Moderate Rebels

Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with Aline Piva, who lives and teaches in Caracas, Venezuela and explains what's really going on in the country, with a US-led coup attempt to install the right-wing opposition. We discuss the economic warfare and US sanctions on Venezuela, the daily life and problems, coup leader Juan Guaidó and the opposition's neoliberal politics, and the geopolitics of regime change against Nicolás Maduro.

Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton continue speaking with scholar Steve Ellner about the economic war on Venezuela and the devastating impact of US sanctions. While the Trump administration pushes for a coup against President Nicolas Maduro, Ellner addresses the falsehoods of "leftist" opposition to Chavismo, the geopolitics of the Pink Tide and the role of China and Russia, and the sabotage of the BRICS system.

Moderate Rebels episode 33 (part 1/2): Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with Professor Steve Ellner about Venezuela's right-wing opposition, and how the corporate media whitewashes its use of violence and economic sabotage. Ellner explains some of the economic problems faced by President Nicolás Maduro, including manipulation of exchange rates and low oil prices.

Moderate Rebels episode 32: Journalists Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss Britain's Integrity Initiative and the information war it is waging on the public, with propaganda expert Professor David Miller. We address the scandal surrounding this UK government-funded think tank, which has attacked Jeremy Corbyn and the anti-war left and laundered disinformation through the corporate media under the guise of countering Russia.

Moderate Rebels episode 31: Max Blumenthal reports from Mexico on the inauguration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), the country's first left-wing president in 70 years. Professor John Ackerman discusses AMLO's campaign against neoliberalism and systemic poverty, corruption, and violence. They explain the regional dynamics and what this means for Latin America's "Pink Tide." Ackerman also addresses the legacy of the Mexican Revolution.

Moderate Rebels episode 30: Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton continue part 2 of our interview with Kerry-Anne Mendoza, editor of British news site The Canary. We discuss the corporate media's grotesquely dishonest war on leftist Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, the fake "anti-Semitism scandal" manufactured to attack him, and the disaster of Brexit under the Conservative Theresa May government.

Moderate Rebels episode 29: Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by Brazilian political analyst Aline Piva to discuss the election of fascist Jair Bolsonaro as Brazil's new president. We talk about his far-right extremism, support for military dictatorship, threats against leftists, and Evangelical pro-Israel politics.

We also address the US-sponsored war on the Pink Tide in Latin America. Aline, who teaches in Venezuela, explains how Trump and Bolsonaro will ramp up aggression against Caracas.

Moderate Rebels episode 28: Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by the founder and editor of the British left-wing independent news website The Canary, Kerry-Anne Mendoza. We discuss the neoliberal attack on leftist alternative media, led by the UK's leading newspaper The Guardian.

We also address the many lies spread by corporate media against Jeremy Corbyn and the broader left, The Guardian's attempt to silence Mendoza, and BuzzFeed's smears of Max over his Nicaragua reporting.

Moderate Rebels episode 27: Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by Saudi journalist and analyst Ali al-Ahmed to discuss Saudi Arabia's assassination of dissidents. Ali addresses the suspected killing of Jamal Khashoggi, and explains the power struggles inside the royal family.

We also talk about the Western corporate media's systematic whitewashing of autocratic Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi monarchy's execution and oppression of Shia activists. We conclude on the war in Yemen.

Moderate Rebels episode 26: Ben Norton speaks with Syrian analyst Ehsani about the new stages in the war in Syria. We discuss Idlib — the last "rebel"-held province and "largest al-Qaeda safe haven since 9/11" — and we dissect the Idlib peace deal brokered by Russia and Turkey.

We address the issue with the Syrian Kurds, and potential for negotiations between Kurdish-led YPG/SDF and Damascus. And while the US plans an indefinite military occupation in Syria, Ehsani emphasizes Iran's role was exaggera