EP.10: 'Inside the Belly of the Beast: Reporting on U.S. Foreign Policy from Washington D.C.' with guest Anya Parampil.

As a journalist, Anya Parampil is unafraid of rattling the cage. She now writes for the Grayzone, founded by her husband Max Blumenthal in 2015, an online publication which aims to 'break through any narrative of the day that is pushing the United States' public in support of war.' Previously she worked as a producer and broadcaster, then an anchor correspondent, for Russia Today (U.S.), from which she was fired, after refusing to accept restrictions on her reporting of U.S. foreign policy. In this podcast Anya likens writing about U.S. foreign policy from Washington D.C. to working inside 'the belly of the beast'. Her work charts the policy machinations emanating from what she describes as a 'deep state' whose power, she argues, exceeds democratically elected politicians.  Anya is the author of Corporate Coup – Venezuela and the End of US Empire (Or Books, New York, 2023), which dissects the motivations of the U.S. government, under the presidency of Donald Trump – directed in particular by figures such as John Bolton and Eliot Abrams – to sponsor a shadow government of Venezuela under Juan Guaído to challenge President Nicolás Maduro. As we approach another Presidential election, Anya sees little hope of a change in approach from the U.S. towards a country containing greater oil reserves than any other country on planet Earth. She maintains hope, however, that an alliance that includes isolationist supporters of Trump and progressive elements within the Democratic Party could in time tame the beast of this seemingly permanent government, and retains a faith that the First Amendment of the US Constitution on free speech will allow her to continue her work.  Episode Credits: Host: Frank Armstrong Music:  Loafing Heroes - ​​https://theloafingheroes.bandcamp.com  Produced by Massimiliano Galli - https://www.massimilianogalli.com