Media Roots Radio

Abby and Robbie wrap up 2018 by discussing bizarre holiday antics at the White House their favorite Christmas movies, Liz Wahl running for Congress, and how inhumane US border policy is literally killing kids. The second half of the episode they discuss the notion that Trump is "curtailing US empire" by withdrawing the troops he himself added from Afghanistan and Syria, despite expanding the US military to its largest size, while increasing drone strikes 400% and civilian casualties 250%.

*Conversation about Trump's troop withdrawal at 48:00

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

FOLLOW // twitter.com/AbbyMartin // twitter.com/FluorescentGrey

Abby and Robbie begin this special 2.5 hour edition of Media Roots Radio by discussing the life and works of the late William Blum. They then unearth the atrocious legacy of George H.W. Bush. From CIA director, to Reagan VP to President, Bush Sr. engineered the neocon cabal that continued under his son W. Bush's administration, and oversaw the Panama Invasion and Gulf War, both murderous enterprises that set the stage for permanent US wars in Latin America and the Middle East. They close the show with a Palestine update about the Hollywood gala to raise money for the IDF, Palestinians being forced to "self-demolish" their homes, and tremendous local BDS successes.

William Blum on Breaking the Set: https://bit.ly/2PB1Vsv

Empire Files Interview with Randy Credico: https://bit.ly/2DPXkAz

California Fires Class Action Lawsuit: https://bit.ly/2PBd9xp

Prescott Bush Helped Hitler's Rise to Power: https://bit.ly/29Xkvbr

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

FOLLOW // twitter.com/AbbyMartin // twitter.com/FluorescentGrey

Abby and Robbie discuss the mindblowing documentary 'The Magnitsky Act: Behind the Scenes' which uses excellent storytelling to expose how the official story behind The Magnitsky Act was concocted and sold to the public to jumpstart Cold War 2.0 propaganda against Russia.

*The Magnitsky Act was removed from vimeo after the taping of this broadcast, the film can be watched directly on their website for $5 at http://www.magnitskyact.com/

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

FOLLOW // twitter.com/AbbyMartin // twitter.com/FluorescentGrey

Robbie and Abby talk about Stan Lee, antifa at Tucker Carlson's house, Trump threatening fascist violence against protesters, the deadliest wildfires in California's history, the midterms bringing in a blue trickle of corporate democrats and the need to mobilize people's movements.

*Recorded on November 15th, 2018

Robbie's friend Amber lost her home in the Paradise fire. Please donate to help: https://bit.ly/2DuncBM

Faith Goldy White Nationalist Poster Child: https://bit.ly/2qEwofu

New Empire Files on Mass Shootings: https://bit.ly/2TrZhbJ

Bay Area Worst Air Quality in the World: https://bit.ly/2DGZB1N

Movement for a People's Party on Midterms: https://bit.ly/2yZCrQ9

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

FOLLOW // twitter.com/AbbyMartin // twitter.com/FluorescentGrey

Abby and Robbie discuss the recent slew of far-right attacks in the US, Trump's rhetoric feeding white nationalists, how neoliberalism paved the road to fascism, and the total failure in coverage of today's complex reality.

Donate to William Blum: https://bit.ly/2RNTZWz

New Empire Files on Roots of Gun Violence: https://bit.ly/2z1BuH6

Dan Cohen in Israel: https://bit.ly/2ROLomA

Abby in Israel: https://bit.ly/2BedU8I

Trump & Rise of 21st Century Fascism: https://bit.ly/2ogrjIW

Rise of 'Anti-Establishment' Fascists: https://bit.ly/2g72ezk

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

FOLLOW // twitter.com/AbbyMartin // twitter.com/FluorescentGrey

Please consider supporting Media Roots Radio on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

17 years ago, less than one month after the horrific attacks on September 11, 2001, weaponized anthrax was sent through the mail in a biological attack that stunned an already traumatized nation. The first American died from anthrax infection on October 5th. During the weeks that followed, letters sent through the US postal system containing anthrax were targeted at US media organizations and sitting US senators. In the end, five people were left dead--two US postal workers, a Florida photojournalist, a New York city hospital worker and a 95 year old widow in Connecticut. Over 22 people were hospitalized from exposure. Many dozens more tested positive for anthrax in the months that followed.

It was a one-two punch of guttural horror. Americans were already glued to their television sets, watching 24/7 coverage of planes exploding and iconic skyscrapers crumbling. Over and over, we watched thousands perish. But terrorism was still abstract to those removed from the tragedy. The anthrax attacks changed that, localizing the fear of terrorism to everyone––even your grandma living in the suburbs of Connecticut. Anyone could get a letter. Anyone could be the next target.

