CovertAction Bulletin

The U.S. State Department in the Metaverse: How the CIA Infiltrated Facebook with Alan MacLeod

Why is Facebook so desperate to make the Metaverse happen? Are the techno feudalists right when they say Facebook is too big to fail?

With the decline of Meta, it seems a new era may be dawning in Silicon Valley as Facebook’s failed projects continue to pile up.

New reporting in The Intercept outlines how the Department of Homeland Security is looking to increase the US government’s influence on social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and more. We examine Meta’s expansion strategy and the role that U.S. intelligence has played in the last few years within the social media giant’s ranks.

To talk about all of this and in particular how the US state inserts itself into these networks, we’re joined by Alan MacLeod, Senior Staff Writer/Podcast Producer, @MintPressNews. Alan has written about the many ex-CIA employees who now work at Facebook, and overall the government’s efforts to influence social media.

 

What is the Deep State?

In this episode, we dig into the idea of the “deep state,” the supposed shadowy cabal of clandestine organizations and individuals who run the show behind the scenes, controlling the US and other governments. The QAnon movement and Donald Trump himself repopularized the idea around the 2016 election, claiming that Trump was a victim of forces attempting to prevent him from “draining the swamp.” In August 2022, he said at an event “to remove rogue bureaucrats and root out the deep state, Congress should pass groundbreaking reform empowering the President to ensure that any federal employee who is corrupt, incompetent, or unnecessary for the job can be told ‘you’re fired’”

Early on in his first campaign, Trump referred to “draining the swamp.” And the QAnon movement seized on the idea, claiming that Trump was fighting a powerful cabal of child traffickers who controlled everything about the government - except him.

The idea of the deep state isn’t new and isn’t the exclusive territory of the far right. Today, we’ll dive deep into the idea of the deep state and look at what the reality is - yes, there is a conspiracy, but it’s not a shadowy underground second government - it’s right in front of us. For that discussion, we’re joined by Brian Becker, host of the podcast The Socialist Program, a long-time socialist organizer, and the national coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition.

What Biden Doesn’t Want You to Know About His Role in the War on Drugs

On October 6, Joe Biden announced changes to the administration’s handling of marijuana. While pardons are welcome, the changes don’t go far enough to address the racist and classist legacy of the US war on drugs and continuing mass incarceration, which Biden himself played a big role in supporting. We’re joined by Jason Ortiz, Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

Plus, on October 8th, solidarity actions took place in London, Australia, Washington DC and other places to demand the freedom of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, whose health continues to deteriorate as he is held in disgusting conditions at Belmarsh prison, and the US government continues to seek to his extradition. CovertAction Bulletin was on the ground and brings you a selection of the speakers who addressed the crowd, including Marsha Coleman-Adebayo,  Kevin Goztola, Medea Benjamin and Esther Iverem.

Journalist Katie Halper Censored By The Hill for Pointing Out Israel Is An Apartheid State

Katie Halper, host of the Katie Halper Show and co-host of the podcast Useful idiots joins us today to share about how she was recently fired from the Hill for talking about Israel.  Katie recorded a segment for The Hill’s Rising defending Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib from attacks over calling Israel an apartheid state.  Katie joins the show to share more about the story that got her canceled.

Watch the full monologue here on BreakThrough News.

Lula da Silva Says ‘It’s Only a Matter of Time’ Heading Into the Second Round of Brazilian Elections

The elections in Brazil are underway with the first round of votes coming in, with leftist candidate Lula De Silva taking 48% of the votes with far-right candidate Bolsonaro behind with 43% of votes. All eyes are on Brazil as the pink tide across Latin America resurges. We speak with Zoe Alexandra of People’s Dispatch who is on the ground now in Brazil to share with us the mood on the ground and what the results of this first round of voting means for the leftist future in Brazil.

Hurricane Ian devastates cities and towns across Florida, with a significant impact on Lee County. The death toll continues to climb while the completely botched evacuation efforts by the local right-wing government continue to come to light. We are joined by Karla Correra with the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Tampa who has been on the ground providing relief to areas that have still not seen a single FEMA truck. You can sign the petition here.

