Podcasts about Afghan

Aliyyah Jawaid Rahmani said that as a female footballer she has faced many challenges on the field, however, family support and self-confidence helped her achieve success. She described Nadia Nadim as her all time favourite footballer, saying that Nadia Nadim rose from an Afghan refugee camp to make a name for herself in world football. Aliyyah's mother Ammarah Rahmani shared that she suffered from asthma and allergies in childhood, but despite that she kept fighting and achieved success. - عالیہ جاوید رحمانی نے کہا بطور فیمیل فٹبالر کھیل کے میدان میں چیلنجز کا سامنا رہا،تاہم فیملی سپورٹ اور خود اعتمادی نے انہیں کامیابی دلائی۔ انہوں نے نادیہ ندیم کو اپنی آل ٹائم فیورٹ فٹبالر قرار دیتے ہوئے کہا کہ نادیہ ندیم نے افغانی مہاجر کیمپ سے اٹھ کر دنیا بھر میں فٹبال کے میدان میں اپنا نام روشن کیا- عالیہ کو بچپن میں دمہ کی الرجی کا سامنا کرنا پڑا لیکن اُس کے باوجود وہ لڑی اور کامیابیاں سمیٹی,عالیہ کی والدہ عمارہ رحمانی -جانئے کس طرح ایس بی ایس اردو کے مرکزی صفحے کو بُک مارک کریں ہر بدھ اور جمعہ کا پورا پروگرام اس لنک پرسنئے, اردو پرگرام سننے کے دیگر طریقے “SBS Audio” کےنام سےموجود ہماری موبائیل ایپ ایپیل (آئی فون) یا اینڈرائیڈ ڈیوائیسزپرانسٹال کیجئے۔ہمیں فیس بُک اور انسٹا گرام پر فالو کیجئے۔

Climate change is intensifying water insecurity in fragile urban settings, where ageing infrastructure, rapid urbanization, and inequality already strain access to essential services. In Peshawar, Pakistan, a city hosting generations of Afghan refugees and facing growing water scarcity, climate pressures have reduced river flow, damaged infrastructure for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and increased waterborne disease. These impacts fall most heavily on refugees, informal settlement residents, and other marginalized communities with limited access to safe and reliable water and sanitation services. In this post, part of our new series “Delivering for people in an evolving humanitarian landscape”, Sundus Tehreem Shahzad Khattak draws on qualitative research with government officials, residents and humanitarian practitioners in Pakistan to argue that effective, climate-resilient WASH projects do more than deliver services; they safeguard a spectrum of human rights, including dignity, safety from violence, and economic opportunity. She contends that meeting legitimate community expectations requires moving beyond siloed, short-term interventions toward formalized, multi-stakeholder collaboration that places local knowledge, gender responsiveness, and long-term sustainability at the centre of humanitarian action in an era of climate uncertainty and urban fragility.

Canadian Armed Forces veteran and arm-wrestling legend Devon Larratt just shared one of the wildest military stories you will ever hear. While discussing the famous Kandahar Giant legend, Larratt said he personally saw an Afghan warlord who appeared to be around eight feet tall. According to Larratt, the man was massive, broad, and far outside the normal human range.For free and unbiased Medicare help, dial (656) 218-0931 to speak with my trusted partner, Chapter, or go to https://askchapter.org/nez▶Sign up to our Free Newsletter, so you never miss out: https://bio.site/professornez▶ ORIGINAL MADE IN U.S.A 250TH AMERICA DESIGNS: https://professornez.myspreadshop.com/

For Canadian Armed Forces veterans, your medical data is not secure. A recent audit of VAC revealed significant issues with their level of data protection, akin to an "Afghan police officer at a checkpoint" in terms of security. This video dives into the structural failures in how sensitive information is managed, highlighting a worrying lack of oversight and outdated data practices. It also exposes a major hypocrisy: the government enacted a cybersecurity law that conveniently exempts many of its own departments, including Veterans Affairs Canada, from critical legal compliance, leaving your data vulnerable to cybercrime. Join Veterans Getting Fit AF community: https://www.skool.com/dave-morrow-personal-training Read more on my Substack page: https://davebmorrow.substack.com/

Former Afghan Ambassador Omar Samad joins WiseNuts for one of our most important conversations yet.From Afghanistan's forgotten era of democracy and prosperity to the rise of the Taliban, the Soviet invasion, 9/11, America's longest war, and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal, Omar breaks down the history behind one of the world's most misunderstood countries.We explore how Afghanistan became the centre of decades of conflict, the role foreign powers played in shaping its future, and why many of the narratives presented by the media fail to tell the full story of the Afghan people.Omar shares his personal experiences living through war, becoming a refugee, serving as Afghanistan's Ambassador to Canada and France, and working with NATO during some of the country's most pivotal moments.Topics include:* Afghanistan before the wars* Democracy, reform and modernization* The Soviet invasion* The rise of the Taliban* Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda* 9/11 and its impact on Afghanistan* The U.S. War on Terror* America's withdrawal in 2021* Afghanistan's natural resources* The opium trade* Women's rights under Taliban rule* Media narratives and public perception* The future of AfghanistanWhether you agree or disagree with the perspectives discussed, this episode offers a rare opportunity to hear Afghanistan's story from someone who lived it, served it, and represented it on the world stage.Don't forget to Like & Subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you never miss an episode! General Sponsors:Megeredchian Law

The collapse of the Afghan government has raised grave concerns for the future of the country, particularly for women. Exit is not a generally available option, but should it be? This week, we wanted to re-release our conversation about the rights of women in Afghanistan as we prepare to release a special conversation with Rina Amiri who was the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The U.S. and Iran launch new strikes as President Trump threatens Oman.  Rescuers devise a new plan to pull five people from a flooded cave in Laos. The Justice Department launches a criminal probe of E. Jean Carroll. 11 people are presumed dead from a chemical tank rupture and spillage into a nearby river in Washington state. Plus, the first Afghan woman reaches the summit of  Mount Everest.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  A disturbing BBC report exposing Afghan children being sold into forced marriages and sexual exploitation sparks a deeper conversation about the collapse of Afghanistan, the rise of the Taliban, and decades of failed foreign intervention. This segment traces how the country went from relative modernization to extremism, chaos, and human tragedy — and asks whether the West ever truly understood what it was trying to change.

