Unauthorized Disclosure

Asa Winstanley, a journalist and podcaster with the Electronic Intifada, joins hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to discuss the latest cycle of Israeli government violence against Palestinians.    Plus, later in the show, Asa highlights a report he produced on the British secret police and their infiltration of activist groups.  To subscribe to this podcast, go to Rokfin.com/UnauthorizedDis

CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to go through President Joe Biden's foreign policy agenda during his administration's first 100 days. Her organization put together a poll for people to grade the Biden administration. Medea gives the Biden White House a "D," which is barely a passing grade. Biden has pulled back from some of the extremism of his predecessor, President Donald Trump. The United States re-entered the Paris climate agreement, the new START treaty was renewed with Russia, the Muslim ban was lifted, and there are plans for a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan (though she notes Trump negotiated a withdrawal). But Biden has also failed terribly and instead promoted militarism and prolonged inhumane policies. As Medea highlights, crippling sanctions remain in force against Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. The U.S. military continues to support the Saudi war on Yemen, and the administration has delayed returning to the Iran nucle

"We know they're not a revolutionary party, but they're not even reformers. The Democrats are not even fighting for strong social reforms at this moment. They're managers," says Ryan Knight, a socialist, activist, and host of the "Amped Up" podcast. "They're trying to kind of manage this decrepit capitalist and imperialist system, despite the massive levels of suffering that it's inflicting in our country and throughout the world."   Ryan joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola for this week's episode of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast. He outlines the chief dilemma with progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who fear confrontation with President Joe Biden's administration and establishment Democrats that control the party.    [*NOTE: This is a free version of the episode. The episode posted at our Rokfin channel - rokfin.com/UnauthorizedDis - contains our entire discussion.]

Ollie Vargas, a reporter with Kawsachun News in Bolivia, and Leonardo Flores, the Latin America coordinator for CODEPINK, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the runoff election in Ecuador. Flores was in Ecuador as an election observer. Guillermo Lasso, a conservative banker supported by the United States and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), beat Andrés Arauz, the left-leaning candidate. It was a bleak development for the left, as this means President Lenin Moreno's destructive neoliberal policies will continue to wreak havoc on the Ecuador economy. Ollie describes each of the two candidates, who were in the runoff, and addresses the outcome. Leonardo highlights a poll from a right-wing firm called Cedatos that had some impact on the integrity of the election. Later in the episode, the two guests discuss the media in Ecuador, which played a role in demonizing Arauz. They describe some of the obstacles the left in Ecuador failed to overcome and confront some of the new personnel in P

Kshama Sawant, a member of the Seattle City Council and Socialist Alternative, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the unprecedented recall effort against her.   The state supreme court in Washington gave a green light to the Recall Swant campaign on April 1. It explicitly targets Kshama for promoting a tax on corporations like Amazon in order to help the city fund housing for lower income residents. Kshama is also unfairly singled out for attending a protest against Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan at her home, which was part of a push in June to defund the Seattle Police Department. The grassroots mobilization took place in the weeks following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.     The news of Amazon's so-called victory in thwarting a union at a plant in Bessemer, Alabama, came right before we recorded our interview. Kshama reacts to the news and highlights the ways they corrupted the election.

Hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola wake up early and discuss rich countries hoarding the COVID-19 vaccine, liberals who are uncomfortable with calling out New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's corruption, and a drone whistleblower who pled guilty to violating the Espionage Act. *For the full episode, subscribe on Rokfin at https://rokfin.com/unauthorizeddis

Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola are joined by Ehsani, who has spent his career in the financial industry and economics. He prefers to go by his Twitter handle. During this episode, Ehsani provides a deep dive into the roots of an intense financial crisis and outlines why the banking industry is largely insolvent. Much of it revolves around a fixed currency rate and the way in which banks acted as brokers for those willing to deposit their funds in the form of U.S. dollars. Rania and Ehsani offer a brief political history of the players involved, and Kevin asks Ehsani to address the role of international institutions like the World Bank or IMF in stifling Lebanon's ability to deal with the crisis. Finally, Ehsani shares his view on the economic outlook for Lebanon in 2022 and beyond. If you were looking for a message of hope, you came to the wrong podcast. This is the bleak reality for hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people driven into poverty by a scheme that enriched elites at the expense of the country

