Shows
CovertAction BulletinNATO Dayton Assembly Exposes Outrageous War SpendingNATO held its 2025 Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton, Ohio between May 22 and 26. Though it promotes itself as a force in defense of peace and security, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s history exposes its true purpose: propping up Western imperialism and hegemony. It’s an international body started with the goal of containing and threatening the Soviet Union, and since the fall of the USSR has expanded well out of its target areas of North America and the Northern Atlantic, causing death and destruction from Ukraine and Yugoslavia to Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and beyondNATO is an existential thre...2025-05-2853 min
CovertAction BulletinWhistleblowers And Activists Speak: What Can We Expect from Intelligence Agencies Under Trump?On January 13th, CovertAction Magazine held a webinar featuring whistleblowers and activists who formerly have served in various U.S intelligence agencies to discuss their perspectives on what to expect from those agencies and beyond under Donald Trump. On today’s show, we bring you part of the webinar, which featured John Kiriakou, Coleen Rowley, Ray McGovern and Larry Johnson, and was moderated by Jeremy Kuzmarov.To watch the full panel, including Kuzmarov’s introduction, Johnson’s presentation and the Q&A we couldn’t fit on an episode, visit CovertAction Magazine on YouTube. Support the show2025-01-1554 min
CovertAction BulletinCIA Whistleblower John Stockwell Spills the BeansJohn Stockwell is a former CIA officer who became a whistleblower and outspoken critic of the Agency, the US intelligence community and the imperialist policies of the US government. He left the CIA in 1976 after serving there for 12 years following service in the US Marine Corps. During that time, he was told to fabricate intelligence reports on the situations in Vietnam and Angola, and eventually exposed a significant amount of information through his books and public talks. He was an early supporter and contributor to what was then Covert Action Information Bulletin, now CovertAction Magazine.In an...2024-09-0454 min
CovertAction BulletinThe U.S. government is spying on your mailThe U.S. government is spying on you through your mail. The little-known program called mail covers lets law enforcement request that an investigative bureau inside the Postal Service track and report on all the mail you’re getting. And it’s done without a warrant, without any real oversight or transparency, and at the request of agencies like the IRS, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and ICE. While the USPS Office of the Inspector General hasn’t provided updates on the program in a decade, recent reporting in The Washington Post exposed more about the mail covers program.W...2024-07-0338 min
CovertAction BulletinDay X: Julian Assange and Press Freedom Under AttackIt’s Day X. Hearings are happening in the United Kingdom to determine whether Julian Assange will be extradited to the United States. His lawyers are trying to convince the UK’s High Court of Justice to permit an appeal hearing. If the court declines, it’s very likely that Assange will be extradited within days and face trial here.The long case of Julian Assange has been a travesty of justice. While Assange spent years stuck in the Ecuadorian embassy, and now over 5 years in terrible conditions in Belmarsh Prison, known as Britain’s Guantanamo Bay, those wh...2024-02-2036 min
CovertAction BulletinNancy Pelosi: Funding Israel, Betraying WorkersNancy Pelosi’s been in office for 37 years. She’s an ardent supporter of capitalism and imperialism, telling a college student who asked her in 2017 that “I have to say, we’re capitalist - and that’s just the way it is” at a time when 51% of 18-29 year olds said they didn’t support capitalism. She was part of the push on Obama to bomb Syria in 2013, she’s a hawk on Iran and she’s said that US support for Israel is “ironclad.”More recently, she’s suggested that protesters calling for a ceasefire in Palestine are plants or...2024-02-1453 min
CovertAction BulletinOn the Ground in Texas: From Eagle Pass to Pro-Palestine Protest in AustinThousands of people marched through the streets of Austin, TX on February 4th, calling for a ceasefire and for the state government to withdraw all state funding from Israel. According to the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Texas’ share of the annual funding the US gives Israel is $298.367,616. Austin alone pays nearly $15 million of that. Houston’s at $32 million, Dallas about $19 million, and Fort Worth $11 million. And this is while 13.9% of Texans lived below the poverty line from 2018 to 2022, and 76 of the state’s 254 counties - mostly rural with fewer than 50,000 residents - actually had increased poverty rates in that t...2024-02-071h 01
CovertAction BulletinCensored: Exposing How Corporate Media Hides the TruthThe decade between 2012 and 2021 saw the killings of 1,733 environmental activists across the globe. Corporate profits rose to record high levels in 2022 - while people were still feeling the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic. Antibiotics fed to cows by beef suppliers for major supermarkets and fast food chains could create a huge public health crisis through the spread of “superbugs.” Twitter had deep relationships with the federal government when it came to content policy, and many big tech companies hired former CIA and Mossad agents.All of these should be considered major stories in and of themselves, but they...2024-01-2553 min
CovertAction BulletinOn The Ground: 400,000 March for Gaza in DC400,000 people rallied and marched in Washington, DC on Saturday the 13th, marking 100 days since the Palestinian liberation movement and the international solidarity movement gained renewed energy. On the same day, half a million people marched in London, and other events took place across the world.The march was called by the American Muslim Task Force for Palestine, whose members include American Muslims for Palestine, CAIR, Islamic Circle of North America, Muslim American Society, MSA National, Muslim Legal Fund of America, Muslim Ummah of North America and Young Muslims, along with the task force’s National Partner for th...2024-01-1757 min
CovertAction Bulletin“They See it as One and the Same” - US and ISIS Attack IranThe Islamic State has taken credit for an attack that killed 84 people and left dozens wounded in Kerman, in southern Iran. The bombing was significant because it was on the anniversary of the assassination by the United States of Qasem Soleimani, who was the commander of the Iranian Quds force 1998 until he was killed on January 3rd, 2020 by a U.S. drone strike under the orders of Donald Trump. At the time, Soleimani was on his way to meet with the Prime Minister of Iraq and in fact he was killed in Iraq, near Baghdad International Airport....2024-01-1053 min
CovertAction BulletinAssassinations and Bombings: Will there be regional war in the Middle East?The U.S. and Israel are quickly escalating the conflict in the Middle East. On December 31st, the Navy sank three Yemeni boats in the Red Sea. 10 Yemenis were killed in this attack. The boats were part of the Yemeni Armed Forces grouping that have been preventing passage of Israeli ships, or those heading to Israeli ports, through the Red Sea. While the Yemeni Armed Forces have been largely successful in this mission, they have not caused any casualties on the ships that they are redirecting, making this provocation by the US even more egregious.In Lebanon...2024-01-0330 min
CovertAction BulletinUS Targets Venezuela on Behalf of ExxonMobilThe United States government is inserting itself into a border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana on behalf of ExxonMobil. The oil-rich Essequibo region has the world’s biggest reserves per capita of crude oil and in May of this year, a “significant discovery” by ExxonMobil was announced in the area’s 6.6-million acre Staborek Block oil field.In a December 3rd referendum, 10.4 million Venezuelans voted overwhelmingly to keep the US out of the disagreement and to continue to handle the dispute under the 1966 Geneva Agreement. The US State Department is dismissing the referendum results and while sp...2023-12-1353 min
