The Listening Post

After 12 years of being shunned for his crackdown on protests that pushed Syria towards civil war, President Bashar al-Assad returned to the Arab League’s annual summit. The process of al-Assad’s rehabilitation - spearheaded by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman - has taken years of PR, spin, photo ops and the casting aside of history.Contributors:Arwa Damon - Former senior international correspondent, CNNFaisal Al Yafai - International editor, New Lines magazineNabih Bulos - Middle East bureau chief, Los Angeles TimesSarah Hunaidi - Human rights advocateOn our radar:With a year and a half left to go before the US presidential elections, a sideshow has been unfolding within the right-wing media - it is all about who gets to tell the story first. Producer Meenakshi Ravi reports on the battle that sees Twitter pitted against Fox News.The exposé that exposed the Ecuadorian presidentEcuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, is hanging by a thread. He faces an impeachment trial with accusations of corruption at the highest level. Producer Flo Phillips looks into the journalists and the investigative outlet - La Posta - that broke the story.Contributors:Andersson Boscán - Founder and editor-in-chief, La PostaManel Palos-Pons - Assistant professor of journalism, San Jose State UniversityMaría Sol Borja - Political editor, GKSubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News

With President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the verge of re-election in the second round next week, what’s next for what is left of Turkish journalism?Contributors:Mustafa Akyol - Senior Fellow, Cato InstituteRavza Kavakci Kan - AK Party Member of ParliamentSeren Selvin Korkmaz - Co-founder, IstanPol Institute & Lecturer, Stockholm UniversityGüney Yildiz - Researcher & AnalystOn our radar:Another death in Guatemala. Producer Flo Phillips reports on elPeriódico, the investigative magazine forced to close after coming into conflict with the powers that be.US vs China: The (cold) war of words:Reflecting tensions or creating them? Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at the media’s role in the geopolitical staredown between two of the world’s great economic and military powers - China and the United States.Contributors:Kaiser Kuo - Host, Sinica PodcastLizzi Lee - Journalist, Wall Street TVEinar Tangen - Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute & Founder, Asia NarrativesSubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News

Palestinian existence in Jerusalem is under threat - carefully watched, recorded and restricted. In the Old City’s narrow streets and alleys, cameras are inescapable.In the second episode of a two-part special, Tariq Nafi reports from the occupied West Bank, on how Israel’s surveillance machine infiltrates the lives of Palestinians. He also speaks with a former Israeli lieutenant in Unit 8200 - the elite intelligence unit responsible for spying on Palestinians.Contributors:Rula Jamal - Head of Monitoring & Documentation, Al HaqJalal Abukhater - WriterAmal Sumarin - Silwan residentHelga Tawil-Souri - Associate Professor, NYUIsraeli former Lieutenant Eli - Unit 8200Watch Part one: https://youtu.be/B1RNj8FXKqYSubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News

Palestinians in Hebron are some of the most heavily monitored and controlled people on the planet.In the first episode of a two-part special, Tariq Nafi reports from the occupied West Bank on the previously unknown facial recognition system ‘Red Wolf’, uncovered by Amnesty International and Breaking the Silence.Contributors: Izzat Karaki — activist; volunteer, Youth Against SettlementsSophia Goodfriend — journalist; researcher, Duke UniversityMatt Mahmoudi — researcher and adviser, Amnesty InternationalFormer Major General B — ex-Israeli military officer who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymityWith thanks to Amnesty International, Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem, Durham University, Akevot Institute, and Rona Sela.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News