that is like totalitarianism this social credit score and yet they pushed for the same thing to happen to alex jones basically he's been pulled from the grid in the same way that the chinese government is imposing on their citizens through the social credit score so it's very similar except for they're saying well because it's a private company because as google and facebook and twitter that these are private companies it's not really the government doing well at least from companies or operating out of the public airwaves. the apples trillion dollar market capitalization should be in part reimbursed to every american in there for a one k. plans or there are a plans as a stock dividend the fact that they can privately remove from the public domain the wealth of the nation and in return give censorship and an extraordinarily bankrupt and few tile nightmarish quagmire of piss and right junk it is not american obviously well i mean of course there's censorship resistance on the block

chain and there are alternatives developing and i reckon that this is going to be a good time for the censorship resistant sort of social media platforms like minds that com like steam and like all these other places where you can go and it's literally impossible to delete your content so it's out there and it's up there but in the meantime you know here again i just want to say that at least alex shows this conspiracy theories there's always the government behind every wacky conspiracy whether it's pizza gate or some other crazy theory but right now we have like lots of conspiracy theories presented on the mainstream media but those are kind of acceptable and they tend to be i believe my feeling is that when i watch rachel maddow in particular she's kind of seems like very similar to me in my eyes to alex jones but her conspiracies are that. not the government but the people

of the united states the voters are somehow involved in a conspiracy against the government and against the elite the crazy conspiracy theorists that they're all worthless there that all money the bus forget about the back of the bus just run them over with the we because we want rush limbaugh wonder bread and fake news so you die that's america hey i take a break come back right after this go away.

america was never great was founded on the rapes and murders. nothing changed so we said all response to these situations that we do in the ways. people get shot every kill the day he is just people killing each other black people killing children. there was just no way that people are going to just sit back and allow children to be shot down by law enforcement. this

country doesn't work for us it doesn't function for us. this is can't be happening in america we call from the streets we've got to deal with life this is the reason i have to rat like this is the reason. welcome back to the kaiser report i'm max kaiser time to turn to max blumenthal who is senior editor at the gray zone project welcome back to kaiser report good to be back you know the one question i want to ask you and just keep in the back your mind is that there's a timeline of how the slippery slope that america's falling down into some. absolute kind of tar pit of horribleness and we're going to we're going to come to

that question a minute just keep that in the back you know my. first. facebook they shut down the page for a local d.c. based anti-fascist group the headline shouted to the american public that it was the russians but the activists were not russians ok your thoughts yes this was one of the few facebook pages organizing a counter protest to the upcoming neo nazi unite the right march all of the pages that were shut down by facebook most of which average between zero and seven followers clearly a threat this must be putin's thirteen dimensional chess to like out match the u.s. by attracting zero followers all of them were left wing liberal sites and some of them may have been fake this one was real and as i said at the beach when russia gate really exploded into the open and i said this very publicly it will blow that back on the left yet there's a point there's a point so when you go out there and you start censoring folks you know it now they can know where to stop and now it's blowing back it's all coming home the chickens

are coming back and now it's like a just a mad house of such a ship ok what is the atlantic council coup finances them what role is the atlantic council playing in monitoring and censoring content posted to facebook what anyone who's watching the show cares about independent media should know because facebook has been so important for those of us who are in alternative and. independent media that facebook has hired a group called d.f. r.l. lab which operates out of the nato and arms industry funded atlantic council also funded by saudi arabia and another bunch of pro freedom advocates in the gulf including turkey which arrests more journalist in any other country and. the job is basically to market facebook's findings and takedowns of these pages and to justify it they put out a report on medium dot com justifying taking down these pages which were said to be russian they tried to link them to russia without coming up with conclusive proof

the pages were wrecked the report was actually authored by the atlantic council's resident bot hunter who falsely identified two living human beings including a british pensioner and vala sits a ukrainian concert pianist as russian bots and here he's linked pages like resistors and a page on mindfulness and holistic living to a supposed russian propaganda plot to sow division in the u.s. there's a racial undercurrent in the findings on this medium dot com post that one of the pages that was taken down was dedicated according to the atlantic council to celebrating the beauty of african women and black pride and that they concluded was an attempt to divide americans and so division so celebrating the beauty of black women is sowing division and that's how they're filching out these pages and it's it's very disturbing to me along with the fact that many of my alternative media

