2015 in Review: The Best of Truthdig’s A/V Booth Posts

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From comedic clips about Edward Snowden and Donald Trump to illuminating interviews featuring Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer, Noam Chomsky, columnist Chris Hedges and President Carter, here are our readers’ favorite audiovisual posts from 2015. Click on the titles to listen and watch each of the entries below.

John Oliver Flew to Russia to Interview Edward Snowden for One of the Best Clips All Year When John Oliver discovered, much to his dismay, that many Americans still don’t know who Edward Snowden is or what he did, the “Last Week Tonight” host decided to take a trip to Moscow to have a chat with the whistleblower himself.

Noam Chomsky on the History Behind Islamic State and Putin’s Actions in Ukraine Shortly after the Minsk II cease-fire agreement was reached in February, the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 called on world-renowned linguist and political activist Chomsky to discuss two of the most pressing global crises taking place: the conflict in Ukraine and the emergence of the militant Islamic State group.

Nebraska Farmer Invites Pro-Fracking Commission Members to Drink Contaminated Water Pro-fracking members of the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission went silent when a farmer and former pipeline worker invited them to drink water contaminated with chemicals used in the petroleum and natural gas extraction process.

Noam Chomsky: In ‘Free’ Countries, Unpopular Ideas Can Be Suppressed Without the Use of Force In conversation with The Nation’s John Nichols at the Tucson (Ariz.) Festival of Books in March, Chomsky discussed income inequality, media, democracy and activism, among many other topics.

The Real News Network’s 7-Part Interview With Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer by columnist Chris Hedges A wide-ranging, seven-part discussion about Scheer’s new book, “They Know Everything About You: How Data-Collecting Corporations and Snooping Government Agencies are Destroying Democracy.” Watch the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh clips by clicking on each of the numbers.

Noam Chomsky: Every Word in the Phrase ‘Free Trade Agreement’ Is False Chomsky discusses how so-called free trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, enrich corporations while creating migration crises. Other topics include Islamic State and the media. The video conversation took place at an event hosted by acTVism Munich.

Robert Scheer Hosts John Kiriakou—a Whistleblower on Torture On “Scheer Intelligence,” KCRW’s new podcast, Kiriakou, author of “The Reluctant Spy: My Secret Life in the CIA’s War on Terror,” details his 15 years as a CIA analyst and counterterrorism operations officer specializing in the Middle East.

Comedian George Lopez Turns the Tables on Donald Trump in This Must-See Satirical Interview Donaldo Trumpez, an arrogant Mexican billionaire played by Mexican-American actor George Lopez, explains why Mexico should be building a wall to keep U.S. frat boys from crossing the border and to quash cartels who glean all their power from Americans’ insatiable hunger for drugs.

Jimmy Carter: The U.S. Is an ‘Oligarchy With Unlimited Political Bribery’ The former U.S. president told the nationally syndicated radio host Thom Hartmann that the United States is now an “oligarchy” in which “unlimited political bribery” has led to “a compete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors.”

Noam Chomsky Finds Love Again in His 80s The now 87-year-old progressive thinker celebrated his first anniversary with his second wife, Valeria Wasserman Chomsky in 2015. “We shouldn’t overlook the fact that the world has some wonderful things in it, too,” the renowned activist and linguist told “Democracy Now!” host Amy Goodman after a long conversation about things that “range from unpleasant to horrific.”