APEX Express is a weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. On this episode, host Miata Tan is joined by guests from the South Asian Coalition, an emergent national network committed to collective liberation and solidarity. Together they explore what it means to build South Asian political power in this moment—and how cross-movement solidarity can shape a more just, multiracial future. Learn more about the South Asian Coalition Website | Instagram | Policy Priorities   The South Asian Coalition was convened in October 2024 by: Manavi, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, Muslims for Just Futures, and Raksha.   Transcript ​[00:00:00]  Miata Tan : Hello and welcome. You are tuning in to APEX Express, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I'm your host, Miata Tan. Tonight, we're focusing on South Asian communities and the organizers working to build political power. South Asians are one of the fastest-growing racial groups in the United States, Over six million people [00:01:00] and roughly a quarter of the Asian American population. South Asian is used as a broad umbrella term for people with roots in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and sometimes Afghanistan. Though exact definitions can vary across communities and organizations. And as we'll talk about tonight, within the South Asian diaspora who call the United States home, you have a mix of nationalities, religion, immigration status, and more. Tonight, I'm joined by four people working to address the issues impacting South Asian communities in the US and beyond. At a time when questions of belonging, safety, and political power continue to shape immigrant communities across the country, South Asian organizers are building new forms of solidarity while also grappling with the diversity and complexity within their own communities. The first voice you'll hear is Sabiha Basrai Sabiha is the daughter of Muslim Gujarati immigrants and has been [00:02:00] organizing with the Bay Area-based Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA, since 2009. Here's Sabiha helping us to understand how South Asian political organizing has evolved in the United States, especially in the post 9/11 era Sabiha Basrai: Thanks for the opportunity to do some reflection this year marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which was a real a political flashpoint that absolutely changed my life because I was a 19-year-old college student trying to figure out a lot of things about how the world works and my place in it, and my own identity and the multiple identities I hold. Uh, and also where my responsibilities lied in solidarity, not just with other Muslims who were being targeted, but our broad immigrant diasporas and allies, uh, who have experienced discrimination in different forms from the state. So thinking about the ways in which- organizing happened in the, months and years after 9/11 to support immigrant [00:03:00] rights that was really a time in which new projects formed, um, or existing projects kind of found a new focus. ASATA as an organizing project, as a group of volunteers, has both done things like shown up to support folks being called up for the NCR's Special Registration Program and also participate in direct action protests in solidarity against the war, and has continued to be part of coalitional work regionally in the Bay Area. And, you know, more recently, uh, when we think about the ways in which our communities under, are under increased pressure with the Trump administration's immigrant policies, there have been also opportunities to build more relationships and make sure that as we advocate for our community's rights, we're doing so in formation with others, not just focusing on one particular bad piece of legislation, but connecting that to a larger story, to really build towards liberation for all of us. I'll [00:04:00] just add, too that those relationships that were kind of seeded and invested in in that moment of crisis and anxiety and fear have endured in many ways to now. The fact that that very ecosystem is actually growing in this moment is a testament to the relationships that were built in those days. Miata Tan : That was Sabiha Basrai grounding us in the history of South Asian political organizing in the US. As she mentioned, for many South Asians, 9/11 marked a particularly mobilizing moment, one that helped our communities organized and built solidarity. To help us better understand how that moment influenced the evolution of progressive South Asian activism, we now turn to Deepa Iyer, South Asian American writer, strategist, and lawyer. Deepa leads projects on solidarity and social movements at Building Movement Project and brings more than 25 years of experience in Asian American organizing and advocacy Deepa Iyer: I think that I would say that there [00:05:00] were, looking back, a couple of trends and themes that we can pull out from that time. one is that there was definitely a shift in the general consciousness of South Asian communities about our place in American society, our understanding of racism, Islamophobia, and also the role of the state. And so we had a situation where both hate violence and state violence were actually being endured by South Asian, Muslim, Arab communities. And so I think that there was a shift in the ways in which our communities began to think about ourselves in the United States. A second piece is the growth of a field, an ecosystem of South Asian organizations in the wake of the attacks and the global war on terror. So we began to see a lot of groups that were actually formed or becoming more staffed up in the weeks and months after 9/11. For example, the Sikh [00:06:00] Coalition was actually birthed the evening of the attacks, and an organization that I was close to, SALT, was also emerging and forming in the months after 9/11 as well. So we began to see that a, a field was growing. And the third, sort of theme I would point out that Sabihah alluded to is this sense of solidarity, that instead of sort of being siloed as, you know, South Asians working within just our communities and just talking about certain specific issues, there was real sense that we needed to collaborate and build bridges with Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and, Black communities in the United States to understand the trajectory of racism and xenophobia, and how they were all kind of coming together in the weeks after 9/11. Those three themes and trends are what, when I look back, I see coming up over and over again in our messaging and in our advocacy. Miata Tan : [00:07:00] That was Deepa Iyer, as you heard from Deepa, collaboration across movements was essential in helping South Asian communities to understand and respond to the waves of xenophobia in the wake of 9/11. Now we turn to Rajiv Narayan and Farah Mahesri, who lead national policy work at the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA together they launched and now co-lead ASATA's new political base building group, ASATA Power. Rajiv begins by reflecting on what South Asian communities are facing today and what has and hasn't changed since 9/11. Rajiv Narayan: I think unfortunately many of the challenges present in the early 2000s remain today. They take new form. Some have evolved and transformed, but they were ex- existed in, in much the same form following 9/11. One of the, the instances in which I, I learned about that is at the recent South Asian Coalition convening where we did this exercise in mapping a number of [00:08:00] historical and present day events, as well as a future vision of things that are important to our organizations and to our movements. And something that we reflected on together in the convening is that a number of these attacks on our communities have waxed and waned, uh, at different periods in time, dating back to the, the 1960s and truly at, even