Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael Isikoff

Sam Tanenhaus, author of new biography of William F. Buckley, Jr., joins Michael Isikoff to discuss the conservative columnist's early role as a CIA spy and his longtime relationship with his one time agency boss, Watergate burglar Howard Hunt. Buy the bookBuckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Trump's shutdown of Russian war crimes investigations is the focus of former US Ambassador-at-large Stephen Rapp and SpyTalk host Michael Isikoff. Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Doug Waller talks with Michael Isikoff about his new biography of CIA master spook Frank Wisner, quarterback of the 1953 Iran coup—and so much more.The Determined SpyDouglas Waller Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

The star player in Trump's first impeachment tells Michael Isikoff  there will no ceasefire in Ukraine and calls DC prosecutor a “henchman” for launching bogus probe of him and his brother.  Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Former US NATO envoy and Army General Doug Lute discusses JD Vance insults of allies, administration abandonment of Ukraine to Russia with SpyTalk podcast host Michael Isikoff. Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Former top FBI counterterrorism agent Chris O'Leary tells host Michael Isikoff how Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove was a diligent prosecutor of Jan. 6 rioters before he turned on his teammates at Trump's behest.  Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Ronald Deibert of Citizen Lab tells host Michael Isikoff how his research firm has uncovered the shocking abuse of commercial spyware by foreign governments and spy agencies around the world, resulting in a proliferation of "Watergate-like” scandals.Follow our guest:Ron Deiberthttps://x.com/RonDeibertChasing Shadowshttps://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Chasing-Shadows/The Citizen Labhttps://citizenlab.ca/https://x.com/citizenlab Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes, tells  host Michael Isikoff there is "zero evidence" TikTok is providing data on Americans to Beijing, plus talks about the "really, really scary" Jan. 6 pardons and more. Congressman Jim Himes Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Former Jan. 6 committee chief counsel and federal prosecutor Timothy Heaphy talks with SpyTalk podcast co-host Michael Isikoff about the president-elect's false claims about the Capitol riot and the major role  social media played in that and the 2017 Charlottesville rally by white supremacists. He also recommends the FBI loosen its rules that restrict its ability to investigate social media posts. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/773012/harbingers-by-timothy-j-heaphy/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Anti-Assad activist Mouaz Moustafa in Damascus tells Michael Isikoff how he got advance word about the rebel offensive that would topple the Assad regime—including the hidden hand that foreign intelligence agencies may have played in laying the groundwork—and how the regime's secret files may shed new light on the relationship that DNI-designate Tulsi Gabbard had with the Assad regime. Mouaz Moustafahttps://twitter.com/SoccerMouazSyrian Emergency Task Forcehttps://setf.ngo/https://twitter.com/SyrianETF Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

SpyTalk's Michael Isikoff talks to Chris Costa, former chief of counter-terrorism at the NSC and now executive director of the International Spy Museum, about the mounting threat of Russian hybrid warfare-- including acts of sabotage, arson, assassination and cyber intrusions-- and whether it is time to designate Putin's Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Costa also weighs in on President-elect Trump's pick of Tulsi Gabbard to be DNI and Sebastian Gorka as the new counter-terror chief at the NSC. More from our guest, Chris Costahttps://www.defenseone.com/voices/christopher-p-costa/14609/Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Jen Psaki outlines the lessons to be learned from Matt Gaetz's short-lived ride as Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, including why the media is more important than ever in the cabinet vetting process with an incoming administration that is reportedly forgoing FBI background checks. Jen is joined by Representative Jamie Raskin to discuss Trump naming Pam Bondi as his new nominee for attorney general and the crucial questions she should be asked as the public gets to know her. Next, Jen is joined by investigative reporter Michael Isikoff to discuss his new reporting on Tulsi Gabbard's 2017 trip to Syria that he says was essentially a "propaganda coup" for Bashar al-Assad's regime. Later, Former White House Counsel Bob Bauer joins Jen to offer perspective on the importance of thoroughly vetting nominees and why a lax investigative process could put America's security at risk. Finally, Jen breaks down the sexual assault allegations against Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth as the GOP rushes to his defense, and the concerning example that sets for survivors in our country. Jen is joined by Representative Mike Sherrill to react to Hegseth's view that women shouldn't be allowed to serve in combat roles and why these comments should be disqualifying.Check out our social pages below:https://twitter.com/InsideWithPsakihttps://www.instagram.com/InsideWithPsaki/https://www.tiktok.com/@insidewithpsakihttps://www.msnbc.com/jen-psaki

Nexstar Media's Broadcast Network The CW to Simulcast NewsNation will present an original documentary entitled, "Clinton: Portrait of a Presidency" on Sunday, November 3rd at 8 p.m. ET. Narrated by Emmy and Grammy-award winning actor Blair Underwood, the two-hour film will examine the unprecedented time of peace and prosperity in America under the leadership of President William Jefferson Clinton. Nexstar Media's broadcast network, The CW, will carry a simulcast of the documentary nationwide. Leading up to Election Day 2024, the new documentary will feature the key events that took place during Clinton's presidency that tell a story of economic renewal, compromise, peace through arbitration, and human frailty. During the Clinton era, the country achieved the highest budget surplus in history and American families thrived in a booming economy. President Clinton left office with the highest approval rating in the nation's history, despite a scandal that rocked his presidency. Contributions will be provided by political commentator and chief strategist for Clinton's '92 presidential campaign, James Carville; re-election co-chair and former head of the DNC, Gov. Terry McAuliffe; author of Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter's Story and the journalist who discovered the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, Michael Isikoff; fellow Rhodes scholar and former Congressman Tom McMillen (D-MD); and Director of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, Dr. Jay Barth.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

