Moderate Rebels
164 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 626 ratingsModerate Rebels was a political podcast and video show hosted by journalists Max Blumenthal and Benjamin Norton. It ended in January 2022.
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Episodes
Does US meddling in Myanmar risk Syria/Libya-style war?
April 13, 2021 18:58 - 1 hour - 90 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss US meddling in the protests in Myanmar with Brian Berletic, and how Washington seeks to weaken a neighbor of China and key ally in Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. We discuss the coup by the Tatmadaw military, the NED-funded Burmese networks calling for R2P ("Responsibility to Protect") foreign intervention, eerie parallels to the regime-change operations targeting Syria and Libya, and how the violence risks a dangerous destabilization of Southeast ...
As new cold war on China heats up, US govt funds extremist Uighur armed separatists
April 09, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 90 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by Ajit Singh and Aaron Maté to discuss the new cold war on Beijing, and how the US government is funding far-right extremist Uyghur armed separatists, to try to divide and balkanize China. We also debunk the absurd Western accusations of genocide in Xinjiang province, and pick apart the propaganda of Adrian Zenz and other charlatans. -- Link to Ajit's The Grayzone article "'Wipe out China!' US-funded Uyghur activists train as gun-toting foot sold...
As US sanctions suffocate Syrians, regime-change operatives attack anti-war movement in open letter
April 07, 2021 19:00 - 32 minutes - 30.3 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by Aaron Maté to discuss the dirty war on Syria, how murderous US/EU sanctions have destroyed the country's economy and led to many civilian deaths, and Washington's military occupation of its oil/wheat-rich territory. We respond to a ridiculous open letter that smears the anti-war movement, signed by regime-change operatives and fake "leftist" imperialists like Gilbert Achcar. -- Link to Ben's The Grayzone article "Elite UK military unit secretly...
Meet the radlib academics using woke post-modernism to defend imperialism
April 06, 2021 18:00 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by Aaron Maté to discuss the radlibs in academia who pretend to be radical but use anti-materialist post-modern philosophy and neoliberal identity politics to defend Western imperialism, from Ecuador to Syria, China to Venezuela. We also make fun of Bernard-Henri Lévy, who has never seen a US war he didn't love. -- Link to Ben's article "Coup-supporting academics spread lies to censor The Grayzone reporting exposing Ecuador’s pseudo-left candidate Y...
Biden admin hawks push for dangerous Ukraine-Russia war
April 05, 2021 00:10 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by Aaron Maté to discuss the hawks in the Joe Biden administration and Washington and NATO are pushing for a dangerous proxy war between Ukraine and Russia.
Debunking US accusation of China's 'genocide' against Uighurs
March 29, 2021 23:51 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MBMax Blumenthal documents the deceptions behind the US government's accusation that China is committing "genocide" against Uyghur Muslims in its Xinjiang region, picking apart NED-funded studies that rely on botched statistics and exposing extremist Adrian Zenz and his error-filled research. This was part of a panel discussion held on March 19, 2021, hosted on Daniel Dumbrill's channel. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=qZkxaEC1xjY
Biden, Trump, and bipartisan US imperialism in Latin America
March 25, 2021 23:06 - 2 hours - 120 MBBen Norton was invited to give this talk on US imperialism in Latin America for the anti-war group Massachusetts Peace Action. He discusses the similarities in the aggressive foreign policy of Biden, Trump, and Obama, and talks about Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and "Plan Biden" for Central America, Chile, Colombia, Peru, immigration in the United States, and more. Ben's The Grayzone article "Right-wing Central American leaders praise neoliberal 'Biden Plan' to strengthen US 'sph...