CovertAction BulletinTrue Horror of the Israeli AssaultThe US House of Representatives recently passed HR 888, reaffirming the State of Israel’s right to exist by a vote of 412-1. And HR 894, which says the House “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is anti semitism” has passed by a vote of 311-14 with 92 abstentions. Imperialist media continues to make unsubstantiated claims about what the Palestinian resistance did or did not do on October 7th in a major new coordinated propaganda push. And, protests in support of Palestine, calling for a ceasefire, end of the siege of Gaza and an end to US aid to Israel don’t seem to...2023-12-0650 min
CovertAction BulletinStudents Lead the Way for PalestineOn November 26, three young Palestinian men were shot in Burlington, Vermont. Hisham Awartani, a junior at Brown University, released a statement that was read at a campus vigil saying, “This hideous crime did not happen in a vacuum. As much as I appreciate the love of every single one of you here today, I am but one casualty in a much wider conflict.”Awartani’s friends Kinnan Abdalhamaid, a student at Haverford College and Tahseen Ahmad , a student at Trinity College, also remain in the hospital as of this recording and a suspect has been arrested and charge...2023-11-2942 min
CovertAction BulletinMedia Lies, Palestinians DieMalcolm X might have said it best: “The press is so powerful in its image-making role, it can make the criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal. This is the press, an irresponsible press. It will make the criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal. If you aren’t careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”In the current Israeli attacks on Palestine, we...2023-11-1552 min
CovertAction BulletinBuilding Social Media Inspired by Openness & TransparencyWhile most social media platforms spy on us, manipulate our emotions with hidden algorithms, feed our data to governments on request and censor with no notice or transparency, can there be an alternative that’s friendly for everyone to use? We talk with John Kiriakou and Sean O’Brien about Pancake, a new messaging technology being built to address that question. We also discuss the important news from November 3rd that a New York judge has declared that oral arguments in the case Kunstler v. CIA will be open to the public. The suit alleges that the Cent...2023-11-0856 min
CovertAction BulletinLargest Pro-Palestine Protest in US HistoryNovember 4th has been declared an International Day of Solidarity with Palestine. Over 100 demonstrations will take place that day around the world in solidarity with Palestine, from Johannesburg to São Paulo, Berlin to Kuala Lampur, Athens to Algiers. Meanwhile demonstrations have continued across the world every day. All of this organizing and action flies in the face of the prevailing Western narrative that the world stands with Israel.Washington, DC will be the site of a giant demonstration as part of that International Day of Solidarity. Dozens of organizations are mobilizing people on trains, bu...2023-11-0155 min
CovertAction BulletinPalestinian Resistance and CensorshipProtests across the world in solidarity with Palestine are building a support movement for the Palestinian resistance and cause, showing leaders that people from the US to the UK to Yemen and Jordan and beyond stand with the Palestinian people in their fight against the US-backed Israeli occupation. These protests are changing the shape of media coverage and influencing popular opinion and the debate over the issue.At the same time, social media companies like Twitter and Meta have been attempting to censor pro-Palestinian content. One video listing the hospitals that Israel has bombed was taken off...2023-10-2555 min
CovertAction BulletinZionism is racism: a history of occupationAs the IDF continues its bombardment of Palestine and prepares for a possible ground invasion, protests across the world continue to oppose the apartheid Israeli government and those who are complicit or active in supporting it - like the United States with its $3.8 billion in aid as well as immeasurable political and media support. With these protests have come countless solidarity statements and other actions. They’re all calling out Zionism, the racist ideology at the basis of the Israeli state. Zionism claims to represent Jewish people around the world but as we discuss only serves the interests of i...2023-10-1854 min
CovertAction BulletinEyewitness Gaza: Why the Resistance is JustifiedOn October 7th, the Palestinian resistance launched its Al-Aqsa Flood uprising against the decades-long occupation by Israel. Despite $3.8 billion every year in military aid from the US and a vast military and surveillance state, the Israeli government seemingly had no warning to this carefully-planned advance.In response, Israel has declared a “total war” on Gaza. It’s shut down access to electricity and the Internet and more. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting animals and we act accordingly.” Israel has bombed the Rafah cros...2023-10-111h 07
CovertAction BulletinUN Intervention in Haiti: What’s Really Happening?The United Nations voted on October 2nd to authorize a military intervention in Haiti, led by the Kenyan government. But a long history of foreign intervention and occupation in Haiti has led to disastrous results for the Haitian people, whether at the hands of the United States, France or overseen by the United Nations. This intervention is being opposed by people in Haiti and by internationalists all over the world. As Camille Chalmers, a Haitian economist and coordinator of the ALBA Movimientos Haiti, said in an interview, “We believe that there is a way to end the ins...2023-10-0453 min
CovertAction BulletinWill BRICS Break the US World Order?After their highly-watched 15th summit, the core member nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have accepted six new members: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who will become members on January 1, 2024. More than a dozen other countries have applied for membership.But what is BRICS? As the world trends from a unipolar hierarchy led by the United States, to a multipolar reality with nations like Russia and China playing key political and economic roles challenging the reach of the West’s sphere of influence, we investigate what this grouping is...2023-08-3052 min
CovertAction BulletinPrivatization and Dollarization: Will Argentina Fall to the Right?In Argentina, the far right-wing Libertarian candidate Javier Milei of the Liberty Advances party won 30% of the country’s presidential primary, calling for an end to “Kirchnerism” - really, a call to end the social programs fought for and won by the Argentinian people. We dive deeper into the analysis of how we got here, and what this surge in popularity of libertarianism really means. Meanwhile in Guatemala, Bernardo Aréavlo de León of Movimiento Semilla won the Presidential election on August 20th and will be sworn in on January 14th of 2024. His defeat of the center-ri...2023-08-2352 min
CovertAction BulletinMcCarthyism is Back: The Anti-China Red ScareA recent article in the New York Times attacked peace groups and activists who oppose the U.S. government’s drive towards war with China. Just days later, Senator Marco Rubio sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding an investigation into Code Pink, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, Dongsheng and others named in the article.While they differ on tactics or on domestic social issues, both wings of the mainstream establishment in the U.S. are united in their effort to prevent China from becoming a world power and threatening the imperialist order. We’re join...2023-08-1655 minCovertAction BulletinNiger Coup Explained: West Points to Russia, Ignores NeocolonialismOn July 26, former President Mohamad Bazoum was removed from power by a military general, Tchiani. This has set off a wave of condemnation and threats of military intervention from the US and France, for whom Bazoum proved to be a reliable ally. Thousands have rallied to support Niger’s new leadership since July 26, reportedly carrying banners reading ”Down with France” and “Foreign bases out”. The US has about 1,100 troops in Niger and France has about 1,500.Rather than analyze the reasons behind abject poverty and anti-Western sentiment in Niger and much of the region, Western countries led by the US and...2023-08-0954 min
CovertAction Bulletin"The past is not past” - Oppenheimer and the US nuclear program todayChristopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer film made a huge $174 million internationally on its opening weekend. The three-hour biopic of the so-called “father of the atomic bomb” dives into the personal and professional relationships of J. Robert Oppenheimer. It’s centered around the 1945 Trinity test in the Jornada del Muerto desert of New Mexico and the development of the Manhattan Project that led up to it; and second the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission hearing that led to Oppenheimer’s security clearance being withdrawn.On this episode, we welcome Greg Mello, Executive Director of the Los Alamos Study Group, to talk about the...2023-07-2657 min