With the remains of the World Trade Center still smoldering, the Bush administration made several attempts to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The anthrax attacks gave them the perfect opportunity to piggyback ‘weapons of mass destruction’ fears on a very real bioweapons attack. They used willing reporters as instruments to tie nonexistent bentonite from the anthrax letters to Saddam’s nonexistent weapons cache. Journalist stenographers in DC were the conduit for government propaganda, hyping up the threat of terrorism. The anthrax attacks justified the fear-mongering that 9/11 was not simply a one-off incident, and that terrorism was America’s new normal.

Not since the Zodiac killer letters had Americans been subjected to such strange visual threats like the block text in short lines that the anthrax letters read: “ARE YOU AFRAID? YOU DIE NEXT.. DEATH TO AMERICA, DEATH TO ISRAEL. ALLAH IS GREAT.”

The letters were almost a parody of an islamic terrorist. But who was actually behind the attack? Who had the expertise necessary to secretly manufacture and then distribute weaponized anthrax spores? Who had the motive?

In this special episode of Media Roots Radio, after conducting extensive research from public documents, tv news archives, wire stories, first hand interviews and eye witness accounts, myself and Robbie Martin will tell the story of the 2001 anthrax attacks, what preceded them, what happened during the investigation and how this seemingly small event was instrumental in selling the Iraq war, shaping the reality tunnel we live in now. In Part 1 of our investigation, we start with a chronology of the lead up to the attacks and a blow by blow account of how they unfolded.

Show Notes & References:

Anthrax: Bioterror as Fact and Fantasy by Philipp Sarasin

The 2001 Anthrax Deception: The Case for a Domestic Conspiracy by Graeme Macqueen

The Anthrax Letters by Leonard A. Cole

GERMS: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War by Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, William Broad

American Anthrax by Jeanne Guillemin

The Mirage Man: Bruce Ivins, the Anthrax Attacks & America's Rush to War by David Willman

FRONTLINE: The Anthrax Files

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSLqFihXFyc&t=3s

TLC: Anthrax Detectives

https://youtu.be/HcyYh_QDY74

Thom Hartmann Program: The Untold Story of the 2001 Anthrax Attacks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKGtF3zmrvc

CBC: Anthrax Wars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PquqlX8wnT0

American Anthrax 1.5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PqU7dXEirU

Marcy Wheeler: Anthrax Timeline (revision 2)

https://www.emptywheel.net/2008/08/06/anthrax-timeline-two/

Robbie and Abby Martin chat about Michael Moore's new movie "Fahrenheit 11/9" and his film trajectory tip toeing around hard critique of Democrats. They also discuss Israeli social media psyops, the upcoming midterm elections in California on November 6, including proposition 10 for affordable housing, and give an empire update on the 17-year-long Afghanistan War, US special ops in Tunisia and a new anti-US governor in Okinawa, Japan.

CA Peace & Freedom Party Voter Guide: https://bit.ly/2ythKvI

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

FOLLOW // twitter.com/AbbyMartin // twitter.com/FluorescentGrey

Abby Martin discusses what the media missed during the spectacle of the disgraced Kavanaugh hearings, belligerent neocon Nikki Haley's sudden departure, 800 Facebook pages banned in the latest tech purge of dissident voices, police efforts to dox activists and treat nonviolent protests as "terrorism" on a solo Media Roots Radio.

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

INTRO // Trnqilo & Anahedron - Wisp: https://bit.ly/2OmTUf8

OUTRO // Anahedron - Inevitable Collapse: https://bit.ly/2NDNqDu

FOLLOW // twitter.com/AbbyMartin

Abby Martin interviews Max Blumenthal and Camilo Mejia about the history of CIA interference in Nicaragua and the role of US civil society groups to meddle in the country's democratic processes. They go into detail about the latest insurrection, allegedly over pension hikes, that resulted in 300 people being killed and a call for Ortega to hold early elections. They also discuss the opposition violence against Sandinistas, and why it is ignored by the corporate media.

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

FOLLOW twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal / twitter.com/cmejia0875

Abby and Robbie Martin discuss the Likudnik tendencies of the Trump administration and how he's actually accelerating neoconservatism and Zionism in ways that even George W. Bush wasn't willing to do. They go into the bizarre cover story by Dallas police to excuse the 'accidental' murder by one of their officers of Black immigrant, Botham Jean, in his own apartment. The beginning of the podcast focuses on the 17th anniversary of 9/11 and the shocking amount of inconsistencies in regards to the official story. Skip ahead to 1.5 hours in for the Palestine discussion.

Hi-rest episode artwork: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DnQI9lFVYAAI3gn.jpg

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please consider donating to Media Roots Radio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio

FOLLOW twitter.com/AbbyMartin // twitter.com/FluorescentGrey