at the beginning of, you know, the 19th century and the late 18th century. And so, to answer your question specifically, in the early 2000s, like Deepa and Sabihah mentioned, we've dealt with, uh, an incredible expression of Islamophobia of, uh, anti-Brown and anti-Black racism and hate speech. There was a, in, in general a skepticism and unwelcoming of South Asian communities. And unfortunately with the current federal administration and political discourse in our country, uh, a number of those same themes are relevant today and take on similar forms, whether they're in [00:09:00] response to what the federal administration is doing in countries like Iran or previous administrations have done in Afghanistan or Pakistan. I think all of those events underscore all the more so that it's important for our organizations to, organize together, much as we did in the early 2000s, to address these harms, to remember what they look like at previous stages of history, and to fight to prevent them again from happening in the future. Miata Tan : Farah, perhaps you could speak a bit to the organizing. What did that look like, a few years ago, and what does that look like today? How has that changed? Farah Mahersi: Rajiv and I started ASATA Power a couple of years ago specifically to be able to look forward to practice radical imagination, and fight for not just protection of our communities, which we will always do. That is built into our DNAs. It's what we know. It's how we move. And also to fight for things that we want, to build the world that we want to live in so that we're not constantly caught in these cycles. And as we're doing [00:10:00] that, we are learning a lot about how organizing is happening today, the BLM movement, Black Lives Matter, and incredible street power, but also that movement's ability to change our national discourse and change what is baseline, what we should be demanding, and how we are visioning a future that is built on policies governance and hard material changes in our lives is profound. beyond that, also the Palestine solidarity movement over the last couple of years has rewritten every book about organizing. And so I think that it is an interesting moment of both a little bit of sadness, to be honest, that we are still fighting some of these same fights and we are still in some of these same dynamics that we have been for 25 years, and the profound opportunity that we have to build power and to look forward, and I think that is, more true in the Bay Area than it is almost everywhere else. Uh, because of what our workforce looks like, because of the sheer [00:11:00] amount of wealth that is accumulated in this little corner of our world, and also when you look around at the political power and people who hold political power or are running for political power and elected office around the Bay Area, you could really start to see not just how South Asians are increasingly politicized and increasingly looking to build electoral and political power, but also s- very specifically progressive political power. And so when you look to Congress now, The progressive caucus is full of South Asian progressives who are leading the charge, who are doing some of this critical work, that's part of our organizing strategy, is to be part of those conversations and to continue to push and to continue to, again, advocate for policies and changes at that big level to make the future we want possible. Miata Tan : I love that. Coming together to dream and really fight. Rajiv, you are leading this work at the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action. Can you speak more to why the Bay Area [00:12:00] is a, like, a distinct microcosm in this progressive South Asian movement? Rajiv Narayan: Of course. So Farah and I, we both work together at ASATA Power, and ASATA is sort of political power building project within the auspices of, uh, ASATA which has been operating in the Bay Area for more than 25 years now. I think what makes the Bay Area a microcosm of the South Asian diaspora is a tremendous amount of diversity and, uh, a set of interrelated intersectional challenges. So you have, uh, folks of South Asian descent with all different immigration histories. So I'm, for example, a person, um, who has birthright citizenship in the United States as I was born here. But there are folks who immigrated here, like my parents and had to attain their citizenship uh, through the, the US legal system, and folks beyond that who are refugees or asylees or are undocumented due to a variety of political and social and economic pressures. And so we all coexist in this same space across an economic gradient. So there are folks [00:13:00] who are very well compensated in the tech sectors and healthcare sectors sometimes, uh, characterized, uh, as part of a, a model minority myth, um, as representatives of the South Asian diaspora, um, within the San Francisco Bay Area and the United States broadly. And then there are whole variety of South Asians who are working in less well-compensated, often quite exploited industries. For example, in, care industries as people who are providing childcare or senior care services, people who are working in the restaurant industry folks who are lesser compensated within healthcare as well as in tech industries and other ways. Of course, those economic positions interact with the political and legal system. So for example, even if a person might be, um, well-compensated in a tech job in the Bay Area, um, which they attained by way of an H-1B visa that person might be subject to exploitative labor conditions based on the, uh, the legal configuration of how H-1B [00:14:00] visas are treated. For example, that you depend on your employer for your immigration status in this country, which changes the worker-employer relationship in a way that makes it very difficult to identify workplace abuses. beyond that, we also have a diverse range of South Asians across the age gradient. So we have folks who are quite young, who are in Gen Z, and are entering politics in a completely different way than somebody like myself or Deepa entered politics at, in earlier in, in our lives and experience it today, which provides an opportunity for us to learn from earlier generations and to also share lessons from our political experience. So like with many things, the Bay Area has it all, the good and the bad, and ASATA and ASATA Power work within that, that space to identify opportunities for solidarity. Miata Tan : That was Rajiv Narayan and Farah Mehestri. Through their work with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA, Rajiv and Farah are helping to build South Asian political power here in the Bay Area and [00:15:00] nationwide. The ASATA team and all four of our guests tonight are connected through the South Asian Coalition, a network of local and national organizations focused on advancing policy issues affecting South Asian communities and building shared spaces for strategy and collaboration. To better understand this evolving movement of progressive South Asian action, let's return to Deepa Iyer, who shares how and why this coalition came together Deepa Iyer: Yeah. I really appreciate Rajiv bringing up, um, how- what is happening in the Bay Area is part of a larger movement. And what I would say about this ecosystem, this field that I talked about earlier, and I've been able to understand this through the course of the work I've done, but also a book I've written about post 9/11 America, is that so much happens on the coasts, and we often forget that there are organizations and are communities that are really [00:16:00] growing in other parts of the country, right? You know, I grew up in Kentucky, um, and there are places like Kentucky and Indiana where you are seeing, um, more South Asians settle and build their lives there. So one of the things that I think has been important in thinking about as we come