Journalist Alex Rubinstein, a contributor to The Grayzone as well as MintPress News, joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to discuss the "woke imperialism" of President Joe Biden's administration.    He published a report this week that examined how the administration is weaponizing diversity at the Pentagon, CIA, State Department, and other agencies. It wokewashes the endless wars of the US government and helps the empire rebrand itself.   During the episode, Alex highlights a couple slick promotional videos from the Pentagon and NATO that are examples of this deployment of intersectionality.    Rania and Alex also have an in-depth conversation about the YPG, a Kurdish militia in Syria, and how they have wielded identity to build support for war.

Jen Perelman, the co-host of the podcast JENerational Change and a former congressional candidate in Florida, joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola for the latest episode of "Unauthorized Disclosure."   During the show, Jen discusses the state of Florida's response to the COVID-19 crisis and her views on plans for re-opening cities throughout the United States.   Jen reacts to the mediocre COVID-19 relief bill and the level of inaction that is part of the fabric of government institutions, which clearly serve wealthy and powerful elites.      Later, Kevin plays a game with Jen and Rania. They also talk about the democratic socialists taking over the Nevada Democratic Party.

Journalist Todd Miller returns to the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss a report he co-authored on support President Joe Biden received from the border industrial-complex during his 2020 campaign. The money he raised surpassed former President Donald Trump. In the report, "Biden’s Border - Immigration Politics, the Democrats and the 2020 elections," Todd lists off the corporations that stand to benefit from Biden's endorsement of a "virtual wall." Todd helps Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola challenge the inordinate focus on Republicans and their anti-immigrant vitriol. It all too often leaves out the bipartisan nature of the deportation machine. In fact, as Todd highlights, more immigrants were deported under President Barack Obama than Trump. Few journalists have the expertise of Todd. He authored the books, Empire of Borders: The Expansion of the US Border Around the World and Storming the Wall: Climate Change, Migration, and Homeland Security. He focuses on how US border policy is exported to

Eugene Puryear, host of Break Through News' "The Punch Out," joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to discuss the United States military strikes in Syria that were launched by President Joe Biden's administration. They respond to the praise for Biden and how the establishment media helped the Pentagon present it as a "measured" act. Given the news that Democrats will allow the Senate Parliamentarian to disqualify the raising of the minimum wage from the coronavirus stimulus bill, Eugene outlines the politics of the decision to not fight for working people. Later in the episode, Eugene highlights a new development involving an NYPD officer's letter that was written on his death bed, which backs up some of what has been said about the assassination of Malcolm X.

In this premium episode, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola highlight what has unfolded in prisons and jails in the failed state of Texas, as a result of a winter storm.    Rania and Kevin respond to two clips: one of Yaku Perez, pseudo-left opposition candidate in Ecuador, and one from MSNBC's "Morning Joe," where they suggested President Joe Biden should abandon an agreement to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.    Finally, they wrap up the show with some discussion of Rush Limbaugh's death and a recommendation to watch "Judas and the Black Messiah," a film about Black Panther Party organizer Fred Hampton and how the FBI assassinated him. Enjoy this preview clip, and if you like what you hear enough to become a subscriber, find us on Rokfin at Unauth-Disclosure or Patreon at patreon.com/unauthorizeddisclosure

For this week's episode, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola welcome Briahna Joy Gray, who is a co-host of the Bad Faith podcast and a former press secretary for Bernie Sanders. Briahna talks with Rania and Kevin about the aftermath of #ForceTheVote and her attempt to have a good faith debate with The Majority Report's Sam Seder. We ask her about the unwillingness of progressive Democrats to challenge the Democratic Party establishment, especially when it comes to third party campaigns outside of the Democratic Party. Later in the episode, Rania and Kevin discuss the unwillingness among many left-leaning pundits to reach out to working class people who are likely open to progressive, or even socialist ideas. We also raise the issue of political voids created by many of these same commentators who will not speak on matters that wind up becoming conservative or right-wing libertarian issues when they dismiss them as unimportant.

