Pushback with Aaron Mate artwork

Pushback with Aaron Mate

215 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 545 ratings

A news show hosted by Aaron Maté. Presented by The Grayzone.

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Episodes

Fmr. CIA analyst on the hidden realities of Syria's war and new novel, 'Damascus Station'

November 09, 2021 15:51 - 1 hour - 148 MB

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 grou...

CrowdStrike one of Russiagate's 'biggest culprits': ex-House investigator

October 28, 2021 18:10 - 42 minutes - 58.8 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a top investigator on the House Intelligence Committee, Kash Patel helped uncover the Clinton campaign's funding of the Steele dossier and the FBI's extensive and deceptive reliance on it. Patel joins Aaron Maté to discuss Steele's new attempt to defend his discredited work via a softball interview with ABC News. Patel also addresses the key role of newly indicted Clinton lawyer Michael Sussmann in hiring and overseeing ...

New book debunks widespread claim that Hunter Biden laptop was 'Russian disinformation'

October 17, 2021 20:09 - 34 minutes - 47.8 MB

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

Humane: How Obama sanitized war and killed the US anti-war movement

October 15, 2021 23:04 - 43 minutes - 60.3 MB

In his new book "Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War," scholar Samuel Moyn argues that post-9/11 efforts to reform the conduct of US military operations have ultimately sanitized and prolonged the underlying illegal warfare. Moyn discusses the Obama administration's key role in sanitizing warfare and how it undermined the US anti-war movement. He also addresses criticism of how the legendary human rights attorney Michael Ratner factors into his book's arguments. ...

From Hunter’s laptop to 'Havana syndrome,' Russiagate disinformation hits new low

October 03, 2021 14:55 - 50 minutes - 92.3 MB

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

Inside the CIA plot to kidnap, kill Julian Assange

September 30, 2021 20:03 - 40 minutes - 74.6 MB

As the Biden administration continues to seek the extradition of Julian Assange, new details have emerged about the Trump administration's secret war against Assange and his organization, Wikileaks. Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News discusses his team's explosive reporting on the CIA plot to surveil, kidnap, and even kill Assange -- all overseen by Michael Pompeo. Isikoff and Aaron Maté also debate Russia's role in the Assange controversy, particularly the allegation that Russia stole Democrati...

How the Taliban won the Afghan war

September 12, 2021 19:09 - 41 minutes - 57 MB

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

Marvin Gaye's biographer on 50 years of 'What's Going On'

September 10, 2021 22:08 - 59 minutes - 81.8 MB

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

Anti-war veterans explain how US lost Afghanistan while leaders lied, profited

August 22, 2021 16:42 - 56 minutes - 103 MB

Two US veterans, Matthew Hoh and Daniel Sjursen, explain how the war in Afghanistan was lost, Afghans suffered, and military contractors profited -- all while the American public was kept in the dark. Guests: Danny Sjursen. Retired US Army officer, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. He served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at West Point. His latest book is "A True History of the United States." Matthew Hoh. Former Marine and State Departme...

US suffocates Cuba for unwavering, victorious anti-imperialism at great cost

August 02, 2021 19:53 - 43 minutes - 59.3 MB

Cuba's anti-imperial foreign policy helped end apartheid in South Africa and sustain liberation movements worldwide. Historian Piero Gleijeses says that's one of the main reasons why the US has terrorized the island nation through today. "There are very few examples [in history] of the idealism demonstrated by the Cuban government in its foreign policy in Africa," Gleijeses says. Guest: Piero Gleijeses. Professor at Johns Hopkins University. Author of "Conflicting Missions: Havana, Washin...

Syrian insurgents guilty of 'red line' 2013 sarin chemical attack, study finds

July 26, 2021 15:22 - 1 hour - 94.8 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate A new open-source study concludes that Syrian insurgents carried out the Ghouta sarin chemical attack in August 2013 -- not the Syrian government, as the White House, U.S. intelligence, and other Western sources publicly alleged. Rockets carrying sarin killed hundreds of people and left thousands wounded. Based on their trajectories, the study traces all seven missile impact locations back to the most likely launch spot where t...

US ties to suspected Haiti assassins follow long history of intervention

July 16, 2021 18:38 - 46 minutes - 86.1 MB

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

US refuses to drop Assange hunt even after key witness admits to lies

July 09, 2021 17:50 - 20 minutes - 38.2 MB

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

OPCW chief misleads UN with new lies, excuses on Syria cover-up

July 05, 2021 13:35 - 1 hour - 116 MB

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

After backing Maidan coup in Ukraine, is Biden ready for peace?