Former DHS Intel Chief John Cohen on the Butler, Pa. fiasco with guest host MichaelIsikoff.Michael Isikoff on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Isikoff Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Find me and the show on social media. Click the following links or search @DrWilmerLeon on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Our guest this week, Steve Poikenon can be found at his website here.  FULL TRANSCRIPT: Dr Leon (00:00): Now, usually I start this part of the show with a question or a few questions, but today I have to make a statement. After 13 years of either being held up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in Britain, or being in Belmar Prison in solitary confinement, Julian Assange walks free. Why does this matter what led the Biden administration to finally come to its senses and accept a deal? Why should this matter to you? Announcer (00:42): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge. Dr Leon (00:49): Welcome to the Connecting the Dots podcast with Dr. Wilmer Leon. I'm Wilmer Leon. We have a tendency to view current events as though they happen in a vacuum, failing to understand the broader historical context in which most events take place. During each episode, my guests and I have probing, provocative, and in-depth discussions that connect the dots between the events and the broader historical context in which they take place. This enables you to gain a better understanding and to analyze events that impact the global village in which we live. On today's episode. The issue before us is what's the significance of WikiLeaks and what's the impact on the freedom of the press? My guest for today's conversation is the host of AM Wake Up and Slow Newsday, which you can watch live on Rock Fin and Rumble, and you can listen anywhere. Podcasts are served. Steve Poin and Steve, welcome. Steve Poikenon (01:51): Thank you very much, Wilmer. It's good to see you not on the radio, Dr Leon (01:57): Man. Well, I have the perfect face for radio from what they tell me, and it's great to see you to be able to put a face with a voice. We've been talking for a couple years now, and it's finally great to be able to put a face with a voice. So footage tweeted by WikiLeaks, I think Julian Assange's wife showed him walking up the stairs onto an aircraft bound for Sipan in the US administered Mariana Islands. He has agreed to plead guilty to one count under the espionage act of conspiracy to disseminate national defense information. Steve, what were your thoughts when you first heard the news that Julian Assange was free? Steve Poikenon (02:44): I was a little stunned. This is something that we've discussed on and off over the last couple of years, and certainly in the last couple of months there have been substantiated rumors that the Biden Justice Department was preparing some sort of plea deal, whether or not the Assange team was going to accept it. That was the thing that we didn't have any certainty about whatsoever. They obviously have gone forward with accepting the deal. He should be, at this point, touching down or walking into the courtroom in the Marianas Islands says a lot about the state of the US empire that we even have a district courthouse in the Mariana Islands. That's just wild to me to begin with, but from the best that I can tell, and Wilmer, you may correct me if I'm wrong, from the best that I can tell, there's nothing in the initial plea agreement that says Julian won't be allowed near a computer or won't be able to access the internet. (03:51) Can't give speeches or interviews or can't have documentaries made about a situation. So by all accounts, up to this point, it appears that when he walks out of the courtroom later in the next couple of hours, he will be a legitimately free human being, and that is a win in and of itself. I'm a father. I can't imagine being taken away from my kids for making the US government angry and then having to know that they're growing up without me. And so the ability for him to take part in raising his own children, I think is the biggest godsend out of all of this. And then we can get into the implications and the impact that this is going to have on press freedom and citizen journalism and everything else going forward. But the huge win here is that he's no longer an inmate in the Guantanamo Bay of the United Kingdom where he was being held with the worst criminals on the island, having never once committed any crime of any sort of significance that would warrant that cell. Dr Leon (05:12): Do you have any idea in terms of why the Mariana Islands other than is the closest space that will enable him then to go from there to his home of Australia? Steve Poikenon (05:25): I think that was the ultimate deciding factor was proximity to Australia. It's not like the US can't construct a kangaroo court anywhere, and it's not like if they didn't have a different provisional, different courthouse, they wouldn't be going through the same sort of performative motions in the eyes of the Biden administration. I think the guilty plea is the thing that they were looking for, something that they could make at least a political, if not a legal for, and then also to not have it be an election issue going forward. Dr Leon (06:04): And from what I understand, this is not precedent setting because this was the result. This is the outcome of a plea deal. This did not actually come as the result of a trial. Steve Poikenon (06:17): If they would've gone to trial and evidence presented and a conviction was rendered and then upheld by a judge, then it would establish a legal precedent because he pled and pled out to time served for what he'd already done. The only thing that it can be used to set a precedent for is politically, or I guess emotionally or spiritually, where people are more hesitant to approach national security reporting or classified information, talk about it, disseminate any of that. And that is I think the real ultimate goal of not just the Biden administration, but the Trump administration and ultimately the Obama administration from where all of this stems is to redefine journalism in the future. Dr Leon (07:10): I want to read from the paragraph from the Washington Post as they reported out this story, Julian Assange's plea deal, sparks global celebration and condemnation reactions were divided as WikiLeaks. Julian Assange heads to a US Pacific territory to cement a plea deal that could soon set him free. WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange's tentative plea deal with the United States, which could soon bring an end to his years long international legal legal saga, drew celebration and criticism reflecting the divisive nature of his role in obtaining and publishing classified military and diplomatic documents. A couple of things. One is the condemnation side of this. The only folks that I can see that would be condemning this deal are people that are tied to the Trump administration, people that are tied to the Biden administration. I don't understand where they get this idea that there's all this divisiveness and condemnation. Steve Poikenon (08:23): There were the usual, the people you just spoke of, but Mike Pence was one of the loudest. There have been a number of former Trump administration officials and a number of former Obama administration intelligence apparatus and national security apparatus officials who have expressed distaste. This now and again, realize that to be opposed to this means you wanted to see a 50-year-old man, 51-year-old man get effectively tortured to death in a US prison for the rest of his life. That's what being in opposition to this effectively means. The reasoning behind it though is because information is currency. Assange and WikiLeaks were a broker of this information that wasn't part of the sanctioned club, and so Pompeo called them a hostile rogue intelligence agency, non-state intelligence agency. If you are viewed like that amongst the apparatus that's making the national security decisions, it doesn't matter what the end result is, if it's not your wholesale destruction, they're going to be displeased. Dr Leon (09:43): There's another paragraph. While Assange supporters saw him as a courageous whistleblower of government misdeeds, his critics saw him as a self-promoter oblivious to the harm that his leaks might cause, oblivious to the harm that his leaks might cause. There has not been one shred of evidence presented to show that any harm other than embarrassment by Hillary Clinton and some of the other government officials who were identified through these WikiLeaks releases, maybe their egos were damaged. But short of that, there's been no harm. WikiLeaks publication of the Afghan War logs did not obscure the names of Afghan civilians who provided information to the US military and omission that dismayed human rights groups and national security officials. Who are they talking about? Steve? Steve Poikenon (10:49): Okay, so when they say that the harm that they're talking about, it's not just their ego, it's their ability to continue to spy on their friends and allies that was harmed. It was the harm that was done by letting people know what the US government is doing with our tax dollars and our names. But Wim Dr Leon (11:07): Steve, it's not as though the allies did not know that they were being spied on. Remember what happened with Bill Clinton and Angela Merkel's? I think it was the Clinton administration and Angela Merkel's cell phone. I mean, it's not as though we don't know. We don't know Israel. It's not as though we don't know that Israel is spying on us. I mean, it's the game that they play. Steve Poikenon (11:31): It is the game that they play, but we're not supposed to know. And the rest of the diplomatic core is all that operates on the pretense and the fiction that it's not happening. That everybody's there to politely try to sort out the ills of the world and that all of the espionage going on in the background is never to be brought up. It doesn't have to stop. You just can't talk about it. If you bring it to light, then the whole operation gets blown up. And that's why WikiLeaks is parent company is called the Sunshine Press. The whole point of it is to bring it into the daylight, that kind of stance from a political point of view, from a journalistic point of view that's going to get you targeted, which is as we saw exactly what happened leading to 13 years of illegal and arbitrary detention. (12:29) Just one quick point to what you were talking about though, when you see major press outlets come out now in defensive Assange, these are, and you had mentioned it, I think even this morning, some of these instant outlets that are reporting on it are outlets that shared the same information. Are these guys then going to look at the plea agreement and go, golly, if Julian Assange isn't being charged as a journalist, does that mean that everyone who has ever shared a piece of classified information can be charged under the Espionage Act? Because Wilmer, I don't know about you. When I read the plea, when I read the plea deal, they're charging Assange as a private citizen. They're not charging 'em as a publisher. They're not charging 'em as a government contractor or a government employee. And those are prior to this, the only people that could get a charge for conspiring to