International legal expert and ex-UN Office of Human Rights Commissioner whistleblower Craig Mokhiber joins the Grayzone's Aaron Mate and Max Blumenthal to discuss the ICJ's landmark ruling ordering Israel to prevent genocide by its forces in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Norman Finkelstein, historian and scholar, joins Aaron Maté for a live discussion about Israel's war on Gaza, the meaning of Hamas' atrocities, the question of genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, and U.S. complicity. Recorded live in NYC on Nov. 7th, 2023.

A new report commissioned by members of the European Parliament offers the most thorough exposé to date of the OPCW’s Syria cover-up scandal, in which the world’s top chemical watchdog manipulated an investigation to baselessly accuse Syria of a chemical weapons attack in the town of Douma. In April 2018, after dozens of dead victims were filmed at the scene, the US, UK, and France alleged that the Syrian government had dropped gas cylinders on Douma and launched airstrikes in purported retaliation. But leaks from inside the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons show that international inspectors found no evidence of a chemical attack, raising the possibility that the incident was staged by the insurgents who controlled Douma at the time. The OPCW team’s findings were suppressed and replaced with unsupported conclusions that aligned with the US-led narrative. When two veteran OPCW inspectors who deployed to Syria for the probe challenged the manipulation, they were silenced and later publicly defamed. The report for the European Parliament is authored by the Berlin Group 21, which is comprised of founding OPCW Director General Jose Bustani, former senior UN official Hans Von Sponeck, Princeton law professor Richard Falk, and academic Piers Robinson of the Organization for Propaganda Studies. Its release follows the Brazilian government's recent public shift in support of accountability over the OPCW's cover-up scandal. Aaron Maté speaks to Von Sponeck and Robinson about their new report, as well as the ongoing effort to challenge the OPCW's Douma deception and seek justice for the Douma victims. Guests: Hans von Sponeck and Piers Robinson. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

John Mearsheimer, the eminent political scientist who has warned for years that NATO's Ukraine policy would lead to disaster, joins Aaron Maté to assess the state of the Ukraine proxy war and the dangers ahead. Guest: John Mearsheimer. R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Former Ukrainian government official and diplomat Andrii Telizhenko joins Aaron Maté to discuss how, in his view, powerful US figures including Joe Biden have used Ukraine for personal corruption and the geopolitical aim of bleeding Russia -- all to the detriment of Ukrainians. Telizhenko worked for the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office in Kyiv before moving to Ukraine's US Embassy in 2015. He went on to work for Blue Star Strategies, a Democrat-run lobbying firm that represented Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company that appointed Biden’s son Hunter to a lucrative board seat. Telizhenko, who cooperated with Rudy Giuliani's effort to dig up information about the Bidens' alleged corruption in Ukraine, has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for "having directly or indirectly engaged in, sponsored, concealed, or otherwise been complicit in foreign influence in a United States election." Guest: Andrii Telizhenko. Political consultant who was previously a Ukrainian government official and diplomat. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In closing remarks at a United Nations meeting, Aaron Maté of The Grayzone notes that no one disputes the fact that a probe by the Organisation For the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of an alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria was censored. Yet powerful states, including the US and UK, oppose any effort to address the suppression, including hearing from dissenting inspectors on the OPCW's Douma team. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

At a United Nations meeting that addressed a Syria cover-up scandal at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Aaron Maté of The Grayzone responds to a challenge from British diplomat Thomas Phipps. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In a geopolitical shift, Brazil has come out in favor of accountability for the OPCW's Syria cover-up scandal. At a meeting of UN Security Council members on March 23rd, Brazil criticized the OCW's “poor” handling of the issue and rebuked the UK and other states for blocking the testimony of veteran Brazilian diplomat Jose Bustani, the OPCW’s first Director General. In response to remarks from The Grayzone's Aaron Maté, Ambassador João Genésio de Almeida Filho, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil, said: "You are clear, you are logical, and you come here with data." The Ambassador then asked Maté for suggestions on how to address the OPCW's Douma controversy. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Links: Video: "Aaron Mate at UN: OPCW cover-up denies justice to Douma victims" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1BCtPgyxY Aaron Mate: "Burying key evidence, new OPCW report covers up Douma’s unsolved deaths" https://thegrayzone.com/2023/03/27/burying-key-evidence-new-opcw-report-covers-up-doumas-unsolved-deaths/ Aaron Mate: "In Douma cover-up, OPCW’s new smoking gun backfires" https://thegrayzone.com/2023/02/03/opcw-smoking-gun-backfires/

Speaking to the United Nations Security Council, Aaron Maté of The Grayzone calls out the OPCW's ongoing cover-up of its investigation into the alleged April 2018 chemical attack in Douma, Syria. Aaron also debunks the latest efforts by the OPCW, in a new report put out by the watchdog's Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), to whitewash the scandal. Audio: Aaron Maté's opening remarks to UN Security Council members, March 24 2023. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Seymour Hersh joins Aaron Maté to discuss his report on how the Biden administration bombed the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, which blew up not only a vital Russian-German infrastructure project but a key off-ramp to peace in Ukraine. Guest: Seymour Hersh. Pulitzer-winning journalist who writes at https://seymourhersh.substack.com/. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In a new four-part series for the Columbia Journalism Review, veteran journalist Jeff Gerth documents US media's journalistic malpractice in covering Russiagate. Guest: Jeff Gerth, journalist who spent three decades as an investigative reporter at the New York Times, where he won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize. His new four-part series about US media’s Russiagate coverage in the “Columbia Journalism Review” is called “The press versus the president.” Read “The press versus the president" by Jeff Gerth https://www.cjr.org/special_report/trumped-up-press-versus-president-part-1.php Aaron Maté's new article on the NYT and Durham investigation: https://mate.substack.com/p/unchastened-by-russiagate-the-ny Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Author and scholar Norman Finkelstein on how the Left undermines class politics from within; the legacy of Barack Obama; censorious culture within US academia and his new book, “I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It." Guest: Norman Finkelstein. Author and scholar whose new book is “I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It." https://www.sublationmedia.com/product-page/i-ll-burn-that-bridge-when-i-get-to-it-print-edition https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/ Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Matt Taibbi joins The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal and Aaron Maté to discuss his reporting on internal Twitter files exposing US government pressure on the social media giant to validate Russiagate propaganda — and censor dissenting voices. Guest: Matt Taibbi, https://taibbi.substack.com/. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Scholar Nicolai Petro discusses the overlooked influence of Ukraine's far-right nationalist movement and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent admission that the Minsk Accords -- the international formula for ending the post-2014 Donbas civil war -- "was an attempt to give Ukraine time" to prepare for a conflict with Russia, rather than make peace. Petro is the author of the new book, "The Tragedy of Ukraine." Guest: Nicolai Petro. Professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island, and author of the new book: "The Tragedy of Ukraine: What Classical Greek Tragedy Can Teach Us About Conflict Resolution." Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

After a 12-day visit, UN expert Alena Douhan calls for the lifting of US-led sanctions on Syria, where 90% of the population lives below the poverty line, 12 million grapple with food insecurity, millions are internally displaced, and electricity is scarce. The impact of the sanctions are compounded by a US military occupation of areas containing Syria's oil and wheat. Guest: Alena Douhan. UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

After accusing Russia of firing missiles into Poland -- and triggering calls from Ukraine for direct NATO military intervention -- US officials are now acknowledging that Ukrainian air defenses were likely responsible. Douglas Macgregor, a retired Army Colonel and former senior Pentagon adviser, says the Poland scare underscores why the US top military officer, Gen. Mark Milley, has split from White House bureaucrats to call for diplomacy with Russia in order to end the Ukraine war. Guest: Douglas Macgregor. Retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon senior advisor. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

As Russia escalates attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine following the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines and the Ukrainian attack on the Kerch bridge, diplomacy is nowhere to be found. Scholar and author Richard Sakwa on the latest in the Ukraine crisis. "The human losses are appalling," Sakwa says. "And yet, the language of peace cannot find an adequate expression." Guest: Richard Sakwa. Emeritus Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include “Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War.” Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Dennis Kucinich, who led Congressional opposition to the Iraq war, reacts to the Congressional Progressive Caucus retracting a letter calling for diplomacy with Russia. "If we don't believe in diplomacy," Kucinich asks, "then where do we go as a country?". Guest: Dennis Kucinich. Former Congressmember (D-Ohio) and former Mayor of Cleveland.

Jeffrey Sachs joins The Grayzone's Aaron Maté and Max Blumenthal to discuss escalating nuclear rhetoric in Ukraine proxy war, the bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines, and why a diplomatic off-ramp is more urgent than ever. Sachs also addresses the investigation into the origins of Covid-19. Guest: Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He has also served as chair of the Lancet COVID-19 commission. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Aaron Mate on Substack: https://mate.substack.com/

Former Swiss intelligence officer and NATO adviser Jacques Baud on the next phase of the Russia-Ukraine war and new allegations that the US and UK undermined a peace deal that could have ended it. The West's aim "is not the victory of Ukraine, It's the defeat of Russia," Baud says. "The problem is that nobody cares about Ukraine. We have just instrumentalized Ukraine for the purpose of US strategic interests -- not even European interests." Guest: Jacques Baud. Former intelligence officer with the Swiss Strategic Intelligence Service who has served in a number of senior security and advisory positions at NATO, the United Nations, and with the Swiss military. Corrections: In his Sept. 21 speech, Putin did not make an explicit threat to use nuclear weapons. He vowed to "make use of all weapon systems available to us," in the event of "a threat to the territorial integrity of our country and to defend Russia and our people." On nuclear weapons, the US did not have a "No First Use" policy. On the 2020 campaign trail, Joe Biden said that he supported the idea of "No First Use." He abandoned that in his presidential nuclear posture; but that was reversing his campaign stance, not official US policy.

Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate A recent article in The Guardian parroted a US state-funded group's evidence-free allegations that The Grayzone’s Aaron Maté -- who has reported extensively on the OPCW’s Syria cover-up scandal -- is "the most prolific spreader of disinformation" about Syria among a "network" of "conspiracy theorists." Aaron called Guardian reporter Mark Townsend on the phone to ask him to substantiate these defamatory claims, and why he didn’t reach out before printing them. Guest: Mark Townsend. Reporter for The Guardian who wrote the story, “Network of Syria conspiracy theorists identified” — now updated with Aaron Maté’s response. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/19/russia-backed-network-of-syria-conspiracy-theorists-identified Note: to reduce repetition, the recording of the phone call between Aaron and Mark Townsend has been shortened. Townsend was contacted for comment prior to publication of this segment, but did not respond.

Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In a live interview with CNN, former senior US official John Bolton admitted that he has "helped plan coups d’etat" in a number of foreign countries, including Venezuela. Fulton Armstrong, a former senior US intelligence official, has a unique perspective on Bolton's coup confession. In 2002, Bolton unsuccessfully tried to have Armstrong removed from his post after the US intelligence community refused to back Bolton's allegations of an advanced Cuban biological weapons program. Armstrong joins Aaron Maté to discuss his personal experience with Bolton and perspective on the legacy of US coup plots that Bolton candidly admitted to. Guest: Fulton Armstrong. Former National Intelligence Officer for Latin America -- the U.S. Intelligence Community's most senior analyst. Also a former CIA analyst and senior staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Currently a Lecturer at American University's School of International Service.

The Grayzone's Aaron Maté and Max Blumenthal interview Michael Tracey live from Madrid, where NATO meets to plan a major escalation in the Ukraine proxy war and admit Sweden and Finland as members. Guest: Michael Tracey. https://mtracey.substack.com/ Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In this live stream, Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate discuss The Grayzone's report exposing UK journalist Paul Mason's collusion with a shady intelligence contractor to enlist the UK state in a plot to destroy this outlet and neutralize the British grassroots left. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Read more: https://thegrayzone.com/2022/06/07/paul-masons-covert-intelligence-grayzone/

Historian and author Dr. Gerald Horne joins The Grayzone's Aaron Maté and Max Blumenthal for a live stream on the political and historical context behind the recent wave of mass shootings in the US; new revelations of the imperial plunder of Haiti; and the state of US hegemony amid a spiraling proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Guest: Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. Author of more than three dozen books, including "The Counter-Revolution of 1836: Texas Slavery, Jim Crow and the Roots of U.S. Fascism."

