Topic: Aleppo

Russia's weakening ruble, high inflation, and rising defense spending were presented as signs of economic pressure from the war in Ukraine. The topic then shifted to Syria, where Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied rebels seized Aleppo and nearby territory, while Russian and Iranian involvement shaped the battlefield. A clip from former CIA official Mike Morell showed U.S. covert-war thinking toward Assad, Russia and Iran.

A property owner in Beaver, Utah, has begun covering Tesla Superchargers with burlap bags because the company has allegedly failed to pay rent since November. The show concludes with a montage of political gaffes, including Gary Johnson's "What is Aleppo?" moment, and a final sign-off from the hosts. Listeners are reminded of the upcoming Sunday show and the ongoing "Mac and Cheese in the Nude" special.

Former Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson discussed his "Aleppo moment" in an interview with Reason TV. The hosts mock Johnson for mispronouncing the word "gaffe" as "golf" during the interview, suggesting he remains ill-prepared for the political stage despite his advocacy for marijuana legalization.

The audio discusses the rise of the "alt-right" and the "paranoid fringe." It then mocks Gary Johnson's infamous "What is Aleppo?" moment during the 2016 presidential campaign, looping his confusion regarding the Syrian refugee crisis.

A car bomb targeting a convoy of evacuees near Aleppo, Syria, killed over 100 people. The White Helmets reported removing bodies from the scene, while state media provided lower casualty counts. The victims were residents from pro-regime villages who had been stalled in a transfer deal. The hosts contrast the high death toll of this "cheap" car bomb with the expensive MOAB strike in Afghanistan.

Military sources report a significant buildup of U.S. troops in Kuwait, potentially for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria. Tensions are rising between Israel and Syria following the use of Arrow anti-missile technology against Syrian surface-to-air missiles. The discussion critiques the State Department's lack of visibility regarding civilian deaths in Mosul, comparing the media's muted response to the heavy coverage previously seen during the siege of Aleppo.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard traveled to Syria to meet with President Bashar al-Assad and civilians in Aleppo and Damascus. In an interview with Jake Tapper, she reported that Syrian citizens questioned why the U.S. is arming "moderate rebels" who are indistinguishable from terrorist groups like Al-Nusra and ISIS. Gabbard emphasized that peace requires talking to enemies and that the Syrian people, not the U.S. government, should determine their country's future.

Senator Al Franken is criticized for his comments regarding Donald Trump's relationship with Russia and the appointment of Rex Tillerson. Senator Marco Rubio is described as being in the same "dimension" for acting as a parrot for State Department talking points regarding NATO and Crimea.

Senate confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions and Rex Tillerson featured intense questioning from Senators Cory Booker and Marco Rubio. Rubio specifically challenged Tillerson on whether he considers Vladimir Putin a war criminal, citing military actions in Aleppo and the deaths of Russian political opponents.

An Anglican priest's report from Aleppo is used to contrast the Western media narrative with the situation on the ground. The priest claims that residents in Western Aleppo were terrorized by rebels, contradicting the UK and U.S. narrative that the Syrian government was the sole aggressor. The hosts discuss the prevalence of "fake news" regarding hospital bombings.

The story of Bana Alabed, the seven-year-old Syrian girl famous on Twitter, is analyzed as a Turkish propaganda effort. The hosts critique a CNN report showing her meeting President Erdogan, noting that her tweets appear to be written by a native English speaker (likely an American) rather than a Syrian child or her mother.

The media coverage of Bana al-Abed, a seven-year-old girl tweeting from East Aleppo, is scrutinized for its logistical inconsistencies. Reports indicate her videos were sent directly to NBC News rather than being posted to standard platforms like YouTube. Bashar al-Assad has characterized the account as propaganda promoted by terrorist supporters.

Canadian journalist Eva Bartlett challenges the Western media's narrative on the Aleppo crisis, pointing out that international aid organizations are not actually on the ground in Eastern Aleppo. She claims the media relies on the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (a one-man operation in the UK) and the "White Helmets," whom she accuses of being a compromised, Western-funded group that recycles footage of children for propaganda.

NBC's Bill Neely reports on horrifying accounts of executions and civilians fleeing the ruins of Aleppo. The report highlights seven-year-old Banna Al-Abed, whose Twitter account has become a focal point for the conflict's human toll. The hosts express skepticism, noting that Banna is "verified" on Twitter despite being in a war zone with supposedly destroyed infrastructure.

The hosts highlight that NBC's Bill Neely signed off his report on the "Exodus of Misery" in Aleppo from Beirut, Lebanon. They point out that Beirut is nearly 200 miles away from Aleppo, making his "on-the-scene" style reporting essentially a summary of unverified social media clips. They compare this to reporting on events in Seattle while standing in Portland.

State Department spokesman John Kirby dismisses reports of people cheering in the streets of Aleppo, advising journalists to watch CNN for "reputable" imagery. RT's Murat Gazdiyev, who is actually in Aleppo, counters that the Western media is creating a "one-dimensional" view without having any reporters on the ground. The hosts predict that the "Twitter girl" Banna will eventually be "martyred" to further the anti-Assad narrative.

Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former aide to Colin Powell, notes that the rebels in Aleppo were equipped and trained by outside forces, not Moscow. He expresses doubt that there was ever a significant force of "Jeffersonian Democrats" fighting Assad on the ground. He observes that the current media strategy is to simply "blame Russia" for every development in the conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claims the U.S. suddenly revoked a proposal regarding the withdrawal of militants from Aleppo. State Department spokespeople refused to provide details on the "technical talks," leading to accusations that the U.S. is simply trying to buy time for rebels. The hosts compare this to past instances where the Obama administration reneged on agreements.

The Oxford Dictionary names "post-truth" as the word of the year for 2016. An RT segment defines the term as a shift where emotion outweighs objective facts in public opinion. The hosts argue that a lack of investigative resources in corporate media leads to the repetition of political lies.

NBC's Richard Engel is criticized for his reporting on hospital bombings in Aleppo, Syria. The hosts compare the narrative of babies being removed from incubators to the "Nayirah testimony" from the Gulf War. They highlight a moment in the raw footage where Engel appears to coach a local source to say "food is running out" for the camera.