Unauthorized Disclosure

On the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Sarah Smith, a Democratic Party candidate running for Congress in Washington's 9th District. She recently beat the Republican to qualify for the general election against the incumbent, Democratic Representative Adam Smith. Sarah Smith is both a member of the local Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America. She's run that consists of all volunteers. She also has garnered a reputation as a rare antiwar candidate in the 2018 midterm elections because she views foreign policy as a top issue. For Part 2 of our interview with Sarah Smith, she discusses her views about the Democratic Party, what she thinks about Democrats who claim corporate money does not influence them, and how she views the Democratic National Committee's recent decision to encourage donations from the employer political action committees of fossil fuel companies. Later, she shares what she thinks about Democrats, who believe in clima

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Sarah Smith, a Democratic Party candidate running for Congress in Washington's 9th District. She recently beat the Republican to qualify for the general election against the incumbent, Democratic Representative Adam Smith. Sarah Smith is both a member of the local Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America. She's run that consists of all volunteers. She also has garnered a reputation as a rare antiwar candidate in the 2018 midterm elections because she views foreign policy as a top issue. In Part 1 of our interview with Sarah Smith, we talk about why she decided to run, why foreign policy is so important to her campaign, and what she thinks about the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel for its occupation of Palestine. Later, the show's hosts get her thoughts about the war economy, Puerto Rico, and the head tax proposal in Seattle to raise funds for affordable housing, which Amazon defeated. *Part 2 will be posted

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the latest bloodshed caused by Israeli military forces and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition backed by the United States, which continues to wage war on Yemen. They wonder if there's some kind of competition. The episode highlights the assassination attempt against Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, as well as the media coverage of the attempt. Later in the show, the hosts talk about Alex Jones and the several platforms that banned him and the recent round of primaries, which much of the media treated as a signal that socialism was rejected by voters. In the final minutes, Rania and Kevin review the August 5 episode of Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?".

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome journalist Max Blumenthal, the editor of the Grayzone Project and co-host of the podcast, Moderate Rebels. He recently returned from a reporting trip in Nicaragua. Nicaragua has experienced violence over the past months, as opponents of President Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas launched an insurrection back in April. The U.S. government, as Blumenthal reported, laid the for . He also Ortega. Blumenthal describes how he was shocked by the "extent of sadistic violence that was meted out against average supporters of the Sandinistas during the period in which the national police were ordered to stay in their barracks." He recalls meeting one person after another who was tortured, beaten, or kidnapped and how their stories were overwhelming. Blumenthal also outlines what he found out about the students who Western media have treated as leaders of democratic uprising, when that is not really the case. Later in the interview, Blumenthal breaks down how opposit

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview journalist Tim Shorrock, who recently returned from a trip to South Korea. He was in Singapore to cover the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un He has covered Korea since the 1970s. He is a contributor for the Nation and a correspondent for the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism. He has a new piece recently published at the Nation: "." In the interview, Shorrock describes his background covering North and South Korea, as well as the U.S. military presence in South Korea and the surrounding region. He contextualizes the diplomatic negotiations between Trump and Kim.   Shorrock provides a history of the armistice that was signed in 1953, which could potentially be used to establish peace. He addresses why South Koreans would not want U.S. troops—30,000 of them—to remain in their country and how South Korea is really responsible for most of the progress toward peace so far. Later in the show, Shorrock offers a brief history going all the way back

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Aaron Maté, a host and producer for The Real News. He has regularly covered Russiagate and all the media coverage around President Donald Trump and Russia for well over a year. And he was a guest on the show five months ago. During the show, Maté addresses the reaction to the summit with Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. He describes what from the summit does matter and then breaks down what led up to the summit and why there is such a frenzy over it now. Later, Khalek and Gosztola read multiple tweets and share quotes from liberal Democrats, who have totally lost it. They also wonder what it will take to defeat Trump if this is where Democrats continue to focus.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss how MSNBC gave Jonathan Chait a platform to promote a wild conspiracy theory about President Donald Trump being a Russian asset. They also get into how the network encourages attacks on journalists like Glenn Greenwald, who are skeptical of certain allegations about Russia and the Trump administration. Later in the show, they talk about media by highlighting the introduction to journalist Seymour Hersh's memoir, "Reporter." They also spend a bit of time talking about Boots Riley's "Sorry To Bother You."

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's incredible victory in New York over a 10-term corporate Democrat, Joe Crowley. They also address the news of Justice Anthony Kennedy's resignation from the Supreme Court. Gosztola provides an update on Reality Winner's case after traveling to Augusta, Georgia, to cover a hearing, where she pled guilty.

Matthew Hoh, a former Marine and diplomat from the State Department who resigned in protest over the Afghanistan War, joins the show this week. During our interview, he talks about how the U.S. government is dropping a bomb every 12 minutes. He discusses the military industrial-complex under President Donald Trump, as well as under President Barack Obama. He addresses the ongoing war in Yemen. Later in the show, Hoh describes what it is like for someone to endure post traumatic stress disorder and outlines the scope of the issue for military veterans, especially those with moral injuries. He also comments on news that NSA whistleblower Reality Winner accepted a plea deal.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the massacre of dozens of people in Gaza by Israeli military forces. Khalek talks about the reaction to it and why it may have been different than what typically happens after Israeli violence. Gosztola and Khalek also talk about the milestone for women in the CIA who have tortured and are pro-torture. Men have been able to run the agency and be pro-torture. But now, after the help of six Democrats, Gina Haspel is CIA director and women will never have to wonder if they can escape accountability for torture like their male counterparts ever again. Finally, Gosztola highlights the Venezeula elections and a segment on HBO's "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver that was done very poorly.