In this livestream, former CIA officer and longtime antiwar activist Ray McGovern joins Aaron Mate and Max Blumenthal on new revelations of Hillary Clinton's direct involvement in Russiagate lies, the demise of DHS Minister of Truth Nina Jankowicz, how Bernie Sanders backed a giant giveaway to the arms industry in the form of Ukraine aid, and the latest on the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The US House has approved another $40 billion for the proxy war in Ukraine, all while the realities on the ground are being concealed. Seth Harp, an investigative journalist and US Army veteran who recently reported from Ukraine, on the hidden realities of the dangerous conflict. Guest: Seth Harp. Journalist, contributing editor at Rolling Stone, and US Army veteran who served in Iraq. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

As the Russia-Ukraine war opens a new phase in the Donbas, scholar Richard Sakwa on the absence of diplomacy; the Western media's veneration of Zelensky; the European Union's self-implosion over the war; and the crackdown on dissent in both Ukraine and Russia. Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include "Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War." Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Links: "'One less traitor': Zelensky oversees campaign of assassination, kidnapping and torture of political opposition" https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/17/traitor-zelensky-assassination-kidnapping-arrest-political-opposition/ "Siding with Ukraine's far-right, US sabotaged Zelensky's mandate for peace" https://mate.substack.com/p/siding-with-ukraines-far-right-us?s=w "'Al Qaeda Is on Our Side': How Obama/Biden Team Empowered Terrorist Networks in Syria" https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2022/04/20/al_qaeda_is_on_our_side_how_obamabiden_officials_helped_create_a_safe_haven_for_terrorists_in_syria_827477.html

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters a new phase, former Swiss intelligence officer, senior United Nations official, and NATO advisor Jacques Baud analyzes the conflict and argues that the US and its allies are exploiting Ukraine in a longstanding campaign to bleed its Russian neighbor. Guest: Jacques Baud. Former intelligence officer with the Swiss Strategic Intelligence Service who has served in a number of senior security and advisory positions at NATO, the United Nations, and with the Swiss military. Jacques Baud's article on the Ukraine war: https://www.thepostil.com/the-military-situation-in-the-ukraine/ Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate speak live with ex-UN weapons inspector and military expert Scott Ritter about the Russia-Ukraine war. Ritter provides a detailed analysis of the battlefield that stands in stark contrast to the rose-colored perspective of most Western analysts, and offers his perspective on the political follies that drove the conflict. Guest: Scott Ritter. Former UN Weapons Inspector and Marine Corps Intelligence Officer.

Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Chas Freeman, a retired senior US diplomat, analyzes Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US role, and the geopolitical fallout. "Everything we are doing, rather than accelerate an end to the fighting and some compromise, seems to be aimed at prolonging the fighting," Freeman says. Guest: Chas Freeman. Veteran U.S. diplomat and public servant who has served in many senior positions, including as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Director for Chinese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and as the principal US interpreter during President Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Former senior advisor the Secretary of Defense Col. Doug Macgregor joins Max Blumenthal and Aaron Maté for a live discussion of the Russia-Ukraine war and his time in the Trump administration when an Afghan withdrawal was sabotaged and conflict with Iran and Syria continued. Guest: Douglas Macgregor, retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon senior advisor.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As the wife of key Russiagate figure George Papadopoulos, attorney Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos had a front-row seat to the Trump-Russia saga. Mangiante discusses the role of Russiagate in sabotaging diplomacy with Russia and fueling the post-2014 proxy war in Ukraine, as well her new documentary film, "Ukraine: The Everlasting Present." Guest: Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos. Attorney and former EU legal advisor. Join Aaron on Callin today, Sunday March 13, at 5pm ET: https://www.callin.com/room/16-us-russia-trade-dangerous-allegations-in-QtoGDesQtZ Aaron's article discussed in this segment: https://mate.substack.com/p/as-durham-closes-in-fbis-trump-russia?s=w

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Russia has accused the US of waging 'economic war' as it faces crippling sanctions, the seizure of its foreign reserves, and an exodus of Western corporations. Ben Aris of bne IntelliNews discusses the economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inside Russia and around the world. Guest: Ben Aris. Founder and editor of bne IntelliNews. www.bne.eu

After eight years of civil war in the Donbas triggered by the US-backed, far-right-led Maidan coup and fueled by US weapons, Ukraine is now under a catastrophic Russian assault. Scholar Nicolai Petro on the tragedy of Ukraine. Guest: Nicolai Petro. Professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island, editor of "Ukraine in Crisis," and the author of the forthcoming "The Tragedy of Ukraine." He is also a member of the board of the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate After weeks of US claims that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent, Vladimir Putin instead recognized the breakaway republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. The decision has triggered a new round of US-led sanctions while bringing attention to rebel-held areas, where, according to UN figures on the Donbas war, 80% of civilian casualties have occurred since 2018. Professor Richard Sakwa analyzes the factors behind Putin's move, and its likely consequences. Putin's decision, he says, comes after Kiev refused to implement the 2015 Minsk accords, which could have ended the conflict, and a longstanding US-driven project to expand NATO to Russia's borders. Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include “Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War.”

Aaron Maté and Max Blumenthal speak with Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitri Polyanskiy, on escalated tensions on the Russian-Ukraine border, US accusations of an imminent Russian invasion, and the context missing from a US media that refuses to interview Russian officials. Guest: Dmitri Polyanskiy. Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a 2020 candidate, Joe Biden vowed to "end the sale" of weapons to Saudi Arabia "murdering children" and other "innocent people" in Yemen. As president, Biden has continued US support for the Saudi-led war and pushed through new weapons sales. Last week, at least 90 Yemenis were killed in a Saudi attack using a Raytheon-made bomb. Shireen Al-Adeimi discusses Biden's Yemen betrayal and how Congressional opposition to the Saudi-led war has declined since he took office. Guest: Shireen Al-Adeimi, assistant professor of education at Michigan State University.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The US is pouring more weapons into Ukraine amid bellicose threats against Russia and the US-backed Saudi war on Yemen continues to massacre civilians. But not everyone sees a downside: “I fully expect we’re going to see some benefit from it,” Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes said this week of these and other flashpoints. Andrew Cockburn, Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and author of “The Spoils of War: Power, Profit and the American War Machine,” discusses the US arms industry’s role in promoting and profiting from today’s global conflicts, from Ukraine to Yemen to Syria. Cockburn also looks back on his groundbreaking 1988 PBS documentary, made with his wife Leslie Cockburn, “Guns, Drugs, and the CIA,” about the agency’s role in the global drug trade. Guest: Andrew Cockburn. Washington editor for Harper’s Magazine. His latest book is “The Spoils of War: Power, Profit and the American War Machine.”

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The US and UK are ramping up threats to Russia over Ukraine by sending more weapons, vowing more sanctions, and lodging evidence-free claims of a Russian plot to install a pro-Kremlin leader. But comments by Germany's navy chief that Russia "deserves respect" -- leading to his resignation -- underscore that not everyone is on board with Washington and London's war fever. Scholar and author Richard Sakwa discusses the latest in the Ukraine crisis. Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include “Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War.”

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate After defeating the US and its allies' decade-long dirty war, Syria is finding ways to rebuild under US military occupation and crippling sanctions/economic warfare. Author Tim Anderson discusses Syria's post-war recovery under sanctions and occupation; routine Israeli bombings and Russia's failure to stop them; Syria joining China's Belt and Road Initiative; and, in the wake of recent New York Times exposes on deadly US airstrikes that were covered up in Syria, how the US used ISIS as a tool for regime change while claiming to fight it. Guest: Tim Anderson. Writer, academic, and Director of the Sydney-based Centre for Counter Hegemonic Studies. His books include "The Dirty War on Syria" and "Axis of Resistance." Discussed in this segment: Tim Anderson: "Syria: Why the US massacre at Al-Baghouz?" https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/syria:-why-the-us-massacre-at-al-baghouz Aaron Maté: "To keep troops in Syria, US leaders are lying like in Afghanistan" https://mate.substack.com/p/to-keep-troops-in-syria-us-leaders

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Douglas Macgregor, a retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon senior advisor, analyzes the US-Russia standoff in Ukraine; the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan; Trump's failure to act on 2016 campaign anti-interventionist rhetoric, only to surround himself with neocons; and the ongoing, overlooked US military occupation of Syria after the decade-long CIA dirty war. "The Military Industrial Congressional Complex," Macgregor says, "seems to be more powerful than anyone who occupies the office of the presidency." Guest: Douglas Macgregor, retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon senior advisor.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate New reports explore how the OPCW suppressed findings that undermined US-led allegations of a chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. Dr. Piers Robinson and Aaron Maté discuss the latest revelations on how the OPCW censored science. Senior OPCW officials doctored the original report; erased the conclusions of expert toxicologists who ruled out chlorine gas as the cause of death; and thwarted the key investigate area of forensic pathology, which could have helped determine how the dozens of civilian victims in Douma lost their lives. Instead of explaining the extensive suppression, OPCW Director General Fernando Arias has avoided questions; offered false excuses; and smeared the veteran scientists who challenged the cover-up from within. Guest: Dr. Piers Robinson. Co-Director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies, and convenor of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. Working with the Berlin Group 21, led by veteran diplomats Hans von Sponeck and Jose Bustani to seek accountability for the OPCW cover-up. Links: Berlin Group 21: https://berlingroup21.org/ Piers Robinson: “The OPCW Douma Investigation: Manipulation of Key Toxicology and Related Information Regarding Alleged Victims between the Original Interim Report and the Final Report” https://syriapropagandamedia.org/1200-2 Aaron Maté: "Corrupting Science" series at The Grayzone Part 1: “In Syria probe, OPCW erased experts’ inconvenient findings” https://thegrayzone.com/2021/11/22/corrupting-science-in-syria-probe-opcw-erased-experts-inconvenient-findings/ Part 2: “Shunning forensic expertise, OPCW left Douma murders in Syria unsolved” https://thegrayzone.com/2021/12/06/corrupting-science-part2/

At the Vienna talks on restoring the Iran nuclear deal, the US and EU are accusing Iran of refusing to compromise. Mohammad Marandi, a University of Tehran professor advising the Iran delegation in Vienna, says that the compromise was the nuclear deal itself, and the problem is the US refusal to abide by its own commitments and lift the sanctions that target Iranian civilians. Guest: Mohammad Marandi. Professor at the University of Tehran and adviser to the Iran delegation at talks on restoring the JCPOA in Vienna. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Russia is seeking a legally binding pledge that NATO will stop expanding east, including to Ukraine. If the US refuses, is war next? Scholar and author Richard Sakwa analyzes the growing Russia-Ukraine conflict and how Russiagate fueled it. Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include "Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands" and his latest, "Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Brian Jackson, a keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and producer, put out a string of legendary albums with his music partner Gil Scott-Heron, in the 1970s. Jackson discusses the duo's prolific, influential run and some of their most famous songs, including "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "The Bottle", and "Winter in America." He also talks about current projects, including a new album on the label Jazz is Dead. Guest: Brian Jackson. Keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and producer. Former music partner to Gil Scott-Heron. His new album is "Brian Jackson JID008." https://www.brianjackson.net/ https://jazzisdead.co/Brian-Jackson-JID008 https://twitter.com/brian__jackson Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

One year ago this month, a conflict broke out in Ethiopia when the TPLF -- the country's former ruling party -- attacked government forces in what it claimed was a preemptive strike. Thousands have been killed and millions have been displaced. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused the US of backing the TPLF to overthrow his government. Hermela Aregawi, an Ethiopian-American journalist of Tigrayan descent, argues that Western media has distorted the Ethiopian war in support of sanctions and regime change, at the cost of many lives. Guest: Hermela Aregawi. Independent journalist focusing on the conflict in Ethiopia. https://twitter.com/HermelaTV

Igor Danchenko, the main source for the Clinton-campaign funded Steele dossier, has been indicted for lying to the FBI. The indictment's revelations are humiliating for the influential political, media, and intelligence voices who promoted Steele as credible, and raise new questions about the FBI's handling of the Trump-Russia probe. Veteran journalist Barry Meier, author of "Spooked", and Aaron Maté discuss. Guest: Barry Meier. A veteran, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. His latest book is "Spooked: The Trump Dossier, Black Cube, and the Rise of Private Spies." https://www.barrymeierbooks.com/ Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In his new documentary "Drills of Liberation" (Simulacros de liberación), filmmaker Juan Carlos Dávila goes inside Puerto Rico's social movements as they resist crippling Washington-imposed austerity and provide life-saving mutual aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Guest: Juan Carlos Dávila. Journalist and documentary filmmaker whose new documentary is "Drills of Liberation" (Simulacros de liberación). https://twitter.com/juancinedoc https://www.simulacrosdeliberacion.com/

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a CIA analyst, David McCloskey covered Syria from 2008 to 2014. He draws on his experience for his new spy thriller, "Damascus Station," set during the early years of the Syrian war. David McCloskey joins Aaron Maté to discuss "Damascus Station"; the early years of the Syrian war; the role of foreign powers including the US; the US decision to support the insurgency despite knowing that Al Qaeda and other Salafi jihadist groups were its "primary engine"; allegations of chemical weapons attacks in Syria; and the direction of US policy in post-war Syria. Guest: David McCloskey. Former CIA analyst who covered Syria for six years, from 2008 to 2014. Wrote memos for the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), lived and worked in CIA field stations throughout the region, and briefed senior White House officials, members of Congress, and Arab royalty. His new book is "Damascus Station", a spy thriller set during the early years of the Syrian war. "Damascus Station", by David McCloskey https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393881042