In this episode of "Unauthorized Disclosure" for subscribers, Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola play clips from the Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken. They highlight his support for military interventions and regime change policies in countries like Libya, Venezuela, and Ukraine.   ***This is a preview clip. Become a subscriber at Rokfin.com to unlock access to the full episode.***

Journalist Yasha Levine, the author of "Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History of the Internet," joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the final days of President Donald Trump's administration and what we can expect from monopolistic tech companies under President Joe Biden. Yasha comments on the removal of Trump from Twitter and describes why he believes Section 230 should be abolished. Throughout the episode, Yasha grapples with the limits of social media when it comes to politics and organizing communities.

Journalist Roberto Lovato joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss his memoir, Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas. He also shares his view on what a Biden administration will mean for the communities documented in his book. As Roberto puts it, from San Francisco to El Salvador his memoir along a 2,500-mile chain of dead, forgotten, and devalued life. He travels in search of a better understanding of his personal past but also seeks a greater comprehension of the roots of violence. Roberto outlines what happened with a gang truce between the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs that did not last and was not supported by the United States. He comments on what he found in his search for why kids join these gangs. Also, amid a discussion of his book, Rania and Kevin talk with Roberto about Alejandro Mayorkas, who was part of the Obama administration and will likely be running the Homeland Security Department under Biden. Mayorkas was involved in carrying o

Comedian Jamie Kilstein returns to the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to talk about his new comedy album, "25 Percent Capacity," which was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about muddling through the political landscape and writing personal and political material for the album. Kilstein moved from California to Arizona this year, and during our discussion, hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss what the left gets wrong about COVID. And what is the left? Rania tries to nail down our definition of this amorphous group of people to make it clear just who we're all really frustrated with. Kevin talks with Jamie about what was lost already, and Jamie shares a story about a venue that shut down in Austin, Texas, where he performed.

Kerry-Anne Mendoza, the editor-in-chief of The Canary in the United Kingdom, was targeted on Twitter and suspended. Her account has since been restored, but it was part of a larger campaign against left-wing voices in the UK. She joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to discuss this censorship. Throughout the show, Kerry-Anne contextualizes her experiences on Twitter by recapping what happened to Jeremy Corbyn, who came very close to becoming British prime minister. She describes the blacklisting of Jewish voices affiliated with the Labour Party because they support Palestinian rights and breaks down this weaponization of alleged anti-Semitism to suppress the left.

Danny Haiphong, contributor to Black Agenda Report and host of the Left Lens podcast, joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola for this edition of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast.    They discuss what the Biden-Harris administration's foreign policy will look like, what kind of corporate consultants and hawks with ties to military contractors are advising him during the transition, and whether progressives have any hope of pulling Biden left on matters of war.

Grayzone editor-in-chief Max Blumenthal joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to share his reporting from Bolivia. He was there as an election observer weeks ago, when the coup regime was defeated at the polls.    Max offers his assessment of the outcome of the United States elections between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden, who eked out a victory against an incumbent. He describes what he saw in Miami, where Trump support dashed any chance Biden had of winning Florida.    A documentary by the Grayzone on the Bolivian military junta was censored. Max describes how it was labeled "inappropriate or offensive." Later in the show, Max highlights he published, which exposed the censorship campaign that was waged against Michael Moore's documentary "Planet of the Humans." (Filmmaker Josh Fox was involved, as listeners may recall, we had Josh on our show right when he launched this campaign.)