Aaron Maté and Max Blumenthal speak with Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitri Polyanskiy, on escalated tensions on the Russian-Ukraine border, US accusations of an imminent Russian invasion, and the context missing from a US media that refuses to interview Russian officials. Guest: Dmitri Polyanskiy. Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations.

Pushback with Aaron Mate

Russian UN Ambassador on NATO-Ukraine escalation

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a 2020 candidate, Joe Biden vowed to "end the sale" of weapons to Saudi Arabia "murdering children" and other "innocent people" in Yemen. As president, Biden has continued US support for the Saudi-led war and pushed through new weapons sales. Last week, at least 90 Yemenis were killed in a Saudi attack using a Raytheon-made bomb. Shireen Al-Adeimi discusses Biden's Yemen betrayal and how Congressional opposition to the Saudi-led war has declined since he took office. Guest: Shireen Al-Adeimi, assistant professor of education at Michigan State University.

Biden's Yemen betrayal: US continues backing Saudi-led war

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The US is pouring more weapons into Ukraine amid bellicose threats against Russia and the US-backed Saudi war on Yemen continues to massacre civilians. But not everyone sees a downside: “I fully expect we’re going to see some benefit from it,” Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes said this week of these and other flashpoints. Andrew Cockburn, Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and author of “The Spoils of War: Power, Profit and the American War Machine,” discusses the US arms industry’s role in promoting and profiting from today’s global conflicts, from Ukraine to Yemen to Syria. Cockburn also looks back on his groundbreaking 1988 PBS documentary, made with his wife Leslie Cockburn, “Guns, Drugs, and the CIA,” about the agency’s role in the global drug trade. Guest: Andrew Cockburn. Washington editor for Harper’s Magazine. His latest book is “The Spoils of War: Power, Profit and the American War Machine.”

From Ukraine to Yemen, US arms industry reaps the spoils of war

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The US and UK are ramping up threats to Russia over Ukraine by sending more weapons, vowing more sanctions, and lodging evidence-free claims of a Russian plot to install a pro-Kremlin leader. But comments by Germany's navy chief that Russia "deserves respect" -- leading to his resignation -- underscore that not everyone is on board with Washington and London's war fever. Scholar and author Richard Sakwa discusses the latest in the Ukraine crisis. Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include “Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War.”

US and UK escalate Russia war fever, but NATO splits over Ukraine emerge

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate After defeating the US and its allies' decade-long dirty war, Syria is finding ways to rebuild under US military occupation and crippling sanctions/economic warfare. Author Tim Anderson discusses Syria's post-war recovery under sanctions and occupation; routine Israeli bombings and Russia's failure to stop them; Syria joining China's Belt and Road Initiative; and, in the wake of recent New York Times exposes on deadly US airstrikes that were covered up in Syria, how the US used ISIS as a tool for regime change while claiming to fight it. Guest: Tim Anderson. Writer, academic, and Director of the Sydney-based Centre for Counter Hegemonic Studies. His books include "The Dirty War on Syria" and "Axis of Resistance." Discussed in this segment: Tim Anderson: "Syria: Why the US massacre at Al-Baghouz?" https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/syria:-why-the-us-massacre-at-al-baghouz Aaron Maté: "To keep troops in Syria, US leaders are lying like in Afghanistan" https://mate.substack.com/p/to-keep-troops-in-syria-us-leaders

Syria’s post-war recovery challenges US hegemony

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Douglas Macgregor, a retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon senior advisor, analyzes the US-Russia standoff in Ukraine; the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan; Trump's failure to act on 2016 campaign anti-interventionist rhetoric, only to surround himself with neocons; and the ongoing, overlooked US military occupation of Syria after the decade-long CIA dirty war. "The Military Industrial Congressional Complex," Macgregor says, "seems to be more powerful than anyone who occupies the office of the presidency." Guest: Douglas Macgregor, retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon senior advisor.

US war lobby fuels conflict in Russia, Ukraine, and Syria: ex-Pentagon advisor

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate New reports explore how the OPCW suppressed findings that undermined US-led allegations of a chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. Dr. Piers Robinson and Aaron Maté discuss the latest revelations on how the OPCW censored science. Senior OPCW officials doctored the original report; erased the conclusions of expert toxicologists who ruled out chlorine gas as the cause of death; and thwarted the key investigate area of forensic pathology, which could have helped determine how the dozens of civilian victims in Douma lost their lives. Instead of explaining the extensive suppression, OPCW Director General Fernando Arias has avoided questions; offered false excuses; and smeared the veteran scientists who challenged the cover-up from within. Guest: Dr. Piers Robinson. Co-Director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies, and convenor of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. Working with the Berlin Group 21, led by veteran diplomats Hans von Sponeck and Jose Bustani to seek accountability for the OPCW cover-up. Links: Berlin Group 21: https://berlingroup21.org/ Piers Robinson: “The OPCW Douma Investigation: Manipulation of Key Toxicology and Related Information Regarding Alleged Victims between the Original Interim Report and the Final Report” https://syriapropagandamedia.org/1200-2 Aaron Maté: "Corrupting Science" series at The Grayzone Part 1: “In Syria probe, OPCW erased experts’ inconvenient findings” https://thegrayzone.com/2021/11/22/corrupting-science-in-syria-probe-opcw-erased-experts-inconvenient-findings/ Part 2: “Shunning forensic expertise, OPCW left Douma murders in Syria unsolved” https://thegrayzone.com/2021/12/06/corrupting-science-part2/