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a top investigator on the House Intelligence Committee, Kash Patel helped uncover the Clinton campaign's funding of the Steele dossier and the FBI's extensive and deceptive reliance on it. Patel joins Aaron Maté to discuss Steele's new attempt to defend his discredited work via a softball interview with ABC News. Patel also addresses the key role of newly indicted Clinton lawyer Michael Sussmann in hiring and overseeing another heavily influential Clinton campaign contractor, CrowdStrike, the cyber-firm behind the foundational allegation that Russia hacked the DNC. "CrowdStrike is one of the biggest culprits of the Russia fraud," Patel says. "For some reason, for the only time in FBI history that I can think of, they allowed an outside non-government entity to referee. That is, to go in and seize the servers of a target of an investigation and let a third party, CrowdStrike, referee what the FBI could and could not have access to." Guest: Kash Patel. Former senior government official in the Trump administration. Previously, Patel served as a top investigator on the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee, where he was instrumental in exposing US intelligence misconduct in the Trump-Russia investigation. Also served as a national security official in the Obama-era Justice Department and Pentagon.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate On the eve of the 2020 presidential election U.S. media outlets and social media platforms censored reporting on the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop, based on the evidence-free claim that the story was "Russian disinformation." In his new book "The Bidens: Inside the First Family’s 50-Year Rise to Power," Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger authenticates multiple emails from that laptop as part of a deep look at the Biden family and Joe Biden's 50-year political career. Guest: Ben Schreckinger. National political correspondent for Politico and author of "The Bidens: Inside the First Family’s 50-Year Rise to Power." https://twitter.com/SchreckReports http://benschreckinger.com/

In his new book "Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War," scholar Samuel Moyn argues that post-9/11 efforts to reform the conduct of US military operations have ultimately sanitized and prolonged the underlying illegal warfare. Moyn discusses the Obama administration's key role in sanitizing warfare and how it undermined the US anti-war movement. He also addresses criticism of how the legendary human rights attorney Michael Ratner factors into his book's arguments. Guest: Samuel Moyn. Professor at Yale Law School and a professor of history at Yale University. His new book is "Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Glenn Greenwald weighs in on a series of new embarrassments for the Russiagate disinformation campaign targeting the US public: Hunter Biden's laptop confirmed; Hillary Clinton's lawyer indicted; and 'Havana syndrome' debunked. Plus, the CIA's war on Julian Assange. Guest: Glenn Greenwald. Independent journalist who writes at https://greenwald.substack.com/.

As the Biden administration continues to seek the extradition of Julian Assange, new details have emerged about the Trump administration's secret war against Assange and his organization, Wikileaks. Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News discusses his team's explosive reporting on the CIA plot to surveil, kidnap, and even kill Assange -- all overseen by Michael Pompeo. Isikoff and Aaron Maté also debate Russia's role in the Assange controversy, particularly the allegation that Russia stole Democratic Party emails in 2016 and gave them to Wikileaks. Guest: Michael Isikoff, chief investigative correspondent for Yahoo News. "Kidnapping, assassination and a London shoot-out: Inside the CIA's secret war plans against WikiLeaks." https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london-shoot-out-inside-the-ci-as-secret-war-plans-against-wiki-leaks-090057786.html Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

After being toppled in the war's early months, the Taliban managed to defeat the US military and return to power 20 years later. Author and scholar Antonio Giustozzi on how the Taliban beat the world's most powerful army and what the future holds under its rule. Guest: Antonio Giustozzi. Senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and visiting professor at King’s College London. His books include "The Islamic State in Khorasan" and "The Taliban at War." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Released 50 years ago, Marvin Gaye's album "What's Going On" remains just as relevant today. David Ritz, author of "Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye" and friend/collaborator of the late singer, on the lasting power of Gaye's 1971 timeless anti-war masterpiece. Guest: David Ritz. Author and songwriter whose many books include "Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Two US veterans, Matthew Hoh and Daniel Sjursen, explain how the war in Afghanistan was lost, Afghans suffered, and military contractors profited -- all while the American public was kept in the dark. Guests: Danny Sjursen. Retired US Army officer, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. He served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at West Point. His latest book is "A True History of the United States." Matthew Hoh. Former Marine and State Department official who resigned in protest from his post in Afghanistan over U.S. policy in September 2009. Now a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Cuba's anti-imperial foreign policy helped end apartheid in South Africa and sustain liberation movements worldwide. Historian Piero Gleijeses says that's one of the main reasons why the US has terrorized the island nation through today. "There are very few examples [in history] of the idealism demonstrated by the Cuban government in its foreign policy in Africa," Gleijeses says. Guest: Piero Gleijeses. Professor at Johns Hopkins University. Author of "Conflicting Missions: Havana, Washington, and Africa, 1959-1976" and "Visions of Freedom: Havana, Washington, Pretoria, and the Struggle for Southern Africa, 1976-1991." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate A new open-source study concludes that Syrian insurgents carried out the Ghouta sarin chemical attack in August 2013 -- not the Syrian government, as the White House, U.S. intelligence, and other Western sources publicly alleged. Rockets carrying sarin killed hundreds of people and left thousands wounded. Based on their trajectories, the study traces all seven missile impact locations back to the most likely launch spot where they all intersected: a small area within insurgent-controlled territory. In their first joint interview, the study's authors lay out their explosive findings. Guests: Michael Kobs and Adam Larson, co-authors of a new study on the 2013 chemical attack in Ghouta. Saar Wilf: Founder of Root Claim, which published the Ghouta study. Read the Ghouta study: https://rootclaim-media.s3.amazonaws.com/syria2013evidence.pdf Read a summary of the findings: https://blog.rootclaim.com/new-evidence-2013-sarin-attack-in-ghouta-syria/# Adam Larson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CL4Syr Michael Kobs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaKobs Saar Wilf: https://twitter.com/saarwilf

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate A growing number of suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse have US ties. At least one is a former DEA informant and several have received U.S. military training. Scholar Jemima Pierre of The Black Alliance for Peace discusses the unfolding mystery surrounding Moïse's killing and the context of longtime US, foreign intervention in Haiti. Guest: Jemima Pierre. Haiti/Americas Coordinator for The Black Alliance for Peace and Associate Professor at UCLA.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The US government is continuing to seek the extradition of Julian Assange even though a critical witness in its indictment has admitted to fabricating key claims. Bjartmar Alexandersson, the Icelandic journalist who broke this story, discusses the explosive confession of US witness Sigurdur "Siggi" Thordarson. Guest: Bjartmar Alexandersson. Journalist with Icelandic newspaper Stundin.

Facing growing outcry, OPCW Director General Fernando Arias went before the United Nations Security Council and told new falsehoods about his organization’s Syria cover-up scandal — along with more disingenuous excuses to avoid addressing it. Scholar and researcher Piers Robinson joins Aaron Maté to debunk Arias' latest evasions and distortions. Guest: Dr. Piers Robinson. Co-Director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies, and convenor of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media.

As Vice-President in 2014, Joe Biden backed the Maidan coup in Ukraine that set off an ongoing proxy war with Russian-backed forces in the Donbass region. Now as President, Biden met with Vladimir Putin at the Geneva summit to discuss key flashpoints, including Ukraine. Is Biden ready to make peace? Guest: Nicolai N. Petro. Professor of politics at the University of Rhode Island and editor of "Ukraine in Crisis."

At the Geneva summit, President Biden of the US and President Putin of Russia announced the restoration of their ambassadors and agreed to new talks on vital issues. Meanwhile in Washington and major US media outlets, Russiagate-addled hawks promoted increased confrontation. James Carden analyzes the talks and the bellicose US media response. "US media outlets seem to be egging biden on to take a harder line than than the President wanted to," Carden says. "It's a product of the last several years of Russiagate hysteria. But it also shows who make up the American press really don't know that much about Russia or foreign policy." Guest: James Carden. Former State Department adviser and the executive editor for the American Committee for US-Russia Accord. He writes at https://thescrum.substack.com/.

In the last year, US government, intelligence, and Congressional bodies have accused former Paul Manafort aide Konstantin Kilimnik of being a "Russian intelligence officer" or "Russian influence agent" who passed secret Trump campaign polling data to Russia in 2016. The FBI has even issued a $250,000 reward for Kilimnik's arrest on a lowly witness tampering charge -- more than double the amount for six murderers on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. In exclusive audio excerpts, Konstantin Kilimnik talks to Aaron Maté about the explosive -- and evidence-free -- US government claims about him. Despite his supposed central role in the Trump-Russia saga, Kilimnik says that no US government investigator has ever contacted him. He believes it's his Russian passport, not any actual evidence, that put him in the US intelligence crosshairs. To make the Russiagate narrative work, Kilimnik says, "they needed a f-----g Russian. I happen to be that f------g Russian." Guest: Konstantin Kilimnik. Ukrainian-Russian political consultant and former aide to Paul Manafort. Wanted by the FBI on a $250,000 bounty for a witness tampering indictment in the Mueller investigation. Neither the FBI or Mueller probe ever contacted him. Read more: https://mate.substack.com/p/accused-russian-spy-kilimnik-refutes

Rather than pay up for a multi-billion dollar environmental damage ruling in Ecuador, the oil giant Chevron is persecuting one of the attorneys who defeated it in court. Steven Donziger has been subjected to nearly two years of house arrest in a Kafkaesque prosecution engineered by one of the world's top oil giants. Guest: Steven Donziger, human rights attorney now facing persecution after helping to win a landmark legal judgment against Chevron in Ecuador.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Author and scholar Norman Finkelstein discusses the global outrage at Israel's murderous assault on Gaza and how Palestinian resistance and solidarity, after a dormant period, has been revived. (This interview was recorded before the Hamas-Israel ceasefire took effect.) Guest: Norman Finkelstein. Author and scholar whose books include "Gaza: an Inquest into its Martyrdom."

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Speaking from Gaza City, Hamas official and former Gaza Health Minister Basem Naim discusses the civilian toll of Israel's assault on Gaza and its damage to the besieged territory's medical system. Naim also addresses the Biden administration's support for Israel's assault; the world's indifference to non-violent Palestinian resistance; and Hamas' proposed terms for a ceasefire. Guest: Dr. Basem Naim. Hamas official who heads of the Council on International Relations in Gaza, and former head of Gaza's Health Ministry.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Full interview with Glenn Greenwald on the collapse of the "Russian bounties" story and the revival of the Trump-Russia conspiracy theory; his new book "Securing Democracy: My Fight for Press Freedom and Justice in Bolsonaro's Brazil"; and the decline of left media in the Russiagate era, where bastions of dissent have gone from challenging the national security state to promoting it. Guest: Glenn Greenwald. Journalist whose latest book is "Securing Democracy: My Fight for Press Freedom and Justice in Bolsonaro’s Brazil." He writes at https://greenwald.substack.com/

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate On the same day that the claim of "Russian bounties" in Afghanistan collapsed, another US intelligence-sourced, evidence-free claim was treated as vindication for conspiracy theories about Trump-Russia collusion. Glenn Greenwald and Aaron Maté discuss the predictable demise of the "Russian bounties"; the Biden administration's new evidence-free assertion that Paul Manafort associate Konstantin Kilimnik passed Trump campaign polling data to Russia; and why major US media outlets continue to parrot Russiagate disinformation no matter how many times the "bombshells" turn into duds. Guest: Glenn Greenwald. Journalist whose latest book is "Securing Democracy: My Fight for Press Freedom and Justice in Bolsonaro’s Brazil." He writes at https://greenwald.substack.com/

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As Vice-President, Joe Biden pledged that all US troops would be out of Afghanistan by 2014. Seven years later, is President Biden's new withdrawal pledge any different? Scott Horton, editorial director of Antiwar.com and author of "Enough Already", discusses how the US has previously extended the war in Afghanistan and how it might continue it in new forms. Guest: Scott Horton. Director of the Libertarian Institute; Editorial Director Antiwar.com; and host of the "Scott Horton Show." His latest book is "Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism."