CovertAction BulletinBreaking through US propaganda on North KoreaA recent Washington Post article titled “A North Korean defector captivated U.S. media. Some question her story” highlights the many appearances Yeonmi Park has made on right-wing news outlets over the past few years. Scholars and solidarity activists have been pointing out the serious holes in Park’s stories since she started getting attention. But even the Post has pushed her propaganda, running an op-ed by her in 2014 that they admit was co-written with a fellow at the Koch-founded right-wing Atlas Network, calling for a capitalist counterrevolution in the country. Park is part of a long tradition of outrig...2023-07-1952 min
CovertAction BulletinAUKUS threatens the worldThe AUKUS trilateral military and intelligence partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and United States doesn't get much attention in the U.S. media. It's yet another element of the US quest for world domination. The first pillar of AUKUS focuses on getting Australia nuclear-powered submarines, and the second enhances technology and information sharing. The US government has recently said it’s open to expanding the partnership. To expose the aims and dangers of AUKUS, we’re joined by Murray Horton, organizer of the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa. Read his latest for CovertAction Magaz...2023-07-0557 min
CovertAction BulletinRussia coup attempt: What happened? What does the US want?The June 23 coup attempt in Russia by the Wagner Group seemed to end almost as quickly and suddenly as it started. Yevgeny Prigozhin specifically targeted the Ministry of Defense and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and within hours Wagner forces had entered the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and entered the grounds of the command of the Southern Military District headquarters in the city.Wall-to-wall news coverage in the US wondered what a post-Putin Russia would look like, featuring so-called experts on television and the Internet declaring a coup and a new day for Russia.Joined by...2023-06-2852 min
CovertAction BulletinDebunking media lies: US & Blinken don’t want peace with ChinaWe begin today’s show with a remembrance of whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who passed on June 16 at the age of 92.Then, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his recent trip to China with a 35-minute meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 19th. Blinken had also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi over the weekend. Despite the State Department and the media talking about opportunities for peace, the actions of the US show that peace is the last thing it wants.The trip comes jus...2023-06-2158 min
CovertAction BulletinNYC on fire: How do we solve the global climate crisis?In early June, cities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the US were blanketed by smoke from wildfires in Canada, some hundreds of which are still burning. Air Quality Index levels reached nearly 500 in New York City at one point, well into the “hazardous” range. In fact, New York City was briefly the world’s most polluted city during that time. New York does not normally fall in the worst 3,000 global cities for air quality. Incidents like the wildfire smoke bring attention to the problem of global climate change, but the proposals put forward by the private...2023-06-1454 min
CovertAction BulletinCulture Wars, U.S. Imperialism & Pride MonthPride month is here in the US. It’s a time for LGBTQ people to celebrate, to build community, to honor our elders, and to continue the tradition of protest for recognition, safety and equal rights. In the face of “don’t say gay” laws, book bans, street harassment, attacks on trans athletes and drag shows and laws targeting trans healthcare and even families who provide gender-affirming care for trans children, Pride has a stronger meaning and spirit behind it this year.These renewed attacks by the right wing in the US have been joined by PR campaign...2023-05-3155 min
CovertAction BulletinEyewitness: Horrors at the Border from Biden’s PoliciesWhat is the real impact of Biden’s anti-immigrant policies on the border and where is the outrage?On May 11, the U.S. government’s Title 42 regulation expired. It had been in place for three years and prevented nearly all people who sought asylum in the United States from applying for it. The Biden administration continues to militarize the border with 1,500 new National Guard soldiers. The so-called “transit ban” would block anyone who comes through a third country between their own and the United States. As the U.S. places harsher sanctions on countries like Cuba, Ven...2023-05-2553 min
CovertAction BulletinThe Debt Ceiling is Political TheaterThe “debt ceiling” crisis playing out between President Biden and Congressional Republicans is manufactured by capitalism to justify spending cuts to critical social programs while continuing to bail out big businesses and fund the Pentagon’s endless war drive.This comes after the taxpayer-funded bailouts of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank show the willingness of the capitalist system to do everything it can to keep itself afloat. To talk about the debt ceiling, bank bailouts, inflation and more, we’re joined by Chris Caruso from the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights & Social Ju...2023-05-1755 min
CovertAction BulletinAssange Writes Letter to King Charles Before £100 Million CoronationTo mark the occasion of the coronation of King Charles the III, Julian Assange wrote a scathing public letter to the new monarch from his cell at Belmarsh prison, where he’s been held for over four years. The coronation cost £100 million of tax-payer funds, and many across the country have been outraged that public funds are being spent on such pomp and circumstance during a cost of living crisis.We also discuss the recent killing of Jordan Neely, 30-year-old homeless man who was choked to death by ex-marine Daniel Penny. We explore the real fear many New...2023-05-1056 min
CovertAction BulletinThe CIA and the 1990 Cuautitlán attack on Ford workersIn this episode, we highlight the struggle of the workers at the Ford Cuautitlán Assembly Plant, just outside Mexico City. On January 8, 1990, workers at the plant were attacked by police and private hired thugs wearing Ford jackets. This happened during a prolonged period of labor action by the workers, and kicked off an occupation of the plant. This attack didn’t happen in a vacuum and the CIA played a role in squashing labor at the plant.We’re joined by Rob McKenzie, former President of United Auto Workers (UAW) 879 from 1998-2006 and the a...2023-05-0354 min
CovertAction BulletinBillionaires Won’t Save Free Speech: Elon Musk’s Fake Twitter TransparencyEarlier this month, Elon Musk released a portion of Twitter’s algorithm and has since asked netizens to pat him on the back for his contribution to bringing back the old “free speech” of the early days of the internet. As the controversy on Twitter surrounding blue checks being given to dead celebrities, Musk continues to portray himself as disrupting the social media market by being a true advocate for real journalism. The hypocrisy of that is glaring. We discuss what free speech on the internet means, and what role, if any, Musk has in bringing it about.Supp...2023-04-2656 min
CovertAction BulletinWhat do the Pentagon leaks really reveal? with John KiriakouThe Washington Post has published that it has reviewed over 300 leaked documents posted online allegedly from the CIA and other intelligence agencies. The documents' presence online prompted an investigation that led to the arrest on Thursday of a 21-year-old Air National guardsman, Jack Teixeira.This leak of Pentagon documents has given us a glimpse of how the US government and some of its allies are viewing the current status of the US & NATO proxy war in Ukraine. Reports continue to come out claiming that some of the documents are Russian disinformation, but the Pentagon has confirmed the...2023-04-1852 min