June 20, 2021 15:31 - 32 minutes - 59.8 MB

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

Biden, Putin restore talks as DC hawks promote New Cold War

June 19, 2021 14:47 - 25 minutes - 35 MB

At the Geneva summit, President Biden of the US and President Putin of Russia announced the restoration of their ambassadors and agreed to new talks on vital issues. Meanwhile in Washington and major US media outlets, Russiagate-addled hawks promoted increased confrontation. James Carden analyzes the talks and the bellicose US media response. "US media outlets seem to be egging biden on to take a harder line than than the President wanted to," Carden says. "It's a product of the last several...

Russiagate target Kilimnik speaks out on 'spy' claims, Trump-Russia conspiracy theories

May 30, 2021 14:25 - 48 minutes - 66.4 MB

In the last year, US government, intelligence, and Congressional bodies have accused former Paul Manafort aide Konstantin Kilimnik of being a "Russian intelligence officer" or "Russian influence agent" who passed secret Trump campaign polling data to Russia in 2016. The FBI has even issued a $250,000 reward for Kilimnik's arrest on a lowly witness tampering charge -- more than double the amount for six murderers on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. In exclusive audio excerpts, Konstantin Kili...

Chevron colludes with US judge to persecute attorney Steven Donziger

May 26, 2021 20:37 - 22 minutes - 41.9 MB

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

Finkelstein: Gaza assault a disaster for Israel, while Palestine solidarity is revived

May 22, 2021 00:33 - 44 minutes - 61.7 MB

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

Hamas official on Israel's US-backed rampage in Gaza and Palestinian resistance

May 18, 2021 23:30 - 32 minutes - 59.3 MB

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

Glenn Greenwald on never-ending Russiagate, Brazil, and left media embracing neocons

May 03, 2021 17:03 - 1 hour - 137 MB

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

BlueAnon: Glenn Greenwald on why Russiagate disinformation never ends

April 30, 2021 20:21 - 35 minutes - 48.1 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate On the same day that the claim of "Russian bounties" in Afghanistan collapsed, another US intelligence-sourced, evidence-free claim was treated as vindication for conspiracy theories about Trump-Russia collusion. Glenn Greenwald and Aaron Maté discuss the predictable demise of the "Russian bounties"; the Biden administration's new evidence-free assertion that Paul Manafort associate Konstantin Kilimnik passed Trump campaign p...

Despite Afghan withdrawal pledge, US may find new ways to extend the war

April 28, 2021 17:53 - 38 minutes - 52.2 MB

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

Facing Syria cover-up outcry, OPCW chief lies and US, UK, France evade

April 24, 2021 15:40 - 1 hour - 92.5 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Facing new outcry over the Syria cover-up scandal, OPCW chief Fernando Arias has been caught lying, while the US-UK-France are desperately trying to change the subject. Aaron Maté recaps recent meetings at the European Parliament and United Nations where the growing Douma controversy was center stage. The US-UK-France bombed Syria in April 2018 after accusing it of a chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma. Leaks later re...

In UN return, veteran diplomats Hans von Sponeck and Lawrence Wilkerson confront OPCW Syria cover-up

April 19, 2021 13:04 - 32 minutes - 60.3 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In remarks to the United Nations Security Council, two veteran, retired diplomats -- Hans von Sponeck of Germany and Lawrence Wilkerson of the US -- confront the OPCW and powerful state backers about the OPCW's Syria cover-up scandal. Hans Von Sponeck is the former UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq. He spent 32 years as a UN official, from 1958 to 2000, when he resigned in protest of the US...

At UN, Aaron Maté debunks OPCW's Syria lies and confronts US, UK on cover-up

April 18, 2021 13:49 - 27 minutes - 50.6 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ [Note to listeners: this is audio of a visual presentation to the UN. To watch the video, go to: https://bit.ly/2Q6chHs] Speaking to the United Nations Security Council, Aaron Maté of The Grayzone takes apart the OPCW's excuses for refusing to address the organization's Syria cover-up scandal. OPCW inspectors found no evidence to support allegations of a Syrian government chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma in April ...