disseminate classified information in this manner. So is that saying that Nick, the janitor or Dan the trucker or whoever your English teacher is now susceptible to Espionage Act charges? Dr Leon (13:48): Well, I think one of the reasons why they're not charging him as a journalist, because that was one of the issues that was being presented in his defense, is that as a journalist, he has the right to disseminate this information. So if they charged him as a journalist, then I think that would probably throw a wrench in their own argument. But to your point, one of the ironies here is when you read the Washington Poll story and the New York Times reporting out on this is that they were complicit in disseminating the information that he made available. Hence during the Obama administration, they called it the New York Times conundrum, and many say that the reason the Obama administration didn't charge him is because Barack Obama didn't want to open up that can of worms. Steve Poikenon (14:45): Well, certainly the idea that the Biden administration would try to with less competent people than were in the Obama administration is somewhat ridiculous. The only reason they could get a plea deal out of the guy is because they'd been torturing him for five years on top of the seven and a half, eight, almost eight years of being confined to one and a half rooms in the most spied on building in London, which is saying a lot because London has more cameras per capita than any other major city. But more cameras were pointed at the Ecuadorian Embassy than anywhere else in London for a very long time. That kind of constant surveillance is going to wreak havoc on an individual. And I got to tell you, Wilmer, it really did surprise me seeing the video, the very brief videos that we have seen of Julian, the last I had heard, he had been in very poor health. He had suffered a stroke or a mini stroke 18 months ago, 20 months ago, something like that. So to see him moving that rapidly, being able to stand walking Dr Leon (15:59): Up the stairs to the plane, Steve Poikenon (16:01): Being able to stand that upright when we had all been told that his back was wrecked and stuff like that, I'm really, really taken away by that. And I can only hope that he remains in that good of health or gets a little bit better shape from here on out because I was imagining the worst I was. And we haven't seen that. So that's very heartening. Dr Leon (16:32): This some will say is a very obvious question, but I think it still needs to be asked and answered Why this deal? Why now? Because when I look at, when I read the plea, when I see what the Biden administration got out of this, could have done this five years ago, he's out on bond. They could have allowed bond five years ago. He could have, instead of being tortured in solitary confinement in Belmar prison, he could have been walking the streets of Piccadilly Circus. So why now? Steve Poikenon (17:14): There's a number of different factors, and one is that it does get eliminated as an election year issue. Trump, regardless of the reality that he's the guy who had Julian arrested was able to successfully run on, we love the WikiLeaks. Have you seen the WikiLeaks? Can't get enough of the WikiLeaks. He was able to gain a lot of ground with that. So it is popular among Americans to want to at least think you have some sort of transparency with your government or think you might be able to have some sort of citizen accountability with your government, which is one of the benefits that WikiLeaks provided. So that's off the table, the Biden administration, because people have goldfish, brain can try to spin it as well. Donald Trump's the guy who had 'em thrown in jail and we're the guys who let him out. Well, you didn't let him out. (18:11) You made him plead guilty to something he didn't do after torturing him for five years and threatening every one and everything that he held dear, that's coercion. That's not a liberation. That's coercion. That's not a victory in any way, shape or form. And I've seen some on the progressive left already try to be like, Hey, man, Trump locked him up, bite him, let him out because he forced him to plead guilty to something that he didn't do. I think we all just need to keep circulating that last part until it sinks in. But we discussed for a number of years on the critical hour how it is a huge problem for the Biden administration or any administration to have Julian Assange on American soil even if the trial takes place behind closed doors in the Eastern District of Virginia, because then you are really putting the press on trial in America for everyone to be forced to pay attention to. And that's something that not Joe Biden, not Donald Trump, definitely not Merrick Garland is capable of dealing with or quelling in a manner that doesn't look like a total brutal dictatorship. And that's what it was going to turn into. Dr Leon (19:35): We have been saying for a couple of years, the one thing, the Biden, for all of the discussion about extradition and all these appeals and the United States sending attorneys to London and going through the barrister and all of that stuff that they were doing, we kept saying, they do not want this man on American soil. They were trying to kill him through the process. Let's drag this thing out for as long as we possibly can and hope the man dies in Belmar prison. We were saying the last, in fact, I remember having a very extensive conversation with you where I was saying, I think the time has come for the Assange Camp to flip the script and take the deal. Tell Merrick Garland, we want to come to the United States. Please extradite us. We want to be on American soil. And we kicked that around for a while. Steve Poikenon (20:41): Yeah, you're absolutely right. And the last thing that any government wants to deal with is having all of its media suddenly turn against it. And in the US, even though the mainstream media is a wholly owned subsidiary of the state, there are people who are allowed to operate with a little bit more freedom. And those are the people who usually command the largest audiences because they're allowed to show a little bit of authenticity on mainstream airwaves, and people are desperate for that. So they don't want their press turning on 'em. They don't want free Assange banners every time they pan into the crowd at a sporting event. They don't want free Assange banners signs every time they go do a man on the street interview. They were in the worst possible position you could be having to make up your case entirely. And having a still somewhat engaged public to where they could mount not just a resistance, but a real jury nullification campaign and a real on the ground, real time education of exactly what their government is trying to do. Via the prosecution of Julian Assange, again, under the Espionage Act of 1917, we're going to take an Australian citizen with a publishing company, publishing outlet, registered in Iceland, give him fake charges in Sweden, imprison him in London and have a Icelandic FBI snitch, make up a whole bunch of stories about him, then recant his testimony. I think Aile, because that's the thing that happened. Pedophile. Yeah, a convicted, convicted pedophile. Dr Leon (22:40): And you haven't even gone through what we did as it relates to Ecuador and what we did in terms of the Ecuadorian election to be, now I'm drawing a blank on the president. Steve Poikenon (22:51): Lennon Moreno was more Moreno. Yeah. Dr Leon (22:55): We didn't even go through what the machinations that the United States went through to get Assange out of the Ecuadorian Embassy. Steve Poikenon (23:05): Yeah. Or touch on the security company that was there at the embassy, uc Global, which was hired first by the Ecuadorian government to provide security then by the CIA via a spook convention effectively at one of Sheldon Adelson's casinos, who was one of Trump's biggest donors at the time, where the head of the security company wound up getting arrested, trying to flee the country after it was discovered that he had had this double dealing with the CIA. And then it was revealed that because of the illegal spying equipment morales's company had placed in assange's rooms at the embassy that led to a planning session with the American CIA where they were plotting out how to kidnap and murder Julian Assange. That was Mike. Dr Leon (23:56): They Steve Poikenon (23:56): Came to, Dr Leon (23:57): That was Mike Ell at the time. And so what folks, and you laying this out, what folks really need to understand is this is not some tinfoil hat conspiracy theory. All you got to do folks is Google it. It's there in mainstream press that this is what the United States went through trying. These are the illegal machinations that the United States government went through in order to try to get this guy. Steve Poikenon (24:28): Absolutely. And people feel certain ways about the gray zone or what, you don't have to read the initial reporting that Max Blumenthal did based off of the reporting that the Spanish outlet El Pais did. Michael Isikoff, two years later, 18 months later, Michael Isikoff through Yahoo News, did the same story, picked it up and took out some of the more poignant points so that he could fit it into a Yahoo story and put out that version of it. But it's there in several mainstream outlets everybody should know. Mike Pompeo tried to have a journalist and publisher assassinated or kidnapped and then assassinated just to prevent him from being able to testify in his own defense is all you can really assume at that point. You're trying to take him out while you have him basically captured. You want to make sure he never works a day in his life again, and you damn sure want to make sure that he doesn't testify because then it becomes part of a court record and then somebody can sue to have that court record or it'll be public Dr Leon (25:40): As a wrap up to this part of the conversation. So I never thought I'd see, this day I thought Julian Sal was going to die in Bell Marsh. What do you see as being the more immediate impacts to this as it relates to press freedom and journalism and some of the longer term impacts? And some of that, I know we won't really know until we hear from him, but your thoughts, Steve Poikenon (26:10): I hope it inspires people to kind of see where the new limits are, because most journalists have just been not necessarily holding back, but the amount of leak based journalism has basically vanished the amount of journalists truly going out there and trying to bring to light some major problems. Boeing comes to Dr Leon (26:35): Mind. Investigative journalism. Steve Poikenon (26:37): Yeah. I want to believe that Julian Assange breathing air again will be a beacon to people to do investigative journalism more often, better than they have been, however you want to frame it. I want that to be a spark that pushes the current boundaries and hopefully pushes 'em back a little bit because it's been relatively restrictive over the last several years. Dr Leon (27:08): There's another issue related to this. It was in consortium news, help us fight theocracy Psychological operations or PSYOPs are operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations and groups and individuals. William Casey, the CIA director under Ronald Reagan