CovertAction BulletinThe Racist Attack on Democracy in TennesseeThe expulsion of two Black elected Representatives from Tennessee’s state government continues a long, racist tradition of the removal of Black people in political power in the United States. From the founding of the country through the Reconstruction era and to the modern day, white supremacy and capitalism have used every weapon at their disposal to disenfranchise Black voters and legislators.Also being ignored in media conversation around Tennessee is the reason behind the expulsion: that Representatives Jones, Pearson and Johnson were part of a march of 7,000 young people after the shooting at The Covenant School.2023-04-1253 min
CovertAction BulletinThe Occupation Has One Face: Palestinian Reaction to Israeli ProtestsMass protests in Israel broke out after Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu fired his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against Netanyahu’s planned judicial reform - really, a legislative coup. But nowhere in the media coverage was any discussion of how the protests or the judicial reform itself would impact the Palestinian people who continue to live under Israeli occupation and terror. At the same time, Zionists have attacked Al Aqsa mosque and other holy sites during Ramadan.To bring out this important perspective, we spoke with Wafa Aludaini, a Gaza-based jou...2023-04-0524 min
CovertAction BulletinFund People’s Needs, Not the War Machine: Voices from the streets of D.C. on March 18On March 18, thousands of people from across the country and the world gathered in Lafayette Park, just outside the White House, demanding an end to the endless US wars of the past 20 years and in particular the proxy conflict in Ukraine.Almost 300 groups endorsed the event from a wide variety of struggles, including the environmental organizations , antiwar veterans organizations, Black liberation fighters, African solitary groups, and many more. Rachel and I were both thrilled to have been there to experience this resurgence in the peace movement in the United States, coming such a critical time when the...2023-03-2954 min
CovertAction BulletinIslamophobia and Imperialism: 20 years after the invasion of Iraq with Dr. Nazia KaziIn the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Islamophobia became a sort of unofficial religion in the United States. Vigilante street attacks on Muslim people became common. The government surveilled mosques and community centers. Over two decades later, the situation doesn’t seem much different. Resistance to bringing refugees from Syria into the US based entirely in racism and Islamophobia. As we mark the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq in March 2023, the New York Times’ major retrospective piece barely mentions the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who died, and says nothing about its own role in the war or t...2023-03-2253 min
CovertAction BulletinGreat Power Conflict: US Puts China in CrosshairsThe Office of the Director of National Intelligence has released its 2023 Annual Threat Assessment, putting China, Russia, Iran and North Korea directly in the crosshairs of US imperialism and regime change operations. The report is very clear on the motives of the entire establishment: to prevent any other state from challenging US hegemony, the “rules-based global order.” We discuss the lengthy portion of the report dedicated to China and dive into the clear projection of the U.S. empire.We’re joined today to talk about this and a number of other topics by Amanda Yee, host of the...2023-03-1555 min
CovertAction BulletinWho are the Real Terrorists? Stop Cop City and Jim Crow Legislation in Mississippi35 people were arrested and 23 charged with domestic terrorism at a music festival gathering that was part of the a week of action to stop Cop City. Cop City, as it is known by activists, is a $90 million dollar police militarization facility in Atlanta, and activists for the past two years have been occupying the forest where it is being built. We discuss how police militarization and the aftermath of 2020 play out in cities across the country, also including the most recent Jim Crow legislative coup in Mississippi. We discuss the state repression, surveillance, and escalation with Kamau Franklin, founder...2023-03-0854 min
CovertAction BulletinIs Left Right Unity Possible in the Anti-War Movement?Just before the one-year anniversary of the Russian Special Military Operation in Ukraine, President Biden made a surprise visit to Kiev over President’s Day weekend. According to the AP, the plan was approved just two days before, but discussion began a month prior. Air Force One flew to Germany, then turned its transponders off for a flight to Poland. Only two US journalists accompanied Biden - and they had to surrender their devices to the White House for the trip. The Russian government was notified hours before.Biden’s trip also brought along surveillance planes - incl...2023-02-221h 20
CovertAction BulletinOn the Ground Report from East Palestine Train DerailmentOn February 3rd, a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Days later, officials released some of these chemicals into the air, fearing a larger explosion. Meanwhile, Norfolk Southern railroad - the company responsible - has offered no more than a pittance of meaningful help to people from the area. We discuss how corporate greed is the underlying cause of this crash, and the potential long-term impacts. We’re joined by John Russell, editor of the newsletter, The Holler to hear more about the situation. John also grew up in Columbiana County, where East Palestine is...2023-02-1553 min
CovertAction BulletinNLRB Rules in Favor of Apple WhistleblowerThe National Labor Relations Board has announced its findings that corporate rules and policies at tech giant Apple “tend to interfere with, restrain or coerce employees” from exercising their rights to collective action. In 2021, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent an email to staff that “people who leak confidential information do not belong here,” that Apple was “doing everything in our power to identify those who leaked” and that it didn’t “tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it’s product IP or the details of a confidential meeting.”We are joined by the whistleblower who took this case to the NLRB, As...2023-02-0855 min
CovertAction BulletinEyewitness: On the Ground in Memphis for Tyre NicholsOver the weekend, protests across the country have taken place as the video of the brutal police murder of Tyre Nichols was released on January 27. The Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION unit has been disbanded, 5 officers have been charged, and in the few days since the release of the videos, at least two more officers have been removed from the police force. In the second half of our show we analyze the police actions on this case, and we hear eyewitness reports from the protests.But first, The city of Atlanta is set to move forward with a...2023-02-0152 min
CovertAction BulletinWhat’s Assange Charged With? Telling the Truth!On Jan 20, the Belmarsh Tribunal packed a room at the National Press Club in Washington, DC as thousands also watched online. Co-host Chris Garaffa was there to cover this historic event for CovertAction. To discuss the legacy of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, the US government’s attacks on them and why everyone should be concerned about attacks on press freedom, we’re joined by Esther Iverem, an author, multidisciplinary artist and independent journalist. Esther produces and hosts ‘On the Ground: Voices of Resistance from the Nation’s Capital,” available as a podcast and on 25 stations on the Pacifica network. Throughout...2023-01-2555 minCovertAction BulletinWho's Behind the Far-Right Riots in Brazil?On January 8th, right-wing Brazilians stormed the federal building and Supreme Court in the capital of Brasília. Inspired by baseless accusations by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that the October elections were stolen, the rioters broke windows, smashed art, destroyed paintings, stole computers and more.The incident is reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Congress and Capitol building by supporters of Donald Trump: claims of stolen elections, far right violence aimed at intimidating democratic processes, and even the involvement of Steve Bannon, who called the Brazilians involved “freedom fighters.” But the new Brazilian government of Lu...2023-01-1852 min