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Facing new outcry over the Syria cover-up scandal, OPCW chief Fernando Arias has been caught lying, while the US-UK-France are desperately trying to change the subject. Aaron Maté recaps recent meetings at the European Parliament and United Nations where the growing Douma controversy was center stage. The US-UK-France bombed Syria in April 2018 after accusing it of a chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma. Leaks later revealed that OPCW inspectors found no evidence of a Syrian government chemical weapons attack. But their findings were suppressed, their original report was censored, and the team was sidelined. Rather than having their concerns addressed, the inspectors have since faced a concerted smear campaign. On April 15, OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias faced questions about the Douma cover-up from Mick Wallace and Clare Daley of the European Parliament. Both Wallace and Daley asked Arias why he has refused to address the Douma cover-up and meet with the dissenting inspectors. The meeting chair, former French cabinet minister Nathalie Loiseau, tried to cut-off the questions and even apologized to Arias for them being posed. Arias then made a series of excuses and even false claims. The following day, the Douma scandal was discussed at an Arria Formula Meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The ambassadors of the nations that bombed Syria in April 2018 -- the US, UK, and France -- tried to dismiss the Douma cover-up scandal as Russian propaganda and refused to offer any substantive comments on the issue. The invited briefers at the meeting included Hans von Sponeck and Lawrence Wilkerson, two veteran diplomats who have signed a Statement of Concern about the Douma scandal, alongside other notable voices including five former OPCW officials. In his comments, von Sponeck revealed that Arias, the OPCW chief, refused to read the statement and returned it to sender. Audio: Aaron Maté recaps the European Parliament meeting on April 15 and UN Security Council Arria Formula meeting on April 16. Featuring: Mick Wallace and Clare Daley, Members of the European Parliament; Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General; Hans von Sponeck, former UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq; Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary State Colin Powell; Richard Mills, Deputy US Ambassador to the UN; Nicolas de Reviere, France’s Ambassador to the UN; Jonathan Allen, UK Ambassador to the UN; Jose Bustani, former OPCW Director-General; and Aaron Maté of The Grayzone. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In remarks to the United Nations Security Council, two veteran, retired diplomats -- Hans von Sponeck of Germany and Lawrence Wilkerson of the US -- confront the OPCW and powerful state backers about the OPCW's Syria cover-up scandal. Hans Von Sponeck is the former UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq. He spent 32 years as a UN official, from 1958 to 2000, when he resigned in protest of the US-led sanctions on Iraq. “The manner in which this serious controversy has been handled by OPCW management… has sought to cover up any serious questioning of the OPCW through stonewalling and unacceptable smear tactics,” Sponeck says. “The Security Council can not be surprised that there is increasing public pressure for UN leadership to find an unbiased resolution of this troubling controversy.” Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired Army Colonel who served as Chief of Staff to Secretary State Colin Powell. In 2003, Wilkerson helped prepare Powell's infamous speech to the United Nations making the phony case for invading Iraq. Wilkerson has since renounced those Iraq war fabrications. "This OPCW business really needs to get settled," Wilkerson says. "Here we have an egregious situation that from everything I can, really calls on people of concern to straighten it out." Sponeck and Wilkerson are among the signatories of a Statement of Concern about the Douma scandal, joined by notable global voices including five former OPCW officials. In a podcast-exclusive edition of Pushback, we hear both Sponeck and Wilkerson's UN comments. Related: At UN, Aaron Maté debunks OPCW’s Syria lies and confronts US, UK on cover-up https://thegrayzone.com/2021/04/18/at-un-aaron-mate-debunks-opcws-syria-lies-and-confronts-us-uk-on-cover-up/

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ [Note to listeners: this is audio of a visual presentation to the UN. To watch the video, go to: https://bit.ly/2Q6chHs] Speaking to the United Nations Security Council, Aaron Maté of The Grayzone takes apart the OPCW's excuses for refusing to address the organization's Syria cover-up scandal. OPCW inspectors found no evidence to support allegations of a Syrian government chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma in April 2018. But their findings were suppressed, and the team was sidelined. The OPCW leadership now claims that "most of the analytical work took place" in the "last six months" of the Douma investigation, when the original team was out of the picture. Comparing the OPCW's own published reports, Maté shows why that is demonstrably false. The bulk of the work was in fact carried out by the original team in the first weeks of the probe, and the “analytical work” conducted after their censorship is minor in scale and riddled with deceptions and unsupported conclusions. Maté also addresses a new claim by OPCW Director General Fernando Arias that "I don't know why" the OPCW's final Douma report "was contested." This is another demonstrably false claim, as Arias' own prior statements show. Maté also asks the US and UK ambassadors if they will support a new proposal from distinguished signatories -- including five former OPCW officials — to let the OPCW's own Scientific Advisory Board assess the claims of the dissenting inspectors. The US and UK Ambassadors left the meeting -- it is unclear when -- and so did not respond. Video: Aaron Maté's presentation to an Arria-Formula Meeting of the United Nations Security Council, April 16 2021. https://bit.ly/2Q6chHs Berlin Group21 proposal to OPCW: https://www.berlingroup21.org/background

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Amid a public relations campaign to rehabilitate the Al Qaeda franchise in Syria -- which rules Idlib, Syria's last militant-controlled province – former top US diplomat James Jeffrey has called the group a US "asset." Lindsey Snell, an independent journalist who escaped captivity by Al Qaeda in Syria, responds. Guest: Lindsey Snell, independent journalist covering the Middle East and North Africa. In 2016, she was kidnapped by the Al Qaeda group in Syria, what was then called al-Nusra, and escaped after 10 days.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In its opening months, the Biden administration has targeted Russia and China with belligerent rhetoric, new sanctions, and continued military provocations. Lyle Goldstein of the US Naval War College discusses how the US is inflaming the key flashpoints of Taiwan, Xinjiang, the South China Sea, Ukraine, and nuclear weapons, and how Russia and China are deepening cooperation in response. Guest: Lyle Goldstein, research professor and founding director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the US Naval War College. [Note: Speaking in a personal capacity. Opinions don’t reflect in any way the official assessments of the US Navy or the US government.]

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ Noam Chomsky weighs in on the Putin-Biden row; new US claims of "Russian interference"; the "savagery" of US sanctions on Cuba, Iran, Syria, Venezuela and other nations; US pressure on Brazil to reject Russia's COVID-19 vaccine and on Panama to reject Cuban doctors; and more. Chomsky's latest book is "Chomsky for Activists." Guest: Noam Chomsky, renowned linguist, author and political dissident. His latest book is "Chomsky for Activists."

Robert Ford served as US Ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014. On the tenth anniversary of the Syrian war, Ford speaks to Aaron Maté about the roots of the conflict; the US role; the current US sanctions that target Syria’s reconstruction; chemical weapons allegations against the Syrian government; and why he now supports the withdrawal of US forces. Guest: Robert Ford, retired US diplomat who served as US Ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Five former officials from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have joined a group of prominent signatories to urge the OPCW to address the controversy surrounding its investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. Leaks from inside the OPCW show that key scientific findings that cast doubt on claims of Syrian government guilt were censored, and that the original investigators were removed from the probe. Since the cover-up became public, the OPCW has shunned accountability and publicly attacked the two whistleblowers who challenged it from inside. The "Statement of Concern" is signed by five former OPCW officials, including the organization's founding leader, José Bustani, and others including Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Tulsi Gabbard, John Pilger, Lord West of Spithead, as well two former senior UN officials, Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck. "The issue at hand threatens to severely damage the reputation and credibility of the OPCW and undermine its vital role in the pursuit of international peace and security," the statement says. "It is simply not tenable for a scientific organization such as the OPCW to refuse to respond openly to the criticisms and concerns of its own scientists whilst being associated with attempts to discredit and smear those scientists." Pushback host Aaron Maté details the letter and airs clips of his and Tulsi Gabbard's recent "Tucker Carlson Tonight" appearance discussing the OPCW controversy.

While Joe Biden has faced some mild Congressional pushback for bombing the Iraq-Syria border, Tulsi Gabbard says her former colleagues are ignoring the larger issue: the ongoing US dirty war on Syria. After a decade of proxy warfare that empowered Al Qaeda and ISIS, the US is now occupying one-third of Syria and imposing crippling sanctions that are crushing Syria's economy and preventing reconstruction. While Gabbard has been vilified for her stance on Syria, many top White House officials -- including Joe Biden himself -- have already acknowledged the same facts that she has called out. Aaron Maté plays clips of Biden and some of his most senior aides admitting to the horrific realities of the US dirty war on Syria, and argues that Gabbard only stands apart in being wiling to criticize it. Featuring clips from: Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic Congressmember; President Joe Biden; Brett McGurk, National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa; Martin Dempsey, former Joint Chiefs chairman; Rob Malley, Special Envoy for Iran; John Kerry, Special Envoy for Climate & former Secretary of State; former President Donald Trump; Alena Douhan, UN Special Rapporteur on Sanctions; Dana Stroul, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East; Vice President Kamala Harris.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Anne Sacoolas, a State Department official who fled the UK after killing British teen Harry Dunn in a car crash, is actually a US intelligence officer. An attorney for Sacoolas made the explosive admission to a Virginia court, where Dunn's family has brought a wrongful death lawsuit. Radd Seiger, a spokesperson for the Dunn family, says that the revelation that Sacoolas is a spy raises new doubts about the US government's claim that she has diplomatic immunity. Guest: Radd Seiger, spokesperson for Harry Dunn’s family.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ After The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal reported on newly leaked documents exposing a massive UK government propaganda campaign against Russia, Twitter added an unprecedented warning label that the material "may have been obtained through hacking." Although Twitter may have intended to restrict the article, the warning had the opposite effect: it quickly went viral. Max Blumenthal and Aaron Maté discuss the suppression effort and the damning UK government leaks at the heart of it. After years of fear-mongering about Russian interference in Western democracies, these UK government files expose a sprawling propaganda effort that explicitly aims to "weaken" Russia. The documents reveal that this propaganda campaign has also enlisted major media outlets Reuters and the BBC, as well as the NATO member state-funded website Bellingcat. Guest: Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery."

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a senior House Intel investigator and Trump administration official, Kash Patel helped unearth critical misconduct by the intelligence officials who carried out the Trump-Russia probe. In his first extended interview since leaving government, Patel tells Aaron Maté that still-classified documents expose more malpractice, as well as major evidentiary holes in the pivotal -- and largely unquestioned -- claims of a sweeping Russian interference campaign to elect Trump in 2016. According to Patel, the release of these critical documents was "continuously impeded." "I think there were people at the heads of certain intelligence agencies who did not want their tradecraft called out, even though it was during a former administration, because it doesn't look good on the agency itself," Patel says. Among the tradecraft that Patel criticizes is the hastily produced and highly consequential "Intelligence Community Assessment" of January 2017, as well as the FBI's reliance on Crowdstrike -- the DNC contractor that generated the Russian hacking allegations despite later admitting, behind closed doors, that it lacked concrete evidence. Patel also discusses other aspects of his time in the Trump White House: a secret mission to Syria; Trump's record on foreign wars; and the January 6th riot at the Capitol. Guest: Kash Patel. Former senior government official in the Trump administration, where he served as senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, and chief of staff to the acting Secretary of Defense. Previously, Patel served as a top investigator on the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee, where he was instrumental in exposing US intelligence misconduct in the Trump-Russia investigation. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Haitian president Jovenel Moïse has cracked down on a wave of popular protest as he tries to cling to power. While tens of thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets in the face of government repression, the Biden administration is backing Moïse's effort to remain in office for at least another year. Haitian activist and radio host Dahoud Andre discusses the background to Moïse's power grab; the continued US deportations to Haiti; the enduring popularity of Jean-Bertrand Aristide -- twice overthrown in US-backed coups; and how the Biden administration's support for Moïse continues a long legacy of US attacks on Haiti's popular movements and backing of right-wing autocrats. Guest: Dahoud Andre. Radio host and activist with the Committee to Mobilize Against Dictatorship in Haiti.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ In a landmark ruling, the International Criminal Court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to investigate Israel for war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, scholar and author Norman Finkelstein warns that the ICC decision, while historic, is unlikely to deliver justice. According to Finkelstein, the Palestinian Authority's capitulation in the Oslo accords gives Israel room to flout the court's jurisdiction. Meanwhile, the reality of Israel today -- what the Israeli group B'Tselem recently called a "regime of Jewish supremacy" -- undermines any notion of a separate Palestinian state. Guest: Norman Finkelstein. Author, scholar, and leading expert on Israel-Palestine. His latest book is "I Accuse!". http://normanfinkelstein.com/ B'Tselem statement: "A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid" https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ The imprisoned Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny has been held up in the West as the poster child of the Russian opposition. Two Russian leftists, Katya Kazbek and Alexey Sakhnin discuss why they don't see Navalny as a genuine alternative to Vladimir Putin, and instead as a representative of a different faction of the ruling Russian elite -- one more willing to cater to Western counterparts. Guests: Katya Kazbek. Writer, translator and the editor-in-chief of arts and culture magazine Supamodu.com. Alexey Sakhnin. Russian activist and a member of the Left Front. He was one of the leaders of the anti-Putin protest movement from 2011 to 2013.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate President Biden has taken important steps to reduce the US role in the war on Yemen, while still leaving room to continue supporting the Saudi-led campaign and imposing its terms on the Yemeni people. Isa Blumi, associate professor at Stockholm University and author of "Destroying Yemen", discusses Biden's change of course and whether it's enough to end the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Guest: Isa Blumi. Associate Professor at Stockholm University and author of "Destroying Yemen: What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us about the World."

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As Donald Trump faces an impeachment trial for allegedly inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, critical questions remain over how the sprawling US national security state failed to stop it. Newsweek reporter William Arkin discuses the lingering issues surrounding one of the biggest domestic intelligence and security failures in US history. Guest: William Arkin. Award-winning reporter for Newsweek and author of a dozen books on national security policy. Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/2021/01/08/exclusive-how-officials-fear-donald-trump-paralyzed-intelligence-agencies-led-capitol-riot-1563221.html

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In his first major foreign policy move, President Biden has committed to renewing the New START treaty, which imposes the last remaining limits on the US-Russian nuclear weapons arsenals. The treaty was just days away from expiring -- and possibly setting off a new arms race -- after the Trump administration refused to renew it, and stalled negotiations. While saying that it will renew New START, the Biden White House also announced that it will conduct an intelligence assessment of various allegations against Russia -- including the SolarWinds hack, the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, and the debunked "Russian Bounties" in Afghanistan -- and respond with punitive measures if necessary. That pledge signals that despite Biden's nuclear diplomacy with Russia, more conflict could be ahead. Guest: William Arkin. Award-winning reporter for Newsweek and author of a dozen books on national security policy.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Rather than prioritize accountability for US intelligence officials' failure to prevent the pro-Trump mob attack on the Capitol, the incident is instead being used to expand the national security state's powers. Max Blumenthal, who witnessed the Capitol mob and reported on a key participant, discusses his coverage of the attack and the dangers of a militarized, myopic response. Guest: Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone and author of several books including his latest, "The Management of Savagery."