up on this 25th anniversary of 9/11 is how our coalition of South Asian groups, how that field has grown with these additional organizations, in geographic areas that are different, as well as the ways in which folks are organizing. So now we've got, for example, groups that are working with Bhutanese refugees or Nepali-speaking community members, or groups that are organizing around the exploitation of community members based on caste. These are, um, really important movement interventions and organizations that are growing. one of the key aspects of network infrastructure is the ability to connect with each other, [00:17:00] not to flatten our experiences and say we're all the same, but to actually find some threads of commonality in our shared struggle and our experiences, and to also know that together as collectives, as Farah mentioned earlier, we can actually build the futures that we wanna see. One of the really, I think, inspiring pieces of coalition building that I've been fortunate to work with and support along with, um, everyone here is the South Asian Coalition, which is this emergent network of now 35 organizations around the country, and this coalition really seeks to build relationships and strengthen relationships, engage in peer learning and skills building, make it clear that there are certain policy issues that we need to uplift and to advocate around, and to create opportunities and pathways for solidarity with larger movements. This coalition and the infrastructure that it's been [00:18:00] creating is a way for us to look at our ecosystem of South Asian organizing in this moment, and to really see what happens when we galvanize our power collectively. Miata Tan : and Deepa, can you share a bit about the various co-conveners that make up the South Asian Coalition?  Deepa Iyer: So the South Asian Coalition, um, as we've mentioned, is this emergent network of groups that address various issues but are aligned around shared values. And the groups that really came together to co-convene it include Asad the Power, as well as Muslims for Just Futures, Raksha, which is an organization in the South, and Manavi, which is based in New Jersey. And these four organizations really had the vision to set up the structure for the coalition. the organization where I work at, Building Movement Project, supports the coalition through infrastructure, so providing facilitation, providing resources, policy analysis, and creating the container to support [00:19:00] movements in that way, which is so critical for coalitions. Miata Tan : That was Deepa Iyer a South Asian American writer, strategist, and lawyer. after the break, we'll hear more from organizers and advocates working to address issues shaping South Asian communities today. Stay with us  [00:20:00] [00:21:00] that was “Phenom” by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. You are tuned into [00:22:00] APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I'm your host, Miada Tan. Tonight, I'm joined by four people who are working to address the issues impacting South Asian communities in the US and beyond. Back in March, organizers, advocates, and community leaders from across the country gathered in Washington, DC, for a national convening focused on the challenges and possibilities facing South Asian communities today. Here's Sabiha Basrai with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA. She speaks about how this coalition of progressive South Asian groups formed and why this moment called for it. Sabiha Basrai: So this new emergent South Asian Coalition had its first convening in Washington, DC in March, and this was, the culmination of, a little over a year of monthly Zoom calls which started because [00:23:00] we knew we were on the verge of a Trump re-election. Uh, we knew that there was this ecosystem of South Asian activism and organizing across the country. Some of us knew each other from previous collaborations, but some of us didn't. New organizations were forming, and there was this recognition that we need each other in order to face what's coming, and we are stronger together. And we know that being South Asian is not a monolith, uh, that we deal with within our own communities based on labor exploitation, caste discrimination, anti-Muslim violence. And when we talk to each other, when we connect, we give ourselves the best chance at being able to move through those pieces of pain and build towards a future where we can all feel a sense of belonging, feel represented, and an agency in shaping that future together. So what started with a few conversations with a few folks, grew steadily [00:24:00] and, um, and through some intentional work to, to kind of invite each other in, which is of course an ongoing process, we were able to unite under this umbrella called the South Asian Coalition. Uh, we committed to some shared political points of unity and kind of community agreements to really set some expectations with one another on how we could move well in formation. And, made sure we had pathways to share information with each other so that someone like me working in Oakland could understand what, uh, someone working in Texas or in Georgia was facing, what local policy positions they were needing to, to navigate. And, uh, we could give each other advice, give each other moral support, and also sharpen our political understandings. So, uh, these kind of, uh, regular check-ins was one way of just understanding what we were all facing and feeling connected. But, actually being together in person was remarkable. I cannot overstate how much of a difference it makes to be able to share [00:25:00] space and see each other as whole people and not just representatives of a particular organization or a particular issue area, and, have those in-between moments where we actually build, build some friendships. One of the things that was also really important for me to understand when we met together was just how important that intergenerational work is. we had folks in the room who were, in their 50s and 60s who had been doing this work for decades. And we had folks in the room who were in their 20s for whom 9/11 was, something that happened in history. The conversations that were happening across generations informed the way that we think about ourselves as a coalition and helped me also to let go of some of the constraints that, kept my imagination small about what we were capable of. I was really grateful that so many people attended and chose to prioritize that work. It's hard, you know, to take a pause from The daily work to leave, fly to [00:26:00] DC take those risks as well because for many of us, uh, going through TSA is no small thing. There's a lot of harassment and racism that still permeate, you know, these institutions. So not to minimize just the effort that ta- it takes to convene and really make the most of our time together. One of the things that we did while we were in DC together was hold a congressional briefing to really, uh, amplify and share the issues that were coming up for our communities that folks were already working very hard on. Miata Tan : That was Sabiha Basrai with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA. Now let's return to Rajiv Narayan, another member of the ASATA team and co-lead of their political action group, ASATA Power. Rajiv will take you inside the congressional briefing that Sabiha mentioned and how South Asian organizers from across the country shared the issues shaping their communities and what support is needed now Rajiv Narayan: We in ASATA Power worked in [00:27:00] collaboration with a number of the organizations in the South Asian coalition, to put together a congressional briefing on the issue of South Asians and immigration in the heart of Washington, DC, in the halls of Congress in Capitol Hill. And we were fortunate to do so in collaboration with Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Grace Meng. we had a number of, speakers representing, different perspectives and political struggles within the South Asian, uh, space in the United States, especially as it relates to immigration. So, for example, we had representatives from the Dalit Solidarity Forum talking about the plight of oppressed workers, caste-oppressed workers, in New Jersey working in a Hindu temple.  ​ Dr Roja Sunganthy-Singh – Dalit: I stand here as a Dalit, formerly known as an untouchable in India's caste system, speaking for over two hundred skilled Dalit artisans who were brought to the US from India to build the largest Hindu temple in New Jersey. In their words, ” We are the Indian stone workers of America, workers [00:28:00] rescued by the FBI in twenty twenty-one from forced labor conditions constructing the BAPS temple in New Jersey. we were brought to the US on R one visas and compelled to perform construction labor for over eighty-seven hours a week and paid just a dollar twenty an hour. Rajiv Narayan: We heard from, um, the executive director of the Sikh Coalition talking about Sikh truck drivers and religious workers and their experience under the federal regime's, uh, rule-making efforts. Harman Singh – Sikh Coalition: Uh, Punjabi Sikhs began entering the US trucking industry in large numbers during the nineteen eighties, and Sikh truck drivers and business owners have played a critical role in addressing driver shortages over the past several years. Unfortunately, Sikhs in this critical industry have become the subject of harmful rhetoric and policy from this current administration. These drivers are being excluded solely because of their specific immigration status and regardless of their driving histories, skills, knowledge, or English proficiency.  Rajiv Narayan: We heard from, the executive director of Asian Refugees United, who [00:29:00] spoke about the experience of Bhutanese refugees who have been rendered stateless by the current administration's, deportation efforts Robin Gurung – ARU: Because of the ethnic cleansing campaign of Bhutan government, more than hundred thousand Bhutanese citizens were forced to flee the country. For twenty years, I lived in a refugee camp in Nepal. In 2008, the government of this country came to rescue us. We were promised safety and security. But last year, that promise was broken. As of March 2025, over seventy of our community members are deported to Bhutan, the same country that persecuted us and made us refugees. These community members are kidnapped from their homes and jobs. They have been taken from their routine ICE check-ins. We know due process was not followed. Rajiv Narayan: We also heard from the executive director of Raksha, a domestic violence organization based in the Southern United States that has played an instrumental role in supporting South Asians who have been the victims [00:30:00] and who are now survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence, about the needs for supporting these kinds of organizations, with federal dollars and through the grant-making systems conditions. Aparna Bhattacharyya – Raksha: For thirty years, we have supported community members in navigating interpersonal violence, but also waves of racism and policy backlash.  South Asian and Indo-Caribbean survivors need safe places to turn, safe places that speak their language, understand their unique immigration and cultural needs. Raksha recently had $700,000 in OVC grants terminated by DOGE. additionally, we are still waiting for OVW sexual assault cultural funds for five months, where we have gotten no determination of whether we're getting that funding or not. Five months. Rajiv Narayan: We also heard from, the director of the South Asian American Justice Collaborative, which is currently, before the US Supreme Court in the birthright citizenship case, and [00:31:00] filed this foundational amicus brief detailing the story of South Asians in the United States going back to the 1600s. Klapana Peddibhotla – SAAJCO: Our brief pushes back against this notion that we are forever foreign.  South Asians actually arrived on these shores in the sixteen hundreds, and by the seventeen hundreds, South Asians were already asserting their rights here. In an Afghan immigrant actually fought in the Civil War in the Union Army. by the late nineteenth century, the largest farming group in Central California was formed by Punjabis. Today, South Asians are one of the largest immigrant populations in the US, but many families are caught in immigration backlogs that last for decades and make them vulnerable to the President's executive order restricting birthright citizenship. Rajiv Narayan: Across all of these speakers, you know, the, the, the message became very clear that we have so many different struggles, but they're all [00:32:00] united by a sense of solidarity for each other's political experiences under the same system of exploitation and oppression, and that there, there's so much that Congress can do in this moment to support the South Asian diaspora in the United States and, and even abroad in some cases. for ASATA Power's part, we, had the opportunity to put together over the course of the last year a policy brief on undocumented South Asians, and it was during the congressional briefing that we shared some pretty startling statistics that we, collected and collated from a number of public sources. And so what we were able to identify for the room is that there are about eight hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand undocumented South Asians in the United States, and because there are only six point five million South Asians in the US, both those who are undocumented and those who have birthright citizenship or are otherwise naturalized, refugees, asylees, and, and everyone in between. Of those six point five million South Asians One in eight of [00:33:00] them is undocumented, which is shocking and not something that somebody would understand at the outset given these problematic narratives like the model minority myth and whatever you see these days on X or Twitter about South Asian immigrants. So it's important for us not only to, to set the narrative straight and to identify both the diversity and opportunity for solidarity across our struggles, but to do so in the halls of power and to speak that truth to power directly. Miata Tan : That's Rajiv with ASATA Power reflecting on a recent congressional briefing in Washington, DC he helped to organize alongside other progressive South Asian leaders, organizers, and activists. Here's a snippet of Rajiv's opening remarks at the briefing Rajiv Narayan: I want to draw your attention to the slide behind me, they'll show a couple of images of South Asian community members who've been impacted recently by the horrific policies and practices of the federal administration. These members include Sheraz Fatehali Sachwani, a forty-eight-year-old citizen of Pakistan who died in ICE [00:34:00] detention last December. They include seventy-three-year-old Harjit Kaur, who was arrested during a routine ICE check-in, separated from her family, and deported to India without notice. I should say, I grew up seeing Harjit Kaur behind the counter at Sari Palace in Berkeley. She would help my mom try on saris. Her home was here. Her community was here. You know, these are just some of the names and stories of community members who have been affected by immigration policy as of late, and we hope that you will keep them in mind as you hear from our speakers today. There are many more we were not able to picture or name, but their stories are just as important. We'll be making many asks over the course of today's briefing. Some of those include the following: Congress should not increase funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including providing funds for detention facilities, especially in this funding moment. We