History, Reality Asserts Itself
Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt – Chris Hedges on RAI (pt 2/3)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on July 7, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Chris Hedges and Paul Jay discuss Ferguson, Baltimore and the need to build a movement with candidates that targets white supremacy and corporate capitalism.
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Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt – Chris Hedges on RAI (pt 1/3)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on July 6, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Chris Hedges discusses his new book with Paul Jay. In part one, they focus on the revolutionary significance of the life of Tom Paine, a man who understood the moral imperative of revolt and was willing to pay the price.
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Plundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (10/10)
This interview was originally published July 5, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Robert Scheer says you get drunk on the power of this culture and its military, its wealth, and you can become incredibly destructive. And we have been incredibly destructive.
READ MOREPlundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 9/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on July 1, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Scheer and Paul Jay discuss Scheer’s book The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America
READ MOREPlundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 8/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 30, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Scheer and Paul Jay discuss the successes and failures of the “American Experiment”.
READ MOREPlundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 7/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 28, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Scheer and Paul Jay discuss American partisan politics – is there a real difference and the demonization of the other camp.
READ MOREPlundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 6/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 26, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Scheer and Paul Jay discuss and debate whether there is any rationality left amongst the ruling elites.
READ MOREPlundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 5/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 24, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Scheer discusses American partisan politics, is there a real difference, and the demonization of the other camp.
READ MOREPlundering our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 4/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 22, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Scheer discusses his work on Ramparts magazine, covering the Vietnam War and the civil rights era.
READ MOREPlundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 3/10)
This interview was originally published on June 19, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Scheer talks about his father’s thirst for freedom and how that influenced his life; Scheer says defense of the U.S. Constitution, in spite of its flaws, is critical in defending against the erosion of democracy.
READ MOREPlundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 2/10)
On Reality Asserts Itself, Robert Scheer talks about democracy, journalism, and his new book, “They Know Everything About You: How Data-Collecting Corporations and Snooping Government Agencies Are Destroying Democracy”. This interview was originally published on June 12, 2015.
READ MOREPlundering Our Freedom with Abandon – Robert Scheer (pt 1/10)
On Reality Asserts Itself, Robert Scheer talks about democracy, journalism, and his new book, “They Know Everything About You: How Data-Collecting Corporations and Snooping Government Agencies Are Destroying Democracy”. This interview was originally published on June 9, 2015.
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The Vietnam Syndrome and the Project for a New American Century – Christian Appy on RAI (5/5)
This interview was originally published June 4, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Appy says that Israeli preemptive and punitive war became a model for US foreign policy.
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Vietnam Body Counts and America as Victim – Christian Appy on RAI (4/5)
This interview was originally published June 2, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Appy says the Vietnam War killed millions of Vietnamese and tens of thousands of American workers – yet the mythology is America as a whole emerged as the victim.
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Vietnam Blood Bath to Prove America Had “Balls” – Christian Appy on RAI (3/5)
This interview was originally published May 29, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Appy says that presidents Kennedy and Johnson pursued the Vietnam war largely to prove the U.S., and themselves personally, had the “courage” to wage war.
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“America Does Bad Things for Good Reasons” – Christian Appy on RAI (1/5)
This interview was originally published on May 26, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Appy, author of “American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity”, discusses growing up with a broad faith that America is always an indispensable and invincible force for good in the world – and the seeds of his disillusionment with Americanism.
READ MOREPalestine/Israel, Reality Asserts Itself
U.S and UN Resolution That Leaves Palestine with a “Garbage Dump” – Norman Finkelstein RAI (pt 3/3)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 21, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Finkelstein says Netanyahu’s slight of Obama was racist, but the U.S. will likely help sell a UN resolution that tries to corner the Palestinians into accepting a terrible deal.
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Israel’s Iron Dome and Palestinian Armed Resistance – Norman Finkelstein on RAI (pt 2/3)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 20, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Finkelstein analyzes Hamas rocket attacks and Israel’s claims of self-defence.