Inside China, Xinjiang, and the US empire's war drive - with Daniel Dumbrill
March 22, 2021 17:13 - 1 hour - 59.2 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton continue speaking with Daniel Dumbrill, a Canadian in China, about the new US cold war, the Washington-backed secessionist campaign in Xinjiang, and other propaganda. We also discuss "socialism with Chinese characteristics," and respond to questions submitted by patrons over at patreon.com/ModerateRebels. Part 2 of 2
Debunking anti-China myths of the new cold war - with Daniel Dumbrill
March 18, 2021 23:17 - 1 hour - 62.7 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton (kind of) speak with Daniel Dumbrill, a Canadian YouTuber who has lived in China for more than a decade, about the new cold war. He debunks the anti-Chinese myths constantly spread in the Western corporate media. Check out Daniel's YouTube channel at: youtube.com/channel/UC6Bl8MTbW9M9MQoPhxbarpw
How US spies & soldiers gave birth to Big Tech companies, and growing censorship - with Yasha Levine
March 13, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 87.8 MBBen Norton speaks with journalist Yasha Levine about how Silicon Valley has its origins in the US national security and its Cold War on communism. We discuss the links between the United States government and Google, Facebook, and Tor; the far-right anti-China cult Falun Gong; and how Washington rapidly shifted from promoting "internet freedom" to censorship of alternative information. We also talk about Adam Curtis' documentary series Can't Get You Out of My Head, and respond to question...
Inside Russian politics and the rich oligarchs behind Alexei Navalny - with Yasha Levine
March 11, 2021 15:54 - 54 minutes - 50.5 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with journalist Yasha Levine about Russian politics and Alexei Navalny, his political views and xenophobic nationalist history, his Western backing, his own oligarch sponsors, and the elite capitalists who dominate the country's system.
Racism in Israel, anti-Soviet propaganda, and weaponization of immigrants - with Yasha Levine
March 10, 2021 02:42 - 49 minutes - 46.3 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with journalist Yasha Levine about racism in Israel, anti-Soviet propaganda, the cold war, the Zionist movement, and weaponization of Russian Jewish immigration.
Debunking US media propaganda against leftists in Latin America, from Venezuela to Nicaragua
March 04, 2021 18:52 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBBen Norton speaks with Venezuelan journalist Diego Sequera about the corporate media disinformation targeting leftist governments in Latin America. We discuss Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and even Libya. We also talk about the importance of food sovereignty, and respond to questions from viewers and listeners. This is part 3 of our lengthy livestream with Diego: youtube.com/watch?v=WlRl0ZVUrHE Diego's website Misión Verdad: misionverdad.com Follow Diego ...
How Colombia's US-backed narco-regime massacred thousands of innocent people and blamed socialists
March 01, 2021 22:07 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBBen Norton speaks with Venezuelan journalist Diego Sequera about the far-right government in Colombia, its close links to drug cartels and death squads, Latin America's anti-imperialist Bolivarian movement, the brutally violent repression of the Colombian left, and the false positives scandal, in which the Colombian military massacred over 6400 innocent people and falsely claimed they were socialist guerrillas. This is part 2 of our lengthy livestream with Diego: youtube.com/watch?v=WlRl0Z...
Life in Venezuela under US sanctions, resisting the imperial gangsters in Washington
February 27, 2021 20:08 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBBen Norton speaks with Venezuelan journalist Diego Sequera, from inside Caracas, about the US blockade, the Biden administration's continued recognition of puppet Juan Guaidó, and Washington's gangster-like theft. This is part 1 of our lengthy livestream with Diego: youtube.com/watch?v=WlRl0ZVUrHE Diego's website Misión Verdad: misionverdad.com Follow Diego on Twitter: twitter.com/QueraElse
US meddling in Ecuador's historic election and coup-supporting fake NGO "left" - Dispatch from Quito
February 11, 2021 00:23 - 1 hour - 77.4 MBMax Blumenthal speaks with Ben Norton, who is reporting from Ecuador, on the historic February 7 election, and how the US government, regime-change networks, and wealthy oligarchs are trying to prevent the return of the socialist Citizens' Revolution movement of former President Rafael Correa. We discuss the fake NGO "left," represented by coup-supporting pseudo-environmentalist candidate Yaku Pérez, and how a victory of leftist Andrés Arauz could help bring back the progressive, anti-impe...
US capital under military occupation as war hawks in Biden admin take power
February 01, 2021 16:18 - 1 hour - 77.4 MBBen and Max speak with peace activist David Swanson about the US wars coming home: from the prolonged military occupation of Washington, DC to the "liberal interventionist" hawks in the Joe Biden administration, including Antony Blinken, Samantha Power, Lloyd Austin, and Avril Haines.
Conspiracy facts and the MICIMATT that truly governs the USA - with CIA whistleblower Ray McGovern
January 14, 2021 17:54 - 1 hour - 94.9 MBWe speak with former CIA analyst-turned-dissident Ray McGovern about the institutions that truly govern the United States, comprising the MICIMATT, or Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank Complex. We discuss how the CIA popularized the "conspiracy theory" smear to discredit US government critics, as well as Donald Trump and the January 6 Capitol riot, Russiagate lies and the DNC "hack," JFK, WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, the new cold war on Russia and Chin...
