Max Blumenthal explains how the US-backed proxy war in Syria helped create the al-Qaeda safe haven where US forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; and how Trump, despite announcing a withdrawal, is continuing the proxy war by keeping US troops to steal Syria's oil. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of “The Management of Savagery.” Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twit...
Nov 07, 2019•22 min
Physician, mental health expert, and best-selling author Dr. Gabor Maté, a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust, offers a personal and historical perspective on anti-Semitism, Zionism, and Israel-Palestine. Guest: Dr. Gabor Maté, mental health expert and best-selling author. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lu7MGQ Pushba...
Nov 06, 2019•34 min
The Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal speaks out on his arrest months after reporting on Venezuelan opposition violence at the DC embassy. Blumenthal was seized from his home by a group of officers and held for two days in cells and cages. His arrest warrant labels him as "armed and dangerous." Blumenthal says the charges are false and a retaliation against The Grayzone's journalism on the US-backed coup in Venezuela and corrupt members of the right-wing Venezuelan opposition carrying it out. Guest...
Nov 03, 2019•22 min
Amid outrage over Turkey’s atrocities against Kurdish civilians northern Syria, Max Blumenthal discusses how some of the Syrian militias committing the crimes are composed of the same "moderate rebels" that the US, Turkey, and Gulf states armed, trained, and supported during the multi-year Syria proxy war. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.co...
Oct 25, 2019•20 min
Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein responds to Hillary Clinton calling her a "Russian asset" and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard a potential Russian dupe. Clinton and centrist Democrats, Stein says, are following a "well-worn script" of trying to undermine progressive candidates that challenge party elites' militarist and corporatist policies. Guest: Dr. Jill Stein, former Green Party presidential candidate. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter:...
Oct 23, 2019•22 min
Hillary Clinton has smeared Tulsi Gabbard and Jill Stein as Russian assets, and almost no Democratic politicians are pushing back. Max Blumenthal says that Clinton's comments reflect a continued effort by Democratic neo-liberals to deflect responsibility for their loss to Trump in 2016; marginalize voices like Gabbard and Stein's who challenge their pro-war, corporatist agenda; and preview their potential future attacks on Bernie Sanders. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author ...
Oct 20, 2019•22 min
The CIA has been caught spying on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Undercover Global SL, a Spanish security firm, recorded Assange during his stay in Ecuador's London embassy, where he lived under asylum, and then handed over its footage to the CIA. "That firm was contracted by Ecuador to protect the embassy, to protect [Assange], to protect us from [his] persecutors," says former Ecuadorian diplomat Fidel Narváez. "So I find it shocking." Guest: Fidel Narváez, former Ecuadorian diplomat who se...
Oct 10, 2019•13 min
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: ...
Oct 09, 2019•40 min
There is growing evidence that President Donald Trump briefly froze U.S. military assistance to Ukraine for political goals. Max Blumenthal explores how the Ukrainegate scandal overlooks the dangers of those weapons sales to Ukraine and the corrupt interests behind it. Under Trump, U.S. military assistance has prolonged a bloody proxy war with Russia, killing thousands in Ukraine and enabling far-right Ukrainian forces — all while enriching weapons manufacturers and DC lobbyists. Guest: Max Blum...
Oct 08, 2019•20 min
As Donald Trump appears caught attempting a quid pro quo, Max Blumenthal argues that the Ukrainegate scandal also highlights a web of corruption and meddling inside Ukraine implicating other prominent US figures and institutions. [Part II of this interview will be published on Tuesday, October 8.] Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of "The Management of Savagery." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbac...
Oct 07, 2019•26 min
The outcome of the Israeli election remains in flux, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to form a coalition government. Diana Buttu, an attorney and former legal adviser to the Palestinian Authority, says that whatever the outcome, Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz are "virtually identical" when it comes to maintaining the occupation of millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Guest: Diana Buttu, attorney and former legal adviser to the Palestinian Authority. Support Pu...
Sep 26, 2019•9 min
Aaron Maté speaks with Ben Norton about how a far-right US soldier arrested by the FBI for plotting domestic bomb attacks sought to join Ukraine’s neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, which was directly armed and advised by the American government. Guest: Ben Norton, Assistant Editor of The Grayzone. Read Ben's article: https://thegrayzone.com/2019/09/23/bomb-extremist-us-soldier-fbi-ukrainian-nazi-azov/
Sep 25, 2019•24 min
Stephen F. Cohen argues that cracks are emerging within the NATO-led consensus that has pushed Moscow from the West. Guest: Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and Princeton University, contributing editor at The Nation, and author of several "War with Russia: From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: htt...
Sep 24, 2019•22 min
The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal discusses his reporting trip to Damascus in the aftermath of Syria's proxy war. He interviewed residents who were caught between Western and Gulf-backed extremist insurgents and the Syrian government’s war to retake territory, and who now struggle to recover under a US-led economic blockade. "They want to attack and intimidate people from the West who want to have cultural and personal contact with Syrians in the area where most Syrians live," Blumenthal says. "I we...
