Going Underground Hosted by Afshin Rattansi

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Charles Finfrock, former CIA Senior Operations Officer and Founder & CEO of Vigilance. He discusses the supposed ‘foiled attack’ on RAF Finfrock, which has been blamed on Iran and whether it could have been a false flag. He debates Afshin Rattansi on the history of the CIA false flags and the Wikileaks Vault 7 leaks, Seymour Hersh’s report that the Ghouta 2013 chemical weapons attack was a false flag attack, whether the CIA was working with Al Qaeda in Syria to overthrow Bashar Al-Assad, the extent of the CIA’s role in the Maidan Coup in 2014, whether Israel started the war on Iran purposely to destroy the US’ presence in the Middle East and degrade the power of GCC countries, Iran’s nuclear programme and how close Tehran was to building a nuclear weapon, how isolated Iran is economically, the effectiveness of US sanctions, whether the CIA was involved in the Nord Stream pipeline attacks, and much more.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Introduction and context
(00:02:10) - RAF Fairford/UK suspects incident analysis
(00:06:22) - CIA and historical false flag operations
(00:07:21) - Vault 7 leaks and cyber attribution
(00:08:44) - Syria sarin attack and CIA-Al Qaeda ties
(00:11:50) - Ukraine Maidan and CIA involvement allegations
(00:13:18) - Break
(00:13:30) - US bases destruction in the region
(00:15:47) - Iran's nuclear program and deterrence debate
(00:19:17) - Iran's economy, sanctions, and global alliances
(00:22:20) - Nord Stream pipeline and CIA speculation
(00:23:16) - NATO, US troop withdrawal, and European defense
(00:25:56) - Europe's economic struggles and Ukraine nuclear risk

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to former State Department & Defense Department official Matthew Hoh, who resigned over the Afghanistan war. He discusses the significance of the 20th anniversary of Julian Assange founding WikiLeaks, increasing censorship of journalism in the United States and NATO nations, the possibility of the US or Israel using nuclear weapons against Iran, Benjamin Netanyahu’s increasing political desperation, Pete Hegseth’s overhaul of the US military, why we don’t see more resignations from the US government over the US’ atrocities abroad, and much more.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Introduction: WikiLeaks Anniversary and Context
(00:01:24) - Matthew Hoh's Tribute to Assange and WikiLeaks' Legacy
(00:04:22) - Censorship, Media Consolidation and Rising State Repression
(00:07:59) - Why No Mass Protests Despite War on Iran
(00:09:52) - Public Fatigue, Economic Pressure and Suppression Tactics
(00:13:17) - Break
(00:13:35) - Nuclear Weapons Risk and Netanyahu's Political Desperation
(00:17:27) - State Department Loyalty and Lack of Dissent
(00:21:18) - Military Resignations and Pentagon Power Struggles
(00:23:24) - Nuremberg Legacy, Obedience, and Closing Remarks

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Vice Admiral Robert Harward, former Deputy Commander of US CENTCOM and Executive Vice President of Shield AI. Afshin Rattansi challenges him on his support for the US regime change war on Iran, Iran’s de facto alliance with the US against ISIS & Al Qaeda, the economic cost of the war on Iran at $2 billion a day for Americans, the level of the Iranian threat against the United States before the war on Iran began, the fate of the US’ bases in the GCC after the war on Iran ends, the US’ sanctions on Iran and the 38 million deaths caused by US sanctions up until 2021, the state of the Russia-NATO proxy war in Ukraine and Kiev being unable to ‘win’ the war, Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries fuelling the global energy crisis, the Maidan Coup and the NATO provocations that caused Russia’s invasion in 2022, and much more.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Intro: State of the region after Iran war
(00:01:28) - National security adviser question and multi-front strategy
(00:03:00) - History of Iran-US relations since 1979
(00:06:33) - Cold War alliances and Soleimani contacts
(00:09:58) - Prioritizing the Middle East vs China
(00:11:47) - Would Harward have stopped the Iran war?
(00:14:00) - Assessing Rubio and the Iran threat debate
(00:16:45) - Retaliation, US bases, and threat justification
(00:18:58) - Sanctions, history of chemical weapons, and blame
(00:20:18) - Drone warfare in Ukraine and Kiev strategy
(00:23:15) - Ukraine, NATO expansion, and Putin's motives
(00:25:48) - Israel, GCC, and closing remarks