Assange extradition blocked as UK judge defends CIA spying, Biden admin's intersectional imperialism
January 07, 2021 17:20 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBBen Norton speaks with Professor Jared Ball about political prisoner Julian Assange, and how the UK judge blocked extradition due to the horrific conditions of US mass incarceration, while also justifying CIA spying by citing a bogus CNN report based on CIA spying. Then we discuss the liberal war hawks in the Joe Biden administration and their "intersectional imperialism." Follow Jared Ball's show IMIXWHATILIKE at imixwhatilike.org.
Information warfare, US war propaganda, CIA manipulation of media - Ben Norton talks with Jared Ball
January 07, 2021 17:03 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBBen Norton speaks with Professor Jared Ball about information warfare, war propaganda, US imperialism, and CIA penetration and manipulation of mainstream corporate media. Follow Jared Ball's show IMIXWHATILIKE at imixwhatilike.org
Revolutionary anti-imperialist struggle from the Bronx to Venezuela, Dominican Republic to Haiti
January 01, 2021 22:52 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBIn Caracas, Venezuela, Max Blumenthal has a wide-ranging chat with Danny Shaw, a professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies who has lived in the Dominican Republican, Haiti, and Brazil. They discuss revolutionary anti-imperialist movements, life in poor neighborhoods in the Bronx, Malcolm X's internationalist legacy, identity politics, differences of whiteness in Latin America, problems with the US left, and humanity's age-old question: did Jesus Christ do drugs? You can follow Dann...
Spooky Western journalists echo CIA and collaborate with spy agencies
December 23, 2020 13:00 - 57 minutes - 53 MBMax Blumenthal, reporting from Venezuela, discusses with Aaron Maté and Ben Norton how Western corporate media outlets are full of stenographers for spy agencies, how the CIA and MI6 drive reporting on Russia, how the US and UK governments fund regime-change website Bellingcat and its deceptive articles on Syria and the OPCW, and how the British military censors journalism. (Excerpt from The Grayzone livestream on December 19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBfEWdh_0Ec)
Spooky Western journalists regurgitate CIA and collaborate with spy agencies
December 23, 2020 13:00 - 57 minutes - 53 MBMax Blumenthal, reporting from Venezuela, discusses with Aaron Maté and Ben Norton how Western corporate media outlets are full of stenographers for spy agencies, how the CIA and MI6 drive reporting on Russia, how the US and UK governments fund regime-change website Bellingcat and its deceptive articles on Syria and the OPCW, and how the British military censors journalism. (Excerpt from The Grayzone livestream on December 19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBfEWdh_0Ec)
Inside the US hybrid war on Venezuela: Max Blumenthal reports from Caracas
December 21, 2020 20:28 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBMax Blumenthal discusses life on the ground in Venezuela under suffocating US sanctions, and debunks media myths about the December National Assembly election, which he observed. Venezuelan journalist Diego Sequera also addresses the economic situation and what a Biden administration policy could look like. (This is an excerpt from The Grayzone livestream on December 19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBfEWdh_0Ec) Our previous interview with Diego Sequera: part 1 - https://www.youtube.c...
History of US imperialism in Latin America: From settler colonialism to Pink Tide
December 12, 2020 14:34 - 1 hour - 101 MBBen Norton was invited to give this talk on US imperialism in Latin America, for the Workers' Party of Ireland. He discusses the history from European settler colonialism, through the Monroe Doctrine, the first cold war, and the three great socialist revolutions, to the 21st-century resurgence of the left in the Pink Tide. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=ycFW7pvu51k Topics 0:03 European settler colonialism in the Americas 9:30 US colonialism and Monroe Doctrine 18:51 Rebellions against US ...
Western creeping authoritarianism: Censorship intensifies, as France's Macron expands security state
November 30, 2020 17:41 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBUS government-backed corporate censorship is escalating online, while France's neoliberal President Emmanuel Macron lurches hard right, cracking down on civil liberties, protests, and the Muslim community. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with Ali Abunimah of The Electronic Intifada about attacks on alternative media and independent journalism by Western "democracies", and how Silicon Valley companies are censoring Palestinians. We then discuss the French government's discrimination a...
