Moderate Rebels

Moderate Rebels episode 5 - Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss how Saudi Arabia is at the heart of Donald Trump's Middle East policy. We're joined by activist Mohammed al-Nimr, the son of the executed dissident Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, to discuss the Saudi regime's attack on the Shia community of Awamiya.

Blumenthal and Norton also introduce the segment Thought Loser, starring Brookings Institution senior fellow Shadi Hamid, a staunch supporter of NATO and its catastrophic 2011 regime change war in Libya.

Moderate Rebels episode 4 - Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by activist and author Eugene Puryear. We discuss the white supremacist fascist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and terror attack on antiracist protesters. Blumenthal, Norton, and Puryear detail what the alt-right is, how it originates in neo-Confederate politics, what fuels it, and how it ultimately serves powerful billionaire interests. We also debunk neoliberal centrist Democrat talking points on the "alt-left" and horseshoe theory.

Moderate Rebels episode 3 - Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton interview Gareth Porter, an award-winning investigative journalist who has done extensive reporting on the US proxy war in Syria, and how the CIA program arming and training rebels strengthened al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other extremist Salafi groups. We also discuss the military-industrial complex and how billionaire-backed think tanks funded by arms manufacturers and fossil fuel corporations fuel the permanent war state.

Moderate Rebels episode 2 - Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss the billion-dollar CIA program arming and training rebels in Syria, detailing how it strengthened extremist groups including ISIS and al-Qaeda. We use mainstream media reports and government documents to conclusively show how the US knew it and its allies Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey were fueling genocidal Salafi militants.

Moderate Rebels episode 1 - Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss the Democratic Party's obsession with Russia, how this fixation is used to prevent progressive change, the lack of evidence for ambiguous accusations of "Russian interference," and how the neoliberal Resistance™ actively cheers on Trump when he is bombing the Middle East.