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Crippling US sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act are decimating war-ravaged Syrian civilians, are illegal, and should be lifted, the UN Special Rapporteur on sanctions says. An independent United Nations expert is calling on the US to lift its crippling sanctions on Syria. Under the Caesar Act, US sanctions explicitly target Syria’s reconstruction in the aftermath of a catastrophic 10-year war. Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the impact of sanctions, says that the US sanctions are illegal and depriving Syrian civilians of their basic needs. “People shouldn’t die, people shouldn’t suffer, and people shouldn’t fear whether they can survive after tomorrow, because they have neither medicine or food, because of the sanctions applied,” Douhan says. Guest: Alena F. Douhan, UN Special Rapporteur on sanctions, and a professor at Belarusian State University. Video/transcript: https://thegrayzone.com/2021/01/14/un-expert-crippling-us-sanctions-on-syria-are-illegal-and-hurting-civilians/

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate A UK judge has rejected a US attempt to extradite Julian Assange, citing the Wikileaks' founder's risk of suicide and the poor conditions of US prisons. But Judge Vanessa Baraitser accepted the basis for the US government's espionage case against Assange and ruled against releasing him on bail. Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, discusses the longstanding persecution of Assange and the lies that have been used to justify it to the public. Melzer, who has visited Assange in prison, has played a critical role in exposing the deception surrounding Assange's initial Sweden extradition case. "Based on 20 years of experiences of visiting prisoners, many of whom are being exposed to to extremely severe conditions including ill treatment, it is a miracle that this man is still alive," Melzer says. Guest: Nils Melzer. UN Special Rapporteur on torture and Professor of International Law at the University of Glasgow.

President Trump is leaving office by overseeing a record level of federal executions, with 10 prisoners killed in 2020 and three more slated for this month. George Hale, who has covered the executions for NPR, discusses Trump's last-minute killing spree and witnessing the barbaric executions first-hand. Guest: George Hale. Reporter covering federal executions for NPR member station WFIU. https://twitter.com/georgehale Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

For the first time, OPCW chief Fernando Arias was asked a series of direct questions at the United Nations about the cover-up of a Syria chemical weapons probe. Arias answered none of them. Russia's UN ambassador asked Arias about several damning leaks, some revealed by The Grayzone, as well as ongoing deceptive attacks on the veteran scientists who challenged the censorship of their investigation. Arias refused to answer in public session, and gave vague, non-substantive answers in private. Aaron Maté recaps the unanswered questions to Arias, as well as recent attacks on the OPCW whistleblowers via Western state-funded outlets Bellingcat and the BBC.

Pushback rounds out 2020 by airing an unpublished interview with Stephen F. Cohen, the eminent Russia historian and scholar who passed away in September at the age of 81. In an interview recorded one year before his death, Stephen F. Cohen discusses local elections and protests in Russia; opposition leader Alexei Navalny; as well as the state of Russia’s post-Soviet democratization and how US meddling undermines it. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Guest: Stephen F. Cohen. Professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and Princeton University, contributing editor at The Nation, and author of books including “War with Russia: From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate.” This interview was recorded in September 2019, one year before his death.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Veteran US diplomat Chas Freeman says that despite talk of a New Cold War between the US and China, the US in reality is reacting aggressively to a rising Chinese power whose economic gains threaten US global supremacy. Freeman, who served in top State Department positions and as Richard Nixon's chief interpreter on his historic 1972 visit to China, discusses the state of US-China relations and flashpoints such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. "Since around 1870, we have been the preeminent society on the planet -- the wealthiest and technologically most advanced, the most influential. And China's overtaking us," Freeman says. "So there's a psychological issue here. The good deal of what we're doing is better explained by psychology than by statecraft. China does threaten American economic supremacy, may have already passed us in many ways... Whether that's a threat or not depends on your perceptions. We've chosen to treat it as a national security or a military threat. It'll be very good for the military industrial complex for a while." Guest: Chas Freeman. Veteran U.S. diplomat and public servant who has served in many senior positions, including as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Director for Chinese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and as the principal US interpreter during President Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972.

Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, analyzes the state of the Syria proxy war and the ongoing propaganda campaign to whitewash it. Guest: Peter Ford, veteran British diplomat who served as the UK Ambassador to Syria from 2003-2006.

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson assesses Biden's "national security" picks, including Gen. Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense and Anthony Blinken for Secretary of State. "I don't see a different kind of administration being formed," Wilkerson says. "And it disturbs me because it just means more of the same -- a little more calmness, a little more serenity, which lulls everyone into thinking that things are better, when in fact they're not." Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell. Currently a distinguished professor at the College of William and Mary. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Israel's assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist is the latest act of aggression in the Trump-Netanyahu campaign to undermine the Iran nuclear deal. Although President-elect Joe Biden has voiced support for returning to the JCPOA, longstanding US-Israel hostility to Iranian sovereignty will continue under his watch. Former UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter debunks the myths about Iran's nuclear program and discusses the next phase of the US and Israeli campaign against Iran under Biden. Guest: Scott Ritter, former UN Weapons Inspector, former Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, and author of Dealbreaker: Donald Trump and the Unmaking of the Iran Nuclear Deal. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Former Trump 2016 campaign deputy chair Rick Gates was once widely portrayed as the key Mueller witness who would expose Trump-Russia collusion. Gates' testimony ended up seriously undermining the collusion conspiracy theory, but that has done little to undo the media narrative. Gates joins Pushback to debunk several key Russiagate conspiracy theories: that Konstantin Kilimnik is a Russian spy; that Paul Manafort served Russian interests in Ukraine; and that Roger Stone gave the Trump campaign advance notice on Wikileaks' release of stolen Democratic Party emails. Guest: Rick Gates. Former Trump 2016 deputy campaign chairman, cooperating witness in the Mueller investigation, and author of "Wicked Game: An Insider's Story on How Trump Won, Mueller Failed, and America Lost." Support Pushback at Patreon: www.patreon.com/aaronmate

President Trump is refusing to concede to Joe Biden over what he claims was widespread electoral fraud. But investigative journalist Greg Palast says that the real 2020 voting scandal is Republican-led voter theft targeting Black and youth voters in key battlegrounds, including Georgia, where Senate control will be decided. Guest: Greg Palast. Veteran investigative journalist and author of several books including "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy," and his latest "How Trump Stole 2020." www.GregPalast.com Support Pushback at Patreon: www.patreon.com/aaronmate

As President Trump refuses to concede over baseless allegations of widespread fraud, the Biden team has sent signals that there will be little to no transition away from US regime change abroad. The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal discusses Trump's rejection of democracy at home, and the records of the likely Biden cabinet members who have adopted the same attitude to governments around the world. Guest: Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery." Support Pushback at Patreon: www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: www.patreon.com/aaronmate Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended by his successor, neoliberal Blairite Keir Starmer, even as a new report confirms that claims of a Labour "anti-Semitism crisis" under Corbyn's watch were without merit. Former UK Labour MP Chris Williamson, a Corbyn ally who has denounced the anti-Semitism allegations as a smear campaign, discusses the report and the Blairite wing's ongoing war on the Corbyn movement. Guest: Chris Williamson, former UK Member of Parliament for the Labour Party.

Stephen F. Cohen, the eminent historian who helped shape the field of Russia studies and bravely exposed the fallacies and dangers of Russiagate and the new Cold War, passed away on September 18, 2020 at the age of 81. Cohen's wife, Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher of The Nation magazine, reflects on his life and legacy. Guest: Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher of The Nation magazine, and wife of Stephen F. Cohen. Support Pushback at Patreon: www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In his new memoir "Unforgetting," award-winning Salvadoran American journalist Roberto Lovato explores personal histories, including his own, shaped by decades of murderous U.S. terror wars in Central America that have also fueled the migrant crisis and gang violence. Lovato discusses his new book; the erasure of Central American voices in US media; and the bipartisan cruelty toward Central American migrants displaced as a result of US warfare. Guest: Roberto Lovato. Award-winning journalist and author of the new memoir "Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas." https://robertolovato.com/ Support Pushback at Patreon: www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Former intelligence officials, Democratic leaders, and media outlets dismissing the Hunter Biden story as "Russian disinformation" are spreading more Russiagate disinformation, ex- CIA officer Ray McGovern says. Media outlets are amplifying the claims of former intelligence officials, including John Brennan and James Clapper, as well as of top Democrats, including Joe Biden and Adam Schiff, that the Hunter Biden laptop revelations are "Russian disinformation." They have done so even though no one from the Biden camp has disputed the authenticity of a single leaked email or document, or denied that the laptop belongs to Hunter Biden. Ray McGovern, a former career CIA officer who served as chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division and chaired National Intelligence Estimates, discusses the widespread disinformation about "Russian disinformation," and why it raises new questions about the conduct and claims of the intelligence officials behind Russiagate. Guest: Ray McGovern. Former longtime CIA officer, who served as chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division, chaired National Intelligence Estimates, and prepared the President's Daily Brief. He is also the co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. Support Pushback at Patreon: www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Noam Chomsky warns that the Trump administration poses a unique threat to humanity, but its most reckless policies are receiving far too little attention. Chomsky discusses the White House's threats to the New START treaty, the last remaining accord limiting the US and Russia's nuclear weapons arsenals; its latest round of crippling sanctions and threats against Iran; the bipartisan US refusal to accept a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, which would terminate Israel's nuclear weapons program; and the silencing of former OPCW officials who challenged a cover-up of findings that undermined Trump's 2018 bombing of Syria. Guest: Noam Chomsky, renowned linguist, author and political dissident. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In a Grayzone exclusive, José Bustani, the former head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, speaks out in support of two veteran OPCW inspectors who challenged a US-backed cover-up of their investigation in Syria. Bustani also reacts to the recent US-UK-France-led effort to prevent his testimony at the UN Security Council about the OPCW's Syria cover-up scandal. And Bustani reveals new details of how he was targeted in the lead-up to the Iraq war, when the Bush administration engineered his ouster for impeding its plans to invade. Bustani discloses for the first time that his office was bugged – and that the OPCW's then-head of security, a U.S. citizen, vanished right after this was discovered. It's a case of history repeating itself, with the world's top superpower once again trying to silence a veteran diplomat from the Global South, whose courage and principle challenges a pro-war deception. Guest: José Bustani, veteran Brazilian diplomat and the first Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Weeks before the U.S. election, the Trump administration has imposed crushing new sanctions that sever Iran from the global financial system and further threaten the import of humanitarian goods. The Israeli government and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a pro-regime change think tank, reportedly lobbied White House officials for the new move. Assal Rad of the National Iranian American Council discusses how the sanctions target Iranian civilians, and threaten an outbreak of military conflict. Guest: Assal Rad, Research Fellow at the National Iranian American Council. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Ian Henderson, a veteran OPCW inspector who challenged a cover-up of his organization's investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria, recently testified before the United Nations Security Council. At the meeting, Henderson was both attacked and ignored by U.S., UK, and French diplomats whose governments bombed Syria over allegations that Henderson's censored investigation undermined. At another UNSC gathering one week later, the U.S. and its allies continued their censorship campaign by voting to block the testimony of the OPCW's former chief, José Bustani, who had come to speak out in support of the whistleblowers. Pushback host Aaron Maté recaps the extraordinary events with excerpts of Henderson and Bustani's comments, as well as those of the Western ambassadors who tried to silence them. Read/watch José Bustani's full statement for the UN Security Council: https://thegrayzone.com/2020/10/05/ex-opcw-chief-jose-bustani-reads-syria-testimony-that-us-uk-blocked-at-un/ Aaron Maté's UNSC remarks: https://thegrayzone.com/2020/09/29/grayzones-aaron-mate-testifies-at-un-on-opcw-syria-cover-up/

A trove of leaked UK government documents exposes a massive propaganda network used to shape the media narrative during the Syrian proxy war. Western government-funded intelligence cutouts trained Syrian opposition leaders, planted stories in media outlets, ran a cadre of journalists, and whitewashed the jihadist militants armed, trained and supported by the US, UK, Turkey and Gulf monarchies. "Every very single aspect of the [Syrian] opposition was micromanaged by these western government contractors,” says The Grayzone’s Ben Norton. "It's probably the largest propaganda war that's ever been waged in history." Guest: Ben Norton, Assistant Editor of The Grayzone. https://thegrayzone.com/2020/09/23/syria-leaks-uk-contractors-opposition-media/ Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Facing Palestinian-led criticism, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has cancelled an appearance at an event honoring the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin played a personal role in the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine; ordered Israeli forces to brutalize Palestinian protesters during the 1st Intifada; and oversaw a so-called Oslo "peace process" that cemented continued occupation and illegal settlement expansion. "This is a man who never expressed any regret for his crimes dating back to 1948, was never held to account, was never brought to justice," says Ali Abunimah of The Electronic Intifada. "So the very least we can do now is make sure that his crimes are not forgotten, and make sure that the lives he destroyed are not erased from history, and make sure that he is not falsely portrayed as a peacemaker -- let alone someone on a mission for peace and justice." Guest: Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The Trump administration is running out the clock on talks with Russia over renewing New START, the last treaty limiting the nuclear weapons arsenals of both countries. Russia has proposed an unconditional extension, but the US has stalled the talks and demanded new conditions -- even issuing an ultimatum that the "price of admission" will go up after the November U.S. election. "This is very dangerous," says Tom Collina, Director of Policy of the Ploughshares Fund. "If we don't get the treaty extended, if we let it expire, both sides could then expand their nuclear forces, make the world less safe, increase the risk of nuclear war, and potentially cause both countries to spend trillions of dollars more on expanding their nuclear arsenal." “Unfortunately what we're seeing right now is the Trump administration is simply not serious about extending the treaty — they're playing games with it. The Trump administration is saying to Russia, ‘agree to our terms before the election so we can get a political bump out of this. And if you don't agree to our terms — which by the way are unreasonable — if you don't agree to our terms the price will go up after the election.' So it's kind of an extortion racket — it's not a serious way to conduct international negotiations.” Guest: Tom Collina, Director of Policy of the Ploughshares Fund and co-author of the book, "The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump," with former US Secretary of Defense William Perry.