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Israel’s Descent into Barbarism – Norman Finkelstein on RAI (pt 1/3)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 19, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Finkelstein describes the “necessity” of Israel, proving its destructive capabilities.
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“American Does Bad Things for Good Reasons” – Christian Appy on RAI (2/5)
This interview was originally published May 17, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Appy, author of “American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity”, discusses how before direct American military involvement in Vietnam, the US financed almost 80 percent of the cost, so, in effect, France was serving almost as an American mercenary.
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Does Israel Have the Right to Exist as a Jewish State? – Ali Abunimah on Reality Asserts Itself (3/5)
Mr. Abunimah says no state exists as an absolute right, but there is a people’s right to self-determination. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 15, 2014.
READ MOREThey Won’t Shut Me Up – John Kiriakou on RAI (pt 10/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 8, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, former CIA official John Kiriakou says: “If they thought this would shut me up, they don’t know me at all because now I’ve devoted my life to fighting them.”
READ MOREWhy I Was Targeted by the CIA – John Kiriakou on RAI (pt 9/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 6, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Kiriakou explains how the CIA opened a criminal file on him when he was the first CIA official to publicly acknowledge torture was a policy; they stepped up their effort to charge him when he began investigating possible CIA complicity in war crimes in Afghanistan.
READ MOREA Tortured Truth – John Kiriakou on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 8/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 4, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Former CIA official John Kiriakou described his time as head of counter-terrorism in Pakistan and the lie about the torture of Abu Zubaydah.
READ MOREIraq War a War Crime – Pushed by Cheney Over Objections of Joint Chiefs – Kiriakou on RAI (pt 7/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on April 30, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, former CIA official Mr. Kiriakou says that VP Cheney chaired a morning phone call where the Joint Chiefs and CIA openly argued against the invasion of Iraq – a decision made in the summer of 2002.
READ MOREA Sea of Blood – John Kiriakou on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 6/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on April 28, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Kiriakou and Paul Jay continue their discussion about 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq.
READ MOREWhy Didn’t Bush/Cheney Prevent 9:11? – John Kiriakou on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 5/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on April 23, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Kiriakou and Paul Jay discuss the role of the White House in ignoring the CIA’s warning that “something terrible” was coming.
READ MOREThe Iraqi Pissing Match – John Kiriakou on RAI (pt 4/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on April 21, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, former CIA official Mr. Kiriakou says that the Iraq War was motivated by the Bush administration wanting to send a message – no regime can defy U.S. power and survive.
READ MOREMy Reports on 1995 Human Rights Abuses Were Ignored by State Department- Kiriakou on RAI (pt 3/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on April 19, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Kiriakou tells Paul Jay that from Iraq to Bahrain, it was becoming clear to him that commercial interest, particularly arms sales, was driving U.S. policy in the Middle East.
READ MOREHow I Joined the CIA – John Kiriakou on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 2/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on April 17, 2015. Mr. Kiriakou tells Paul Jay about being recruited to join the CIA in university.
READ MOREI Believed America Could Do No Wrong – John Kiriakou, Former CIA Official, on RAI (pt 1/10)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on April 16, 2015. Mr. Kiriakou was the first U.S. government official to confirm that waterboarding was an official policy. He spent 23 months in prison after being convicted of passing classified information to a reporter. He speaks to Paul Jay while still under house arrest.
READ MOREMiddle East, Palestine/Israel, Reality Asserts Itself
The Pain Doesn’t Go Away – Rachel Corrie’s Parents on Reality Asserts Itself pt 3/3
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 27, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Craig and Cindy Corrie tell Paul Jay that in ruling against their claim, the Israeli Supreme Court essentially said that Israel is beyond international law.
READ MOREMiddle East, Palestine/Israel, Reality Asserts Itself
The Pain Doesn’t Go Away – Rachel Corrie’s Parents on Reality Asserts Itself pt 2/3
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 27, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Craig and Cindy Corrie tell Paul Jay, “people find hope in the work that we’re doing and in the fact that Rachel was there that day, and stood against what was happening to all of those families in the Gaza Strip”.