CovertAction BulletinProtesters Massacred in Peru After Far-Right Legislative CoupPeru has been in a period of crisis since December 7, when the Peruvian far right used their position in the country’s Parliament to illegally dismiss the government of President Pedro Castillo. Since then, tens of thousands of people from indigenous and peasant communities have taken to the streets to reject the new government of Dina Boluarte and demand the democratically elected Castillo be reinstated. On Monday, January 9, at least 17 protesters were killed by Peruvian security forces while they brutally repressed an anti-government protest in Juliaca, and at least 68 others were severely injured. The massacres have continued int...2023-01-1150 min
CovertAction BulletinChina’s COVID Outbreak and Protests: Myths and FactsWestern media described recent protests in China as “mark[ing] a new awakening” and a significant challenge to Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China. After years of leading the world in addressing COVID-19, the Chinese government is relaxing some of the lockdown regulations, but the situation is far more involved than the media would share.To explore the reality and intricacies of the situation as well as US posturing against China, we’re joined by Carl Zha, host of Silk and Steel Podcast.Support the show2022-12-2149 min
CovertAction BulletinEyewitness Report Iran Protests: Truth or Media Distortion?In the last few months, the western media has been reporting on large scale protests sweeping Iran against the hijab in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amimi. The protests were described by some journalists as a revolution against the Islamic Republic, and have been highlighted as a movement led by young women. Is this true? Is there a revolution? How much of this is part of a major media disinformation campaign? We are joined by Mazda Majidi, Iranian author, journalist, and anti-war activist who has recently returned from Iran.Support the show2022-12-141h 04
CovertAction BulletinPushback Against EmpireIn this special episode, we bring you voices from CovertAction Magazine’s December 1st fundraiser event in New York City. Featuring guests like Eva Bartlett, Ben Norton, Katie Halper, Randy Credico and many more, Pushback Against Empire brought together a wide perspective of voices to celebrate the 44th year of CovertAction and to help us build for the next 44 years. We want to thank everyone who joined us to speak, and everyone who came in-person or watched the video online in support of defending whistleblowers and exposing the covert action of the US government and plutocrats worldwide.To wat...2022-12-0654 min
CovertAction BulletinWhat is the Real Path to Peace in Ukraine?On November 19th anti-war activists across the United States and across the world launched a new multi-national grassroots movement to demand the end to the current war in Ukraine and an end to NATO expansion. With the recent bombing of Poland, the serious threat of nuclear war looms larger around the globe and U.S. imperialism continues to wage it’s own proxy war in Ukraine against Russia. On this episode we bring you a highlight of the remarks by anti-war activists such as Vijay Prashad of the Tricontinental Institute, Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink Women for...2022-11-2354 min
CovertAction BulletinTrump 2024? It's up to us to fight! with Sean BlackmonWhile we are still waiting for some election outcome, the results of the midterm show that the anti-democratic movement of the far right has been rejected by the majority of voters. Sean Blackmon, co-host of the daily radio show By Any Means Necessary, joins to talk about how he analyzes the results of last week’s elections and referendums. Sean shares his thoughts on how the GA Senate race got so close, the failures of the Democratic Party to excite voters, and impending threats to democracy.This episode was recorded shortly before Trump’s November 15th announcement, so w...2022-11-1654 min
CovertAction BulletinU.S. Information War Against China Heats With Increasing Attacks On Chinese American Researchers - with Carl ZhaCarl Zha, host of Silk and Steel Podcast, joins us to discuss the continued escalation of U.S. Cold War on China. The U.S. information war on China heats up with Attorney General Merrick Garland’s recent statement about the U.S. government’s prosecution of Chinese officials for alleged “attempts” to undermine U.S. democracy. What exactly does the U.S. hope to accomplish by indicating an official who will never stand trial?We dive deeper into the information and tech war being waged on China, and how the lives of Chinese Americans, in particular Chinese...2022-11-0954 min
CovertAction BulletinThe U.S. State Department in the Metaverse: How the CIA Infiltrated Facebook With Alan MacLeodWhy is Facebook so desperate to make the Metaverse happen? Are the techno feudalists right when they say Facebook is too big to fail? With the decline of Meta, it seems a new era may be dawning in Silicon Valley as Facebook’s failed projects continue to pile up. A new reporting in The Intercept outlines how the Department of Homeland Security is looking to increase the US government’s influence on social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and more. We examine Meta’s expansion strategy and the role that U.S. intelligence has played i...2022-11-0246 min
CovertAction BulletinWhat is the Deep State? - With Brian BeckerIn this episode, we dig into the idea of the “deep state,” the supposed shadowy cabal of clandestine organizations and individuals who run the show behind the scenes, controlling the US and other governments. The QAnon movement and Donald Trump himself repopularized the idea around the 2016 election, claiming that Trump was a victim of forces attempting to prevent him from “draining the swamp.” In August 2022, he said at an event “to remove rogue bureaucrats and root out the deep state, Congress should pass groundbreaking reform empowering the President to ensure that any federal employee who is corrupt, incompetent, or unnecessar...2022-10-261h 00
CovertAction BulletinWhat Biden Doesn't Want You to Know About His Role in the War on DrugsOn October 6, Joe Biden announced changes to the administration’s handling of marijuana. While pardons are welcome, the changes don’t go far enough to address the racist and classist legacy of the US war on drugs and continuing mass incarceration, which Biden himself played a big role in supporting. We’re joined by Jason Ortiz, Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.Plus, on October 8th, solidarity actions took place in London, Australia, Washington DC and other places to demand the freedom of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, whose health continues to deteriorate as he is held i...2022-10-1957 min
CovertAction BulletinLula da Silva Says ‘It’s Only a Matter of Time’ Heading Into the Second Round of Brazilian ElectionsThe elections in Brazil are underway with the first round of votes coming in, with leftist candidate Lula da Silva taking 48% of the votes and far-right candidate Bolsonaro behind with 43% of votes. All eyes are on Brazil as the pink tide across Latin America resurges. We speak with Zoe Alexandra of People’s Dispatch who is on the ground now in Brazil to share with us the mood on the ground and what the results of this first round of voting means for the leftist future in Brazil.Hurricane Ian devastates cities and towns across Florida, with a...2022-10-0653 min
CovertAction BulletinJournalist Katie Halper Censored By The Hill for Pointing Out Israel Is An Apartheid StateKatie Halper, host of the Katie Halper Show and co-host of the podcast Useful idiots joins us today to share about how she was recently fired from the Hill for talking about Israel. Katie recorded a segment for The Hill’s Rising defending Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib from attacks over calling Israel an apartheid state. Katie joins the show to share more about the story that got her canceled. Watch the full monologue here on BreakThrough News.Support the show2022-10-0532 min
CovertAction Bulletin75 Years of Capitalism’s Invisible ArmyOn September 18th 1947, the main provisions of the National Security Act of 1947 went into effect. One of these was the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency, perhaps the most infamous part of the US national security state. While we pay a lot of attention these days to digital surveillance and the agencies that focus on signals intelligence like the National Security Agency and National Reconnaissance office, the CIA has and continues to play a crucial role in establishing and maintaining global US hegemony via human intelligence as well as through its covert actions, including coups, terrorism and sabotage.2022-09-281h 02