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Joe Kent, former Director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned from the Trump Administration after the US-Israeli war on Iran was launched. He discusses the effects of the war on Iran domestically in the United States and how Israel marched the US to war on Iran, who the individual access points are for the Israel lobby in the Trump Administration, what was behind Israel’s calculation to assassinate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war to keep Trump stuck in the Iran War, why Donald Trump has decided not to aid Saudi Arabia militarily in the campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, the association of Nicolas Maduro with Tren de Aragua—the pretext for regime change in Venezuela, why nothing has been done about the perpetrators about the Russiagate hoax, the ongoing cover-up of 9/11, the anniversary of the Nordstream attacks and whether the US was behind the attack, why no one resigned from the Biden Administration over the Gaza genocide, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and much more.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Intro: Nord Stream Anniversary and Global Context
(00:00:53) - Introducing Joe Kent and His Resignation
(00:03:16) - The Israel Lobby's Influence on Trump
(00:05:55) - Killing the Supreme Leader and Locking In War
(00:07:15) - Trump's Restraint on Yemen and the Houthis
(00:09:40) - Signal Gate Leak and Yemen Terrain Challenges
(00:11:19) - Financial Fallout of Middle East Wars
(00:13:25) - Break
(00:13:40) - Venezuela, Tren de Aragua, and Intelligence Politics
(00:17:30) - Russiagate and Trust in the Intelligence Community
(00:19:28) - 9/11 Secrets and Al Qaeda/ISIS Questions
(00:22:05) - Nord Stream Suspicions and Gaza Genocide Silence
(00:24:59) - Charlie Kirk Assassination Investigation Doubts
(00:27:14) - Closing Remarks and Next Episode Preview

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Steve Hanke, Professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University. He discusses the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates by 25 basis points last Wednesday, the real reason behind the US bond market being in a slump and why inflation will be around for a while, why he recommends private investors to stay away from the US bond market, why Donald Trump has no good options to escape the current inflation and bond market crisis, the war on Iran’s impact on the US government’s budget deficit, increased energy prices in the US being a ‘war tax’ on the American people, and how Donald Trump has put oxygen into the BRICS thanks to his actions, and why Xi Jinping holds all the cards against the United States.

Prof. Hanke and Afshin Rattansi also debate the legacy of Hugo Chavez’ Bolivarian Revolution, with Hanke calling Chavez an economic disaster for Venezuela and calling for the adoption of the dollar for Venezuela, while Afshin Rattansi points out the achievements of Chavez in improving the lives of ordinary Venezuelans.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Introduction and geopolitical overview
(00:01:35) - Fed rate hike and impact on world
(00:03:26) - Money supply, Divisia M4 and inflation risks
(00:05:29) - Bond market manipulation by Treasury
(00:07:29) - Divisia data, Iran war and money supply link
(00:10:02) - War costs, deficits and inflation tax
(00:12:03) - Debate on interest rates vs. war as inflation cause
(00:13:13) - Oil chokepoints and Saudi production decline
(00:13:58) - Break
(00:14:16) - War tax impact on truck drivers and farmers
(00:15:29) - Environmental costs of war and GDP accounting
(00:17:48) - Trump's strategy and BRICS dynamics
(00:19:33) - BRICS communique and Iran war rhetoric
(00:21:27) - Venezuela dollarization plan and debate over Chavez
(00:24:53) - China, Xi Jinping meeting and global pivot
(00:26:40) - Closing remarks