Eugene Puryear, host on BreakThrough News, joins Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to discuss the violence that has unfolded this past week in Sudan.Fighting has escalated between General Abdel Fattah Burhan and Sudan's military and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as Hemedti) and a paramilitary force known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).During the conversation, Eugene describes who the players are and how the people of Sudan are caught in between their jostling for power. He also addresses the widespread claim that somehow Russia must be behind the skirmishes.Later, Kevin asks Eugene and Rania to comment on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and their partnership with the Sesame Workshop on programming for children in Iraq. Samantha Power, a warmonger and poser for human rights who leads USAID, characterized the project in a very nauseating way.The show concludes with Eugene reacting to the U.S. Justice Department indicting Chairman Omali Yeshitela of the African People's Socialist Party and at least two other members affiliated with the Black liberation group. In 2022, the FBI targeted them in raids.Yeshitela spoke at an antiwar rally in Washington, D.C., on the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The demonstration, which was livestreamed by BreakThrough News, also called for diplomatic negotiations instead of further escalation in the war in Ukraine.

Brian Becker, national director for the ANSWER Coalition and host of BreakThrough News' "Socialist Program," joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq and a major antiwar rally planned for March 18 in Washington, D.C.   During the episode, Brian reflects on the antiwar movement before and during the Iraq War and what can be learned from organizing in the 2000s as activists struggle for an end to the war in Ukraine.  Brian also comments on the role of the press in helping the US government spread lies that justified the war.

This show was unlocked for all viewers. Become a subscriber at TheDissenter.org to help keep the Unauthorized Disclosure podcast going.   Kari Lydersen, a Chicago-based reporter, author, and journalist instructor, joins the Unauthorized Disclosure podcast to discuss her feature story for In These Times, "The Case For Nationalizing the Railroads."   Lydersen has covered labor in Chicago and throughout the United States for many years. In this interview, she shares the experiences of railroad workers who united around a strike to help them win paid sick days in their contract. But President Joe Biden sided with the railroad barons and helped corporate executives stop the strike.  Profit margins for the major railroad companies are staggering. Later, Lydersen highlights the four corporations that control US railroads. She describes some of the health and safety struggles that railroad workers deal with daily. She talks about why we see around 1,700 train derailments in any given year. She also addresses what nationalization of the US railroad system might look like and also why so many shipments of goods are transported by trucks than trains, even though trains are more efficient.

This is an edited version. For full episodes, subscribe to the podcast at TheDissenter.org. Ollie Vargas, a contributor to Kawsachun News and co-host of Latin America Review, returns to the Unauthorized Disclosure podcast to discuss the latest developments in Peru. Back in 2022, a right-wing coup removed Peru President Pedro Castillo from power. He was replaced by Dina Boluarte, who had been his vice president. Boluarte has chosen to serve the interests of the oligarchy over indigenous and working class people the country. As part of our conversation, Ollie provides an overview of the violence and repression that Boluarte's US-backed regime has inflicted upon Peruvians in the past months. General strikes have unfolded for several weeks. He offers a recap of this resistance. Ollie addresses the US role in propping up the government, and he describes what grassroots groups have learned as they reflect on what they must do when they regain power in order to prevent a coup from happening again.

Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK co-founder and co-author of War In Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, and Ann Wright, a CODEPINK member, retired Army colonel, and former State Department diplomat, join “Unauthorized Disclosure” hosts Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola to discuss the high stakes of a protracted conflict in Ukraine. Initially, President Joe Biden said the United States would not ship tank to Ukraine. That line was crossed, and now Ukraine would like fighter jets. Both Medea and Ann address the issue of escalating with more and more weapons and military equipment and crossing red lines that are drawn by officials.

Medea draws from her experience in antiwar organizing to share how difficult it has been to advocate for a diplomatic settlement and mobilize Americans to oppose fueling this war. Later in the conversation, Ann, who lives in Hawaii, responds to the prevalent idea that the conflict in Ukraine against Russia has been a test run for a war over Taiwan against China. Hawaii is a US military launchpad for Asia-Pacific exercises and actions intended to curtail China’s influence in the region. The Chinese “spy balloon” incident shows just how rapidly a scenario could develop that resulted in a devastating conflict.

Please enjoy free access to a full and uncut episode of the Unauthorized Disclosure weekly podcast typically available for only subscribers.   Ben Norton, editor for Multipolarista, returns to the podcast to discuss the United States-backed coups and lawfare in Peru and Argentina. Peru President Pedro Castillo, who came from a background as an indigenous peasant, was removed from power by the right-wing legislature and arrested. A show trial was held, and he has been sentenced to 18 months of "preventative detention."   In Argentina, Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was barred by the judiciary from running for president again. The political charge against her bears a lot of similarity to the political charge that was leveled by the right-wing in Brazil against President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.   Ben challenges several misconceptions about Castillo and the coup in Peru while also recounting events that led up to the third impeachment against him that created the conditions for his removal. He also highlights how the US ambassador to Peru was in the CIA. While providing an overview of recent events in Argentina, Ben details the extent to which oligarchs in the country hold influence over the judiciary.

Todd Miller is a journalist and editor for The Border Chronicle, who lives in Tucson, Arizona. He consistently has documented life at the United States-Mexico border. And he returns to the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast this week.

Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola talk with Todd about how President Joe Biden's Justice Department is fighting for a Trump-era border policy, progress on the "smart" border wall, and "wall sickness"—the psychological impact that people living in communities near the border experience.

NOTE: This interview was not produced as part of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast, but it is shared here to help give Stefania and her book some additional exposure. Italian journalist Stefania Maurizi partnered with WikiLeaks and covered military reports on the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars and US diplomatic cables related to Italy and the Vatican. She met WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange multiple times. She saw firsthand how WikiLeaks worked on publications, even as the United States government ramped up its efforts to target and suppress the media organization.    Now, the English-translation of Stefania's book, "Secret Power: WikiLeaks and Its Enemies," is out from Pluto Press, and she joins Shadowproof's Kevin Gosztola to discuss this chronicle centered on her time as a media partner. The book also details her efforts to pursue freedom of information lawsuits against the US, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Australia for denying her access to documents related to the prosecution of Assange.   Stefania kindly endorsed Kevin's forthcoming book on the Assange case, and Kevin is pleased to be able to show his support for Stefania's work and share this interview.

Joshua Frank, journalist and co-editor of CounterPunch, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast to discuss his book, Atomic Days: The Untold Story of the Most Toxic Place in America. It examines the Hanford nuclear waste site in Washington state and all the dangers that the site poses to humanity, despite the fact that numerous whistleblowers have risked their lives to warn us of potential catastrophes.   ***ENJOY THE INTERVIEW? Become a subscriber at TheDissenter.org***   In the interview, Joshua recounts the role that Hanford played in the development of the US atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He describes how Hanford is part of the "permanent disaster economy" and the corruption that surrounds the US Energy Department's contracts for cleanup and maintenance of the nuclear site.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, recently co-authored the book, "War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict," and is touring the United States. She joined the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast to discuss the missile incident in Poland and obstacles to pursuing peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.   ***BECOME A SUBSCRIBER: Go to TheDissenter.org*** Later in the interview, Medea highlights the work that CODEPINK did on COP27, the climate conference which was held in Egypt. They challenged Egypt's repression and jailing of activists of like Alaa Abd El-Fattah and urged world leaders to pay more attention to how wars fuel climate change. She also addresses how the Biden administration has continued to invoke "state-sponsored terrorism" to strangle Cuba and why that must end.