CovertAction BulletinWhistleblower Exposes Apple’s Toxic Waste Cover-up, Secret Police Intimidation & Government TiesApple, Inc. spends billions on projecting a clean, fun and progressive image, even claiming on its website that “the products you love also love the planet.” But the reality is very different. Whistleblower Ashley Gjøvik worked at Apple’s Sunnyvale, CA office. After she discovered that the office was built on top of an EPA superfund site known as the “Triple Site,” Gjøvik was silenced and attacked by the company for trying to ensure the safety of herself, her co-workers and community.We spend our entire episode discussing the case, exposing Apple’s environmental cover-up, the internal “...2022-09-2154 min
CovertAction BulletinTech workers demand Google and Amazon end contract that fuels Israeli apartheidTech workers from Google and Amazon joined forces with Pro-Palestinian organizers in to hold protests last Thursday in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Durham, NC. At issue is Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract between the two companies and the Israeli government that would have the US tech giants directly profiting off the oppression of the Palestinian people. We’re joined by Sabina Wildman, an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition in the San Francisco Bay Area, to talk about the protests, the striking unity of the No Tech for Apartheid movement, organizing tech workers and more.Sign th...2022-09-1439 min
CovertAction BulletinLet Cuba Live - End The Blockade!For over 60 years, the United States government has been trying to overthrow the Cuban revolution. Using assassination attempts, sabotage, bombs, spies and more, Washington has made it clear over and over that it will not rest until Cuba is returned to semi-colonial status. In the face of these attacks the Cuban people have survived, going on to defend and continue to build their revolution. The efforts of socialist Cuba to develop a society based on equality and justice where all people have rights show their resilience and determination in the face of covert action the US just 90 miles away.2022-09-071h 03
CovertAction BulletinThe Truth Behind the Africa-China ‘Debt Trap’ MythAllegations and accusations that China is trapping Africa into unsustainable debt agreements have dominated the conversation around Africa-China relations in Western media, but what does the data tell us?The reality is that China is canceling 23 loans to African countries amid this 'Debt Trap' debate.We look at the international implications of this claim, what debt trap diplomacy is, and who owns most of Africa's external debts. Featuring Sri Lanka, the African Development Bank, and the “secret” lenders they don’t tell us about, with Mikaela Nhondo Erskog researcher at TriContinental Institute for Social Research and on...2022-08-311h 07
CovertAction BulletinEx-Head of Cybersecurity at Twitter Blows the Whistle on Cover Up of Security and Privacy ViolationsTwitter’s former head of security, Peiter “Mudge” Zatko has come forward blowing the whistle on the company’s internal security practices - which he says are serious national security threats. Zatko sent the complaint and supporting documents to the Justice Department and the F.T.C. and has gone public with his concerns about the platform. We dive deeper into what it’s alleged that Twitter has been hiding and its implications.We also discuss the conclusion of the trial of Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. who were convicted this week for their attempted kidnapping plot on Michiga...2022-08-241h 04
CovertAction BulletinEverything you need to know about the Espionage Act & Trump - with John KiriakouThis month is Black August. Begun in the 1970s, Black August is a month to commemorate political prisoners. For prisoners, it is a month of political education. It marks the anniversary of the killing of George Jackson and his brother Jonathan P. Jackson at San Quentin State Prison in 1971 and 1970, respectively.We’re joined by Charisse Burden-Stelly, or Dr. CBS, to discuss the legacy, the lessons that liberation movements can learn today from Black August, the importance of the principles of "study, fast, train, fight" and uplifts the call to free them all - end the incarceration of...2022-08-1759 min
CovertAction BulletinDon’t let FBI’s Trump raid fool you: they’re still enemies of the peopleOn Monday, the FBI raided Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago, Florida home, searching for documents that may have been classified and should not have left the White House. The right wing immediately jumped to condemning the raid, with far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posting “Defund the FBI,” while liberals hailed the bureau as defenders of democracy and justice. We discuss how the right is being disingenuous and the left ahistorical in their assessments of the Bureau, and what the raid means especially in the context of an expected 2024 run by Trump, and how the continuing January 6 hearings could be impacted by bot...2022-08-1058 min
CovertAction BulletinPelosi’s Visit to Taiwan Could Be the Start of World War IIIOn Tuesday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan, marking a major escalation of U.S. aggression towards China. While this may not on it’s face seem alarming, the reality is that the U.S. is playing with fire. 1979 was the last time that a U.S. head of state or member of the ruling party visited Taiwan. Since the 70’s the official policy of the U.S. has been the One China policy, and this visit undermines this very policy. China’s statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “These moves, like playing with fire, ar...2022-08-021h 01
CovertAction BulletinSurveillance Nation: From Amazon to the NSAAmazon wants to be your retailer, educator, grocery store, security system, bank and now your healthcare provider: A few days ago, reports came out that the tech giant is looking to buy One Medical for $4 billion, its latest foray into the healthcare business. At the same time, Amazon provides law enforcement with easy access to massive amounts of data and the tools to parse it.Of course it’s not just Amazon: Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and every big tech company obey the basic law of capitalism: grow or perish. They all rely on one shared resource: ou...2022-07-2751 min
CovertAction BulletinWhy Were 400 Officers Not Enough to Stop the Uvalde Mass Shooter?The chilling video released last week of the police response inside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX on May 24 exposes the police. Dressed in tactical gear, officers waited over an hour to confront the gunman who killed 21 people in a senseless act of violence.Rather than being a local problem, this is a national issue: Over and over again, videos - many of them shot by bystanders - show police killing unarmed Black people. At the same time the police are hailed as heroes required to keep the peace and bring criminals to justice. The Uvalde response and...2022-07-2056 min
CovertAction BulletinJudicial Coup? The Supreme Court Case that Could End the Facade of U.S. DemocracyOn today’s show we discuss the deep implications that the Supreme Court's decision to take up Harper v Moore could have on the fundamental institution of U.S. democracy. The Supreme Court’s ruling on this case could rip the mask off of the sham of U.S. democracy and reveal the clear dictatorship of the rich. The recent overturn of Roe, the ongoing January 6th committee hearings, and now the turn towards overturning the fundamental democratic principle of 1 person 1 vote marks a new period of political struggle in the United States. We are joined by Anoa...2022-07-131h 05
CovertAction BulletinWas January 6 a Ruling Class Conspiracy?The January 6 hearings and this term’s Supreme Court decisions are exposing the right-wing nature of the U.S. state and its institutions. January 6 was plotted in the open and with the apparent support of the highest levels of government, and many questions remain unanswered: why were the Capitol Police so outnumbered? Who donated the massive amounts of money required to mobilize in the days and weeks before? And more.At the same time, the Supreme Court’s right-wing decisions overturning Roe and moving towards a removal of federal power in favor of states is being seized upon...2022-07-0657 min
CovertAction BulletinHow Biden Can Step in to Protect AbortionOn today’s show, we discuss the unprecedented roll-back of women’s rights and civil liberties with the overturn of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe V. Wade. After the decision dropped thousands upon thousands of people poured into the streets in places across the country. As of now, in 7 states the abortion trigger laws, written to go into place if Roe was overturned, have gone into effect banning abortion access for millions of women and trans people. In total there are 26 states that have already or will in the coming weeks implement bans or extreme restrictions on abortion acce...2022-06-2854 min