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16th Anniversary of Rachel Corrie’s Murder – Interview With Her Parents pt 1/3
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 27, 2015. Sixteen years ago, Israel’s IDF murdered solidarity activist Rachel Corrie as she defended a Palestinian home from demolition; we replay our 2015 interview with her parents, with host Paul Jay.
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Malcolm X, Self-Determination and the People’s Movement – Kamau Franklin on Reality Asserts Itself (4/4)
This interview was originally published on March 13, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Franklin discusses the relationship between the mass movement and electoral politics.
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Malcolm X, Self-Determination and the People’s Movement – Kamau Franklin on Reality Asserts Itself (3/4)
This interview was originally published on March 10, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Franklin says Malcolm believed the international order benefited Western capitalist interests over the masses of black, brown and oppressed white people.
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Malcolm X, Self-Determination and the People’s Movement – Kamau Franklin on Reality Asserts Itself (2/4)
This interview was originally published on March 8, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Franklin discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Malcolm X.
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Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs – Johann Hari on RAI (2/2)
On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Hari tells Paul Jay that the conventional understanding of drug addiction is wrong, and alternative drug policy in Portugal and Canada can lead the way. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 6, 2015.
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Malcolm X, Self-Determination and the People’s Movement – Kamau Franklin on Reality Asserts Itself (1/4)
This interview was originally published on March 4, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Franklin says that after growing up in the projects of Brooklyn, reading the autobiography of Malcolm X changed his life.
READ MOREEconomy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself
What Happened to Making Steel in Baltimore? – Mark Reutter on Reality Asserts Itself (3/3)
This interview was originally published on March 1, 2015. Mark Reutter, author of Making Steel: Sparrows Point and the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might, talks about why steel production collapsed across America.
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What Happened to Making Steel in Baltimore? – Mark Reutter on Reality Asserts Itself (2/3)
This interview was originally published on February 24, 2015. Mark Reutter, author of Making Steel: Sparrows Point and the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might, talks about why steel production collapsed across America.
READ MOREEconomy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself
What Happened to Making Steel in Baltimore? – Mark Reutter on Reality Asserts Itself (1/3)
This interview was originally published on February 23, 2015. Mark Reutter, author of Making Steel: Sparrows Point and the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might, talks about why steel production collapsed across America.
READ MOREReality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics
Why Build the Green Party? – Jill Stein on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 3/3)
This interview was originally produced on February 17, 2015. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein tells Paul Jay that people need to prepare for a Syriza moment.
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Why Build the Green Party? – Jill Stein on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 2/3)
This interview was originally produced on February 16, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein tells Paul Jay that the Green Party will put the campaign in the service of social movements that deserve to be front-and-center in the political dialogue.
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Why Build the Green Party? – Jill Stein on RAI (pt 1/3)
This interview was originally produced on February 15, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein tells Paul Jay that as a doctor/activist, she realized that the two-party political system will not tolerate reform from within.
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Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs – Johann Hari on RAI (1/2)
On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Hari tells Paul Jay that from the 1914 legislation criminalizing drugs, to the targeting of singer Billie Holiday, to today’s “War on Drugs”, racism is at the heart of the policy. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced February 6, 2015.
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At the Center of a Storm – Irvin Jim on RAI (pt 3/3)
This interview was originally released on January 30, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself: Workers must build a united front to implement the Freedom Charter, which includes participating in electoral politics; the workers' movement can’t just be about marching, says Mr. Jim, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).
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The Making of Norman Finkelstein – Reality Asserts Itself (pt 8/8)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 20, 2015. Dr. Finkelstein says the BDS movement must take a position on Israel’s right to exist as a state.
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The Making of Norman Finkelstein – Reality Asserts Itself (pt 7/8)
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 18, 2015. Dr. Finkelstein discusses the “complicated question” of Israel’s right to regulate the ethnic balance of the state and Palestinian’s right of return.
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