How Obama shattered any hope for change - and Biden will continue his warmongering neoliberal legacy
November 26, 2020 18:15 - 1 hour - 56 MBUS president-elect Joe Biden has filled his transition team with hawkish neoliberal war-profiteering holdovers from the Barack Obama administration. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada about how the specter of Obama haunts America - and controls the Democratic Party. We review passages from Obama's new memoir "A Promised Land," and how they expose his sociopathic imperial worldview. We also discuss how Rahm Emanuel's neoliberal model in Chicago...
Anti-war US Army veteran warns of hawks in Biden transition team
November 14, 2020 00:45 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBPresident-elect Joe Biden's transition team is full of war hawks and weapons industry shills. We speak with US Army veteran Danny Sjursen, who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming an anti-imperialist activist and journalist, about what a Biden-Harris administration foreign policy would look like. Sjursen, who previously taught at the United States Military Academy, also discusses how warmongering members of the West Point Mafia dominate the US government and military-industrial c...
Puerto Ricans struggle for independence from US colonialism
October 30, 2020 21:24 - 1 hour - 67.3 MBBen Norton speaks with Andrés González Berdecía, a senatorial candidate from the Puerto Rican Independence Party, about the November 3 election and referendum, US colonialism, the unelected neoliberal junta that controls Puerto Rico's economy, the similarities between Republican and Democratic administrations, and why he wants his nation to be independent. You can listen to Andrés' podcast Radio Independencia at https://www.radioindependencia.net, and support it at https://www.patreon.com/...
Inside Bolivia's historic defeat of a coup regime
October 28, 2020 13:02 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton report from La Paz, Bolivia, where we observed the historic landslide victory of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party of former President Evo Morales. We speak with human rights lawyer Thomas Becker about the horrific crimes and repression of the coup regime that has ruled Bolivia since the military overthrew Evo in November 2019. We also discuss the deep colonial racism of the Bolivian right-wing, and indigenous resistance against authoritarianism and ...
New cold war on Russia continues with Biden or Trump, RIP Stephen Cohen, and absurd 'red-brown' myth
October 01, 2020 15:45 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with journalist Bryan MacDonald about what a Joe Biden presidency would mean for US-Russia relations. We also remember late scholar Stephen F. Cohen, who spoke out against the new cold war. And we debunk the ridiculous "red-brown alliance" myth spread by pro-NATO trolls. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=x-qe8FnRkUM SECTIONS 0:00 Intro 3:35 Remembering pro-peace scholar Stephen F. Cohen 16:58 NATO trolls' absurd 'red-brown alliance' myth 31:00 What would ...
Did Russia really poison opposition politician Navalny? And NATO wants a color revolution in Belarus
September 23, 2020 15:10 - 1 hour - 76.5 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton start off with an exclusive, bombshell intercepted recording we were leaked of Russian President Vladimir Putin's phone calls. Then we speak with journalist Bryan MacDonald, who lives in Russia, about the very suspicious alleged poisoning of opposition candidate Alexei Navalny, and what his real, xenophobic politics are. We also discuss the NATO/EU attempt to orchestrate a so-called color revolution in Belarus and install a pro-Western neoliberal regime. V...
Behind the dystopian show trial of Julian Assange, an assault on journalism - with Kevin Gosztola
September 13, 2020 19:48 - 1 hour - 82 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak about the dystopian show trial going on against political prisoner Julian Assange with journalist Kevin Gosztola, who is covering the UK court hearings to potentially extradite the WikiLeaks publisher to the US. We discuss the major threat this case poses to the freedom of the press -- yet how it is being criminally under-reported and whitewashed in the corporate media. LINKS: Read Kevin's reporting at shadowproof.com Follow Kevin on Twitter at twi...
American sports through an anti-imperialist lens: How a one-day NBA strike shook the US
September 02, 2020 14:20 - 1 hour - 73 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with the hosts of Redspin Sports, Nathanial Wallace and Michael Sampson, about the historic one-day NBA strike, capitalist oligarchs' exploitation of largely Black athletes, and what American sports look like with an anti-imperialist perspective. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=TmaAtHMLObg Redspin Sports on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCdjXZ5L7lkf8da6zFH4Dqgw Redspin Sports on Facebook: facebook.com/RedspinSports Redspin Sports on Twitter: twitter.com...