said, we'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false. And what happened with Julian Assange, I think is a perfect example of this type of behavior by the American government. Steve Poikenon (28:02): It is. And if you look at the amount of government shenanigans that have occurred in the last four, five years since they yanked Julian out of the embassy, there we're seeing more and more lawsuits being brought against major pharmaceutical companies for vital information that they withheld during the last several years were we found out that a lot of what we were originally told about the January 6th incident, and a lot of what happened then was not necessarily true. There's been multiple court cases that have kept political parties from taking part in the American political process. They've kept, Lawfare has been levied against everyone from the aru, the Aru fellas, Dr Leon (29:07): Mali. Yes. Steve Poikenon (29:09): Yeah, I can never, I know, yes. Ella is something that is just not chambered for me. It's not. But from those guys to, like Alex Jones has been a victim of lawfare. Donald Trump has been a victim of Lawfare, and the entire time there hasn't been a really adversarial reporting outlet with the international foundation that WikiLeaks has with the international audience, that WikiLeaks has to mount a citizen and open source intelligence challenge to any of this and the myriad ways, not just through the restrict Act or the new antisemitism bill or a number of the different laws in Europe and Europe, has the internet been shrunk down significantly? But Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter stating that he wants to turn it into WeChat where your entire internet based existence is on through this one app. I would imagine that Julian Assange would have a lot to say about what Elon Musk has been up to. (30:24) He'd have a lot to say about what happened with the WHO or the NIH over the last several years, but we haven't had that opportunity. And that to me is something that the US government can put as a Big W in their column. That's something that MI six could put as a Big W in their column and really goes right back to those forward documents where they were outlining the plan for what they wanted to do with WikiLeaks. They didn't get to scatter the organization to the winds the way they necessarily described 14 years ago. But when's the last time we got a WikiLeaks drop? Dr Leon (31:07): Well, and for folks that may not understand the significance of this, of course, it was the shooting of the civilians, the murder of the civilians in Iraq and the journalists in Iraq that were shot during the war. And WikiLeaks put that footage out for everybody to see the war crimes that were being committed. So if WikiLeaks had been allowed to continue to operate, I would think our understanding of Ukraine would be different. Our understanding of what's being done in Taiwan would be different. Our understanding of what's being done or trying to be done in North Korea would be different. We would have a lot more insight and information into the illegalities, whether they be international law, whether they be American law, whether they be war crimes, that the United States and its allies have been engaging in these various engagements around the world. Steve Poikenon (32:15): You're correct. And let's also recall that WikiLeaks and WikiLeaks alone disclosed the transpacific partnership. They were the outlet that that agreement came to. They published it, people looked at it and went, no, you want to do what? No, no. And those kinds of trade agreements being disclosed that were done in the dark, away from the eyes of the American public with zero opportunity for public comment or any sort of pushback that made WikiLeaks more dangerous in my opinion, then disclosing video of something that according to even the guys in the helicopter was like a three times a day event in Iraq. And it's something that people in the military kind of shrugged off like, well, yeah, that's what we do. But to the average citizen, it's shocking and horrifying, but not as shocking and horrifying as the United States government wants to set up a corporate court, and it will be a couple of CEOs that determine your future. And if you say something untoward about them on the internet, then they're appointed magistrates from the corporation will decide your faith. That's what the TPP was promising. And any outlet that is going to disclose information like that is suddenly become the most dangerous organization on the planet. Dr Leon (33:49): And when you said that, that I'm drawing a blank on his name, the attorney that sued ExxonMobil in Brazil, Steve Poikenon (33:58): Steven Inger, Dr Leon (33:59): Steven Inger, and how Mobil ExxonMobil was able to use a judge. I mean, they just flipped that whole thing. Don Zinger on behalf of the Indians in Brazil, sues ExxonMobil wins an ungodly amount of money, and he winds up going to jail and ExxonMobil because of what they were able to do with the judicial system in New York, it was criminal. So when you talk about a corporate magistrate, Don Zinger is what popped into my head. Steve Poikenon (34:42): And it was because of an agreement that happened during the Trump administration that that was even possible. And they basically dismantled the TPP, they put certain parts of it into different trade agreements and provisions, and then they got the quasi corporate court because the judge, I believe had been a former Chevron attorney. Correct. And that's how that may even be how he got his judgeship was Chevron bought his way into the judgeship. And that is kind of ordinary corruption, but it's ordinary corruption that also has multinational trade agreements codifying it. And again, in the absence of a WikiLeaks or an organization like it, disclosing these kinds of agreements on the regular, you're not going to get the rapid dissemination of that information amount, a successful pushback in time to stop it. You're not going to be able to get people on the same page understanding it because there's no trust with a number of these. (35:48) All of these other outlets are so disparate, nobody's really consolidated in a way that will lend the immediate mass public trust in what you're doing. Like Lit WikiLeaks had built up over a number of years to the point that when 2015, they disclosed the tpp, people from all over the world held rallies immediately, and there were people out in the streets immediately, and it became an election year issue and it wasn't. And people had to change their tone on it and say to the point where Donald Trump even won a lot of people over by saying, it's a bad deal. It's bad. I don't want to be any part of it. Hillary Clinton had to answer for it. They all had to answer for it. On that debate stage back in 2016, it became a real issue. And so if we don't have these kinds of things moving forward, we're going to be in a significantly less informed spot than we were a decade ago. And in the internet age, that should not be how information is progressing. Dr Leon (36:51): And final point here, and I want to go back to this William Casey quote, and this is the former director of the ccia A and Ronald Reagan will know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false. And that takes me, you've heard me say this too many times, Edward Bernas and the book Propaganda folks, you need to get a copy and you need to read Propaganda by Edward Bernas because that's to a great degree what Bill Casey was talking about. And this whole idea, the whole idea of psychological operations, PSYOPs and the PS ocracy. Steve Poikenon (37:47): Yeah. And fifth generation warfare is an asymmetrical warfare conducted on the citizenry, and that's conducted via all elements of propaganda. We're 12 years into living in a reality, a post Smith month modernization act reality. When the Smith Modernization Act passed and went into effect, government propaganda, military propaganda, and government analysts and experts became part and parcel of the media the better part of a halfway through a generation's worth of 24 hour, seven day a week asymmetrical warfare where the vast majority of the people walking around don't even know that they're at war, let alone with their own government, nor that their own government openly declared war on them. That's how good the propaganda is. Everybody should study Bnes. Everybody needs to internalize that the United States is the most propagandized country on the planet. And the only way that we can get out of that is if we understand the landscape that we're standing on and we start to look at how not necessarily individual people that make up that landscape operate, but the institutions that allow for those people to move freely on that landscape operate. And those institutions, we've been shown over and over and over again to be untrustworthy, to be acting not in our interest, to be acting at the behest of not even people in their own country. And yet for some reason, we still get Berna back into thinking that you can vote your way out of an oligarchy Dr Leon (39:44): And so quickly am wake up slow news day. Where do people go? What do they get when they listen to it? Steve Poikenon (39:50): You can go to am wakeup show.com for absolutely everything. We are live Monday through Thursday from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM Pacific us. There's content on the channel pretty much all the time. We stream out live on Rock fin and Rumble, and then you can catch them pretty much anywhere and everywhere else. And yeah, just thank you so much for having me on. I really have always enjoyed our conversations. Very glad to do your show. Dr Leon (40:22): Well, I got to thank you my guest, Steve Kin, for joining me today. I greatly, greatly appreciate you giving me time out of your schedule, and I always look forward to the conversations that we have and look forward to having many more with you here on Connecting the Dots. Thank you, Steve. Steve Poikenon (40:37): Thank you, Wilmer. Dr Leon (40:39): And thank you so much for listening to the Connecting the Dots podcast with me, Dr. Wilmer Leon, and Steve mentioned the Smith Mut Act, M-U-N-D-T Act. You all can Google that. Look it up. But simply put, for about 60 years that act prohibited the United States Department of State and the broadcasting Board of Governors from disseminating government produced programming within the United States over fear that these agencies would propagandize the American people. However, in around 2013, Congress abolished the domestic dissemination ban, which now has led to this big heated debate about the role of the federal government in free public discourse. Folks, stay tuned for new episodes every week and follow and subscribe. Leave a review, share the show, make a contribution. We would greatly, greatly, greatly appreciate it. Doing this every week is not an inexpensive venture. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Follow us on social media. You can find all the links below to the show. And remember that this is where the analysis of politics and culture and history converge talk without analysis is just chatter, and we don't chatter here on connecting the dots. See you again next time. Until then, I'm Dr. Woman Leon. Have a great one. Peace. I'm out Announcer (42:20): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge.