colleagues like lee camp from redacted tonight have noticed that facebook is deep prioritizing their posts they've refused to allow me to take out ads for my own factual reporting and they've basically put a ceiling on the amount of followers people like lee camp can get something fishy is going on and i'm sure has been going to something less about alex jones for a second that he spent time in the doghouse for a while. ca is what i would call an extreme satirists as conspiracy theories except her are you know off the charts in terms of their connection to reality is that a lot of times us but we've seen the extreme such fire in the past in jonathan swift for example his work of eating babies and things like that work is that it's just anyway all these major media companies seemed like they colluded they got on a conference call and they just all together at one time d. platform my thoughts on alex jones is that you know after nine eleven there was a lot of questioning about what was behind this attack and questioning of the

official version i think there was an illegitimate side of the truth movement which was interested in internal explosions in the world trade center and you know false flags and there was a legitimate side that was interested in the saudi connection which we validated and you know question asking legitimate questions about blowback things like that alex jones role was to eliminate the legitimate side and take everyone and take all that energy that was questioning the bush administration in the official line and move it to the right he started injecting anti immigrant vitriol into the kind of truth movement and just generally moved everyone to the right i think in that sense he's actually benefited the establishment but at this point he's been singled out kind of as the most prominent and chaos causing conspiracy theorists so he's the easiest target for silicon valley and collusion d. platforming across the board huge tech companies acting at the same time as that

slack is what is there is there and that if you have huge tech companies that can pretty much control everything we see and hear colluding with the government to shut down someone who i have nothing but contempt for and it's a precedent for shutting the rest of us down it has to be opposed on principle i said the same thing right surely. someone i respect you know i say like he if you're out in the woods or their friend in a bears attacking you know you don't have to. run the bear is at that run your friend like for me out challenge with the guy who if they were going to come after alternative media they would eat him first yeah he's the most recognizable right right and he's the most so there they just ate him he made it into a you know richard linklater film you know as a cult figure ok so he's not you know now the next layer you know who's next type of thing i mean there's the there are totally without control by the way i would actually say that our t. was first and it's the easiest target because it's russian backed you go after r t then you start taking on people who are simply you know private american backed

individuals ok let me go to my my my original question is the timeline question i remember at the receiving end of this interview ok so this sounds like dystopian nightmare stuff like you read in one thousand any for you know like this is in like media out of control censorship out of control so historically were what were the precedent for this were we seen this type of behavior before historically or is this unprecedented and are we going down a slippery slope somewhere with all this because it seems like now we're at a pier a point of no return in a lot of ways with something that's clearly out of control can you can you give us on a store a goal kind of view were we are it goes back to you know the founding of the united states we've never been a democracy can look at the alien and sedition act which limited speech you can look at the palmer raids under wilson which were just used to basically round up

anyone promoting socialism inside the united states and arrested an entire generation of leftist and destroyed the you know the first real left wing movement in the u.s. you can look at the mccarthy era everybody knows about the mccarthy era but now we're in a much more confusing era where a lot of people who are traumatized by the election of trump and the rise of trump ism. are willing to justify in their own minds the suppression of someone like alex jones who i find completely contemptible without considering the long term consequences and the consequences will be the same a limiting of speech this is being carried out by i think the most dangerous element in the us which is the radical center the john brennan center the center of these you know former intelligence agents who have been hired as the radical center what is not a call center the you know the center of the american political mainstream which pushes the most radical policies from regime change around the world to structural

adjustment policies on the third world and has completely destabilized entire regions of the world while posing as moderates they are the ones in control of the supposedly rules based liberal international order that hasn't serve the majority of people in the west and they cannot handle the fact that they are being rejected in the u.k. whether it's by people who voted for breaks that are people who are supporting jeremy corbyn and they've been rejected in the us whether it's by people who supported bernie sanders or what their vision of donald trump as an anti-establishment figure is and they came up with this plague of fake news in order to shut down alternative media as part of a general agenda to limit our freedom to think ok an international scene you've recently interviewed denny or tega who's been a president of nicaragua sr thousand and seven there's been some recent unrest violence what's going on first according to the mainstream media presents it and

then according to what you believe is actually happening it's really shocking if you just google nicaragua you'll find a greek chorus of pro regime change grey propaganda in every outlet from the guardian to democracy now to the new york times and none of them did what i did have done what i did which was to actually go to nicaragua and talk to the masses send in east. supporters who were abused and tortured during a violent right wing coup attempt that nearly shut down the country cost it five hundred million dollars and was designed not just to topple daniel ortega but to destroy the send in east a movement of two to two point five million people one of the most cohesive movements per progressive social change to benefit workers in latin america and that's what this is about it was about destroying an example of socialism to the rest of latin america it was funded substantially by usa id and the regime change arm of the united states the national endowment for democracy and we don't hear