have to remember that ICE is not a long-standing American institution. It was created in two thousand and two, recently, as part of the Homeland Security Act following nine [00:35:00] eleven. Miata Tan : That was Rajiv Narayan with ASATA Power speaking at a recent congressional briefing in Washington, DC. The briefing was part of a larger national convening organized by the South Asian Coalition, bringing together progressive South Asian groups from across the country. Now let's return to Deepa Iyer, who leads projects on solidarity and social movements at Building Movement Project here's Deepa reflecting on her takeaways from the congressional briefing Deepa Iyer: I think that there were so many pieces in that briefing that maybe people didn't know about that organizations are struggling with, and part of it is that, um, our communities, and Sabihah said this earlier, are not a monolith, right? And there are so many different ways in which we are experiencing what is happening right now in the United States, the fractures and the fissures that we're seeing. Rajiv spoke so well about the community needs and issues. One thing I'll lift up is actually the impact on nonprofit [00:36:00] organizations. Several of the groups that were, uh, speaking at the briefing noted how the attacks on nonprofits that are specifically working on issues like immigration in terms of losing federal funding and grants, being forced to certify that they are not addressing issues work that deal with undocumented immigrants, as well as the ways in which, um, nonprofit organizations are being, in some ways, seen as doing risky and un-American work. there is the, the exploitation of domestic terrorism as a frame that is being used right now to target certain nonprofit organizations. This is something that I think is not necessarily known to many people in terms of the ways in which national security, immigration issues are also affecting the nonprofit sector as a whole. And where I work at the Building Movement Project, we really look at the nonprofit sector and the health of the nonprofit sector, and we're [00:37:00] seeing that these types of external threats, the spotlight on organizations that are on the front lines, including South Asian groups, um, Muslim groups, Palestinian groups, that are working with, um, immigrant communities, queer and trans community members that are providing- Vital language access, service provision, community safety are really under threat right now, and this includes many of the organizations that were present at the, coalition's convening. So that's something that I also wanna lift up, that in addition to our communities who are facing the impact of the current moment in really acute ways, our nonprofit sector and our organizations are also dealing with a range of constraints and threats and difficulties. So that is one thing that came up over and over again. Miata Tan : That was Deepa Iyer with the Building Movement Project, highlighting the pressures facing the nonprofit sector right now, [00:38:00] especially as it relates to South Asian organizers, advocates, and communities. Let's return to Farah Mahesri with ASATA Pawa.  Farah Mahersi: One of the other things that I am very proud of for this congressional briefing that we did was that it was us telling our own stories and us presenting our own policy recommendations. There was no need to have, like, an expert come in and talk on behalf of our communities or try to represent our communities. We were the experts in the room, and we were really recognized and seen as that. As Rajiv mentioned, you know, there, the room was packed with Hill staffers and congressional staffers who were taking diligent notes as we spoke our truths Miata Tan : That was Farah Mahesri with ASATA Pawa reflecting on the recent congressional briefing she helped to organize, one that brought greater visibility to the experiences of South Asian immigrants. You'll hear more on how South Asian activists, organizers, and community groups [00:39:00] are mobilizing after this. Stay with us ​ Miata Tan : [00:40:00] [00:41:00] [00:42:00] That was Lion on the Hunt by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. You are tuned into APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I'm your host, Miata Tan. Tonight, we're talking about South Asian organizing in the United States and how community leaders are responding to immigration challenges, political representation, and the shifting landscape of civil rights back in March, organizers and advocates from across the country gathered in Washington, DC for a national convening focused on the challenges and possibilities facing South Asian communities today. Here's Rajiv Narayan with the Alliance of [00:43:00] South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA, reflecting on the importance of honoring both the diversity of the South Asian diaspora and the shared struggle that connects these communities Rajiv Narayan: Something I appreciate about, your work, Miata, at APEX Express, is to highlight both that diversity of the South Asian diaspora and the many struggles and experiences that unite our political experiences and our commitment to social justice. It, it used to be, and in, in some places it still is the case, that folks will use an over-broad group to represent all of the South Asian diaspora. For example, talking about all Brown people as Indian or Desi or to, to collapse all the differences in our community. And part of the power of the congressional briefing is that we are able to show that what it means to be South Asian is at once an incredibly diverse expression and at the same time a collective expression of solidarity. We can do two of these things at the same time. We can recognize our differences and fight for each other. One of my [00:44:00] favorite takeaways that I, I heard from Deepa at the briefing is that there are some staffers that came up to her and said, “I've never heard my story, my experience, my political struggles represented in a panel in this building in front of other congressional staffers.” And that's something that we can do, and we should do more of. There are so many ways in which we can tell the stories and highlight the campaigns of folks from different parts of the South Asian diaspora who are all fighting for a better life for all of us. Miata Tan : That was Rajiv Narayan with ASATA, in the recent congressional briefing that Rajiv helped to organize through the South Asian Coalition, organizers also pointed toward the future of South Asian organizing in the United States and the role of a new generation shaping it. back to Deepa Iyer with Building Movement Project. Here, Deepa Iyer: Some of the young folks that are entering or working at nonprofits now, supporting South Asian nonprofits don't have a living memory of 9/11 and the global war on terror, [00:45:00] and they have been politicized in different ways, right, over the last eight years, for example, the pandemic global wars, et cetera. And so there are a couple of ways in which I've been thinking about how we can support South Asian young people. so for example, how can we share historical analysis and political analysis so that young people understand that they are part of a trajectory of South Asian activism that actually started well before 9/11, before the 1960s, right, and that continues to today, so they don't feel fragmented. So that's something I've been sitting with a lot. Another is around pathways into public service and community service and into the nonprofit sector. So how could we support young people in terms of building their skills, in having pathways open to them into our nonprofit organizations? And then finally, how do we support them, um, so that they, can do this work for the long run? You know, we all struggle with burnout, we all [00:46:00] struggle with sustainability. what are some lessons learned that we can pass