Michael Isikoff is an investigate journalist.  He's spent time ta yahoo news and Newsweek Magazine.   Daniel Klaidman is a producer for CBS News.  He is formerly the managing editor of Newsweek Magazine.  Back when it was Newsweek Magazine. Collectively they have written "Find Me The Votes" regarding President Trump's bid to challenge Georgia's 2020 election.  That book covers Fani Willis's case in Fulton CountySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Michael Isikoff is an award-winning Washington investigative journalist and the author of three New York Times bestsellers: Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter's Story; Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal and the Selling of the Iraq War (with David Corn); and Russian Roulette (also with David Corn).  His latest coauthored with Daniel Klaidman is Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election Daniel Klaidman is an award-winning journalist and author.  He is the author of Kill or Capture:  The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency.  He is the co-author with Michael Isikoff of Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election. The post An Investigative Look Behind Trump's Attempt to Overturn the 2020 Election appeared first on KPFA.

New SpyTalk Contributing Editor Mike Isikoff pokes holes in 60 Minutes' blockbuster story.Michael Isikoffhttps://twitter.com/IsikoffFollow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substackhttps://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman join Tavis to discuss the latest political headlines and their New York Times bestseller, Find Me the Votes.

Michael Isikoff, co-author of Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election, details some of the undercovered aspects of Trump's 2020 election subversion. The panel also discusses how the Biden reset is going. highlights / lowlights Mona: Warden is ousted as FBI raids California women's prison known as the ‘rape club' (LATimes). Damon: American politics is undergoing a racial realignment (FT) and a thread from the author, John Burn-Murdoch. Bill: 2024 Michigan: Trump Leads Biden In 5-Way Race (Quinnipiac Poll)   Michael: Trump's Biden Mockery Upsets People Who Stutter: ‘We've Heard This Before' (NYTimes). Linda: Literary Magazine Retracts Israeli Writer's Essay as Staffers Quit (NYTimes).

This week on The Enemies List, Rick is joined by journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman, authors of the new book "Find Me the Votes," to explore the Georgia investigation led by Fani Willis into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The conversation highlights the case's breadth and complexity, from pressure campaigns on state officials, intimidation tactics against election workers, and the strategic use of RICO charges. The episode also details the challenges facing Willis, Trump's reactions, and the case's implications for future elections and American democracy. Michael and Daniel's new book, "Find Me the Votes" available now. Timestamps: [00:01:44] The pressure campaign [00:05:25] How the criminality came together [00:11:59] Fani Willis [00:18:11] Brian Kemp's position [00:20:40] Flipping the witnesses Follow Resolute Square: Instagram Twitter TikTok Find out more at Resolute Square Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's Political Breakfast, the team talks about a new book called 'Find Me the Votes' by investigative journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman.They share intimate details about Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis "the person" and her prosecution of former president Donald Trump, and 18 co-conspirators, in their alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election results. The book also focuses on the Georgia Republicans who resisted Trump, and endured notorious threats on their families and on their lives.A note of disclosure: The book was released before accusations were made against Willis and her special prosecutor Nathan Wade having a romantic/improper relationship. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Bulwark's Charlie Sykes discusses the GOP's mind-bending flip-flop on their own border bill. Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman detail their new book, 'Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election.' HEATED editor Emily Atkin examines the misinformation surrounding Biden's latest move to protect the environment and combat climate change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Donald Trump runs for office in 2024, a new book by journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman details how Trump attempted to overturn the presidential election in 2020, and how Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis built a case against him. In today's episode, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Isikoff and Klaidman about Find Me the Votes, the layers of intimidation behind Trump's bid for power, and the fast-moving allegations against Willis and her counsel. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

Authors of "Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election" Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman join Joe and Alex to discuss the inside story of what happened in Georgia in 2020. How do Michael and Daniel tie everything together - and how does so much of it all come back to a former KKK Grand Dragon showing up with an armed mob at the Georgia Secretary of State's office? The courage displayed by Raffensperger, Ruby Freeman, and others has to be heard to be believed. This is one you won't want to miss - as Douglas Brinkley says - "a narrative wake up call and a hell of a great read" Get the book here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/michael-isikoff/find-me-the-votes/9781538739990/?lens=twelve Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During a late night press conference in August, an Atlanta-area prosecutor announced a sprawling criminal case against Donald Trump and his allies for their alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. In a new book, investigative reporters Dan Klaidman and Michael Isikoff tell the story of the events that led to that moment—and the local prosecutor behind at all.Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes and Lawfare Legal Fellow Anna Bower spoke with Klaidman and Isikoff about the new details and insights revealed in their book, “Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election.” In a wide-ranging conversation, they discussed the Jan. 6 committee's role in the Fulton County investigation, Sidney Powell's request for preemptive pardons in the aftermath of the 2020 election, Rudy Giuliani's plan to access to voting systems in Georgia, and recent allegations that District Attorney Fani Willis engaged in an improper relationship with one of her special prosecutors.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alicia Menendez – in for Nicolle Wallace – is joined by Glenn Thrush, David Jolly, Joyce Vance, Lisa Rubin, Jason Johnson, Paul Rieckhoff, Allison Jaslow, Tim Miller, Ian Millhiser, Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman, and Frank Figliuzzi.

Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election by Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman https://amzn.to/3SE6CWt From veteran award-winning investigative journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman, the epic inside story of the prosecution of a president. In Find Me the Votes, two years of immersive reporting by Isikoff and Klaidman has produced the most authoritative and dramatic account yet of a defeated president's conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and how a local Georgia prosecutor—a daughter of the civil rights movement—decided to indict him and his allies for his desperate attempt to hold on to power. From the beginning, Fani Willis saw Donald Trump's crimes as a voting rights case, and an attempt by the former president to deprive the citizens of Georgia of the franchise, a right for which her forebears had bled. Isikoff and Klaidman take us deep inside both the nerve center of Trump's effort to steal the election and the DA's team of prosecutors as they build their case against the president. Their reporting reveals new information on the plot to criminally seize voting equipment in several states; Sidney Powell's attempt to obtain preemptive pardons from Trump; and revelatory communications between the president and his co-conspirators. We see the prosecution take shape in Willis's office in the face of heinous threats of violent retaliation from Trump's supporters. With blockbuster original reporting and exclusive access to thousands of secret documents, emails, text messages, and audio recordings, Find Me the Votes is investigative journalism at its finest. The authors also conducted exclusive interviews with key sources in the Trump conspiracy, as well as with the president's top targets, including Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger and the Fulton County DA's team–featuring hours of interviews with Fani Willis herself. This is riveting contemporary history, and a lasting account of the prosecution of a president who tested the rule of law as no president ever had before. Isikoff and Klaidman have written a story for the ages.About the Authors Michael Isikoff is an award-winning Washington investigative journalist and the author of three New York Times bestsellers: Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter's Story; Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal and the Selling of the Iraq War (with David Corn); and Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump (also with David Corn). He has worked for the Washington Post, Newsweek, NBC News, and Yahoo News and is a frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC, and other networks. He lives with his wife and son in Washington, D.C. Daniel Klaidman is an award-winning journalist and author based in Brooklyn. He spent more than a decade at Newsweek, where he served as managing editor, Washington Bureau chief, Middle East correspondent, and investigative reporter. Klaidman was a key part of the teams that won National Magazine Awards for Newsweek's coverage of 9/11 and the Monica Lewinsky affair. He previously served as Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University and is the author of Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency. Most recently he was editor-in-chief of Yahoo News.