Gareth Porter, investigative journalist and author of "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare," joins the show to talk about the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Porter addresses recent events involving the backlash to President Donald Trump's decision, as well as Israel's military strikes on Iranian targets in Syria. He outlines the threat of war with Iran and discusses his , "The Latest Act in Israel's Iran Nuclear Disinformation Campaign," which was published at Consortium News.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola navigate Rania's travel schedule to continue the show — without taking a break! During this week's episode, Khalek and Gosztola talk about Benjamin Netanyahu's latest propaganda on Iran aimed at sinking the Iran nuclear deal. Later in the show, the hosts take an opportunity to discuss Michelle Wolf and the backlash to it, even though they know full well the news media has moved on from it all. They also highlight a few other stories that have flown under the radar. To become a patron, please and support the show for $3/month or more.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola open the show by talking about the unhinged and idiotic reaction to Rania's on Katie Halper's show, which Katie handled well. Then the show's hosts discuss what has unfolded with MSNBC host Joy Reid, her homophobic posts from the late 2000s, and her claims that her blog was hacked. The episode wraps with some talk about the proposed authorized use of military force (AUMF) by Senators Bob Corker and Tim Kaine, which further enables

Our guest this week is Ryan Cooper, a national correspondent for . He's also the co-author of a policy paper for the People's Policy Project called "" We talk about the exuberance and reverence for former FBI director James Comey and his new book among The Resistance™ to Donald Trump. Then, Cooper addresses the ways in which neoliberal Democrats have contributed to GOP efforts to dismantle financial regulations and the impact this will have on poor and working class black Americans. Later in the show, Cooper highlights his policy paper, "Foreclosed," and what happened to black homeowners under President Barack Obama. The episode concludes with discussion about the Democrats' continued focus on Trump-Russia allegations and what this means for the midterm elections.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola address the madness around Syria and President Donald Trump's latest round of military strikes. Gosztola has Khalek provide a context that is sorely missing in the U.S. press. Together they break down all the issues with jumping to the conclusions that there was incontrovertible proof that the Syrian government was behind an alleged chemical attack. The conversation continues with talk about Arab voices shilling for more war, as well as human rights organizations that fuel the climate for military action. Gosztola talks about how Democrats were largely silent in the run-up to the strikes, as well as how Democrats failed for the past decade to assert authority over war powers—and that is part of why Trump was able to launch strikes without coming to Congress first. Finally, Gosztola and Khalek set their sights on a few media pundits and skewer their commentary on Syria.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the Great Return March by Palestinians and how Israeli forces gunned down more than a dozen demonstrators. They talk about police killing Stephon Clark in Sacramento and how Louisiana refused to charge any officers responsible for killing Alton Sterling.  On a much lighter note, Gosztola wraps the show by going through an official Democratic Party survey he filled out.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss John Bolton becoming President Donald Trump's national security adviser, the fifteenth anniversary of the Iraq War, and the vote on not taking a vote on withdrawing U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen. Khalek and Gosztola also highlight some comments from patrons who support the show and talk about plans for future patron-exclusive episodes. ***This is a preview. For the full episode, go to and become a Patron of Unauthorized Disclosure.***

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview Jana Nakhal, who is a member of the central committee of the Lebanese Communist Party and an independent researcher. Nakhal recently traveled to Afrin in northwest Syria, which was recently occupied by Takfiri fighters backed by the Turkish army. They have looted, raped women, and targeted and killed Kurdish inhabitants, as well as others. In this interview, Khalek asks Nakhal to describe what she witnessed on her trip to Syria. She talks about how the Takfiri fighters are ex-ISIS or ex-Nusra fighters mobilizing under the banner of the Free Syrian Army. They hate the Kurds. She addresses the silence throughout the world as mass killing and destruction takes place in Afrin with the support of Turkish armed forces. Later in the interview, she outlines the position of the Lebanese Communist Party on Syria and speaks about her identity as someone who was born in Syria and how the LCP has no love for the Syrian regime, which has targeted, tortured, and killed LCP

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the Southern Poverty Law Center's to journalists for publishing a post that smeared them for allegedly being in alliance with white supremacists somehow under the influence of Russia. Khalek was one of multiple journalists attacked in this piece. Later in the episode, they talk about Russian Twitter trolls a newspaper in Milwaukee says fueled a race riot before Donald Trump's election, Democratic senators joining forces with GOP senators to further deregulate Wall Street, and the nomination of deputy CIA director Gina Haspel to head the CIA.

In part two of our episode with journalist Ben Norton, we discuss Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's visit to the United Kingdom and ongoing war in Yemen. Norton addresses the significance a move by a few U.S. senators to withdraw U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war. Later in the show, Norton talks about Senator Chuck Schumer and Democrats, who spoke at the Israel lobby's conference. The show concludes with discussion of South Korea's success at possibly setting up peace talks between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. (*TECHNICAL NOTE: There is a bit of an audio issue in isolated parts of this episode. It is due to a microphone problem, and we apologize for how it may distract from the content of the interview. It should not occur in future episodes.)