Former hostage responds to top diplomat calling Al Qaeda a US 'asset' in Syria

April 11, 2021 18:32 - 33 minutes - 60.9 MB

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

As US continues New Cold War, Russia and China forge new ties

March 31, 2021 16:26 - 39 minutes - 73.1 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In its opening months, the Biden administration has targeted Russia and China with belligerent rhetoric, new sanctions, and continued military provocations. Lyle Goldstein of the US Naval War College discusses how the US is inflaming the key flashpoints of Taiwan, Xinjiang, the South China Sea, Ukraine, and nuclear weapons, and how Russia and China are deepening cooperation in response. Guest: Lyle Goldstein, research profess...

Chomsky on the 'joke' of 'Russian interference' and the savagery of US sanctions, Covid-19 coercion

March 24, 2021 19:09 - 45 minutes - 83.4 MB

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

Fmr. Ambassador Robert Ford on the US role in Syria’s 10-year war

March 20, 2021 17:01 - 55 minutes - 101 MB

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

5 former OPCW officials join prominent voices to call out Syria cover-up

March 14, 2021 16:10 - 24 minutes - 34.3 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Five former officials from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have joined a group of prominent signatories to urge the OPCW to address the controversy surrounding its investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. Leaks from inside the OPCW show that key scientific findings that cast doubt on claims of Syrian government guilt were censored, and that the original investig...

Tulsi Gabbard calls out the US dirty war on Syria that Biden, aides admit to

March 05, 2021 21:11 - 23 minutes - 43.1 MB

While Joe Biden has faced some mild Congressional pushback for bombing the Iraq-Syria border, Tulsi Gabbard says her former colleagues are ignoring the larger issue: the ongoing US dirty war on Syria. After a decade of proxy warfare that empowered Al Qaeda and ISIS, the US is now occupying one-third of Syria and imposing crippling sanctions that are crushing Syria's economy and preventing reconstruction. While Gabbard has been vilified for her stance on Syria, many top White House officials...

State official who fled UK after fatal crash works for US intelligence, attorney admits

March 01, 2021 20:48 - 22 minutes - 30.8 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Anne Sacoolas, a State Department official who fled the UK after killing British teen Harry Dunn in a car crash, is actually a US intelligence officer. An attorney for Sacoolas made the explosive admission to a Virginia court, where Dunn's family has brought a wrongful death lawsuit. Radd Seiger, a spokesperson for the Dunn family, says that the revelation that Sacoolas is a spy raises new doubts about the US government's claim t...

As leaks expose UK op to 'weaken' Russia, suppression of Grayzone reporting backfires

February 25, 2021 14:59 - 1 hour - 89.4 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ After The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal reported on newly leaked documents exposing a massive UK government propaganda campaign against Russia, Twitter added an unprecedented warning label that the material "may have been obtained through hacking." Although Twitter may have intended to restrict the article, the warning had the opposite effect: it quickly went viral. Max Blumenthal and Aaron Maté discuss the suppression effort and ...

Hidden Russiagate docs expose more misconduct, evidentiary holes: ex-investigator

February 23, 2021 16:40 - 40 minutes - 55.6 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a senior House Intel investigator and Trump administration official, Kash Patel helped unearth critical misconduct by the intelligence officials who carried out the Trump-Russia probe. In his first extended interview since leaving government, Patel tells Aaron Maté that still-classified documents expose more malpractice, as well as major evidentiary holes in the pivotal -- and largely unquestioned -- claims of a sweeping Rus...

'No to Dictatorship': Why Haitians are protesting US-backed Moïse

February 18, 2021 00:43 - 46 minutes - 63.7 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Haitian president Jovenel Moïse has cracked down on a wave of popular protest as he tries to cling to power. While tens of thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets in the face of government repression, the Biden administration is backing Moïse's effort to remain in office for at least another year. Haitian activist and radio host Dahoud Andre discusses the background to Moïse's power grab; the continued US deportations t...

Finkelstein: Palestine's ICC victory thwarted by Israel's apartheid reality

February 14, 2021 16:01 - 56 minutes - 78 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ In a landmark ruling, the International Criminal Court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to investigate Israel for war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, scholar and author Norman Finkelstein warns that the ICC decision, while historic, is unlikely to deliver justice. According to Finkelstein, the Palestinian Authority's capitulation in the Oslo accords gives Israel room to flout the court's jurisdiction....