Today on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's “Politically Georgia," Greg Bluestein, Bill Nigut, and Greg Bluestein talk to journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman join the podcast to discuss their new book, “Find me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Prosecutor, a Rogue President and the Plot to Steal an Election.” The authors take an in-depth look at how Georgia became the focus of Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election, and how Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation led to indictments against Trump and 18 co-defendants involving their attempts to undermine the legitimate election results.    Then, WABE reporter Sam Gringlas shares his story about how the threats and demonization by Trump allies against Fulton County election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman have inspired a surge of people to line up to work at polling places across Fulton County.     Plus, the hosts pay tribute to the three Georgia Army reservists killed in a drone attack in Jordan, and they add words of sympathy following the death of state House Rules Chairman Richard Smith of Columbus.     Links to today's topics:   Nuggets from "Find me the Votes"  Surge of election workers inspired by Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman  Three Georgia reservists killed in Jordan  The pain will never go away - mother of reservist  What to know about Georgia army reservists killed in Jordan   Georgia House rules chair Richard Smith dies   Have a question for the show? Call the 24-hour "Politically Georgia" Podcast Hotline at 404-526-AJCP. That's 404-526-2527. We'll play back your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on tomorrow's episode.     Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A drone attack on an American military base in Jordan leaves three U.S. service members dead and dozens injured. Ed O'Keefe reports from the White House.E. Jean Carroll, who has twice sued former President Donald Trump and won, joins "CBS Mornings" with her attorney Roberta Kaplan to talk about last week's historic ruling.Investigative journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman join "CBS Mornings" to talk about their new book about the investigation into Donald Trump's conduct after the 2020 election, "Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election."After eight months of rigorous testing in labs and real-world trials by expert travelers, the Good Housekeeping Institute unveils its 2024 Best Family Travel Awards. The list features travel gear, including suitcases, bags, and essential accessories for family trips. Executive director Lexie Sachs joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss.Noah Kahan, one of this year's most successful breakout artists, talks to Anthony Mason about his first-ever Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and reflects on his meteoric rise since the release of his 2022 double platinum album, "Stick Season."In a story of resilience and connection, two strangers find solace and purpose following the death of a Louisiana police officer. "CBS Mornings" lead national correspondent David Begnaud goes to Baton Rouge, where he meets a mother whose darkest hour led to a life-changing bond with a child.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mea Culpa welcomes back to the show, legendary newsman David Corn, the Washington DC Bureau Chief of Mother Jones, and an on-air analyst for MSMBC. Corn and Michael Isikoff “co-authored, “Russian Roulette, The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump”. He's also the author of four New York Times best-selling books and was the long-time Washington editor for “The Nation”. For a good read, check out “Our Land” — his twice-weekly newsletter that covers everything from news of the day to entertainment, but all told in Corn's no bullshit style. Corn has been published multiple times, but his latest bestseller,” American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy” is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding our unprecedented times. He joins us today amidst unprecedented dysfunction in American government as the GOP continues for a third week without a House speaker, paralyzed by infighting between moderate and extremist factions of the GOP. On top of this, former President Trump awaits four separate criminal trials and has all but dared Judge Chuktan to jail him for violating his gag order. All the while war rages in Israel and Ukraine. It seems we are drifting without a rudder and American credibility is suffering. 

Mea Culpa welcomes David Corn back to the show, legendary newsman David Corn. Corn is the Washington DC Bureau Chief of Mother Jones and an on-air analyst for MSMBC. Corn and Michael Isikoff “co-authored, “Russian Roulette, The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump”. He's also the author of four New York Times best-selling books and was the long-time Washington editor for “The Nation”. For a good read, check out “Our Land” — his twice-weekly newsletter that covers everything from news of the day to entertainment, but all told in Corn's no bullshit style. Corn has been published multiple times, but his latest bestseller,” American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy” is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the unprecedented times we live in.

Michael Isikoff, author of Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, returns to dig further into Russiagate, including his reaction to clips from our Monday interview with James Comey. Plus, the either not-so-strategic or not-so-important (depending who you ask) fight in Bakhmut. And a Sacramento anti-semite's 2 minutes of speaking time at a city council meeting prompts chaos. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Isikoff, author of Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, is an extremely straight shooter on all things Russiagate. He'll be the first to tell you that, yes, Russia was meddling in the election, but also that the media got—and continues to get—much of the basic narrative wrong. And no one is more familiar with the facts, allegations, and intel than Isikoff. Plus, Republicans say "F*#@ Tha POLICE" (if they're IRS agents). Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts “The Beat” on Tuesday, April 11, and reports on a new legal filing from Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg and Tennessee's expulsion vote. Plus, hear more from Melber's interview with Erykah Badu. Democratic lawmaker from Tennessee Justin J. Pearson, Nick Akerman. Michael Isikoff join.