Operation Mockingbird 2.0: US gov't cutouts smear and censor critics of new Cold War
August 25, 2020 18:45 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with Aaron Maté; about the new cold war on China and Russia and the US government-backed campaign to silence anti-war voices. We discuss the growing censorship of independent outlets on social media and the defamatory corporate media smears of our factual reporting. Video: youtube.com/watch?v=s1k_GnT0sFI Part 2 of 2 (Episode recorded on August 19, 2020)
DNC embraces neocons, and Russiagate conspiracy just won't die - with Aaron Maté
August 20, 2020 14:56 - 1 hour - 72.3 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with Aaron Maté about the virtual Democratic National Convention (DNC), and how the Democratic Party welcomes neoconservative war criminals and right-wing Republicans while attacking the left. We also talk about Joe Biden choosing hawkish neoliberal "top cop" Kamala Harris as his VP candidate. Then Aaron picks apart the new Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russia, and explains why the Russiagate conspiracy still won't go away, even after it has be...
Counterinsurgency against Black liberation movement and weaponization of anti-semitism allegations
July 21, 2020 19:07 - 1 hour - 102 MBWith a massive uprising in the US against systemic racism and the authoritarian police state, the government and corporate foundations have mobilized a counterinsurgency strategy to try to contain the Black liberation movement and co-opt it into a liberal direction that the Democratic Party can digest. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with Professor Jared Ball about the co-option of the George Floyd uprising. We also address how the corporate media weaponizes allegations of anti-Semit...
Behind the corporate oligarch crusade against Mexico's President AMLO - with John Ackerman
July 10, 2020 16:48 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBRich corporate oligarchs are plotting to destabilize and overthrow Mexico's first left-wing president in 40 years, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO). We speak with prominent Mexican Professor John Ackerman about AMLO's many accomplishments, and how the corporate media attacks his progressive Fourth Transformation movement nonstop. We also discuss AMLO's historic visit to the US and his meeting with Trump, and what exactly this means politically. LINKS and show notes: https://moderaterebel...
US-Israeli police militarization and the disinformation campaign against Nicaragua
July 05, 2020 17:46 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBMax Blumenthal discusses joint US-Israeli police training and border militarization. Then Ben Norton and anti-war veteran Camilo Mejía talk about the hybrid war on Nicaragua's democratically elected socialist government and how US-backed right-wing opposition groups are using disinformation about coronavirus as a weapon against the Sandinistas. We conclude addressing the grave dangers of the upcoming economic crisis caused by Covid-19. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=dMLEkf8MGOw LINKS and sh...
Linking US imperialism and police violence: Killer cop got start at dictator-training military base
June 29, 2020 21:56 - 49 minutes - 46.5 MBThe Minneapolis cop who murdered George Floyd, setting off a protest movement, Derek Chauvin, started his career as a military police officer at the notorious Fort Benning, a base named after a Confederate general that is home to the School of the Americas (now called WHINSEC), where the US Army has trained countless Latin American dictators, death squads, torturers, assassins, and coup-plotters. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with anti-war veteran Camilo Mejía, who was trained at Fo...
As fascist militias spread, Bolsonaro's far-right Brazil becomes new coronavirus epicenter
May 27, 2020 14:55 - 1 hour - 69.1 MBBrazilian independent journalist Nathália Urban discusses the surge of fascist militias and Evangelical extremists in Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro is putting the military in power. We also address his refusal to do anything to stop the Covid-19 pandemic, and how Brazil has thus become the world's new epicenter. "Basically the military is in power in every ministry; they are overseeing everything in Brazil right now," Nathália says. Follow Nathália on Twitter: twitter.com/Urb...
Correcting WWII history: How the USA erased the USSR victory over Nazi Germany - with Peter Kuznick
May 15, 2020 00:31 - 1 hour - 66.2 MBThe Soviet Union played the leading role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, but the US government has tried to erase its unimaginable sacrifice. Historian Peter Kuznick discusses the real history of WWII, and how 80% of Nazis were killed on the Eastern Front with the USSR. We also address the new cold war on Russia and China, and the possibility for peace, then and now. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=ctp5a21Mtvs (Interview recorded on May 14, 2020)
Israel protects fascist terror suspects behind bomb attack on Palestinian American
May 05, 2020 00:58 - 1 hour - 75.5 MBIsraeli journalist David Sheen tells the shocking story of how extremists suspected of murdering Palestinian American activist Alex Odeh in a terrorist attack in California in 1985 are living openly in Israel. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton also discuss the fascist Zionist movement Kahanism and its growing influence inside Netanyahu's government. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/tJdfGury5Sc Show notes: moderaterebels.com/israel-alex-odeh-murder-kahanism-david-sheen PART 2 OF 2 Part 1: "Neta...