Sep 24, 2019•16 min
The Trump administration is sending US troops to Saudi Arabia as it continues to threaten Iran. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, says the US-Saudi relationship is "not based on strategic interest so much as it is based on money, money, and money -- going into the coffers of some people in the national security elite, and into the coffers of some politicians who cling to their power." Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell. Support Pus...
Sep 22, 2019•18 min
The Trump administration continues to threaten Iran after blaming it, without evidence, for the recent bombing of Saudi oil facilities. Instead of beating the war drums, Trita Parsi argues that President Trump has an easy path to resolve the standoff: rejoin the Iran nuclear deal that he abandoned and negotiate additional issues with Tehran. Guest: Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute and the author of "Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy." Support...
Sep 20, 2019•10 min
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been ordered to remain behind bars until hearings over a US extradition effort begin next year. Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of Wikileaks, says that UK authorities are holding Assange in worse conditions than accused terrorists and 'making it impossible' for him to prepare his case. Guest: Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of Wikileaks. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbacksho...
Sep 19, 2019•14 min
Lawrence Wilkerson, who served alongside John Bolton in the Bush administration, discusses the reasons for Bolton’s firing; Bolton's legacy as a war hawk who promoted regime change and undermined global arms control; the anti-interventionist views of a potential successor, Douglas Macgregor; and the lasting influence of neocons inside the national security state. Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Currently a distinguished professor at the C...
Sep 16, 2019•18 min
The outing of a CIA informant inside of the Kremlin raises new questions about the Russia investigation and the intelligence officials behind it. The informant, identified as Oleg Smolenkov, disappeared from Russia in June 2017 and turned up in the US living under his own name, in a luxury home in the Washington, DC suburbs. Former CIA analyst John Kiriakou says that all of this points to Smolenkov being less valuable an asset than he's been portrayed – and, just as we saw during the Iraq war --...
Sep 15, 2019•17 min
Ex-CIA analyst John Kiriakou discusses why he accurately predicted John Bolton’s ouster as National Security Adviser; who might replace him; and the Democratic leadership’s anemic response. Guest: John Kiriakou, former CIA analyst who was imprisoned after blowing the whistle on the agency’s torture program. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Listen to Pushback o...
Sep 14, 2019•9 min
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 ...
Sep 07, 2019•13 min
A "bombshell" CNN report claimed to show how Wikileaks founder Julian Assange published stolen Democratic Party emails in 2016 in cooperation with the Russian government from his place of refuge in Ecuador's London embassy. Ecuadorian diplomat Fidel Narváez -- who served in the embassy throughout Assange's stay -- says that CNN's report was error-ridden and defamatory. "There are so many smears, speculations, and some false information in that report that somewhat somebody needs to set the recor...
Sep 06, 2019•23 min
The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal explains how Nicaragua celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution just one year after defeating a US-backed coup effort — and how US sabotage efforts continue today. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Senior Editor of The Grayzone and author of several books including his latest, "The Management of Savagery." * Pushback with Aaron Maté * Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron M...
Sep 03, 2019•21 min
Back from Honduras, The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal discusses the impact of US meddling over the last decade: a narco-President, Juan Orlando Hernández, recently named as a co-conspirator in a drug trafficking case against his brother; a massive migrant crisis; political assassinations; and devastating privatizations overseen by Joe Biden. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Senior Editor of The Grayzone and author of several books including his latest, "The Management of Savagery."
Sep 03, 2019•20 min
The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal discusses his heated exchange with a former Obama official and a member of Venezuela's far-right opposition over the basis for crippling US sanctions on Venezuela. Max also recounts his recent reporting trip to Venezuela, where he witnessed the impact of US economic warfare and the Venezuelan people's defiant resistance. Guest: Max Blumenthal, Senior Editor of The Grayzone and author of several books, including his latest, "The Management of Savagery."
Sep 03, 2019•24 min
Aaron Maté slams MSNBC’s latest Russiagate dud, exposing how Lawrence O’Donnell’s embarrassing retraction is part of a pattern of bogus conspiracy theories that push the limits of political self-satire. * Pushback with Aaron Maté * Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Pushback on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pushbackshow Aaron Maté on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronjmate Pushback on YouTube: http://youtube.com/thegrayzone Listen to Pushback on Soundcloud: https://sou...
Sep 03, 2019•7 min
A scathing DOJ report rebukes former FBI director Jim Comey for leaks about the Trump-Russia investigation. Scholar and author Stephen F. Cohen says that Comey and other intelligence officials weaponized their authority, and should be held to account. Guest: Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus at New York University and Princeton University. His latest book is "War with Russia: From Putin and Ukraine To Trump and Russiagate."
Sep 02, 2019•16 min
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...
Aug 28, 2019•13 min
Physician, mental health expert, and best-selling author Dr. Gabor Maté sits down with The Grayzone's Aaron Maté to analyze how Russiagate was able to take hold of U.S. society following Donald Trump's election.
Aug 28, 2019•27 min
With its bombings of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, is Israel trying to stop an attack from Iran and its allies, as it claims, or is it trying to provoke one? Rania Khalek analyzes Israel's escalating violence and how it could potentially help jihadist groups in the region. Guest: Rania Khalek, independent journalist, video host for In The Now, and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure. ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com Support our original journalism at Pat...
Aug 28, 2019•17 min