about any of that we don't meet any of the student leaders who are beaten half to death shot or tortured because they turned against this plan for regime change and we see no analysis of it what it was was a classic color revolution like the kind we saw in eastern europe blended with the horrors of libya and syria except fortunately for the people of nicaragua the rebels in this case were not armed by the us they had been the bloodshed would still be continuing to send in east the government has defeated a coup and in the us media it's still being portrayed as some kind of people's revolution it was a right wing counter revolution initiative in israel very similar very similar to what we saw in venezuela with the go team bus where the right wing opposition would close off entire neighborhoods with roadblocks to try to damage the economy they would attack anyone any supporters of the government in that area and then they'd been given clashing with the police who were attempting to restore order they

actually shared tactics online and even traveled to nicaragua to share their violent tactics and for the first time in nicaragua we didn't see this during the civil war in the one nine hundred eighty s. supporters of the sent in east as were burned alive burned alive that's what we saw in venezuela the republic you million people lashed to trees and strip nude and whipped on video i interviewed the wife. of a police officer who on his day off was kidnapped by the opposition dragged by a truck and taken to a road block where he was burned alive on video the videos there for everyone to see but for some reason u.s. media isn't reporting this side and as i reported at the grey zone project doing working with a independent researcher in nicaragua to do a case by case analysis of each death that occurred between the middle of june and april eighteenth when this kicked off send in east as have probably suffered more deaths more murders at the hands of the opposition than the opposition suffered at the hands of daniel ortega government so this is the big lie that is being pushed

in congress and in the media that ortega and his government have killed over three hundred people that's totally false but. the rats thanks me on the hazard thanks for having me i was going to do it for this edition of the kaiser report with me my geyser and states i would like to i guess max blumenthal you can reach us on twitter a times report the next time.

when a loved one is murder it's natural to seek the death penalty for the murder i would prefer and it means to live the death penalty just because they think that's the fair thing the right thing research shows that for every nine executions one convict. dennison the idea that we were executing innocent people was terrifying is just no way to present and that we want even many of victims families want the death penalty to be abolished the case we have to keep the death penalty here is because that's what murder victims' families what that's going to give them peace that's going to give them justice and we come in and say. not quite enough we've been through this this isn't the way.

finally in a tub full enough that if you could have let me now cause a little bit on thousand people fine about. finding a few of you would it be that easy to find and found that out in me. plus is that going to get the plus to people. getting. cut off that it might have been my little bit of a wonderful enough that i little bit out of the fact that that out of money could be no doubt much of the way for the mob not to go to jail but it. exists in london just slightly lose. some borders of the. city. to see. if anybody will follow.

top stories the government of syria continues a massive reconstruction efforts with the vast majority of the country's territory now liberated from islamic states. oh my god let me just use the time to be funny on the part of the drama that just also a protest in the gaza strip sees palestinians attempting to break through the border fence israeli soldiers respond with tear gas meanwhile the rap artist has shots of fame off to filming a video out the demonstration. no no. no. control the sea ignites in the us soft heavy clinton packs

a young girl whom else during the pledge of allegiance in a protest against social injustice blow girl needs to spend more time in a constructive manner trying to get what she wants it's not to say it's wrong for them to basically stand up for what they believe in what this little girl was doing that's all. my colleagues were received in the studio the next hour with a complete rundown and today's stories that for now and i'll take the experts across told to bait donald trump's middle east policy. hello and welcome to crossfire we're all things considered i'm peter lavelle a trumpy in kind of view it is an understatement to say donald trump is an

unconventional and an orthodox political figure his critics do have a point when they say trump appears to be harsher with than with. real or imagined enemies then there's the middle east and iran why is trump so obsessed with terrain . across talking a trompe and kind of view i'm joined by my guest peter ford in london he's a former british ambassador to syria and rein in washington we have james jaharis he's a former u.s. diplomat and former advisor to u.s. senate republican leadership and in new york we have richard murphy he is a former u.s. career in basad or to syria and currently an adjunct scholar at the middle east institute right gentlemen crosstalk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want i always appreciate james let me go to you first in washington because you've rapidly become the donald trump sure for me you i know you're a supporter of the president and you have

a great foreign policy expertise so i want to see if we can kind of. unpack a few things here for example i give president trump kudo's with north korea if something could happen there it's very very complicated the parlay is going to be long and hard but i think it took a lot of courage to engage that unlike past administrations. in europe with his european allies through and nato tough love there i think he's doing absolutely the right things you want to be protected ok if russia is such a terrible threat but want to pay for it ok it's pretty simple but then the wrinkle comes in james i mean the middle east i mean the trump administration isn't braced israel and saudi arabia much more than passage ministrations iran is are again a target with the rhetoric and the planning and all of that i don't see any rhyme or reason to would all can you is there