As the UAE and Bahrain reach a US-backed agreement with Israel, author and scholar Norman Finkelstein discusses the confluence of powerful forces that have sold out the Palestinian cause: Gulf monarchies, Palestinian Authority leaders, and U.S. liberals who have found common cause with far-right evangelicals and neocons in backing the Israeli occupation. Finkelstein contrasts their legacies on Palestine with that of the late Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said. Guest: Norman Finkelstein, author and scholar. His latest book is "I Accuse!". Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Historian and author Gerald Horne on Trump's proposed "1776 Commission"; leftist criticism of the 1619 Project; William Barr's attacks on Black Lives Matter; and the significance of NBA players' recent walkout over racism and police violence. Guest: Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. Author of more than three dozen books, including his latest The Dawning of the Apocalypse. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

The Senate Intelligence Committee's final report on alleged Russian interference focuses on "a wide range of Russian efforts to influence the Trump Campaign and the 2016 election." Does the report advance our understanding of the Trump-Russia story? Mattathias Schwartz, contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, joins Pushback. Guest: Mattathias Schwartz, contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Claims that Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny has been poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok are threatening a new standoff between Russia and NATO states, with calls for punitive measures against Moscow, including cancelling the Nordstream 2 German-Russia pipeline. Navalny's opposition activism is "marginal in Russian politics -- it's not currently a threat to the Kremlin," says Fred Weir, a veteran Moscow correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. "Navalny is little more than a nuisance [to the Kremlin]. And I can't believe that Putin would rocket him to the top of the world political agenda through a botched attempt to assassinate him, or even an effective one. It just does not make sense to me." Weir also discusses the flaws of Russia coverage in Western media, including the recent case where Russians were accused of staging a fake left-wing website to deceive U.S. audiences. Guest: Fred Weir, veteran Moscow correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.

David West, a retired two-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Champion, discusses the NBA walkout over racist police violence; the challenges of activism in pro sports; his involvement in a new league challenging the NCAA's exploitation of young players; the neocon attacks on the NBA over China, and more. Guest: David West. Retired 15-year NBA player; two-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Champion; and chief operating officer of the Professional Collegiate League. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Attorney and writer Malaika Jabali reports from Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a 17-year old right-wing white militant killed two people during the protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. "I think the problem is that we live in a right-wing country," Jabali says. "There will always be ways to justify gun violence. But if you go anywhere else in the world, it's absurd that you can have an armed vigilante just walking around with an assault rifle willy-nilly in public spaces like this. It's absurd that we have police officers who just take out their guns for mild indiscretions or small furtive movements... [that] they will kill black people specifically for." Guest: Malaika Jabali. Attorney, writer, and Guardian columnist Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, discusses the connections between the global US empire and the record US death toll during the coronavirus pandemic. "We're really not doing anything very well or right, and that's a consequence in part at least of our fascination with an attempt to maintain and even expand this empire that we've created since 1945," Wilkerson says. He also discusses the breakdown of US-Russia talks on expanding a key nuclear weapons treaty, and new revelations about the Bush administration's drive to invade Iraq. Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson. Former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell; currently a distinguished professor at the College of William and Mary. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In a new article for Foreign Affairs, scholar Joshua Landis and former Obama administration official Steve Simon write that US sanctions on Syria "further immiserates the Syrian people, blocks reconstruction efforts, and strangles the economy that sustains a desperate population during Syria’s growing humanitarian and public health crises." Landis, a leading expert on Syria, joins Pushback. Guest: Joshua Landis, Sandra Mackey Professor of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In his new book "A Case for the American People," former House Judiciary Committee attorney Norman Eisen tells the inside story of the Democrats' impeachment efforts against President Trump. Eisen joins Aaron Maté to debate and discuss the Mueller probe, Ukrainegate, and Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Guest: Norman Eisen, former special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, including for the impeachment and trial of President Trump. Previously served under President Obama as ethics czar and ambassador to the Czech Republic. His new book is "A Case for the American People: The United States v. Donald J. Trump." https://www.normaneisen.com/ Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

At the funeral for John Lewis, former president Bill Clinton disparaged Stokely Carmichael's (later Kwame Ture) leadership role in the black freedom struggle of the 1960s. "There were two or three years there where the movement went a little bit too far towards Stokely," Clinton said, "But in the end, John Lewis prevailed." Dr. Peniel Joseph, professor at University of Texas at Austin and author of "Stokely: A Life", responds to Clinton's comments and discusses Carmichael/Ture's legacy as a black power revolutionary. "Bill Clinton was a terrible president for black people," Dr. Jospeh says. "So the disparaging of Kwame Ture/Stokely Carmichael is really just another example of this kind of racism and patronizing attitude coming from the forces of political reaction that people like Bill Clinton represent." Carmichael meanwhile "exposed the depths of state-sanctioned violence against black bodies in the context of the 1960s, and exposed the moral and political hypocrisy of American democracy and fantasies of American exceptionalism." Guest: Dr. Peniel Joseph, Barbara Jordan chair in ethics and political values at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Author of "Stokely: A Life" and his latest, "The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr." https://lbj.utexas.edu/joseph-peniel Dr. Joseph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenielJoseph Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

The catastrophic explosion in Beirut followed years of ignored warnings by government officials about the ammonium nitrate stored at the port. Lecturer and activist Rania Masri says that the disaster is the product of a corrupt, sectarian political system maintained by foreign powers. Guest: Rania Masri, lecturer and activist. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

A long-awaited UK government report finds no evidence of Russian meddling in British domestic politics, including the 2016 Brexit vote. But that hasn't stopped the fear-mongering: the report claims the UK government didn't find evidence because it didn't look for it, and backs increased powers for intelligence agencies and media censorship as a result. Afshin Rattansi, a British journalist and host of RT's "Going Underground", responds. Guest: Afshin Rattansi, British journalist and host of RT's "Going Underground." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi is being challenged on the November ballot by democratic socialist Shahid Buttar, who is running on a staunch progressive platform for Pelosi's Congressional seat in California. Buttar joins Pushback to discuss his campaign against the country's most powerful Democrat. Guest: Shahid Buttar, Congressional candidate challenging Nancy Pelosi in CA-12. https://shahidforchange.us/ Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

A new open letter signed by prominent pundits and intellectuals warns of a growing problem with cancel culture. The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal discusses how many of its prominent signatories have spent their careers trying to silence dissenting voices on critical issues such as Israel-Palestine and Syria. They are also part of a growing establishment "hyper-liberal" cancel culture that elevates identitarian issues at the expense of class ones; promotes reactionary projects like Russiagate by co-opting righteous causes; and supports the cancelation of foreign countries via aggressive U.S. foreign policy. Guest: Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery."

Multiple US outlets, citing anonymous intelligence officials, are claiming that Russia offered bounties to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan and that President Trump has taken no action. The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal breaks down the story's flaws and how it continues a Russiagate-era push of the Democratic Party to the right. "The constant flow of Russiagate disinformation into the bloodstream of the Democratic Party and its base is moving that party constantly to the right, while pushing the US deeper into this Cold War," Blumenthal says. Guest: Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone and author of several books, including his latest "The Management of Savagery." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set a date of July 1st to begin Israel's annexation of major parts of the Occupied West Bank. A group of 47 independent UN legal experts call the annexation plan "a vision of a 21st century apartheid." Author and scholar Norman Finkelstein argues that Netanyahu is exploiting a brief window of opportunity under Trump and will use the deadline to swallow up valuable West Bank while pretending to be making a compromise because he does not seize the entire territory. "If there were an an Oscar for Best Dramatic Performance by a Nation-State, Israel would win hands down every year," Finkelstein says. "And so they will manage to turn this illegal annexation, which will enable Israel to appropriate some of the best farmland, agricultural land in the Occupied Territories, that will preclude the possibility of a Palestinian state — they’ll manage to turn it into another agonizing, gut-wrenching compromise. I could write the script." Guest: Norman Finkelstein, author and scholar. His latest book is "I Accuse! : Herewith A Proof Beyond Reasonable Doubt That ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda Whitewashed Israel." www.normanfinkelstein.com Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Veteran civil rights activist Larry Hamm discusses the national uprising against systemic racism and police violence as well as his primary challenge to Democratic Sen. Cory Booker. "The challenge that faces us is to develop strategies and tactics that will sustain our movement over the long haul," Hamm says. Guest: Larry Hamm, chair of the People's Organization for Progress and candidate for the Democratic Senate nomination in New Jersey.

As Syria tries to recover from a nearly decade-long conflict, the US has imposed crippling new sanctions that explicitly target reconstruction. "For Syrians, sanctions on reconstruction and on oil and gas are likely to be felt most acutely," the Washington Post reports. "The Caesar Act will probably limit the government’s ability to procure oil, further hurting the already low quality of life." The new sanctions follow earlier coercive measures that had already hurt Syrian civilians, compounding the destruction of a lengthy proxy war fueled and funded by the US and its allies. Guest: Elijah Magnier, veteran war correspondent who has covered the Middle East for more than three decades. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

The families of black victims of police violence are calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to open an investigation of what they call an "unfolding grave human rights crisis" in the United States. Relatives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, and Michael Brown urge the UN to probe the killings of their loved ones and the government crackdowns on anti-racism protests. The letter's co-drafter, Gay McDougall, a legal scholar and former UN expert on racial discrimination, joins Pushback. Guest: Gay McDougall. Former member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; the UN's first Independent Expert on Minority Issues; and former member of South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission. Currently a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the Leitner Center on International Law and Justice at Fordham University Law School. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Historian and author Gerald Horne discusses the US uprisings against police brutality and systemic racism sparked by George Floyd's killing; the devastating impact of the US government's decades-old war on the black freedom struggle; the ongoing "Russia-baiting" of the protests; and how, amidst the suffering and repression at home, the U.S. government, in bipartisan fashion, continues to attempt to impose its will on countries abroad, from China to Venezuela. Guest: Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. Author of more than three dozen books, including the forthcoming The Dawning of the Apocalypse. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

The Trump administration continues to undermine global arms control and increase the threat of a nuclear weapons race with Russia and China. The U.S. has announced plans to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty, which allows participants to launch joint surveillance flights in a bid to avert military conflict. Trump officials have also rejected talks on renewing New START and reportedly discussed conducting the first US nuclear test since 1992. All this comes as Trump's arms control envoy said that Trump can outspend Russia and China on nuclear weapons "into oblivion." Guest: Daryl Kimball, Director of the Arms Control Association. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

In his latest Grayzone exposé, Max Blumenthal reveals how the US surveilled and targeted Wikileaks founder Julian Assange inside Ecuador’s London embassy, all while working with Trump mega-donor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s security team and a Spanish company that had initially been hired to protect the embassy. Drawing on court testimony and internal documents, Blumenthal details how the CIA sabotaged an asylum plan for Assange; installed software that allowed it to directly monitor him; and harassed and monitored Assange’s attorneys, friends, family, and journalist colleagues. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of The Management of Savagery. Max Blumenthal's article: https://thegrayzone.com/2020/05/14/american-sheldon-adelsons-us-spy-julian-assange/

Crowdstrike, the firm that accused Russia of stealing DNC emails in 2016, has made a bombshell admission. In newly released Congressional testimony, Crowdstrike president Shawn Henry said that "we did not have concrete evidence" that alleged Russian hackers actually took the emails from DNC servers. "There's circumstantial evidence, but no evidence that they were actually exfiltrated," Henry said. Aaron Maté breaks down Henry's testimony and why it adds new doubt about the core allegation at the heart of Russiagate.

Noam Chomsky joins Aaron Maté to discuss the May Day workers' strikes; how Donald Trump's ineptitude and neoliberal capitalism fueled the COVID-19 crisis; US attacks on China and the WHO; Trump's overlooked escalation of the nuclear arms race with Russia; the question of "lesser evil voting" in the Biden-Trump race; and what the targets of US empire can teach us about resiliency and resistance. Guest: Noam Chomsky, renowned linguist, author and political dissident.