In today's episode:President Trump visits New York for arraignment dayDetails of the indictment leaked to Michael Isikoff of Steele Dossier fameAlvin Bragg's entire office is full of leftist activists and Trump-hatersThe Pandora's Box that Bragg has openedConnect with Be Reasonable: https://linktr.ee/imyourmoderatorHear the show when it's released. Become a paid subscriber at imyourmoderator.substack.comVisit the show's sponsors:Make life more comfortable: mypillow.com/reasonableDiversify your assets: kirkelliottphd.com/reasonableOther ways to support the work:ko-fi.com/imyourmoderatorbtc via coinbase: 3MEh9J5sRvMfkWd4EWczrFr1iP3DBMcKk5Merch site: https://cancelcouture.myspreadshop.com/Follow the podcast info stream: t.me/imyourmoderatorOther social platforms: Twitter, Truth Social, Gab, Rumble, or Gettr - @imyourmoderator Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/be-reasonable-with-your-moderator-chris-paul. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, April 5th, 2023. Alps Precious Metals Group THE PAST WEEK HAS BROUGHT SOME “EXCITEMENT” TO THE MARKETS. BANK RUNS. STOCK COLLAPSES. WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE STABLE SUDDENLY APPEARS UNSTABLE. AND YET, GOLD’S PRICE *WENT UP* AS THE HEADLINES BECAME MORE OMINOUS. ALPS PRECIOUS METALS WAS ESTABLISHED BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT ONE’S HARD-EARNED WEALTH FROM THE SERIOUS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS THAT ARE UPON US IS BY OWNING PHYSICAL GOLD AND SILVER. CALL JAMES HUNTER OF ALPS AT 251-377-2197, AND VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALPSPMG.COM TO DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN BUY PHYSICAL PRECIOUS METALS FOR YOUR INVESTMENT AND IRA PORTFOLIOS. OWN THE ASSET GOD SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED AS “GOOD” IN THE 2ND CHAPTER OF GENESIS, AND OBTAIN A PEACE OF MIND THAT CAN BE HAD WITH FEW OTHER INVESTMENTS. AGAIN, CALL JAMES HUNTER OF ALPS PRECIOUS METALS AT 251-377-2197, AND VISIT WWW.ALPSPMG.COM TO LEARN HOW TO OWN THE BEDROCK ASSET OF THE AGES.   https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-could-sentenced-more-100-years-prison-1792487 Donald Trump Could be Sentenced to More Than 100 Years in Prison Donald Trump could be sentenced to more than 100 years in prison if found guilty of the over 30 charges of business fraud in the indictment from a Manhattan grand jury for which he'll be arraigned on Tuesday in New York, according to attorney Lisa Bloom. According to an exclusive report by Yahoo News correspondent Michael Isikoff on Monday, the former president will face 34 class E felonies for falsification of business records in the case which revolves around the $130,000 payment of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and called the probe a political "witch hunt." "If this report is correct, Trump will be arraigned tomorrow on 34 FELONIES. Each carries a possible prison term of 4 years. Bragg would not bring this case without strong evidence," she wrote about the Manhattan District Attorney leading the grand jury investigation, Alvin Bragg. "Remember, this is the same DA's office that recently convicted the Trump Org for criminal fraud." Bloom, who since 2015 has been a vocal critic of Trump and in 2016 represented pro-bono four women accusing him of sexual harassment or sexual assault, said she's convinced that the case against Trump is strong, going to the point of calling it "a prosecutor's dream" because there's a record of the former president giving conflicting versions of the story. Based on these premises, Bloom expects the 34 felony charges to be about Trump's attempts to "cover up evidence of an underlying crime, in this case the campaign nondisclosures." Most experts looking at the case against Trump expect the chance of Trump actually serving prison time if found guilty close to zero. The charges against him would also not disqualify him from running for the presidency in 2024. It's also uncertain whether Bragg would actually recommend Trump serve time in prison. The sentence will be eventually decided by the judge. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/04/jolts-february-2023-.html Job openings tumbled below 10 million in February for the first time in nearly two years Job openings fell below 10 million in February for the first time in nearly two years, in a sign that the Federal Reserve’s efforts to slow the labor market may be having some impact. Available positions totaled 9.93 million, a drop of 632,000 from January’s downwardly revised number, the Labor Department reported Tuesday in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Wall Street had been looking for 10.4 million, according to FactSet. It was the first time vacancies fell below 10 million since May 2021. The Fed has targeted the red-hot labor market in its quest to bring down inflation, which had been running at a 41-year high in the summer of 2022. The central bank has raised benchmark interest rates nine times since March 2022, but those moves had been appearing to have little impact on the jobs situation. Prior to the February data, job openings had been outnumbering available workers by nearly 2 to 1. The latest figures bring that ratio down to less than 1.7 to 1. Treasury yields fell following the release as the data could help dissuade the Fed from further rate hikes. Stocks moved lower. “The labor market is starting to loosen as the number of job openings declined in most sectors. As the economy slows, firms will likely cut openings and workers will be less likely to quit in search of better hours and higher pay,” said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial. “The Fed could consider pausing rate hikes at the next meeting but only if the upcoming employment report shows signs of material weakness and the March [consumer price index] report reveals lower inflation.” Though the numbers run a month behind, the Fed watches the JOLTS data closely for signs of labor slack. Along with the decline in job openings, hires and separations also decreased slightly. Quits, a sign of labor confidence in the ability to switch jobs, rose by 146,000 to just over 4 million. Professional and business services saw a slide of 278,000 job openings on the month, while trade, transportation and utilities decreased 210,000. Accommodation and food services, an important sector to gauge consumer demand, dropped 125,000. On the positive side, there were 129,000 new construction jobs available, though that was the only category that saw a noticeable bump. The JOLTS release comes three days ahead of fresh nonfarm payroll numbers for March. The Friday Labor Department count is expected to show a gain of 238,000, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 3.6%. https://www.dailywire.com/news/wisconsin-voters-head-to-the-polls-to-decide-balance-of-state-supreme-court Wisconsin Voters Head To The Polls To Decide Balance Of State Supreme Court Voters in Wisconsin head to the polls on Tuesday to decide the balance of the state Supreme Court in one of the most expensive court races in history. Neither candidate running for the open seat belongs to a political party. Conservative candidate and former Justice Dan Kelly, backed by most Republicans, is facing off against liberal candidate Judge Janet Protasiewicz (Pro-Tuh-Say-Witz), the preferred candidate of most Democrats, with the winner determining the ideological slant of the divided court and earning a 10-year term on the court. Protasiewicz has reportedly been backed by donations from left-wing billionaire George Soros and Gov. J.B Pritzker (D-IL), while Kelly has received support from groups like Fair Courts America, a conservative judicial organization. Total spending has exceeded $40 million, an astronomical amount compared to previous years when total spending was only around $10 million. Hollywood has even thrown its weight behind Protasiewicz, with director Steven Speilberg contributing to her campaign and actor Mark Ruffalo encouraging voters to “change the future of Wisconsin by electing Janet Protasiewicz & flipping the state supreme court.” Both candidates have suggested that the other is unfit to serve, with Kelly pointing to Protasiewicz’s left-wing ties and claiming she has a soft-on-crime sentencing history, while Protasiewicz linked Kelly to attempts to challenge the 2020 presidential election in the Badger State. During a debate earlier this year, Protasiewicz claimed that she was “running against probably one of the most extreme partisan characters in the history of the state.” Though officially non-partisan, the candidates have nearly polar opposite views, with Protasiewicz openly championing her support for abortion and Kelly receiving the endorsements of key pro-life groups in the state. Protasiewicz had an ad featuring a woman celebrating an abortion because the child could have been born with disabilities. The election could be a deciding factor in a case over Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban, which became relevant after Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer. The candidates could also play a key role in deciding the fate of other laws in the state, including election integrity measures, election maps, and gun laws. Last year, the state made a bombshell ruling, saying that Wisconsin voters could not turn their ballots into unmanned drop boxes and that voters would not be allowed to give them to others to drop off for them. This case, decided 4-3, would likely have been different with a different balance on the court. Republicans currently control the state’s general assembly, but Democrat Gov. Tony Evers won re-election in November, meaning lawmakers are limited in what laws they can get passed. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/los-angeles-decarceration-release-inmates Los Angeles floats 'decarceration' policy to release large number of inmates The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is floating a "decarceration" policy that would drastically reduce the number of people in jails, releasing many current inmates. The agenda item , added to Tuesday's meeting, is titled "Los Angeles County to Take Actionable Next Steps to Depopulate and Decarcerate the Los Angeles County Jails: Granting Local Authority, Advocating for Court and State Support, and Legislative Changes." The proposal, to be discussed during the meeting, would "declare the State of mental health services and overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jails a humanitarian crisis, requiring the County to move with all deliberate speed on meaningful solutions; and prioritize decreasing the number of individuals entering the Los Angeles County Jails" through a number of measures. In order to "reaffirm the Board’s commitment to depopulate and decarcerate," the proposal would require law enforcement to "cite and release individuals with aggregate bail amounts set at $50,000 or below" and "adopt a zero-bail schedule for individuals accused of low-level offenses, infractions, misdemeanors, and some felony offenses." The push comes as crime, including violent crime, has risen in the past few years, particularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic . An analysis found that crime increased 11% in 2022, with 60 reported crimes per 1,000 residents, compared to 2021, which saw 54 crimes per 1,000 residents. In some areas, crime has skyrocketed; downtown experienced 372 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2022. The vice president of the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys, Eric Siddall, denounced the proposal, speaking with Fox News, arguing that it would make crime in the city even worse. "The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ motion to gut parts of the criminal justice system without input from stakeholders is dangerous and recklessness," he told the outlet. "The authors sought no advice from those who know and understand public safety issues. They seek to lower the jail population without addressing the root causes of crime or protecting the public." He condemned the "catch-and-release" part of the proposal. Now this! https://www.theblaze.com/news/gone-with-the-wind-to-include-trigger-warning-intro-that-addresses-white-supremacy-in-latest-print 'Gone with the Wind' to include trigger warning, intro that addresses 'white supremacy' in latest print The publishers of the classic American novel "Gone with the Wind" will include a "harmful" trigger warning and an introduction that addresses "white supremacy," the Telegraph reported. Pan Macmillan, a publishing house based in London, has decided to affix a trigger warning to Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel. The book, which takes place in 1861, follows the story of Scarlett O'Hara, the daughter of a southern plantation owner, and her romance with Captain Rhett Butler during the Civil War. The cautionary note at the front of the new edition of the book will warn readers that it contains "racist" themes that could be "hurtful or indeed harmful." "Gone with the Wind is a novel which includes problematic elements including the romanticisation of a shocking era in our history and the horrors of slavery," the trigger warning states. "The novel includes the representation of unacceptable practices, racist and stereotypical depictions and troubling themes, characterisation, language and imagery." Pan Macmillan noted that the new edition of Mitchell's novel would remain original. New editions of works from Agatha Christie and Ian Fleming were recently altered to remove potentially offensive passages with racial references. "The text of this book remains true to the original in every way and is reflective of the language and period in which it was originally written," the cautionary note continued. "We want to alert readers that there may be hurtful or indeed harmful phrases and terminology that were prevalent at the time this novel was written and which are true to the context of the historical setting of this novel." "Pan Macmillan believes changing the text to reflect today’s world would undermine the authenticity of the original, so has chosen to leave the text in its entirety." Pan Macmillan added, "This does not, however, constitute an endorsement of the characterisation, content or language used." The cautionary note affixed to the start of the novel was written by Philippa Gregory, the author of "The Other Boleyn Girl." According to the publisher, Gregory was chosen to pen the introduction because "we believed it was important that no author from a minority background should be asked to undertake the emotional labour of being responsible for educating the majority." Gregory argued that Mitchell's novel "effectively promoted the racist planter view of the history of the South." She claimed it "defends racism" and "glamorizes and preaches white supremacy." According to Gregory, "It tells us, unequivocally, that African people are not of the same species as white people." "This is the lie that spoils the novel," Gregory adds. All I can say to the publisher is, Frankly my dear… I don’t give a damn.

The Left keeps saying nobody is above the law, but what about the person who leaked President Trump's indictment before it was unsealed? Glenn recalls Michael Isikoff's role in the leaking of the Steele dossier after Trump's indictment was leaked. Former Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy joins to discuss the Trump indictment, whether Trump can get a fair trial in Manhattan, and the legality of a gag order. Our system of checks and balances is being pushed to a breaking point. Glenn and Stu discuss the parallels between the 2016 election, the 2020 election, and what we're seeing leading up to the 2024 election with Trump and Biden as candidates. Actor Sean Patrick Flanery joins to discuss his newest film, "Nefarious," and the power of faith-based movies.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mea Culpa welcomes back to the show, legendary newsman David Corn. Corn is the Bureau Chief of Mother Jones and an on-air analyst for MSNBC. Corn and Michael Isikoff “co-authored, “Russian Roulette, The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump”. He's also the author of four New York Times best-selling books and was the long-time Washington editor for “The Nation”. For a good read, check out “Our Land”. His twice-weekly newsletter that covers everything from news of the day to entertainment, but all told in Corn's no-bullshit style. Corn has been published multiple times, but his latest bestseller,” American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy” is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the unprecedented times we live in. David and Michael take about the Georgia investigation, and what's coming for Trump on all the different legal fronts.