For Russian leftists, Western favorite Navalny represents same corrupt elitism

February 10, 2021 20:29 - 56 minutes - 77.1 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate​ The imprisoned Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny has been held up in the West as the poster child of the Russian opposition. Two Russian leftists, Katya Kazbek and Alexey Sakhnin discuss why they don't see Navalny as a genuine alternative to Vladimir Putin, and instead as a representative of a different faction of the ruling Russian elite -- one more willing to cater to Western counterparts. Guests: Katya Kazbek...

Biden reduces US role in Saudi war on Yemen, but leaves room to continue crisis

February 07, 2021 17:39 - 36 minutes - 49.6 MB

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

Trump’s impeachment won’t resolve US national security state’s massive failure

January 27, 2021 16:56 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As Donald Trump faces an impeachment trial for allegedly inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, critical questions remain over how the sprawling US national security state failed to stop it. Newsweek reporter William Arkin discuses the lingering issues surrounding one of the biggest domestic intelligence and security failures in US history. Guest: William Arkin. Award-winning reporter for Newsweek and author of a dozen books on nat...

Biden to extend key nuclear treaty with Russia, but more conflict awaits

January 24, 2021 17:03 - 27 minutes - 50.8 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In his first major foreign policy move, President Biden has committed to renewing the New START treaty, which imposes the last remaining limits on the US-Russian nuclear weapons arsenals. The treaty was just days away from expiring -- and possibly setting off a new arms race -- after the Trump administration refused to renew it, and stalled negotiations. While saying that it will renew New START, the Biden White House also anno...

Mob mentality: Capitol riot exploited to expand the national security state that failed to stop it

January 21, 2021 19:58 - 57 minutes - 78.5 MB

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

UN expert: crippling US sanctions on Syria are illegal and hurting civilians

January 14, 2021 18:51 - 34 minutes - 47.8 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Crippling US sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act are decimating war-ravaged Syrian civilians, are illegal, and should be lifted, the UN Special Rapporteur on sanctions says. An independent United Nations expert is calling on the US to lift its crippling sanctions on Syria. Under the Caesar Act, US sanctions explicitly target Syria’s reconstruction in the aftermath of a catastrophic 10-year war. Alena Douhan, the UN Special R...

UN torture expert on Julian Assange's persecution and the lies behind it

January 10, 2021 17:30 - 48 minutes - 65.9 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate A UK judge has rejected a US attempt to extradite Julian Assange, citing the Wikileaks' founder's risk of suicide and the poor conditions of US prisons. But Judge Vanessa Baraitser accepted the basis for the US government's espionage case against Assange and ruled against releasing him on bail. Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, discusses the longstanding persecution of Assange and the lies that have been used t...

Inside Trump's outgoing federal execution spree

January 05, 2021 18:04 - 27 minutes - 38.3 MB

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

OPCW chief dodges questions on Syria cover-up after new leaks, attacks on whistleblowers

January 03, 2021 15:43 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MB

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

Stephen F. Cohen On Russia's Democratization And How US Meddling Undermines It

December 30, 2020 15:02 - 21 minutes - 29.1 MB

Pushback rounds out 2020 by airing an unpublished interview with Stephen F. Cohen, the eminent Russia historian and scholar who passed away in September at the age of 81. In an interview recorded one year before his death, Stephen F. Cohen discusses local elections and protests in Russia; opposition leader Alexei Navalny; as well as the state of Russia’s post-Soviet democratization and how US meddling undermines it. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Guest: Steph...

Veteran US diplomat: US confronts China to protect supremacy, not security

December 26, 2020 00:24 - 39 minutes - 54.9 MB

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Veteran US diplomat Chas Freeman says that despite talk of a New Cold War between the US and China, the US in reality is reacting aggressively to a rising Chinese power whose economic gains threaten US global supremacy. Freeman, who served in top State Department positions and as Richard Nixon's chief interpreter on his historic 1972 visit to China, discusses the state of US-China relations and flashpoints such as Hong Kong, Ta...

Ex-UK Ambassador: war on Syria continues with US occupation, sanctions, propaganda

December 20, 2020 18:49 - 33 minutes - 45.5 MB

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

Lawrence Wilkerson on Biden's pro-war cabinet

December 17, 2020 20:03 - 22 minutes - 41.4 MB

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson assesses Biden's "national security" picks, including Gen. Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense and Anthony Blinken for Secretary of State. "I don't see a different kind of administration being formed," Wilkerson says. "And it disturbs me because it just means more of the same -- a little more calmness, a little more serenity, which lulls everyone into thinking that things are better, when in fact they're not." Guest: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to...

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