The bipartisan US establishment has coalesced around increased hostility to China in response to the coronavirus pandemic. China has faced numerous allegations including that it covered up the pandemic at the world's expense, developed the virus in a lab, and has spread disinformation. Journalist and attorney Ajit Singh debunks some of the most widespread claims lodged against China and analyzes the parallels between the current climate and Russiagate. Guest: Ajit Singh, Attorney and Journalist.

An internal investigation has found that top Labour Party officials sabotaged Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, including by trying to lose the 2017 UK election. The report also suggests that the same people who tried to undermine Corbyn were themselves the ones who were slow to respond to allegations of anti-Semitism -- another weapon that was used against Corbyn's leadership. Guest: Asa Winstanley, journalist with The Electronic Intifada. Links: Asa Winstanley: https://electronicintifada.net/people/asa-winstanley Al Jazeera's "The Lobby" (UK): https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/thelobby/ Al Jazeera's "The Lobby - USA": https://electronicintifada.net/content/watch-film-israel-lobby-didnt-want-you-see/25876

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

Roger Stone has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for lying to a Congressional investigation of Russiagate and threatening a witness, Randy Credico. Stone falsely claimed to have a secret backchannel to Wikileaks, and that Credico was his source. Stone then tried to intimidate Credico into not contradicting his falsehoods. In an exclusive interview with Pushback, Randy Credico responds to the Stone sentencing and tells the real story of what happened. Guest: Randy Credico, political satirist and broadcaster.

Idlib is facing a humanitarian disaster as hundreds of thousands flee a Syrian and Russian military campaign to retake the province from militant rule. Overlooked in Western coverage of the crisis is that Idlib is mostly controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebranded affiliate of Al-Qaeda -- and that Turkey, with U.S. backing, has intervened to keep the extremist group in place. Guest: Scott Ritter, former UN Weapons Inspector and Marine Corps Intelligence Officer. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

Iowa's voting debacle has renewed fears that the DNC is again working against Bernie Sanders and his grassroots campaign. The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal breaks down the network of dark money billionaires, Democratic elites, and Russiagate profiteers behind the app that ruined the Iowa vote, and a wider effort to stop Sanders' progressive momentum. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of The Management of Savagery. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

As the Trump administration’s stated rationale for killing Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis collapses, journalist Gareth Porter has pieced together the overlooked background. Porter reports that the assassination was in fact the culmination of a lengthy provocation campaign involving Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, and the Israeli government, which carried out a number of under-reported bombings inside Iraq and Syria in the months prior. Guest: Gareth Porter. Journalist and historian. His latest book, with John Kiriakou, is The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis.

President Trump was joined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to unveil the so-called "deal of the century" at the White House. Attorney and author Noura Erakat says Trump's so-called "peace plan" is a con that seeks to cement Israeli apartheid for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Guest: Noura Erakat. Human rights attorney, legal scholar, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, and author of Justice for Some: Law and in the Question of Palestine.

At the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, chief Democratic prosecutor Adam Schiff has claimed that the US is arming Ukraine "so that we can fight Russia over there so we don’t have to fight Russia here" and called Russia a "wounded, dangerous animal." Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and Princeton University, says that Schiff's rhetoric is "ignorant and debased." Guest: Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and Princeton University, contributing editor at The Nation, and author of "War with Russia: From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former senior official in the Bush administration, joins Pushback to discuss the Trump administration's Iran policy; the Iran nuclear deal; and decades of US-Iran confrontation in the Middle East. Guest: Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former senior official in the Bush administration. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

As Bernie Sanders ignores Hillary Clinton's attacks, Tulsi Gabbard is fighting back. Gabbard has filed a $50 million defamation suit against Clinton for labeling her a "Russian asset." Independent journalist Michael Tracey joins Pushback to discuss. Guest: Michael Tracey, independent journalist. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden is falsely claiming that he opposed the Iraq war when it began. Biden says that his 2002 war authorization vote was not intended to approve the 2003 invasion, but instead to ensure UN inspections. "It's a completely disingenuous statement," says Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq who testified before Biden in the U.S. Senate. "Joe Biden, from the very beginning, was a proponent of regime change in Iraq." Guest: Scott Ritter. Former UN Weapons Inspector, former Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, and author of "Dealbreaker: Donald Trump and the Unmaking of the Iran Nuclear Deal." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate

OPCW whistleblowers have exposed a cover-up, under US pressure, of evidence that undermined allegations that the Syrian government committed a chemical weapons attack in Douma in April 2018. The allegation prompted US-led airstrikes on Syria that same month. Former Bush administration official Col. Lawrence Wilkerson says that reports of US pressure on the Douma investigation recall the Bush administration's coercion of the IAEA and OPCW before the Iraq war. Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell. Currently a distinguished professor at the College of William and Mary.

The Trump administration is imposing new sanctions on Iran and defying Iraq's call for a US troop withdrawal. This comes as the stated rationale for the US assassination of Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is being undermined by its top officials' own statements. Scott Ritter, a former Marine Corps intelligence officer, analyzes the increased White House coercion efforts and collapsing intelligence claims. Guest: Scott Ritter -- former UN Weapons Inspector, former Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, and author of "Dealbreaker: Donald Trump and the Unmaking of the Iran Nuclear Deal." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate

The threat of an immediate US-Iran military conflict has been averted, but President Donald Trump has vowed to continue his "maximum pressure" campaign with new sanctions on Tehran. Meanwhile, the Iraqi Prime Minister's claim that Qassem Soleimani was on a diplomatic mission in Iraq when the U.S. assassinated him is raising new questions about Trump's motives. Guest: Sina Toossi, Senior Research Analyst at the National Iranian American Council. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

As millions of Iranians mourn the US murder of Qassem Soleimani, ex-Bush administration official Col. Lawrence Wilkerson discuses the parallels between Bush's war on Iraq and Trump's campaign against Iran; the history of US shunning diplomacy with Tehran; and how an addiction to war drives US foreign policy. Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell. Currently a distinguished professor at the College of William and Mary. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegrayzonenews Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@thegrayzone

The US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander, is the culmination of three years of Trump administration war-mongering against Iran. Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, discusses Trump's radical neocon agenda in Iran and how Democratic votes for new sanctions against Tehran helped lay the groundwork for the current crisis. Guest: Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback

The US media continues to ignore one of 2019's top scandals: a cover-up inside the OPCW, the world's top chemical weapons watchdog, that was used to justify US-led military strikes on Syria. Theodore Postol, award-winning professor of Science, Technology and National Security policy at MIT, joins Pushback to discuss the latest leaked revelations and what he calls the "criminal" US media silence on the story. The leaked documents and testimony from inside the OPCW show there were major doubts about the allegations the Syrian government committed a chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma in April 2018. Inspectors who were on the ground in Douma complained that their findings were distorted and excluded. According to one OPCW whistleblower, this censorship was conducted under direct US pressure. "I hold the press accountable for not doing what they should to help protect these [whistleblowers]," Postol says. "I think it's criminal, as far as I'm concerned." Guest: Theodore Postol, award-winning professor of Science, Technology and National Security policy at MIT. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com

Journalist Tareq Haddad explains his decision to resign from Newsweek over its refusal to cover the OPCW's unfolding Syria scandal. According to whistleblower testimony and leaked documents, OPCW officials raised alarm about the suppression of critical findings that undermine the allegation that the Syrian government committed a chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma in April 2018. Haddad's editors at Newsweek rejected his attempts to cover the story. "If I don’t find another position in journalism because of this, I’m perfectly happy to accept that consequence," Haddad says. "It’s not desirable. But there is no way I could have continued in that job knowing that I couldn’t report something like this." Guest: Tareq Haddad, journalist who recently resigned from Newsweek over its refusal to cover the OPCW's Syria scandal. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

A new report from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz confirms that the FBI relied on the Steele dossier – a DNC-funded work of fiction – during the Trump-Russia probe. The FBI used Steele's work to obtain surveillance warrants but concealed his errors and other critical information from the FISA court. Matt Taibbi joins Aaron Maté to discuss how Horowitz's investigation exposes not just the FBI's deceit, but also that of the prominent media and political figures who enabled it. Guest: Matt Taibbi. Author, Contributing Editor at Rolling Stone, and co-host of the podcast Useful Idiots. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Jeremy Corbyn, a real progressive, could win UK's elections. Max Blumenthal joins Pushback to discuss how powerful forces are trying to stop Corbyn with a Russiagate-fueled smear campaign -- and why Bernie Sanders could be their next target. NATO-funded "researchers" are claiming that leaked documents publicized by Corbyn that exposed secret US-UK talks over the British health service are in fact the result of a Russian disinformation campaign. The Russia-baiting against Corbyn comes as the Labour leader also faces an ongoing campaign to smear him with fake charges of anti-Semitism. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of The Management of Savagery.

The US government has dropped a false charge of assault against The Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal stemming from an incident at the Venezuelan embassy in May. Blumenthal was seized from his home by a group of officers and held for two days in cells and cages. The case was dropped after Blumenthal's legal team sought call logs that could have exposed collusion between the Secret Service and right-wing Venezuelan activists. Blumenthal discusses his vindication, the state of the US-backed coup attempt in Venezuela, and ongoing efforts to silence The Grayzone's journalism. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of The Management of Savagery. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

The Empire Files' Abby Martin and Mike Prysner discuss their new documentary "Gaza Fights For Freedom," a vivid account of the Great March of Return against the Israeli siege of Gaza, and the urgency of global solidarity with the Palestinian struggle. Guests: Abby Martin and Mike Prysner, co-creators of The Empire Files and co-directors of the documentary, Gaza Fights For Freedom. Watch Gaza Fights For Freedom: https://gazafightsforfreedom.com/ Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

The recent death of White Helmets founder James Le Mesurier, and an unfolding cover-up at the OPCW of an apparently staged chemical weapons incident, has shed new light on the group’s shadowy role in the Syria proxy war. We speak to The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal, whose reporting has exposed the White Helmets’ ties to jihadists groups and its use as a PR tool for Western military intervention in Syria. “We don’t know if there’s a cover-up around his [Le Mesurier’s] death — I can’t go that far,” Blumenthal says. “The real cover-up is around his life, as he’s being celebrated everywhere from the Guardian to the New York Times as this heroic figure, this kind of Gandhi of conflict stabilization; when his legacy is actually very dark and stained with blood.” Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of The Management of Savagery. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzo ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

Pushback with Aaron Maté In Seattle's recent election, Amazon spent at least $1.5 million to defeat a slate of progressive candidates -- and lost. One of Amazon's top targets, re-elected socialist city councilmember Kshama Sawant, explains how people power beat big business. Guest: Kshama Sawant, re-elected Seattle City Councilmember and member of Socialist Alternative. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

A second whistleblower from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has come forward to accuse top OPCW officials of suppressing critical evidence. The evidence undermines allegations that the Syrian government committed a chemical weapons attack in Douma in April 2018 -- an allegation that prompted US-led airstrikes. The second whistleblower also says that three US officials took part in pressuring the OPCW. We speak to veteran journalist Jonathan Steele, the first reporter to interview the second whistleblower. Guest: Jonathan Steele, journalist, author, and The Guardian's former chief foreign correspondent. Read Jonathan Steele's article in Counterpunch: https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/11/15/the-opcw-and-douma-chemical-weapons-watchdog-accused-of-evidence-tampering-by-its-own-inspectors/ Pushback with Aaron Maté Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

Jimmy Dore pushes back on impeachment/Ukrainegate, Hillary Clinton’s smear of Tulsi Gabbard as a Russian asset, the DNC’s 2020 gift-wrapping for Trump, and more. Guest: Jimmy Dore, comedian and host of The Jimmy Dore Show. https://jimmydorecomedy.com/ Pushback with Aaron Maté Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

A whistleblower from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is accusing top officials of tampering with evidence collected at the scene of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Syrian city of Douma in April 2018. The official, a senior scientist who collected samples at the scene, is the second with the OPCW's Douma team to allege that evidence was suppressed. His testimony raises new doubts about the claim that the Syrian government carried out a chemical attack in Douma, which led to US-France-UK airstrikes -- and with it, new concerns that the world's chemical weapons watchdog is politically compromised. We discuss the whistleblower's findings with award-winning MIT Professor Emeritus Theodore Postol, whose scientific studies have also raised doubts about allegations of chemical weapons attacks by the Syrian government. One of his studies was recently at the center of an academic controversy, as we also address during this interview. Guest: Theodore Postol, award-winning Professor of Science, Technology and National Security Policy at MIT. Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

A ceasefire has been reached in Gaza after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes that killed 34 Palestinians, including eight members of one family. Ali Abunimah of The Electronic Intifada discusses Israel's latest bombings, which come after more than one year of weekly, deadly Israeli attacks on non-violent Palestinian demonstrators. "The message we're getting from people in Gaza is that 'we're going to continue protesting because we have no choice -- what else can we do, stay home and die?'", Abunimah says. "So people are continuing, and I think the question that should be directed to all of us is: What are we doing to act in solidarity with them and amplify their voices, so this horrific siege and the impunity that Israel enjoys finally ends?" Guest: Ali Abuminah, co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of "The Battle for Justice in Palestine." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

