Shows
Pushback with Aaron MateReport for European Parliament challenges OPCW’s Syria cover-upA new report 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 p...
2023-09-191h 03Pushback with Aaron MateJohn Mearsheimer: Ukraine war is a long-term dangerJohn 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
2023-07-301h 01Pushback with Aaron MateBiden's corruption led to Ukraine's destruction: fmr. Kiev diplomatFormer 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 u...
2023-07-131h 23Pushback with Aaron MateAaron Mate at UN: Syria probe was censored, and cover-up continuesIn 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
2023-04-0115 minPushback with Aaron MateAaron Mate spars with British diplomat over Syria cover-upAt 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
2023-03-3019 minPushback with Aaron MateIn major shift, Brazil challenges OPCW's Syria cover-upIn 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 Mat...
2023-03-2826 minPushback with Aaron MateAaron Mate at UN: OPCW cover-up denies justice to Douma victimsSpeaking 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
2023-03-2726 minPushback with Aaron MateSeymour Hersh: US bombed Nord Stream to prolong the Ukraine proxy warSeymour 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
2023-03-0244 minPushback with Aaron MateVeteran NYT journalist Jeff Gerth exposes US media's Russiagate debacleIn 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-b...
2023-02-1654 minPushback with Aaron MateMatt Taibbi on the Twitter filesMatt 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
2023-01-151h 32Pushback with Aaron MateJeffrey Sachs: end Ukraine proxy war or face "armageddon"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/
2022-10-0948 min
Pushback with Aaron MateGrayzone challenges Guardian reporter on US state-funded Syria smearsSupport 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 Ma...
2022-07-1931 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUS intel officer targeted by John Bolton reacts to coup-plot confessionSupport 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 tha...
2022-07-1537 minPushback with Aaron MateNATO escalates the Ukraine proxy war (w/ Michael Tracey)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
2022-07-032h 06Pushback with Aaron MateMasongate: Exposing Paul Mason's spook plot to destroy The GrayzoneIn 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/
2022-06-122h 29Pushback with Aaron MateThe battle for Ukraine, with ex-UN weapons inspector Scott RitterSupport 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.
2022-03-232h 43Pushback with Aaron MateFormer top Pentagon advisor Col. Doug Macgregor on Russia-Ukraine warSupport 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.
2022-03-152h 15Pushback with Aaron MateHow US-backed Maidan coup, Russiagate led to war in UkraineSupport 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
2022-03-1335 minPushback with Aaron MateSyria’s post-war recovery challenges US hegemonySupport 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...
2022-01-2144 minPushback with Aaron MateHow the OPCW’s Syria probe censored scienceSupport 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 s...
2021-12-1445 minPushback with Aaron MateIndictment of Steele dossier source humiliates its media, intel cheerleadersIgor 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
2021-11-1542 minPushback with Aaron MateFmr. CIA analyst on the hidden realities of Syria's war and new novel, 'Damascus Station'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 S...
2021-11-091h 20Pushback with Aaron MateCrowdStrike one of Russiagate's 'biggest culprits': ex-House investigatorSupport 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 b...
2021-10-2842 minPushback with Aaron MateInside the CIA plot to kidnap, kill Julian AssangeAs 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 s...
2021-09-3040 minPushback with Aaron MateBlueAnon: Glenn Greenwald on why Russiagate disinformation never endsSupport 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: M...
2021-04-3035 minPushback with Aaron MateFacing Syria cover-up outcry, OPCW chief lies and US, UK, France evadeSupport 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, a...
2021-04-241h 07Pushback with Aaron MateIn UN return, veteran diplomats Hans von Sponeck and Lawrence Wilkerson confront OPCW Syria cover-upSupport 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...
2021-04-1932 minPushback with Aaron MateAt UN, Aaron Maté debunks OPCW's Syria lies and confronts US, UK on cover-upSupport 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 ana...
2021-04-1827 minPushback with Aaron MateFmr. Ambassador Robert Ford on the US role in Syria’s 10-year warRobert 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
2021-03-2055 minPushback with Aaron Mate5 former OPCW officials join prominent voices to call out Syria cover-upSupport 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...
2021-03-1424 minPushback with Aaron MateTulsi Gabbard calls out the US dirty war on Syria that Biden, aides admit toWhile 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 o...
2021-03-0523 minPushback with Aaron MateAs leaks expose UK op to 'weaken' Russia, suppression of Grayzone reporting backfiresSupport 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 eff...
2021-02-251h 05Pushback with Aaron MateHidden Russiagate docs expose more misconduct, evidentiary holes: ex-investigatorSupport 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 i...
2021-02-2340 minPushback with Aaron MateStephen F. Cohen On Russia's Democratization And How US Meddling Undermines ItPushback 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 in...
