Trump’s Non-Strategy In Iran; True Independent Journalism w/ Amy Goodman | MR Live

The hosts argue that the US has no coherent strategy in Iran, having mistakenly believed that the country's regime would topple after Israel assassinated top leaders. This miscalculation has led to billions in spending and significant attacks on US bases, which were initially hidden from the public. They critique the Trump administration's approach as a 'clown show' driven by ego and a lack of technical knowledge, particularly from figures like Jared Kushner, who reportedly consults Benjamin Netanyahu after meetings.

Sam Seder states, 'It is unclear what the US strategy has been from really day one. Once Israel had assassinated the top leaders of Iran, it's clear now that the US was under the impression that the country would topple.' Emma Vigeland adds that Trump's ego led him to believe 'rosier intelligence assessments' from Israel, and that Kushner's actions indicate a 'clown show' and 'total ignorance' in negotiations. [00:06:35], [00:14:11], [00:21:27]

Donald Trump's public addresses, particularly to children, are presented as a window into his personal anxieties. He conflates serious national security issues, like Iran's nuclear capabilities, with boasts about stock market performance, betraying his true concerns about the economy and his own image rather than the well-being of the world or the children he addresses.

Trump tells children, 'You can't let a bunch of lunatics have a nuclear weapon or the world would be in trouble. The world would be in trouble. So, we just hit records at on the Dow.' The hosts observe the children's disassociation and comment that Trump 'is betraying what he's really concerned about here, which is the economy... not even the economy, it's the stock market.' [00:19:10], [00:20:27]

Amy Goodman explains her philosophy that an exclusive is a 'failure' and that the true value of a story lies in its widespread sharing. Democracy Now's motto is to 'go to where the silence is,' which often means reporting from 'raucous' and 'rowdy' places where corporate media does not venture, thereby elevating authentic voices and challenging the 'pundits on all the networks who know so little about so much.'

Goodman states, 'I think an exclusive is a failure. If we're the only ones telling the story, what counts is that it's shared in the world. 'Steal This Story, Please.'' She adds, 'Our motto is to go to where the silence is. And it's often not silent. It's raucous. It's rowdy. It just doesn't hit the corporate media radar screen.' [00:31:10], [00:32:55]

Goodman recounts her experience covering the 1991 East Timor massacre by Indonesian soldiers, who used US-supplied M-16s. She and her colleague were beaten, but their American nationality saved them from execution, unlike Australian journalists before them. This experience taught her about the 'sword and shield' dynamic: the US provides weapons to human rights-abusing regimes (sword) but Americans also have the power to demand an end to such support (shield).

Goodman describes being beaten and having guns put to their heads, shouting 'No, we're from America, America.' She explains, 'They took the guns from our heads. We think because they would have to pay a price for killing us that they never had to pay for killing the Timorese. Their weapons were from the United States.' She concludes, 'They see us as Americans in two ways, as the sword and the shield.' [00:39:12], [00:40:23], [00:40:58]

Democracy Now's footage of private security dogs attacking water protectors at the Dakota Access Pipeline protests garnered 14 million views in 24 hours, forcing mainstream media to cover the story. In response, North Dakota authorities issued an arrest warrant for Amy Goodman, initially a misdemeanor, then elevated to a felony charge of inciting a riot and trespassing. This attempt to criminalize her journalism was ultimately dropped due to the significant public and media attention it generated, demonstrating the power of a spotlight in the right direction.

Goodman states, 'We had the video, we showed it. There were in 24 hours, 14 million views on the website.' She then describes the arrest warrant: 'They're dropping the misdemeanor charge. I said, 'Thank god.' He said, 'They're elevating to felony.'... 'inciting a riot, I think, or and trespassing.'' She notes, 'This was on the homepage of The New York Times, Al Jazeera, BBC, Vogue magazine was covering.' [00:53:12], [00:55:20], [00:57:17]