Guests: Jameel Jaffer, Michael Isikoff, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Peter BeinartFormer Vice President Pence revises his remarks a little too late to save Pundit Mike Pence. Tonight: new reporting on what Pence turned over to the FBI, what it means for the investigation into his old boss, and the current president. Then, are Trump-world indictments coming in Georgia? What we learned from today's dramatic hearing in Fulton County. Plus, Senator Elizabeth Warren on the latest hostage demands in the Republican debt ceiling fight. And why on earth is America's former top diplomat excusing the brutal murder of a Washington Post columnist?  

Mea Culpa welcomes back the legendary David Corn. Corn, a veteran Washington journalist, is the Bureau Chief of Mother Jones and an on-air analyst for MSMBC. Corn and Michael Isikoff “co-authored, “Russian Roulette, The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump”. He's also the author of four New York Times best-selling books and was the long-time Washington editor for “The Nation”. Check out his twice weekly newsletter “Our Land” that covers the news of the day and delivers his no-BS analysis on everything from DC politics to entertainment — Corn has been published in too many times to name, but his latest bestseller,” American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy” is a must-read for anyone interested in history and setting the record straight. Michael and David dig deep into the new GOP reign of the house, Jim Jordan, and the IRS.

Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin laid out the four criminal referrals the January 6th Committee made to the DOJ recommending that Donald J. Trump and others be investigated for the events relating to the attack on the US Capitol. The report included some startling new disclosures including testimony from a former White House staffer that is a potential case of witness tampering. How do we assess the report from the Jan 6 Committee and where do the investigations go from here? We talk to Rep. Raskin and one of the Committee's star witnesses, retired Federal Appellate Court Judge J. Michael Luttig.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the Pantheon of American conspiracy theories, the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy is the gift that keeps on giving. For nearly 60 years it has been dissected and debated by partisans of countless conspiracy theories. So what does the newly released material on the matter show? And what are they still keeping secret? In this bonus episode of Conspiracyland, we talk to two leading experts on the subject, former New York Times reporter Phil Shenon and former Washington Post Reporter Jeff Morley.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the Pantheon of American conspiracy theories, the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy is the gift that keeps on giving. For nearly 60 years it has been dissected and debated by partisans of countless conspiracy theories. So what does the newly released material on the matter show? And what are they still keeping secret? We talk to two leading experts on the subject, former New York Times reporter Phil Shenon and former Washington Post Reporter Jeff Morley.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Ron Deibert, who runs the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, to discuss the “mercenary spyware” industry - and its proclivity for providing “almost god-like” spyware programs to governments who've been proven to use them to surveil “opposition politicians, human rights activists, journalists, academics, embassy workers, and political dissidents.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The violent insurrection at the Capitol last year was a sobering day for American democracy, and yet many people thought that - at the very least - it would break the fever that had overcome the Republican Party and push it to separate itself from Trump and move on from his repeated lies with respect to “the big steal.”That is not what happened - instead, the past two years represented a pivot point between “this is not normal “ and “this is dangerous and not going away” as we've all been witness to GOP taking the “plunge deeper into a Trumpian cult of compulsive dissembling and conspiracy mongering,” falling “hostage to the party's most fevered extremists” as “the usual partisan differences [have given] way to an existential call to arms.”So writes journalist Robert Draper in his recently published “Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost its Mind,” an account of how a “new breed” of Republicans - the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Madison Cawthorn - far from moving on from Trump, have taken the “politics of hysteria” to even greater extremes.Through his extraordinarily intrepid cross-country reporting, Draper chronicles the ascent of these faces of the “new GOP” among the Republican base and within Congress, rendering unforgettable portraits of how “Greene and her ilk” came hold such sway over the GOP, shaping its terms of engagement to an extent that the GOP establishment - likes of Kevin McCarthy - would only begrudgingly admit.On this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Draper to talk about just how the GOP has, as he says, “lost its mind.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“I have been accused of having obstructed the war. I admit it. I abhor war. I would oppose the war if I stood alone. I believe in free speech, in war as well as in peace.” So said Eugene Debs on September 12th, 1918 to members of a jury tasked with deciding whether he had, as prosecutors argued, during a speech given a few weeks earlier to a crowd of socialists attempted “to promote insubordination [in the military]” and “propagate obstruction to the [military] draft.” Debs - a socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of, among many leftist groups, the Socialist Party of America - would be convicted of and handy a lengthy prison sentence for violating the Espionage Act, pushed through Congress the year prior by former President Woodrow Wilson - just after the United States entered into the war in Europe.Upon signing the Act - which made criminal dissent against the war - into law, Wilson, at once, began to use it to go after opposition to the establishment - communists, socialists, trade unionists - and continued to do so even after the war had ended.This is just one of the many subjects of American Midnight, journalist and historian Adam Hochschild's recent book, in which he examines a period during which the United States saw a swell of patriotic frenzy and political repression that makes McCarthyism look almost subtle by comparison - 1917-21.On this episode of “Buried Treasure,” we sit down with Hochschild to look back on this all too often unremembered period that gave birth to the Espionage Act - some of the “darkest years of the republic” in which the government and political establishment weren't at all opposed to blatantly illiberal approaches to achieving their desired outcomes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Every so often over the past quarter-century, analysts have predicted that Iran was on the cusp of major change. They always turned out to be wrong. Now, unrest is engulfing the country yet again.” So writes Jason Rezeian in a recent piece for the Washington Post about the threats the Iranian government is facing, what people are saying - and why this time could be different. For the past three months, Iran has been rocked by protests prompted by the death of a young woman - Mahsa Amini - while in the custody of Iran's “morality police” for the alleged crime of wearing an improper hijab. Images of Amini - bruised and on life support - spread on social media, and her name has become the latest rallying cry in what have been largely women-powered protests against the government's repression and misogyny.It has been estimated by human rights organisations that - over the course of the protests - hundreds have died, thousands have been injured, and yet thousands more detained - upwards of 18,000 people.Rezaian, the global opinions writer for the Washington Post, served as the Post's bureau chief in Tehran from 2012 to mid 2015, before he was arrested and convicted on bogus espionage charges and held in an Iranian prison for a year and half before being released in early 2016 as a part of a prisoner exchange with the United States. Rezaian joins us to discuss the protests, Iran's worsening relations with the West, and what he thinks the future holds for the Islamic republicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced what amounts to a legal bombshell in the two most high profile investigations being carried out by his department. He's appointing a Special Council to oversee the ongoing probes into whether Donald Trump illegally sought to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election. And whether he violated federal law by taking classified documents from the White House and then refused to turn them over in response to a court approved subpoena. Garland named Jack Smith, a career department prosecutor who once headed the Justice Department's Integrity Section to the job of determining Trump should be prosecuted. And yet Garland still has ultimate power to approve or reject whatever Smith decides. What does this move mean for Trump's future and the integrity of the Justice Department? We talk to Michael Zeldin, a former career prosecutor and Independent Council himself. And then we check in with Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the human rights group D.A.W.N. about the State Department's controversial decision to recommend shielding Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman from a lawsuit.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mea Culpa welcomes back David Corn, the veteran Washington journalist, Bureau Chief Mother of Jones, and an on-air analyst for MSNBC. Corn co-authored with Michael Isikoff “Russian Roulette, The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump. He's also the author of 3 New York Times best-selling books as was the long time Washington editor of “The Nation”. David has written for numerous magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harper's, and The Atlantic. He regularly appears on Face the Nation and PBS's Newshour and often provides commentary on National Public Radio. Michael and David talk about everything from the raid on Mara Largo to Trump's legal woes to the upcoming midterms. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices