Most people know Ralph Nader as the insurgent third-party Presidential candidate in the 2000 elections, where the popularity of his stand against corporate hegemony struck fear into establishment politics. 

But hundreds of millions experience Nader’s legacy everyday. Most notably, how virtually every automobile safety measure, from seatbelts to airbags, are the product of his relentless campaign against auto industry giants. His contributions as a consumer advocate span disability rights to exposing corporate pollution.

A long-time political figure with unique experience fighting from the center of Washington, Nader joins Abby Martin on The Empire Files to discuss today’s political climate, the corporate government and rigged elections. 

Ralph Nader and Abby Martin on US Corporate Rigged Elections

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Nader describes the invasion of Washington by Wall Street as the way in which the government has been indentured by corporatism; the Democrats are dialed into the same corporate interests as Republicans and both work to crush third party representatives from getting on the ballot.

Nader argues that Bernie Sanders gave up his bargaining power when he pledged to endorse Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee. “He probably knows that the democratic party machinery is controlled by the Clintons.” Nader says Sanders needs to use his grassroots support to make demands of the Democratic Party, and his followers need to start organizing beyond the campaign. 

Hillary Clinton is a “corporate criminal”, who has never met a war or weapons system she doesn’t like. Her hawkish foreign policy casts light on her tendency to chase after war, and her support of Wall Street. “She’s a militarist and a corporatist,” says Nader. Her blind ambition of seeking power will likely push the United States into more wars.

The Clinton Foundation, which is funded by Gulf monarchies and mining magnets, saw an increase in donorship once Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State, showing just how close the Clinton’s ties are to the most oppressive regimes and corporations. While Hillary’s campaign has been supported most passionately by those calling for more women-led leadership, this brand of ‘Clinton feminism’ has latched onto something that is nothing more than an upwards career move, not a substantive movement towards equal representation.

FOLLOW // @EmpireFiles and @AbbyMartin

WATCH // YouTube.com/EmpireFiles

VISIT // https://Nader.org/ for his weekly column and radio show

As Palestine makes its way into the headlines again, it’s necessary to examine not only the history of the near 70 year occupation, but the media’s culpability in pushing a devotedly pro-Israel/anti-Palestinian narrative.

During the most recent assault against the besieged Gaza Strip, even the most progressive news outlets attempted to present “both sides” of what was transpiring, as though it was anything less than a horrific attack against an occupied people who continue to struggle for their survival.

The disingenuous mainstream rhetoric writes off Palestinians as being brutal savages or human shields. The human shield myth is especially pervasive throughout the Empire’s historical revisionism, despite there being usually no evidence to back it up. In this episode, Dan Cohen, an independent journalist who lived in Gaza throughout the last weeks of the war, speaks about the terrifying moments he was made to be a human shield, not by Palestinians – but by Israeli forces.

Dan Cohen and Rania Khalek, associate editor at Electronic Intifada, join Abby Martin as she investigates the US media’s pro-Israel narrative and deep-rooted propaganda inside the settler colonial state.

The Distortion & Death Behind Israel/Palestine Coverage

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FOLLOW // @EmpireFiles and @AbbyMartin

WATCH // YouTube.com/EmpireFiles

Image by flickr user Jordi Bernabeu Farrus

As the futures of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Julian Assange hang in the balance, the fate of another has been sealed for 35 years. Chelsea Manning sacrificed it all to leak classified information which exposed some of the most heinous US war crimes from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Manning shattered paradigms yet again by coming out as transgender. In a recent interview from jail, she discusses her legal fight for hormone therapy as a means to help other transgender prisoners to survive. In her first tweet via third party she thanked journalist Alexa O’Brien. And for good reason.

Alexa remains tirelessly dedicated to the Manning case. Since 2012, she’s provided an archive of the only available transcripts of her Manning’s closed trial. Alexa fights not only for whistleblowers, but also to preserve civil liberties. She was one of the plaintiffs on the National Defense Authorization Act lawsuit filed against President Obama, led by Chris Hedges, and was foundational in the US Day of Rage, the initial Occupy Wall Street organizing group.

On this edition of Media Roots Radio, Abby and Robbie Martin speak to Alexa about Manning’s exposures, the ongoing erosion of civil liberties and her research into the conjoining of entertainment, tech and military industries.

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This Media Roots podcast is the product of many long hours of hard work and love. If you want to encourage our voice, please consider supporting us as we continue to speak from outside party lines. Even the smallest donations help us with operating costs.

Listen to all previous episodes of Media Roots Radio here.

Follow Abby @abbymartin, Robbie @fluorescentgrey & Alexa @carwinb

Photo by torbakhopper