workers have staged walkouts to protest a lack of protective gear and a failure to properly sanitize their workplace. Chris Smalls, an assistant warehouse manager, was fired after organizing the walkout at Amazon's Staten Island facility. Smalls says that Amazon managers failed to inform workers about coronavirus cases in the building and rejected safety demands. Guest: Chris Smalls, former Amazon employee who was fired after organizing a walkout over unsafe conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Trump administration has unveiled a so-called 'democratic transition' plan that demands the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for a five-person "Council of State," and threatens "increased" sanctions if Venezuela does not comply. Latin America policy analyst Leonard Flores says that the plan is a non-starter and the latest US effort to starve Venezuelans into submission. Guest: Leonardo Flores, Latin American policy expert and campaigner with CODEPINK. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

The coronavirus pandemic has left millions of US workers without a job and the healthcare that comes with it. Economist Pavlina Tcherneva discusses how the Congressional bailout prioritizes corporate profits instead of building on the successful legacy of the New Deal. Guest: Pavlina Tcherneva, Associate Professor at Bard College and author of "The Case for a Job Guarantee."

As Iran struggles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration has imposed new sanctions that further weaken the Iranian economy and health system. Assal Rad of the National Iranian American Council discusses the sanctions' toll on Iran and how the Trump administration's regime change agenda could lead to bigger catastrophe. Guest: Assal Rad, Research Fellow at the National Iranian American Council.

Iran has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, and new US sanctions are making it worse. Alfred de Zayas, a former UN Special Rapporteur, says that intensified US sanctions against Iran and Venezuela during the crisis are "insane", and possibly genocidal. Guest: Alfred de Zayas, former UN Special Rapporteur and law professor at the Geneva School of Diplomacy.

With Bernie Sanders poised for a big Super Tuesday, Krystal Ball discusses the Democratic establishment's panic, Elizabeth Warren's attacks on Sanders, and whether DNC elites are once again alienating the working class voters they lost in 2016. Guest: Krystal Ball, co-host of Rising and co-author of the best-selling new book, "The Populist's Guide to 2020." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Evidence-free claims of a Russian government effort to aid Bernie Sanders have been exploited by centrist Democrats alarmed by Sanders' primary success. This should be no surprise. Sanders and his movement are a threat to the very same interests that have pushed Russiagate for more than three years -- the failed neoliberal Democratic Party establishment and the national security state. The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal joins Pushback. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery."

A hearing on the US effort to extradite Julian Assange for charges brought under the Espionage Act has begun in London. Satirist and broadcaster Randy Credico, a friend of Assange, discusses the stakes involved: an unprecedented assault on press freedom and a media publisher who has exposed the crimes and secrets of the US establishment. Guest: Randy Credico, political satirist and broadcaster.

US media is once again consumed with evidence-free claims that Russia intends to interfere on Donald Trump's behalf. But as Democrats accuse Trump of being "Putin's Puppet," Trump is overseeing a hawkish agenda that has worsened US-Russia tensions. Nowhere is that more dangerous than Trump's escalation of the nuclear arms race with Russia: abandoning arms control treaties while deploying and developing new nuclear weapons. Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter joins Pushback to discuss the overlooked dangers. Guest: Scott Ritter, former UN Weapons Inspector, Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, and author of "Scorpion King: America's Suicidal Embrace of Nuclear Weapons from FDR to Trump." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com