USA

Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Homicide and Baltimore’s Black Butterfly – RAI with Eddie Conway (12/12)

Murders take place in Baltimore at a rate that compares with New York, thirteen times the size; Eddie Conway says deep poverty, unemployment, and brutal policing are contributing factors to the murder epidemic – on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Eddie Conway: 5-Year Anniversary of His Release From Prison – RAI (11/12)

We continue our Reality Asserts Itself series with TRNN Executive Producer Eddie Conway, who spent 44 years as a political prisoner and is now in the leadership of TRNN.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Convert Military to Green Production, or Perish – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 13/13

A massive reduction in ICBM’s and transforming the economy away from the military-industrial complex are prerequisites for our survival – says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 29, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Dismantle the American Doomsday Machine – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 12/13

Congress should hold hearings into nuclear winter and eliminating the hair-trigger and obsolete ICBM’s – says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 27, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Doomsday Machine and Nuclear Winter – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 11/13

An H-Bomb first strike will create firestorms and smoke that ends most human life; this is a fact ignored by military planners and by the Trump administration which doesn’t believe in climate science – says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 23, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

A Strategy of War Crimes, Killing Civilians to Win a War – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 10/13

General Curtis LeMay, who directed the firebombing and nuclear attacks on Japan said, “War is killing people, when you kill enough of them, the other guy quits” – quotes Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 21, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Discovery That Should Have Changed the Cold War – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 9/13

In 1958, then Senator John F. Kennedy claimed there was a “missile gap”, saying the USSR was far ahead in ICBM weapons; when satellite photos showed the astounding true number, it meant the USSR did not have plans for global domination, but it remained a secret, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 19, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Once Fired, There’s No Calling a Nuke Back – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 8/13

There are many fingers on the nuclear missile's trigger and once an attack begins, even the President can’t order it reversed, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 15, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

U.S. Refuses to Adopt a Nuclear Weapon No First Use Pledge – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI 7/13

Every President since Truman has used a nuclear first strike threat as leverage in U.S. foreign policy; it’s institutional insanity says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 12, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

China, History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

U.S. Planned Nuclear First Strike to Destroy Soviets and China – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 6/13

U.S. cold-war nuclear plan called for all-out attack on China, even if it was not involved in the war, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 9, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Russian Doomsday Machine an Answer to U.S. Decapitation Strategy – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 5/13

The U.S. military still thinks that a nuclear war can be won by targeting Russian leadership in a bizarre Dr. Strangelove logic; it’s a recipe for unmitigated catastrophe, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 4, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Largest Act of Terrorism in Human History – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 4/13

The British bombing of Hamburg in 1942, and the American firebombing of Japan in March 1945 that killed as many as 120,000 people in one night, created the conditions for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which were considered mere extensions of the firebombing tactics, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 4, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Truman Delayed End of WWII to Demonstrate Nuclear Weapons – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 3/13

To intimidate the Soviet Union and prove to Congress the nuclear program should be funded, Truman dropped nuclear weapons on Japan to end the war; no scientist came forward to warn of the dangers to life on earth, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 2, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Hitler Wouldn’t Risk Doomsday, But The United States Did – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 2/13

Hitler ended the German nuclear weapons program in 1942 when told it could end life on Earth—the Americans were willing to take the risk; since the end of WWII the Cold War was to a very large extent, from beginning to end, a marketing campaign for subsidization of the aerospace industry, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced October 31, 2018, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Doomsday Machine: The Big Lie of the Cold War – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 1/13