75 Years of Capitalism’s Invisible Army

On September 18th 1947, the main provisions of the National Security Act of 1947 went into effect. One of these was the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency, perhaps the most infamous part of the US national security state. While we pay a lot of attention these days to digital surveillance and the agencies that focus on signals intelligence like the National Security Agency and National Reconnaissance office, the CIA has and continues to play a crucial role in establishing and maintaining global US hegemony via human intelligence as well as through its covert actions, including coups, terrorism and sabotage.

Now, with that global hegemony being challenged in every hemisphere as well as with significant internal political turmoil in the United States, with significant populations on many sides of the political spectrum not trusting the so-called democratic institutions that maintain that supremacy, monitoring and exposing the CIA and all three-letter agencies is as important as ever.

We are joined for this episode by two fellow members of the CovertAction Magazine Editorial Board. Lou Wolf is a co-founder of CovertAction. John Kiriakou is a former CIA analyst and whistleblower who exposed the CIA’s torture program.

Whistleblower Exposes Apple’s Toxic Waste Cover-up, Secret Police Intimidation & Government Ties

Apple, Inc. spends billions on projecting a clean, fun and progressive image, even claiming on its website that “the products you love also love the planet.” But the reality is very different. Whistleblower Ashley Gjøvik worked at Apple’s Sunnyvale, CA office. After she discovered that the office was built on top of an EPA superfund site known as the “Triple Site,” Gjøvik was silenced and attacked by the company for trying to ensure the safety of herself, her co-workers and community.

We spend our entire episode discussing the case, exposing Apple’s environmental cover-up, the internal “secret police” they use against journalists and whistleblowers and  deep links the company has with U.S. government agencies, as well as involvement in regulatory capture - influencing government agencies with revolving door policies and offers of employment and benefits.

Ashley Gjøvik can be found on Twitter at @ashleygjovik and on the web at gjovik.co.

Tech workers demand Google and Amazon end contract that fuels Israeli apartheid

Tech workers from Google and Amazon joined forces with Pro-Palestinian organizers in to hold protests last Thursday in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Durham, NC. At issue is Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract between the two companies and the Israeli government that would have the US tech giants directly profiting off the oppression of the Palestinian people. We’re joined by Sabina Wildman, an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition in the San Francisco Bay Area, to talk about the protests, the striking unity of the No Tech for Apartheid movement, organizing tech workers and more.

Sign the petition and learn more at https://www.notechforapartheid.com

Let Cuba Live - End The Blockade!

For over 60 years, the United States government has been trying to overthrow the Cuban revolution. Using assassination attempts, sabotage, bombs, spies and more, Washington has made it clear over and over that it will not rest until Cuba is returned to semi-colonial status. In the face of these attacks the Cuban people have survived, going on to defend and continue to build their revolution. The efforts of socialist Cuba to develop a society based on equality and justice where all people have rights show their resilience and determination in the face of covert action the US just 90 miles away.

In this special episode, co-host Rachel Hu talks about the 10 days she recently spent in Cuba as part of a solidarity delegation. From the July 26 celebrations marking the anniversary of the Cuban revolution to the housing developments being built and upgraded to the very real effects of the US embargo, Rachel provides a critical firsthand account. We also discuss the upcoming vote on the Family Code and continuing moves being made to codify into law human dignity and respect for people of all ages, races and genders.

Image Credit: DnTrotaMundos ☮ on Wikipedia 

The Truth Behind the Africa-China ‘Debt Trap’ Myth

Allegations and accusations that China is trapping Africa into unsustainable debt agreements have dominated the conversation around Africa-China relations in Western media, but what does the data tell us?

 

The reality is that China is canceling 23 loans to African countries amid this 'Debt Trap' debate.

 

We look at the international implications of this claim, what debt trap diplomacy is, and who owns most of Africa's external debts. Featuring Sri Lanka, the African Development Bank, and the “secret” lenders they don’t tell us about, with Mikaela Nhondo Erskog researcher at TriContinental Institute for Social Research and one of the hosts of the new podcast The Crane, an African China podcast by the Dongsheng Collective.

 

Plus: we discuss Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy, what to make of Biden’s student loan debt moves, Lindsey Graham’s threats of “riots in the streets” if Trump is prosecuted, and more.

 

Dongsheng News can be found at https://dongshengnews.org/en/

The Crane: An Africa-China Podcast is available at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crane-an-africa-china-podcast/id1635151634 as well as on Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.

Follow Dongsheng News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DongshengNews