As the House opens impeachment hearings for President Trump, Professor Stephen F. Cohen warns that the US military assistance at the heart of Ukrainegate escalates the US-Russia Cold War. Guest: Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and Princeton University, contributing editor at The Nation, and author of "War with Russia: From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate." Pushback with Aaron Maté Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

Max Blumenthal explains how the US-backed proxy war in Syria helped create the al-Qaeda safe haven where US forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; and how Trump, despite announcing a withdrawal, is continuing the proxy war by keeping US troops to steal Syria's oil. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of “The Management of Savagery.” Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

Physician, mental health expert, and best-selling author Dr. Gabor Maté, a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust, offers a personal and historical perspective on anti-Semitism, Zionism, and Israel-Palestine. Guest: Dr. Gabor Maté, mental health expert and best-selling author. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

The Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal speaks out on his arrest months after reporting on Venezuelan opposition violence at the DC embassy. Blumenthal was seized from his home by a group of officers and held for two days in cells and cages. His arrest warrant labels him as "armed and dangerous." Blumenthal says the charges are false and a retaliation against The Grayzone's journalism on the US-backed coup in Venezuela and corrupt members of the right-wing Venezuelan opposition carrying it out. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery." ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone Pushback with Aaron Maté Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback

Amid outrage over Turkey’s atrocities against Kurdish civilians northern Syria, Max Blumenthal discusses how some of the Syrian militias committing the crimes are composed of the same "moderate rebels" that the US, Turkey, and Gulf states armed, trained, and supported during the multi-year Syria proxy war. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone |||||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein responds to Hillary Clinton calling her a "Russian asset" and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard a potential Russian dupe. Clinton and centrist Democrats, Stein says, are following a "well-worn script" of trying to undermine progressive candidates that challenge party elites' militarist and corporatist policies. Guest: Dr. Jill Stein, former Green Party presidential candidate. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

Hillary Clinton has smeared Tulsi Gabbard and Jill Stein as Russian assets, and almost no Democratic politicians are pushing back. Max Blumenthal says that Clinton's comments reflect a continued effort by Democratic neo-liberals to deflect responsibility for their loss to Trump in 2016; marginalize voices like Gabbard and Stein's who challenge their pro-war, corporatist agenda; and preview their potential future attacks on Bernie Sanders.  Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of “The Management of Savagery.” Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

The CIA has been caught spying on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Undercover Global SL, a Spanish security firm, recorded Assange during his stay in Ecuador's London embassy, where he lived under asylum, and then handed over its footage to the CIA. "That firm was contracted by Ecuador to protect the embassy, to protect [Assange], to protect us from [his] persecutors," says former Ecuadorian diplomat Fidel Narváez. "So I find it shocking." Guest: Fidel Narváez, former Ecuadorian diplomat who served at the London embassy while Julian Assange lived there under asylum. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

A new Senate Intelligence Committee report accuses the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian troll farm, of using "social media to conduct an information warfare campaign" against the United States. This comes one week after the U.S. imposed new sanctions on the IRA and its funder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. What is the IRA, and are the claims of a Russian influence campaign against the U.S. well-founded? Aaron Maté and journalist Jefferson Morley of "The Deep State" blog debate and discuss. Guest: Jefferson Morley, journalist, author, and editor of The Deep State, a blog about intelligence agencies. Read Jefferson Morley's article, "How Secrecy Undermines Mueller and the Defense of Democracy." https://www.justsecurity.org/65251/ho... Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

There is growing evidence that President Donald Trump briefly froze U.S. military assistance to Ukraine for political goals. Max Blumenthal explores how the Ukrainegate scandal overlooks the dangers of those weapons sales to Ukraine and the corrupt interests behind it. Under Trump, U.S. military assistance has prolonged a bloody proxy war with Russia, killing thousands in Ukraine and enabling far-right Ukrainian forces — all while enriching weapons manufacturers and DC lobbyists. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of The Management of Savagery. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

As Donald Trump appears caught attempting a quid pro quo, Max Blumenthal argues that the Ukrainegate scandal also highlights a web of corruption and meddling inside Ukraine implicating other prominent US figures and institutions. [Part II of this interview will be published on Tuesday, October 8.] Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback || The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

The outcome of the Israeli election remains in flux, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to form a coalition government. Diana Buttu, an attorney and former legal adviser to the Palestinian Authority, says that whatever the outcome, Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz are "virtually identical" when it comes to maintaining the occupation of millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Guest: Diana Buttu, attorney and former legal adviser to the Palestinian Authority. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

Aaron Maté speaks with Ben Norton about how a far-right US soldier arrested by the FBI for plotting domestic bomb attacks sought to join Ukraine’s neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, which was directly armed and advised by the American government. Guest: Ben Norton, Assistant Editor of The Grayzone. Read Ben's article: https://thegrayzone.com/2019/09/23/bomb-extremist-us-soldier-fbi-ukrainian-nazi-azov/

Stephen F. Cohen argues that cracks are emerging within the NATO-led consensus that has pushed Moscow from the West. Guest: Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and Princeton University, contributing editor at The Nation, and author of several "War with Russia: From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal discusses his reporting trip to Damascus in the aftermath of Syria's proxy war. He interviewed residents who were caught between Western and Gulf-backed extremist insurgents and the Syrian government’s war to retake territory, and who now struggle to recover under a US-led economic blockade. "They want to attack and intimidate people from the West who want to have cultural and personal contact with Syrians in the area where most Syrians live," Blumenthal says. "I went there and I took that opportunity to have contact with them because I’ll take any reasonable opportunity to break the media blockade in countries targeted with regime change, and to show my fellow citizens what’s on the other side of the corporate media and the US national security state’s information war." Guest: Max Blumenthal, Senior Editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery." Pushback with Aaron Maté Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

The Trump administration is sending US troops to Saudi Arabia as it continues to threaten Iran. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, says the US-Saudi relationship is "not based on strategic interest so much as it is based on money, money, and money -- going into the coffers of some people in the national security elite, and into the coffers of some politicians who cling to their power." Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

The Trump administration continues to threaten Iran after blaming it, without evidence, for the recent bombing of Saudi oil facilities. Instead of beating the war drums, Trita Parsi argues that President Trump has an easy path to resolve the standoff: rejoin the Iran nuclear deal that he abandoned and negotiate additional issues with Tehran. Guest: Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute and the author of "Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been ordered to remain behind bars until hearings over a US extradition effort begin next year. Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of Wikileaks, says that UK authorities are holding Assange in worse conditions than accused terrorists and 'making it impossible' for him to prepare his case. Guest: Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of Wikileaks. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushback podcast on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Pushback podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2mpwIQm Pushback podcast on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=465855 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

Lawrence Wilkerson, who served alongside John Bolton in the Bush administration, discusses the reasons for Bolton’s firing; Bolton's legacy as a war hawk who promoted regime change and undermined global arms control; the anti-interventionist views of a potential successor, Douglas Macgregor; and the lasting influence of neocons inside the national security state. Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Currently a distinguished professor at the College of William and Mary. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Subscribe to the Pushback podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

The outing of a CIA informant inside of the Kremlin raises new questions about the Russia investigation and the intelligence officials behind it. The informant, identified as Oleg Smolenkov, disappeared from Russia in June 2017 and turned up in the US living under his own name, in a luxury home in the Washington, DC suburbs. Former CIA analyst John Kiriakou says that all of this points to Smolenkov being less valuable an asset than he's been portrayed – and, just as we saw during the Iraq war -- to the possible manipulation of the intelligence he provided by then-CIA head John Brennan. Guest: John Kiriakou, former CIA analyst who was imprisoned after blowing the whistle on the agency’s torture program. ||| Pushback with Aaron Maté ||| Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Subscribe to the Pushback podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

Ex-CIA analyst John Kiriakou discusses why he accurately predicted John Bolton’s ouster as National Security Adviser; who might replace him; and the Democratic leadership’s anemic response. Guest: John Kiriakou, former CIA analyst who was imprisoned after blowing the whistle on the agency’s torture program. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Subscribe to the Pushback podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com

The prison death of convicted pedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein raises concerns that the mysteries surrounding his case — including whether he worked with US intelligence, who his criminal accomplices were, and whether anyone will be held to account for his crimes — will be resolved. Leonard Goodman, a Chicago criminal defense attorney, breaks down the most pressing questions. Guest: Leonard Goodman, criminal defense attorney, writer, and media publisher in Chicago. Read Leonard Goodman’s article at The Chicago Reader: "The Epstein Cover-Up." https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/jeffrey-epstein-death-cover-up/Content?oid=72967174 Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Subscribe to the Pushback podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com

A "bombshell" CNN report claimed to show how Wikileaks founder Julian Assange published stolen Democratic Party emails in 2016 in cooperation with the Russian government from his place of refuge in Ecuador's London embassy. Ecuadorian diplomat Fidel Narváez -- who served in the embassy throughout Assange's stay -- says that CNN's report was error-ridden and defamatory. "There are so many smears, speculations, and some false information in that report that somewhat somebody needs to set the record straight," Narváez says. "It is unbelievable how they twist every single thing in order to to defame Julian and Ecuador." Guest: Fidel Narváez, former Ecuadorian diplomat who served in Ecuador's London embassy for six of the seven years that Julian Assange lived there under asylum. Read Fidel Narváez's article at The Grayzone, "40 rebuttals to the media’s smears of Julian Assange – by someone who was actually there": https://thegrayzone.com/2019/08/20/cn... Read CNN's report: "Exclusive: Security reports reveal how Assange turned an embassy into a command post for election meddling," https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/politi... Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Subscribe to the Pushback podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone

The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal explains how Nicaragua celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution just one year after defeating a US-backed coup effort — and how US sabotage efforts continue today. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Senior Editor of The Grayzone and author of several books including his latest, "The Management of Savagery." * Pushback with Aaron Maté * Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on YouTube: http://youtube.com/thegrayzone Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Subscribe to the Pushback podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pushback-with-aaron-mate/id1478159781 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback thegrayzone.com/pushback Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com

Back from Honduras, The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal discusses the impact of US meddling over the last decade: a narco-President, Juan Orlando Hernández, recently named as a co-conspirator in a drug trafficking case against his brother; a massive migrant crisis; political assassinations; and devastating privatizations overseen by Joe Biden. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Senior Editor of The Grayzone and author of several books including his latest, "The Management of Savagery."

The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal discusses his heated exchange with a former Obama official and a member of Venezuela's far-right opposition over the basis for crippling US sanctions on Venezuela. Max also recounts his recent reporting trip to Venezuela, where he witnessed the impact of US economic warfare and the Venezuelan people's defiant resistance. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Senior Editor of The Grayzone and author of several books, including his latest, "The Management of Savagery."

Aaron Maté slams MSNBC’s latest Russiagate dud, exposing how Lawrence O’Donnell’s embarrassing retraction is part of a pattern of bogus conspiracy theories that push the limits of political self-satire. * Pushback with Aaron Maté * Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on YouTube: http://youtube.com/thegrayzone Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow Subscribe to the Pushback podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pushback-with-aaron-mate/id1478159781 Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushback thegrayzone.com/pushback Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com

A scathing DOJ report rebukes former FBI director Jim Comey for leaks about the Trump-Russia investigation. Scholar and author Stephen F. Cohen says that Comey and other intelligence officials weaponized their authority, and should be held to account.‬ Guest: Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus at New York University and Princeton University. His latest book is "War with Russia: From Putin and Ukraine To Trump and Russiagate."‬

Glenn Greenwald on Robert Mueller's disappearance; how Andrew McCabe has become the latest former U.S. intelligence official to join either CNN and MSNBC; and the absence of accountability for those who continue to promote the "moronic, irrational, baseless, conspiracist narrative" of Donald Trump as a Russian asset. Guest: Glenn Greenwald, co-founder of The Intercept. ||| Pushback with Aaron Maté ||| Pushback on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate https://pushbackshow.com

Physician, mental health expert, and best-selling author Dr. Gabor Maté sits down with The Grayzone's Aaron Maté to analyze how Russiagate was able to take hold of U.S. society following Donald Trump's election.

With its bombings of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, is Israel trying to stop an attack from Iran and its allies, as it claims, or is it trying to provoke one? Rania Khalek analyzes Israel's escalating violence and how it could potentially help jihadist groups in the region. Guest: Rania Khalek, independent journalist, video host for In The Now, and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure.  ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone

Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept discusses the record-setting Amazon forest fires, the struggle against Brazil's far-right government, and how his reporting revealed to the world how all of this came about: a high-level plot that imprisoned Lula da Silva and prevented him from running in the last presidential election. Guest: Glenn Greenwald, co-founder of The Intercept and Pulitzer prize-winning journalist. ||| Pushback with Aaron Maté ||| Pushback on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate https://pushbackshow.com ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Patreon: https://patreon.com/grayzone Twitter: https://twitter.com/grayzoneproject Facebook: https://facebook.com/thegrayzone Minds: https://minds.com/thegrayzone