On Reality Asserts Itself, Daniel Ellsberg tells host Paul Jay that US intelligence agencies knew that Stalin was not planning to invade Western Europe or seek world domination, but based on the myth, the world came close to nuclear war – and it’s all happening again.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Rich Have an Escape Plan – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 5/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says many wealthy people understand that the climate crisis, deep recession, and war are real threats, but they believe “apres moi le deluge [after me comes the floods];” the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” said many of the rich have escape plans thinking “they can avoid the apocalypse” – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Sociopaths Rise to the Top RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 4/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says growing inequality and record student, household and corporate debt is creating a dangerous bubble, similar to the lead up to the ’29 crash; the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” says a few on Wall St. see it, but most businesses are doing too well to care – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Clinton’s ‘Committee to Save the World’ Unleashes Wall Street – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 3/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says President Bill Clinton’s finance team further deregulated Wall St. including eliminating Glass-Steagall legislation allowing even riskier investments; the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” says this helped create the world’s largest financial institution—Citigroup— headed by Clinton’s former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Apple, Market Manipulation and the Cult of Personal Finance – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 2/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says the legalization of stock buybacks in 1982 allowed companies like Apple to now spend only 15% of their investments on R&D, while the majority is spent on market manipulation; the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” said the move from traditional pensions to 401k’s makes everyone feel they benefit from finance when the vast majority of profits go to the elites and most people’s living standards deteriorate – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 1/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says financialization delivers stagnant wages, inequality, and economic crisis; the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” says the financial sector represents only 7 percent of the U.S. economy but takes around 25 percent of all corporate profit while creating only 4 percent of all jobs – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

READ MORE

Climate Change, Environment, History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

RAI with Former Weatherman Bill Ayers – Pt 3/3

In an interview that took place days before Trump was elected President, Bill Ayers discusses what needs to be done as we head into a ”form of friendly-looking and familiar fascism or some other form of extreme social disintegration”. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 13, 2016, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

RAI with Former Weatherman Bill Ayers Pt 2/3

Bill Ayers tells Paul Jay the Weathermen were delusional about armed struggle because they mistakenly thought the American people were in a revolutionary crisis during the Vietnam War. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 8, 2016, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

RAI With Former Weatherman Bill Ayers Pt 1/3

On Reality Asserts Itself Bill Ayers joins Paul Jay to discuss his journey from an apolitical life to the militant group the Weatherman to social activism and organizing. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 7, 2016, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

Military-Industrial Complex, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Sen. Graham: Bush/Cheney Misdirected Intel Prior to 9/11, Aggressively Deceived After – Pt 2/7

President Bush was like a “head coach” ordering intelligence agencies to all move in the same direction – not preventing the attacks and covering up the role of Bandar and the Saudi government. This interview was produced September 11, 2016, with Paul Jay on Reality Asserts Itself.

READ MORE

Military-Industrial Complex, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Sen. Bob Graham: FBI Deliberately Covered Up the Role of Saudis in 9/11 Attack – (pt 1/7)

Senator Bob Graham, former Co-Chair of the Joint Congressional Committee investigating 9/11, says there is evidence in the "28 redacted pages" that the FBI knew of Saudi Ambassador Bandar's links to al-Qaeda terrorists before the attacks. This interview was produced September 10, 2016, with Paul Jay on Reality Asserts Itself.

READ MORE

Palestine/Israel, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Occupation of the American Mind – RAI with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters (pt 2/3)

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on March 22, 2016. Paul Jay speaks to Roger Waters and Sut Jhally about the new film “The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States.”

READ MORE

Palestine/Israel, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Occupation of the American Mind – RAI with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters (pt 1/3)

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on March 20, 2016. Paul Jay speaks to Roger Waters and Sut Jhally about the new film "The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States.”

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

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 MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

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.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

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.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

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.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

“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 MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

“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.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Why Eddie Joined the Real News – Eddie Conway on RAI (10/12)

Mr. Conway says that after 44 years in prison, he found the conditions in Baltimore worse than when he went in. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself produced on November 28, 2014.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

We Dehumanize Those We Want to Exploit – Eddie Conway on RAI (9/12)

Mr. Conway says police are asked by society to control the poor as if they are fighting a war, so anything goes. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself produced on November 26, 2014.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

I Refused to be Treated Like an Animal – Eddie Conway on RAI (8/12)