on? What are some best practices? that's something that's been sitting with me quite a bit since the gathering that we had, and I hope that the coalition will really think about, supporting young people's leadership and finding different avenues and pathways to do that. Miata Tan : That was Deepa Iyer reflecting on how movements can better support the next generation of South Asian organizers. Within the South Asian coalition, that work also means building long-term infrastructure for better collaboration. Now back to Sabiha Basrai with ASATA. Sabiha Basrai: I'm also really appreciating that the South Asian Coalition is this model for creating a container for many, many organizations to unite as a group while maintaining regional focus and individual issue priorities. I also wanna name that the place where I first learned how to do national coalition work was as a member of the National South Asian Coalition that ASATA had been part of. [00:47:00] It was facilitated by a group called SALT which played such a critical role in the post 9/11 era and continued to then work on DACA, creating resources for undocumented South Asians, along with other issues facing our diverse diasporas. And SALT closed a few years ago. It was a decision that I don't understand and was- has really left me with a lot of sadness and confusion. but I al- I know that sometimes institutions do end, but that the work does not end and the relationships do not end. And the South Asian Coalition is this emergent space that, um, is not led by any one organization. it is a space that is being invested in collectively, and we're really moving at the speed of trust so that we can be really laying that strong foundation that supports the work ahead. I'm really sitting with the ways in which sometimes this labor of Building the container, creating the container, [00:48:00] investing in the network. It's sometimes invisible labor, but it is the most critical because without it we can have moments of mass mobilization, but then that wasn't actually building any power over the long term. And I'm really looking forward to all of the very good work ahead, because I trust the relationships and the containers that we're building. Miata Tan : That was Sabiha reflecting on the collaborative infrastructure that the South Asian Coalition is helping to build. Now let's return to Deepa Iyer. I asked Deepa what campaigns are on the horizon for the coalition, especially as this year marks 25 years since 9/11. Deepa Iyer: As Sabiha mentioned, the coalition is a space for invested leadership, and so there are lots of different campaigns that groups within the coalition are eyeing and taking on. One of them Rajiv mentioned already is the fight around birthright citizenship. And so there are groups like SACHCO and others that showed up with a South Asian [00:49:00] delegation at the Supreme Court on April 1st when that case was being heard, and it was really great to see so many South Asians out there in a delegation along with other communities, to raise their voices on this really vital, pivotal issue. And so that is a campaign that some of the groups within the coalition are going to continue to be lifting up as we get the results of that case and moving forward. Another one that you mentioned, is around the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and there are groups that are considering, along with others in other movement spaces what does narrative strategy look like as we go into this time period? How do we think about the fact that we're marking the 25th anniversary in the same year that we're marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, right? how do we use 9/11 and its anniversary as a lens through which we understand empire, through which we understand the ways in which domestic [00:50:00] policies are being recirculated against other communities? And also this piece around awareness and education. this is an opportunity to share some of the personal experiences that many of us have around that moment in time, but also the ways in which our communities have built up themselves as well as the solidarity with other communities. So I think there are lots of ways in which organizations are thinking about that anniversary and how they can, utilize that moment, to draw greater attention to our community's experiences. Miata Tan : Rajiv, Farah, would you like to add anything about upcoming campaigns and how you're thinking about the South Asian political power movement moving forwards?  Rajiv Narayan: Yeah, I'm happy to talk about one sort of continuing campaign, which is that, like I mentioned, we put together this policy brief on undocumented South Asians, and we had this great opportunity to circulate and talk about it on Capitol Hill in DC. But it's also important for us to bring that story home. And so part of [00:51:00] what we'll be doing, um, for the remainder of, of this year is identifying opportunities to do town halls both, with community members and potentially with elected officials to help educate, do political education about the nature of undocumented peoples in the South Asian community. A large part of what we did in that policy brief is to collate all these numbers to tell you, how many folks might be undocumented, what is the proportion of undocumented people in the South Asian community. But an important, equally important contribution of that report is the nature of undocumented experiences. Why do people become undocumented? What are the factors that put them in that position, and what does it mean for a person to become undocumented? How can we support them, not just in different policy prescriptions, but also the ways that we talk about undocumented people and the South Asian community as a whole? So that'll, that'll be, um, a focus that we have, uh, and a contribution that we hope to make both in the, the Bay Area and beyond.  Farah Mahersi: I'll add to that, that it is election year. It is [00:52:00] a… I feel like we say every election is a critical election, and I do believe that that is very true this year. And so ASATA Power, as a political organization, will be making endorsements and talking through not just that it is important to vote, but it is really important and critical for us in this moment to vote for progressive candidates who are part of our, what is often called like a build coalition, who are here to help us build this world that we are dreaming of, who are aligned on policy positions. The other thing that we are working on locally and nationally is around the war budget. So as a group that has been so directly impacted by the global war on terror 4.5 million Muslims around the world who have been killed by US war-making in that global war on terror, and just watching kind of what the United States foreign policy in particular over the last couple of years has been, we have a particular point of view and a particular interest on tracking and watching things like the [00:53:00] largest, request for a defense budget in US history. How are those dollars being spent, And how those dollars that are being spent abroad to do war-making are also having a boomerang effect and coming back to impact our communities at home. So the same technologies that were developed and used in war-making through the global war on terror that impacted, uh, so many of our communities around the world for 25 years, a lot of that is the same technology that ICE is now using to go after undocumented South Asians in the United States, right? And so that's another way in which we really see our struggles are interconnected, and that we are wanting to dismantle als- a lot of these systems of harm, and also, again, at that intersection between both hate violence and state oppression that's happening. Miata Tan : That was Farah Mahestri with ASATA and ASATA Power. As she shared, ASATA Power is focused on the midterm elections and how war spending and