For this week's episode, Rania Khalek interviews Kevin Gosztola, who has been in London reporting on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition proceedings.  The world had a first chance to hear much of the case the prosecution, as well as the defense, will be making. Kevin talks about the impact of Chelsea Manning's resistance. He describes what the defense presented in relation to Undercover Global, the Spanish security company that engaged in an espionage operation against Assange on behalf of the CIA.  Kevin generally talks about the media that were there (and not there), who the judge is that is presiding over the extradition proceedings, and a bombshell allegation made by the defense against President Donald Trump that involves the abuse of pardon power.  The show concludes with a brief conversation about the Coronavirus and how the lack of a national healthcare program may make the spread of the virus worse.

S7: Episode 8 - Reporting From London On Julian Assange

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"Unauthorized Disclosure" is a weekly podcast hosted by Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola. It focuses on issues and topics that are overlooked or pushed aside by the more mainstream media.

The hosts champion adversarial journalism. Guests featured are often rarely heard or unheard voices. Or they are voices who we think can benefit from a space to have conversations, which allow for dissent and the unpacking of unpopular ideas.

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News

News Commentary

For this episode of "Unauthorized Disclosure," Kevin Gosztola speaks with Khawla Nakua, an organizer with the National Writers Union (NWU) and a criminal justice reporter.
Nakua joins the show to discuss a report from NWU called "Red Lines: retaliation in the media industry during the war on Gaza."
The NWU "tracked 44 cases of retaliation that impacted more than 100 media workers, who are disproportionately people of color," according to the report. Retaliation has particularly impacted media workers of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
Nakua describes the different types of retaliation that media workers have endured during Israel's assault on Gaza and addresses the intense climate of censorship. Various examples of retaliation mentioned in the report are highlighted throughout the conversation.


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Retaliation Against Media Workers In The War On Gaza: Interview With Khawla Nakua

Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview Cuban journalist Liz Oliva Fernández about two documentaries that cover United States policy toward Cuba.

Liz, who worked with Belly of the Beast on the films, obtained a visa to travel to the U.S. and confront the very politicians, who are behind the embargo and other measures that disproportionately impact Black Cubans. She spent time in Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, where she spoke to a number of everyday Americans about their attitudes toward Cuba.

The first film, "Hardliner on the Hudson," premieres on May 13. It covers corrupt Senator Bob Menendez and his instrumental role in shaping the U.S. agenda against Cuba. The second film, "Uphill on the Hill," examines the "political interests" that have led President Joe Biden to "embrace Trump's economic war on Cuba." It premieres on May 20.

Both films will be available on the Belly of the Beast's YouTube channel.

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Cuban Journalist Liz Oliva Fernández: How Biden Embraced Trump's War On Cuba

On this week's "Unauthorized Disclosure," Kevin Gosztola interviews Greek economist and author Yanis Varoufakis about his new book, "Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism." 

Yanis argues that "Big Tech has replaced capitalism's twin pillars—markets and profit—with its platforms and [cloud] rents. With every click and scroll, we labor like serfs to increase its power." 

Later in the show, Yanis outlines the impact this economic transformation has had or may have on geopolitics. He discusses China, the only country with cloud capital capable of rivaling the United States, and what the rivalry between China and the U.S. may mean for the Global South. 

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We Are All Cloud Serfs Now: Yanis Varoufakis On The Rise of 'Technofeudalism'

For this week's episode, journalist Patrick Winn, who has lived in Bangkok for 15 years, joined the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss his new book, "Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Survived the CIA."
Patrick is a correspondent for NPR's The World and specializes in reporting on black markets and rebellion in Southeast Asia. He gained special access to the Wa people, who are "among the most vilified people in Asia if not the world." The Wa established a nation state in Myanmar. The nation state exports billions of dollars of heroin and meth every year, and it is controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
But as Patrick outlines in the interview, the United States has its fingerprints all over this narco-army. "Not only did the CIA create the conditions for its inception, but one of its foremost leaders was also a DEA asset."


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Patrick Winn: Incredible Story Of The Asia Drug Cartel That Survived The CIA

Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou returns to the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast to discuss President Joe Biden's administration making an example out of IRS whistleblower Charles Littlejohn, the "terrorism enhancement" applied against "Vault 7" leaker Joshua Schulte, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's appeal hearing on February 20.


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S7: Episode 8 - Reporting From London On Julian Assange

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