Nightcrawler is one of those rare films that is beautifully written, very well executed and is about something that actual matters. It tells the story of Lou Bloom, a young man in poverty-struck Los Angeles who gets into nightcrawling – filming violent crimes and accidents and selling the footage to TV news. In this episode Pearse and I conduct an extensive analysis and review of the film, exploring many different interpretations that often contradict each other. Is Lou a sociopath, or the product of economic circumstances and a media culture that turns violence into a fetish? Are his cohorts Rick (his assistant) and Nina (the director of the news channel) just as guilty and complicit in what happens? Is his rival nightcrawler Joe Loder actually worse than Lou? These and many more questions are explored in this epic discussion.
My guest today is the great Douglas Valentine. Doug joins me to discuss his latest book The CIA as Organized Crime. We begin by looking at why Doug decided to write this book and the way in which it is structured. Next we delve into Doug’s relationship with the CIA and how he came to write about it’s inner-workings. Doug talks about his relationship with the agency and how he began getting access to operatives and officials while writing The Phoneix Program, including his meetings with former CIA Director William Colby. Doug also talks about how the agency attempted to co-opt him with money and a job, and their monitoring of his activities and research. Doug and I also talk about how the agency has grown and evolved from the late 1940’s to the present. We also touch on the recent anti-Russian media operations the CIA is involved with. Doug explains how this is both a distraction and a divide and conquer tactic that the CIA has perfected over the years.
In the second hour Doug explains how his research into the CIA led him to explore and write two books chronicling the narcotics trade and the War on Drugs. Doug talks about the way in which the CIA took over the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and later the DEA. We talk about how important the drug trade is to the CIA and how it is a cornerstone of the agency and its operations. I finish off by talking about several exciting upcoming episodes coming out in the next two months.
Today I am joined by the founder of Inner City Press, Matthew Russell Lee, to discuss his investigative work inside the United Nations. Matthew and I begin by discussing his recent expulsion from the UN after his persistent work on the John Ashe UN corruption scandal. Matthew explains how Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng, in conjunction with former UN ambassador Frank Lorenzo, was involved in one of the largest ongoing corruption scandals at the UN. We also discuss the symbiotic relationship between corruption, media censorship and UN atrocities around the world. We talk about the head of UN peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, and his role in maintaining France’s colonial control of Africa. Later, we discuss the crisis in Yemen and the way this is being covered up by both the UN and the media. Matthew and I also touch on some of the more bizarre stories coming out of the UN, including the one about 40 pounds of pure cocaine in the mail room. We finish off by looking at the legacy of Ban Ki-Moon’s UN, and explore the possibility of his running for president in South Korea.
Porkins Policy Review 