a silver bullet for you to give me to make me understand it go ahead james well let me draw an analogy to start with people of those us that. trump since the day he took office even before he has been under siege from people in the intelligence community i think that's one reason why he and the sun the moon and the stars to the pentagon he had to have somebody who was on his side when we put it to the international context that you just raised look we've got clients and i do call them clients of not satellites in europe in the far east like south korea and japan i think he can afford to kick them around but when we come to the middle east and talk about israel and saudi arabia i don't think there's so much our clients as we're their client given the kind of influence the israelis and the saudis have in this town it's not so easy to cross them so i think he is proceeding much more carefully there just as he indulges the pentagon i think he's indulging those countries but we're going to have to see now he can turn the corner especially if he can work out something with mr putin on syria with regard to essentially keeping

the israelis and the iranians away from each other near the golan heights we might have the beginning of something constructive in that region but that's going to be a very tough road to hoe i think ok it's interesting peter what weigh in on that too because i guess if you do i restate my first question in a much shorter version is that trump is showing flexibility in some areas here in other areas these things these seem far more rigid how do you see it i mean particularly in the region of the middle east in iran go ahead peter. well i think the key. trump i think humility but i think it does help him in america. meaning a. much my fellow i thought nation is the opposite to venture with. you know the america of. the america

he tried to keep america out of the war world war two yeah and the thing. spirit the spirit of john quincy adams who advises the gay and the america going abroad in the sleigh this tradition which should trump hark back which appeal thought much i think through middle america and he seems to be consistent in that and almost all his moves can be interpreted in that spirit whether it pulling back crumb korea pulling back from nato overreach in europe. the middle east is a little bit different but we maybe come back we will come back to that ok richard i mean considering what we just heard from james and peter i think both of them a degree that you know and i like how james put it you know indulging the pentagon i mean the pentagon's got a lot of money right now ok but what does that money for in

a lot of people would say it is for possible or continued military interventions which the president ran against during the campaign and now we have massive arms sales to so do you radiate saudi arabia and israel here and there seems to be a lot of ambiguity about what the u.s. policy is these a v syria how do you one tie all this go ahead richard. i don't think. syria's situation is well understood or has been well understood for the per serving of years we made a mistake there's no other word for it back in two thousand and eleven assuming that. the regime was very fragile and about to be blown away. it managed to survive and then that was bolstered by russian support and a rainy and support in the following years but the color of.

washington observer tujhe that. you had heard about during obama's time do not get involved in yet another middle east of the war. richard you're absolutely right and that's exactly where i want to go here james they look at all of all of us are kind of more or less on the same page here but then how do you account for the bellicose attitude towards iran and i think richard's right donald trump knows enough about history is that that he doesn't want to be a president that's brought down by a foreign war but he really doesn't want to get involved in i mean cheri i mean he's old enough to know what happened to lyndon johnson for example or george bush jr with a rock he doesn't want to have that around his collar but james you know using sanctions to intimidate friends and foes not to import a rainy and all i mean i again you know you know and you look at the american allies in the region saudi arabia and israel which would love to see some kind of regime change or instability that's probably their first priority i mean this seems

to kind of go counter what trump in islam is all about when it comes when it goes to foreign policy james. absolutely clearly and i think peter is right absolutely it's in america first policy i wouldn't call it isolationism i would simply call it a sovereigntists policy however there is one big fat exception and that is the middle east we don't have an america first policy in the middle east we have a saudi arabia and israel first policy in the middle east i don't know whether that represents where mr trump really wants to go or whether it is like i said an analogy to the pentagon whether he's indulging the realities that exist so he can do something else if he can get us out of syria i don't expect us to admit we made a mistake in syria of course we did a tragic horrible mistake but in politics people don't admit mistakes if he can slip us out of syria somehow the real question is will he take the bait on what has to be the red line that israel and saudi arabia want regime change in iran and if

he goes down that road it's the end of his predecessor presidency he needs to understand that he ends up as george w. bush if he goes down that road may be a lot worse i frankly don't think he's going to do that but he's certainly got a lot of people both foreign and domestic pushing him in that direction and right now he's indulging them the question is whether he will follow through with that i hope he doesn't you know peter one of the things i've noticed that's unique about this presidency. tweeting a sign is that i think serious people and not just pundits that are partisan one way or another i mean i listen to trump speeches particularly when he goes to the base and there's just a heck of a lot of hyperbole and it's kind of baked in for me ok i'm trying to understand the basis of what he's saying because well most of what he talks about is themself ok that's the trump way but i just have to wonder when you look at his form.