CovertAction BulletinWill Julian Assange Actually Be Extradited?United Kingdom Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States.Assange faces 18 charges brought against him by the US Justice Department, 17 of which fall under the Espionage Act. All the charges relate to documents WikiLeaks released in 2010 and 2011, which were provided by US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning.With diplomats hinting at action in Australia and a world-wide pressure campaign fighting for Assange’s freedom, there remains many different possibilities for the future of Julian Assange’s case.We are joined by Kevin Gosztola, the managing edit...2022-06-2256 min
CovertAction BulletinActivist Interrupts The Summit of the Americas, “Luis Almagro you have Blood on Your Hands!”Activist and journalist Walter Smolarek interrupted General Secretary of the OAS, Luis Almagro and confronted Almagro about his role in the coup in Bolivia. We interviewed Walter the day after the interruption at the People’s Summit for Democracy which took place from June 8th through 10th in Los Angeles. The People’s Summit wasn’t just a protest of Biden’s so-called Summit of the Americas, which was happening at the same time also in Los Angeles, but also brought together artists, activists, journalists, and revolutionaries to uplift the voices of the people and imagine a world tha...2022-06-151h 01
CovertAction BulletinEyewitness: LA's Secret Police Spy Network With Mike RothmillerOn this week’s episode, we speak with Mike Rothmiller, former LAPD officer with the infamous Office of Criminal Intelligence Division (OCID), a historian and a New York Times best-selling author of many different books including the LA Secret Police: Inside the LAPD’s Elite Spy Network and Bombshell: The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe.Based on his own experiences and years of research, Mike shares the history and criminal behavior of the OCID, which falsified arrests, spied on politicians and and stars and sometimes acted like private intelligence for the police chief and other powerful figu...2022-06-011h 21
CovertAction BulletinInternational Solidarity Threatens Biden’s Summit of the AmericasOn today’s episode, we are joined by Claudia de la Cruz of the People’s Forum in New York City to discuss developments around President Biden’s Summit of the Americas.Scheduled for June 6-10 in Los Angeles, the legitimacy of the gathering and the role of the U.S. in Central & South American is being severely threatened by announcements from Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras and Antigua and Barbuda that they will not attend if the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua are not invited.Claudia gives us a history of the Summit of the Americ...2022-05-251h 04
CovertAction BulletinWhitewashing Neo-Nazis in Ukraine & Biden’s “Disinformation Governing Board”Biden announced last month the assembly of a team within the Department of Homeland Security given the title Disinformation Governing Board. Supposedly this team will be working to combat Russian, Iranian, and Chinese “disinformation.” We dive deeper into the contradictory history of misinformation about Ukraine in 2014 spread by the executive director of the board, Nina Jankowicz.We are then joined by Natalia Marques, writer with People’s Dispatch to discuss the horrific racist massacre in Buffalo NY. On Saturday, May 14, white supremacist Peyton Gendron drove 200 miles from his home in Conklin, NY, to open fire in the only s...2022-05-181h 04
CovertAction BulletinHow Did China Eradicate Extreme Poverty?On today’s show, we bring you the second half of our interview with Tings Chak, Researcher and art director at Tricontinental: Institute of Social Research, and a member of the Dongsheng Collective. We focus on the Chinese government’s programs to eradicate extreme poverty in the country and further discuss her work on the study “Serve the People: The Eradication of Extreme Poverty in China” for Tricontinental.We are also joined by Jane Cutter, editor of LiberationNews.org, to talk about the anti-war origins of Mother’s Day. Now a Hallmark Holiday, Mother’s Day began as a plea fo...2022-05-1159 min
CovertAction BulletinJulian Assange & the U.S. War on Whistleblowers with John KiriakouIn this special episode of CovertAction Bulletin, we spent the entire hour with John Kiriakou. A former CIA analyst and field agent, Kiriakou became a whistleblower when he exposed the CIA’s torture program - and became the only person jailed for it. We discuss how the ongoing campaign against Julian Assange should inform us about how to view and support the work of other whistleblowers. While Assange remains in prison and under threat of extradition and trial in the US, the threat to journalists, publishers and activists continues to grow. We also talk about a brief his...2022-05-0456 min
CovertAction BulletinOn the Ground Report with Rania Khalek on the International Anti-Fascist Summit in Venezuela - and the Global South Perspective on UkraineOn today’s show we dive into the big news that Elon Musk spent 44 billion dollars to buy twitter. He claims he will make the algorithms open source, but there’s obviously many doubts about that. What does this development mean for the platform?We are joined by Rania Khalek, journalist and host of the show dispatches on BreakThrough News to discuss the release of Steven Donzinger after years of confinement in prison, halfway houses and on house arrest. Donzinger is a human rights attorney who was under house arrest for successfully suing Chevron on behalf of 30,000 Ecua...2022-04-271h 16
CovertAction BulletinOn the Ground Report from Shanghai’s COVID Lockdown. What’s Really Happening?Is western media coverage of the COVID lockdown in Shanghai completely accurate?The corporate media has been non-stop talking about the “dystopian” lockdown in Shanghai claiming people are starving in mass. The question “at what cost” pops up in articles across the news cycle questioning China’s lockdown policies. The logistical challenges for Shanghai’s local government to manage a lockdown in response to a mass omicron spread have been significant, but is that the full story? We are joined by Tings Chak Researcher and art director of Tricontinental: Institute of Social Research and member of Dongsheng...2022-04-201h 25
CovertAction BulletinThe Dark Money Attacking Reproductive RightsThe recent case of Liselle Herrera, a 26 year old woman charged with murder for performing a “self-induced abortion” made national news, bringing attention again to the human rights crisis happening in Texas around reproductive rights. What people don’t know is that this crisis is fueled by dark money, corruption, and deeper right-wing capitalist agendas for deregulation. How much money is changing hands and what does this mean for women's rights and LGBTQ rights? We also talk about the unfolding tragedy in Sunset Park of a mass shooter on the subway. While details are still emerging at the tim...2022-04-131h 10
CovertAction BulletinUS & NATO Block Peace in UkraineUS National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday that weapons and other equipment, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, Humvees and Puma drones, are being sent to Ukraine and NATO allies at “an unprecedented pace.” At the UN Security Council, in the White House and at NATO briefings, the military officials, politicians and the press only seem to be able to discuss sending more weapons instead of finding a lasting, diplomatic solution to the crisis.We also highlight two speakers from CovertAction’s April 1 webinar, “The First Casualty of War is Truth.” Chris de Ploeg and Gerald Hor...2022-04-0658 min
CovertAction BulletinHawaiian People Win Against The US War Machine Poisoning Their WaterIn Hawaii thousands of people have been displaced and 93,000 have had their water poisoned by the Red Hill Navy facility. This is after two fuel leaks just last year, and a major fuel leak of 27,000 gallons of fuel in 2014. The Navy sacrifices water for war by refusing to do anything about the facility, which activists demand should be closed and fuel tanks drained immediately. We are joined by Wayne Chung Tanaka, the director of the Sierra Club of Hawai'i, which has been fighting to shut down the Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility for years.Ding Dong the w...2022-03-301h 00