2020-12-3021 min
Pushback with Aaron MateKey Mueller witness exposes key Russiagate liesFormer 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...
2020-11-1750 min
Pushback with Aaron MateOPCW Syria whistleblower and ex-OPCW chief attacked by US, UK, France at UNSupport 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 s...
2020-10-071h 00
Pushback with Aaron MateFinkelstein: How Gulf monarchies, PLO leaders, and US neoliberals sold out PalestineAs 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
2020-09-2358 min
Pushback with Aaron MateTrump's 'Patriotic Education' whitewashes racist, imperial US historyHistorian 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
2020-09-2033 min
Pushback with Aaron MateDebating the Senate Intel Russia report w/ Mattathias SchwartzThe 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
2020-09-091h 16
Pushback with Aaron MateNBA All-Star David West on the walkout and standing up to racism, exploitationDavid 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
2020-09-0143 min
Pushback with Aaron Mate'We live in a right-wing country': Malaika Jabali on Kenosha, rebellions, and the electionAttorney 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...
2020-08-3025 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUS protects global empire during pandemic, not its own populationCol. 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...
2020-08-2526 min
Pushback with Aaron MateCrushing US sanctions devastate Syria's people and post-war reconstructionIn 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
2020-08-2126 min
Pushback with Aaron MateDem Impeachment Attorney On Mueller, Ukrainegate, And The Case Vs. TrumpIn 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://w...
2020-08-1445 min
Pushback with Aaron MateDisparaging Stokely Carmichael, Bill Clinton attacks the black freedom struggleAt 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...
2020-08-1228 min
Pushback with Aaron MateLebanon's corrupt, colonial system leads to explosion catastropheThe 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
2020-08-0726 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUK 'Russia report' fear-mongers about meddling yet finds no evidenceA 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
2020-07-2530 min
Pushback with Aaron MateNancy Pelosi, leader of corporate Democrats, challenged by leftist Shahid ButtarHouse 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
2020-07-1626 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUS claim of 'Russian Bounty' plot in Afghanistan is dubious and dangerousMultiple 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 "...
2020-06-3032 min
Pushback with Aaron MateFinkelstein: Israel will pretend that illegal annexation is a compromiseIsraeli 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...
2020-06-2324 min
Pushback with Aaron MateCrippling new sanctions punish Syrian civilians for US defeat in proxy warAs 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 ha...
2020-06-1827 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUN intervention in US? Families of black victims seek probe of racism, police violenceThe 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...
2020-06-1021 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUS police state faces revolt as Trump expands it at home and abroadHistorian 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...
2020-06-0230 min
Pushback with Aaron MateRussiagate 3.0 Drowns Out Trump's Reckless Escalation Of US - Russia Nuclear Arms RaceUS 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...
2020-02-2329 min
Pushback with Aaron MateTurkey, US protect Al Qaeda in Idlib and worsen Syria's sufferingIdlib 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
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...
2020-02-2124 min
Pushback with Aaron MateIowa debacle fueled by anti-Bernie billionaires, Russiagate hucksters, failed DNC elitesIowa'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
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Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate
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||| T...
2020-02-0727 min
Pushback with Aaron MateAdam Schiff's Russia-bashing is unhinged and dangerousAt 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."
Su...
2020-01-2826 minPushback with Aaron MateDebating Trump's 'maximum Pressure' On IranMichael 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
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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
2020-01-2651 min
Pushback with Aaron MateSuing Hillary Clinton, Tulsi Gabbard stands up to the Russiagate smear machineAs 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
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Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com
2020-01-2531 min
Pushback with Aaron MateEx-UN weapons inspector: Biden's Iraq war vote excuse a 'bald-faced lie'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...
2020-01-1944 min
Pushback with Aaron MateEx-US intel officer: Pompeo 'lying through his teeth' on IranThe 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...
2020-01-1230 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUS and Iran avoid war, but Trump's war-mongering goes onThe 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
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Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate
||| The Grayzone |||
Find more reporting at https://t...
2020-01-0916 min
Pushback with Aaron MateLawrence Wilkerson on Trump's Iran aggression: same neocon lies, new targetAs 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
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Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate
||| The Grayzone |||
Find more reporting at h...
2020-01-0725 min
Pushback with Aaron MateTrump's march to war on Iran aided by Democrats' weakness on sanctions, nuclear dealThe 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
2020-01-0422 min
Pushback with Aaron MateOPCW leaks expose 'criminal' Syria cover-up -- and US media is silentThe 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...
2020-01-0231 min
Pushback with Aaron MateIG Report Exposes FBI, Congressional, and Media Deceit In Russia ProbeA 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/a...
2019-12-1631 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUS drops false charge against journalist Max BlumenthalThe 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...