How the OPCW’s Syria probe censored science

At the Vienna talks on restoring the Iran nuclear deal, the US and EU are accusing Iran of refusing to compromise. Mohammad Marandi, a University of Tehran professor advising the Iran delegation in Vienna, says that the compromise was the nuclear deal itself, and the problem is the US refusal to abide by its own commitments and lift the sanctions that target Iranian civilians. Guest: Mohammad Marandi. Professor at the University of Tehran and adviser to the Iran delegation at talks on restoring the JCPOA in Vienna. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Biden keeps Trump's crushing sanctions yet blames Iran for nuclear impasse

Russia is seeking a legally binding pledge that NATO will stop expanding east, including to Ukraine. If the US refuses, is war next? Scholar and author Richard Sakwa analyzes the growing Russia-Ukraine conflict and how Russiagate fueled it. Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include "Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands" and his latest, "Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

War in Ukraine? NATO expansion drives conflict with Russia

Brian Jackson, a keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and producer, put out a string of legendary albums with his music partner Gil Scott-Heron, in the 1970s. Jackson discusses the duo's prolific, influential run and some of their most famous songs, including "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "The Bottle", and "Winter in America." He also talks about current projects, including a new album on the label Jazz is Dead. Guest: Brian Jackson. Keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and producer. Former music partner to Gil Scott-Heron. His new album is "Brian Jackson JID008." https://www.brianjackson.net/ https://jazzisdead.co/Brian-Jackson-JID008 https://twitter.com/brian__jackson Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

'Willing': Brian Jackson’s revolutionary music, from Gil Scott-Heron to today

One year ago this month, a conflict broke out in Ethiopia when the TPLF -- the country's former ruling party -- attacked government forces in what it claimed was a preemptive strike. Thousands have been killed and millions have been displaced. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused the US of backing the TPLF to overthrow his government. Hermela Aregawi, an Ethiopian-American journalist of Tigrayan descent, argues that Western media has distorted the Ethiopian war in support of sanctions and regime change, at the cost of many lives. Guest: Hermela Aregawi. Independent journalist focusing on the conflict in Ethiopia. https://twitter.com/HermelaTV

War in Ethiopia fueled by Western propaganda

Igor Danchenko, the main source for the Clinton-campaign funded Steele dossier, has been indicted for lying to the FBI. The indictment's revelations are humiliating for the influential political, media, and intelligence voices who promoted Steele as credible, and raise new questions about the FBI's handling of the Trump-Russia probe. Veteran journalist Barry Meier, author of "Spooked", and Aaron Maté discuss. Guest: Barry Meier. A veteran, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. His latest book is "Spooked: The Trump Dossier, Black Cube, and the Rise of Private Spies." https://www.barrymeierbooks.com/ Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Indictment of Steele dossier source humiliates its media, intel cheerleaders

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In his new documentary "Drills of Liberation" (Simulacros de liberación), filmmaker Juan Carlos Dávila goes inside Puerto Rico's social movements as they resist crippling Washington-imposed austerity and provide life-saving mutual aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Guest: Juan Carlos Dávila. Journalist and documentary filmmaker whose new documentary is "Drills of Liberation" (Simulacros de liberación). https://twitter.com/juancinedoc https://www.simulacrosdeliberacion.com/

Inside Puerto Rico's struggle against crippling austerity and Hurricane Maria's devastation

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a CIA analyst, David McCloskey covered Syria from 2008 to 2014. He draws on his experience for his new spy thriller, "Damascus Station," set during the early years of the Syrian war. David McCloskey joins Aaron Maté to discuss "Damascus Station"; the early years of the Syrian war; the role of foreign powers including the US; the US decision to support the insurgency despite knowing that Al Qaeda and other Salafi jihadist groups were its "primary engine"; allegations of chemical weapons attacks in Syria; and the direction of US policy in post-war Syria. Guest: David McCloskey. Former CIA analyst who covered Syria for six years, from 2008 to 2014. Wrote memos for the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), lived and worked in CIA field stations throughout the region, and briefed senior White House officials, members of Congress, and Arab royalty. His new book is "Damascus Station", a spy thriller set during the early years of the Syrian war. "Damascus Station", by David McCloskey https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393881042

Fmr. CIA analyst on the hidden realities of Syria's war and new novel, 'Damascus Station'

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a top investigator on the House Intelligence Committee, Kash Patel helped uncover the Clinton campaign's funding of the Steele dossier and the FBI's extensive and deceptive reliance on it. Patel joins Aaron Maté to discuss Steele's new attempt to defend his discredited work via a softball interview with ABC News. Patel also addresses the key role of newly indicted Clinton lawyer Michael Sussmann in hiring and overseeing another heavily influential Clinton campaign contractor, CrowdStrike, the cyber-firm behind the foundational allegation that Russia hacked the DNC. "CrowdStrike is one of the biggest culprits of the Russia fraud," Patel says. "For some reason, for the only time in FBI history that I can think of, they allowed an outside non-government entity to referee. That is, to go in and seize the servers of a target of an investigation and let a third party, CrowdStrike, referee what the FBI could and could not have access to." Guest: Kash Patel. Former senior government official in the Trump administration. Previously, Patel served as a top investigator on the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee, where he was instrumental in exposing US intelligence misconduct in the Trump-Russia investigation. Also served as a national security official in the Obama-era Justice Department and Pentagon.

CrowdStrike one of Russiagate's 'biggest culprits': ex-House investigator

A news show hosted by Aaron Maté. Presented by The Grayzone.

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Pushback with Aaron Mate

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