CovertAction BulletinU.S. Hypocrisy: CIA Trains Insurgents in UkraineAs the US government continues to say it does not want US or NATO forces coming into direct conflict with Russian troops, a recent report in Yahoo News revealed that since 2015, the CIA has been overseeing a secret intensive training program in the U.S. for elite Ukrainian special operations forces who are trained for insurgency.What is the real purpose of this CIA program? And what does it actually say about U.S. intentions in the region? We discuss the history of this decades-long CIA training program in Ukraine, and more. Joining the show i...2022-03-2353 min
CovertAction BulletinWar Propaganda’s Role in Anti-Asian ViolenceWe are joined on today’s show by Amanda Yee, host of the podcast Radio Free Amanda to discuss the one-year anniversary of the Atlanta Spa shooting. The epidemic of anti-Asian violence has grown exponentially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, Asian Americans have always been viewed as “enemy aliens” as the FBI and U.S. government had historically called it. We discuss the CIA launching of the “China Initiative” in 2018 and the new cold war on China, and what all this has to do with the tragedy of Atlanta and the rising hate crimes aga...2022-03-161h 08
CovertAction BulletinLee Camps Talks Cross-Platform Shut Down of RT America and The Censorship of Left Anti-War Media VoicesThe information war has heated up, this time with targets on the backs of anti-war journalists and media voices critical to NATO and the U.S. Last week, the offices of RT America were suddenly and abruptly shut down amid the war fever and Russophobia spreading across the country. In addition to banning an entire network, platforms like Twitter and Spotify have also taken steps to discredit individual journalists by removing their content. In the last week we’ve also seen mainstream media outlets like the Washington Post churn out hit pieces claiming that voices exposing U.S...2022-03-091h 00
CovertAction BulletinUkraine Crisis Fueled by Decades of Broken Promises by the U.S. and NATOThe outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine did not come out of nowhere. Fundamental to understanding the current moment is the history of NATO expansion in Europe — which the U.S. repeatedly promised Russia would not happen. We are joined by Richard Becker of the ANSWER Coalition to discuss the events in Ukraine and Russia from 2014 leading up to the current crisis. We ask the question, what should the U.S. anti-war movement demand?In our patrons only edition of today's episode, we are also joined by Jeremy Kuzmarov, the Managing Editor of CovertAction Mag...2022-03-0253 minCovertAction BulletinOn Philip Agee and the History CovertAction Magazine: In-depth Interviews with Louis Wolf and Chris AgeeToday we turn to Philip Agee, ex-CIA Case Officer from 1957 to 1969. After a series of short extraordinary excerpts from interviews with Philip Agee, featured in the classic documentary history of the CIA entitled “On Company Business," David Giglio goes in-depth with Louis Wolf and Chris Agee discussing Phil and the history of CovertAction Magazine. Philip Agee was stationed in various parts of Latin America including Ecuador, Uruguay and Mexico throughout the 1960s. As one of the first ex-CIA whistleblowers to go public in 1975, Agee not only exposed the covert activities of the U.S. government but...2021-12-2924 minCovertAction BulletinWhistleblower Bill Binney, Former Technical Director of the NSA, Goes In-Depth on the Surveillance StateToday we turn to whistleblower Bill Binney, the former intelligence official and Technical Director of the National Security Agency, and go in-depth on the surveillance state, how 9/11 could have been avoided, Russiagate and more...Bill resigned in the wake of 9/11 after more than 30 years with the NSA. He was a critic of his former employers during the Bush Sr. and Jr. administrations, and later criticized the NSA's data-collection policies during the Obama administration. More recently, he demonstrated with technical evidence that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 U.S. elections by hacking into the DNC servers.2021-12-1612 minCovertAction BulletinNicaragua’s Evidence-Based Democracy Threatens U.S. Oppression Domestically and AbroadIn this episode, we turn to Nicaragua and the recent elections that just took place last month, on November 7th.Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas won the elections with over 75% of the vote. Nicaragua’s non-partisan, independent Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) reported that over 65% of the 4.4 million eligible voters (16 years and older) participated in the election.Meanwhile, the mainstream media—including so-called progressive media outlets like National Public Radio—regurgitated U.S. State Department talking points on the elections highlighting the jailing of opponents without providing the much-needed background to the events including the activities of the...2021-12-1620 minCovertAction BulletinPeter Dale Scott, Author of Deep Politics and the Death of JFKIn this third installment of our Destiny Betrayed series on the JFK assassination, Aaron talks with Professor Peter Dale Scott, author of Deep Politics of the Death of JFK as well as Dallas '63: The First Deep State Revolt Against the White House. Peter Dale Scott is also known for inventing two important research approaches: parapolitics and deep politics. This is the first of two series installments with Professor Scott on the subject of the JFK assassination. This episode also features contributions from Abby Martin of The Empire Files and a postscript discussion between Aaron and pod-friend Ben Howard. M...2021-12-1405 minCovertAction BulletinPoetry, Terror, and Suppressed Memory--A Tribute to Peter Dale ScottThis episode features a surprise tribute to the great poet and scholar of deep politics, Professor Peter Dale Scott. The event took place in my Peace Studies of the American Century class. The students had been studying the tragic 1965 massacre of 500,000 to 2,000,000 Indonesians. As part of their studies, the class read excerpts of Professor Scott’s poem Coming to Jakarta. The retired Berkeley professor, was scheduled to appear through Zoom, planning to give a reading and answer questions about his long form poem. Professor Scott did some of the best early work on the massacre. He graciously agreed to sp...2021-12-1318 minCovertAction BulletinDavid Talbot, Author of Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy YearsThis is the second part of our Destiny Betrayed series on the JFK assassination. In this episode, Aaron talks with David Talbot about his book, Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years.Published in 2007, Brothers tells the story of the Kennedy presidency as experienced by many of the people who worked with and knew John and Robert Kennedy. Among other things, the book definitively established an important missing part of the era's history. Drawing from dozens of interviews with the living members of the Kennedy circle, Talbot revealed how Robert Kennedy came to learn that his...2021-12-1204 minCovertAction BulletinThe 9/9/2001 Massoud AssassinationIn this episode, Aaron and his illustrious CovertAction Magazine colleague, John Kiriakou, discuss the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud. They are joined by two luminaries: Peter Dale Scott and Pepe Escobar. Peter is a retired UC Berkeley English professor, a renowned poet, and the legendary scholar who basically invented the study of parapolitics and deep politics. His books of poetry and prose include 'Coming to Jakarta', 'Deep Politics and the Death of JFK', 'The Road to 9/11', and 'The American Deep State'. Pepe Escobar is Editor at Large for Asia Times. For the last two decades, Escobar has been THE...2021-12-1109 minCovertAction BulletinOliver Stone‘s JFK w/Zach Sklar & Jim DiEugenioThis first episode of the CovertAction Bulletin podcast is also the first part of our Destiny Betrayed series on the JFK assassination. In this episode, Aaron talks with Zachary Sklar, the co-screenwriter of Oliver Stone's JFK. They are joined by series producer, Jim DiEugenio, the writer and co-creator of Oliver Stone's JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, now streaming on Showtime. Released in 1991, JFK was based upon Jim Garrison's memoir, 'On the Trail of the Assassins.' The book was published by CovertAction Magazine's old publishing arm, Sheridan Square Press. Zachary Sklar edited Garrison's memoir before taking on...2021-12-0605 min