Israel protects fascists suspected in bombing terror attack on Palestinian American
May 05, 2020 00:58 - 1 hour - 75.5 MBIsraeli journalist David Sheen tells the shocking story of how extremists suspected of murdering Palestinian American activist Alex Odeh in a terrorist attack in California in 1985 are living openly in Israel. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton also discuss the fascist Zionist movement Kahanism and its growing influence inside Netanyahu's government. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/tJdfGury5Sc Show notes: moderaterebels.com/israel-alex-odeh-murder-kahanism-david-sheen PART 2 OF 2 Part 1: "Neta...
Netanyahu's coronavirus coalition consolidates apartheid: Inside Israel's extremism with David Sheen
April 27, 2020 19:31 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBIsraeli journalist David Sheen discusses how Netanyahu lost three elections and faced corruption charges but still managed to stay in power in his fifth term as prime minister. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton talk about King Bibi's coalition negotiations with rival Benny Gantz (who boasted of killing Palestinians), the decision to officially annex the occupied West Bank, apartheid in the time of Covid-19, and the growing racism and far-right extremism in Israel. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v...
How the US makes countries pay for its wars: Economics of American imperialism with Michael Hudson
April 23, 2020 17:49 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBEconomist Michael Hudson explains how American imperialism has created a global free lunch, where the US makes foreign countries pay for its wars, and even their own military occupation. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss the economics of Washington's empire, the role of the IMF and World Bank, attempts to create alternative financial systems like BRICS, and the new cold war on China and Russia. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=paUgY6SGlgY PART 2 OF 2 Part 1 here: moderaterebels.com/tr...
US coronavirus 'bailout' scam is $6 trillion giveaway to Wall St - Economist Michael Hudson explains
April 20, 2020 20:06 - 43 minutes - 40.4 MBFacing the Covid-19 pandemic, the US Congress rammed through the CARES Act — which economist Michael Hudson explains is not a "bailout" but a massive, $6 trillion giveaway to Wall Street, banks, large corporations, and stockholders. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss the systemic financial scam with Hudson, who shows how the economy actually works, with the Federal Reserve printing money so rich elites don't lose their investments. VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=N-8m5fBbLgQ TRANSCRIPT:...
Bernie Sanders and the black hole of the Brooklyn media left (Part 2)
April 13, 2020 18:40 - 1 hour - 65 MBMax Blumenthal and Ben Norton continue discussing the end of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, and how the professional media left, largely based in Brooklyn, opportunistically capitalized on his movement to push a soft-imperialist branding of "democratic socialism" — and to advance their careers in the press. We also address media celebrity AOC, Jacobin Magazine, the DSA, and the scheme to divert angry politicized youth back into the thoroughly discredited, neoliberal Democratic Pa...
Bernie Sanders goes out with a whimper - An obituary on an aborted 'revolution' (Part 1)
April 12, 2020 13:45 - 54 minutes - 50 MBBernie Sanders has dropped out of the US presidential race. Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss what went wrong in his campaign, from being unwilling to take on the Democratic Party, treating right-wing war criminal Joe Biden like a friend, refusing to attack a cartoonishly hostile corporate media, recruiting milquetoast Washington, DC foreign-policy advisors, and attracting a slew of careerists and opportunists in "left media." PART 1 OF 2 (Recorded April 11, 2020)
The coronavirus pandemic and US hybrid war on China - with Pepe Escobar
March 27, 2020 00:35 - 1 hour - 67.6 MBAs the deadly coronavirus pandemic rampages across the world, Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with independent geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar about the new US cold war with China, potential origins of the Covid-19 virus, the collapse of the European Union, anti-China corporate media narratives, and Beijing's strategy to build a new silk road. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYf5h0wOV1Q (Episode recorded on March 26, 2020) You can read Pepe Escobar's column "China locked i...