2019-12-1033 min
Pushback with Aaron MateAbby Martin: Gaza's fight for freedom needs global solidarityThe 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
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2019-12-0123 min
Pushback with Aaron MateWhite Helmets Whitewash - Founder's Death, OPCW Scandal Lift Mask On Al-Qaeda's Ally In SyriaThe 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 ce...
2019-11-2635 min
Pushback with Aaron MateHow a grassroots Seattle movement delivered Amazon a major lossPushback 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
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Pu...
2019-11-2519 min
Pushback with Aaron MateWhistleblower: OPCW suppressed Syria chemical evidence after US pressureA 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...
2019-11-1820 min
Pushback with Aaron MateJimmy Dore: until we fix Democratic Party elites' corruption, we won’t defeat Trump'sJimmy 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
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Find t...
2019-11-1826 minPushback with Aaron MateSyria scandal: New whistleblower claims chemical weapons watchdog OPCW suppressed Douma evidenceA 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...
2019-11-1733 min
Pushback with Aaron MateIsrael's relentless violence on Gaza met by global silenceA 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...
2019-11-1416 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUkrainegate impeachment saga worsens US-Russia Cold WarAs 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
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Pushback on...
2019-11-1326 min
Pushback with Aaron MateMax Blumenthal on Baghdadi's death and Trump's fake withdrawal in SyriaMax 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
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2019-11-0721 minPushback with Aaron MateGabor Maté on the misuse of anti-Semitism and why fewer Jews identify with IsraelPhysician, 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
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Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com...
2019-11-0633 min
Pushback with Aaron MateJournalist Max Blumenthal arrested on false charge in DCThe 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...
2019-11-0321 min
Pushback with Aaron MateBlowback: US-armed 'moderate rebels' slaughter Kurds in SyriaAmid 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
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2019-10-2519 min
Pushback with Aaron MateJill Stein - Hillary Clinton Is Still Sabotaging ProgressivesFormer 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.
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Pushback on S...
2019-10-2322 min
Pushback with Aaron MateMax Blumenthal On Why Hillary Clinton Smeared Tulsi Gabbard And Jill SteinHillary 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
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2019-10-2021 min
Pushback with Aaron MateCIA Spied On Julian Assange In Ecuadorian EmbassyThe 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/aa...
2019-10-1013 min
Pushback with Aaron MateRussian social media debate: clickbait or information warfare?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 a...
2019-10-0940 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUS Arming Of Ukraine Is A Scandal On Its OwnThere 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.
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2019-10-0819 min
Pushback with Aaron MateTrump meddled in Ukraine, and he’s not aloneAs 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
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2019-10-0725 min
Pushback with Aaron MateIsrael Votes For Occupation, No Matter Who PrevailsThe 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.
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Pushback o...
2019-09-2608 min
Pushback with Aaron MateCracks Emerge In NATO Confrontation Of RussiaStephen 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
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P...
2019-09-2422 min
Pushback with Aaron MateThe Syria you won’t see: Max Blumenthal on visiting Damascus after the proxy warThe 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...
2019-09-2416 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUS troops in Saudi Arabia defend hegemony, not securityThe 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
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Aaron...
2019-09-2317 min
Pushback with Aaron MateInstead of threats, Trump can easily defuse Iran crisis he createdThe 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
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2019-09-2010 min
Pushback with Aaron MateUK worsens Julian Assange's persecution as US seeks extraditionWikileaks 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.
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2019-09-1913 min
Pushback with Aaron MateJohn Bolton is out, but neocon agenda staysLawrence 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
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2019-09-1618 min
Pushback with Aaron MateOuting of CIA's Kremlin mole echoes Iraq WMD hoaxThe 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.
Gu...
2019-09-1517 min
Pushback with Aaron MateEx-CIA analyst on why he predicted John Bolton’s firingEx-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.
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Find transcripts and more at https://thegrayzone.com/pushbac...
2019-09-1408 min
Pushback with Aaron MateAre Jeffrey Epstein's secrets buried with him?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
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2019-09-0712 min
Pushback with Aaron MateEmbassy insider exposes CNN lies about Julian AssangeA "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 Na...
2019-09-0622 min
Pushback with Aaron MateMax Blumenthal: Nicaragua beat US regime change, but sanctions and sabotage continueThe 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
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Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pushbackshow
Subscribe to the Pushback podcas...
2019-09-0321 min
Pushback with Aaron MateMSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell hits Russiagate Rock BottomAaron 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
thegrayzo...
2019-09-0307 min
Pushback with Aaron MateRussiagate skeptics are vindicated, but conspiracy theorists are rewarded (w/ Glenn Greenwald)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
2019-08-2812 min
Pushback with Aaron MateGlenn Greenwald On The Amazon Fires And The Fight For Brazil's FutureGlenn 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
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https://pushbackshow.com
||| The Grayzone |||
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Support ou...
2019-08-2829 min