Mr. Conway says after 44 years in prison, he considered people to be of value and to be respected and refused to be dehumanized himself. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself produced on September 16, 2014.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Six Years in Solitary Confinement – Eddie Conway (7/12)

Mr. Conway says prisoners were treated like animals; and because he resisted and organized, he was in lockup twenty-three and a half hours a day for six years. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself produced on September 25, 2014.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

The Frame Up – Eddie Conway on RAI (6/12)

Mr. Conway tells the story of his arrest and trial and being “represented” by a lawyer who spent 45 minutes with him before going to trial. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself produced on September 24, 2014.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

An American Fascism – Eddie Conway on RAI (5/12)

Mr. Conway says, by targeting the Panthers, the FBI and other state and local agencies were functioning as national secret police. That was COINTELPRO; it carries on under The Patriot Act. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself produced on September 16, 2014.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

“The State Targeted Panthers as Socialists, Not Armed” – Eddie Conway on RAI (4/12)

Mr. Conway says the Panthers were also a threat because they recognized the humanity of and worked with all ethnic groups. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself produced on September 14, 2014.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

COINTELPRO, Attack on the Panthers – Eddie Conway on RAI (3/12)

Mr. Conway describes the campaign by police agencies to destroy the Black Panthers, and how he joined the Baltimore chapter which he later found out was founded by an agent of the NSA. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself produced on September 10, 2014.

READ MORE

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Moments of Radicalization – Eddie Conway on RAI (2/12)

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced September 9, 2014. Former Black Panther Eddie Conway says, while serving in the military, it dawned on him that the same army that was aiming its guns at the black community was doing the same thing in Vietnam.

READ MORE

Reality Asserts Itself, USA

The Black Scare and the Democratic Party – Gerald Horne on Reality Asserts Itself (pt 2/6)

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on August 19, 2014. Mr. Horne says the Democrats are heavily dependent upon black votes but afraid of defending their interests out of fear of alienating cross-class racism deeply entrenched in American history.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Capitalism Will Hit the Wall Again, Hard – Heiner Flassbeck on RAI Pt 5/5

Mr. Flassbeck says people must get politically engaged and find an alternative or we will face dictatorship because today’s capitalism is out of answers. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced August 3, 2014, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

The Necessity for Higher Wages – Heiner Flassbeck on RAI Pt 4/5

Mr. Flassbeck, former head of UNCTAD, says we’re going into the Japanese scenario, a stagnation with a kind of deflation because we have no purchasing power in the hands of the mass of the consumers. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 31, 2014, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

The U.S. Dollar and the Search for a Reasonable Capitalist – Heiner Flassbeck on RAI Pt 3/5

On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Flassbeck says the stock market bubble can burst at any moment because everybody knows there is no real growth behind it; then we are really in trouble as the whole effect of stabilization will disappear in one moment. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 31, 2014, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Racing to a Dead End – Heiner Flassbeck on Reality Asserts Itself Pt 2/5

Mr. Flassbeck, former head of UNCTAD, says current economic policy is heading back to the 1930s, a race to the bottom, they have no solution at all, we will end up again in trade wars or other wars. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 29, 2014, with Paul Jay.

READ MORE

Reality Asserts Itself, USA

We Need to Harness People’s Power – Andy Shallal on Reality Asserts Itself (4/4)

Mr. Shallal says at the local level is where you can make a change. It’s very hard to expect change on the national level. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 28, 2014.

READ MORE

Reality Asserts Itself, USA

DC Test Scores Up, but Poor Black Kids are Doing Worse- Andy Shallal on Reality Asserts Itself (3/4)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Shallal says we went from No Child Left Behind under the Bush era to no kid left untested, then to no teacher left unstressed, and our schools are still doing very poorly. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 27, 2014.

READ MORE

Reality Asserts Itself, USA

An American Should be One that Questions Their Government – Andy Shallal on Reality Asserts Itself (2/4)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Mr. Shallal tells Paul Jay how speaking out against war led to his passion about schools. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 26, 2014.

READ MORE