post 9/11 policies continue to affect South Asian communities today. [00:54:00] To close out, we return to another ASATA organizer, Sabiha Basrai. Sabiha Basrai: So I wanted to bring the conversation back locally to the Bay Area again, and just thinking about, the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, which is, part of a network of AAPI and Asian organizing in the Bay Area as a space where South Asians progressive South Asians can actually build community, sharpen our political analysis, embrace our responsibilities here in the Bay Area in this political moment. And just also, lifting up that ASATA currently is working on things like the Oakland Arms Embargo or local community defense against ICE , environmental justice projects, and also looking for more ways to fight supremacist ideologies of Hindutva but in collaboration with anti-Zionist Jewish community activists. these are opportunities that we have here in the Bay Area. And also thinking about ways that we participate in mobilizations. Like, we show up for Reclaim MLK Day, [00:55:00] International Working Women's Day, May Day, the Trans March every year because we understand our responsibility to show up and to show up consistently. And so when I think about the South Asian Coalition and this moment of, okay, we've been trying to- we've built- been building towards this convening and this congressional briefing, and now we're on the other side of this moment, and we are kind of reflecting and coming back together around how we maintain this energy. Also wanted to highlight,  Some of the amazing work that many of our coalition members are, are already doing. One is Savaira, so Savaira United Against Supremacy is actually a coalition of work as well, they focused, their energy on addressing Hindu nationalism and and Hindutva ideology and the, and the many ways in which, the supremacist ideology is kind of insidiously part of institutions, policy even cultural work, uh, within our diaspora. they're so committed to both, like, [00:56:00] resisting the tides of hatred but also combating all forms of supremacist politics and the intersections between them. so their, their work has been a big part of my political education, and I'm really glad that they're part of this coalition. Every member of the coalition is bringing analysis and experience that cross-pollinates to the rest of us. So I'm looking forward to just more of that   also considering what ASATA's role is and how ASATA working in the Bay Area alongside so many other amazing organizing projects here can be strengthening those relationships nationally. Miata Tan : That was Sabiha Basrai with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA.  This is APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. APEX Express airs every Thursday evening at 7:00 PM. And with that, we're at the end of our time here [00:57:00] tonight. We really appreciate you for tuning in to listen, and a huge thank you to our wonderful guests. For a transcript of tonight's episode, please visit our website. That's kpfa.org/program/apex-express  We've also added links on the episode page for tonight's show so you can learn more about the South Asian Coalition, ASATA, and all of the organizations we've talked about tonight, along with their upcoming campaigns as well. APEX Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preeti Mangala Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me, Miata Tan. Get some rest y'all. The post APEX Express – 5.28.26 – Building South Asian Power appeared first on KPFA.

This week's speakers:Voices of Afghan Women and Girls - Moderated by the Women's Rights NetworkWe will then hear from two Afghan women who won scholarships to study in the UK and were able to leave Afghanistan last year.More info on how to support: https://www.womensrights.network/afghanistanTatiana Sukareva - RussiaIn an Effort to Save Its Population, Russia Is Normalising Pedophilia♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀Enjoying our webinars? If you are a position to make a one-off or recurring donation to support our work, you can find out how to do so (and see our financial reports) at https://www.womensdeclaration.com/en/donate/ - thank-you!♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀Women's Declaration International (#WDI) Feminist Question Time is a weekly online webinar (Saturdays 3-4.30pm UK time). It is attended by a global feminist and activist audience of between 200-300. The main focus is how gender ideology is harming the rights of women and girls. See upcoming speakers and register to attend at https://bit.ly/registerFQT. There is also a monthly AUS/NZ FQT, on the last Saturday of the month at 7pm (Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney)/9pm (NZ). Register to attend at https://bit.ly/registerFQTAUSNZ.On Sundays (10am UK time), our webinar series, Radical Feminist Perspectives, offers a chance to hear leading feminists discuss radical feminist theory and politics. Register at https://bit.ly/registerRFP.Attendance of our live webinars is women-only; men are welcome to watch/share recordings here on YouTube. WDI is the leading global organisation defending women's sex-based rights against the threats posed by gender identity ideology. Find out more at https://womensdeclaration.com, where you can join more than 30,000 people and 418 organisations from 157 countries in signing our Declaration on Women's Sex-based Rights. The Declaration reaffirms the sex-based rights of women which are set out in the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 1979 (#CEDAW).Disclaimer: Women's Declaration International hosts a range of women from all over the world on Feminist Question Time (FQT), on Radical Feminist Perspectives (RFP) and on webinars hosted by country chapters – all have signed our Declaration or have known histories of feminist activism - but beyond that, we do not know their exact views or activism. WDI does not know in detail what they will say on webinars. The views expressed by speakers in these videos are not necessarily those of WDI and we do not necessarily support views or actions that speakers have expressed or engaged in at other times. As well as the position stated in our Declaration on Women's Sex-based Rights, WDI opposes sexism, racism and anti-semitism. For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions (https://womensdeclaration.com/en/about/faqs/) or email info@womensdeclaration.com.#feminism #radicalfeminism #womensrights

Melbourne-based writer and educator Faiza Idrees says her love for Urdu and Persian has helped her build meaningful connections across culturally diverse communities, particularly with Afghan students navigating identity, language and belonging in Australia. - زبان صرف رابطے کا ذریعہ نہیں ہوتی یہ یادوں، تہذیب، شناخت اور تعلق کا ایک زندہ احساس بھی ہوتی ہے۔ ہجرت کے بعد جب انسان ایک نئی سرزمین پر زندگی شروع کرتا ہے، تو اکثر زبان ہی وہ پہلا سہارا بنتی ہے جو اسے اپنی جڑوں سے جوڑے رکھتا ہے۔جانئے کس طرح ایس بی ایس اردو کے مرکزی صفحے کو بُک مارک کریں ہر بدھ اور جمعہ کا پورا پروگرام اس لنک پرسنئے, اردو پرگرام سننے کے دیگر طریقے, “SBS Audio”کےنام سےموجود ہماری موبائیل ایپ ایپیل (آئی فون) یااینڈرائیڈ , ڈیوائیسزپرانسٹال کیجئے۔ ہمیں فیس بُک اور انسٹا گرام پر فالو کیجئے۔

Mark Lynch, Republican challenger to U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, joins Tara to discuss new polling, foreign policy tensions involving Donald Trump and Iran, and what he calls a “breaking point” in South Carolina politics. The conversation escalates into sharp attacks on Graham's record, immigration policy, defense spending, and party identity—alongside claims of campaign misinformation, voter shifts, and rising economic frustration. The episode closes with broader national segments on crime in Seattle, AI chatbot behavior, and global tensions involving Iran.

More from VPM News:  Charlottesville group builds community with resettled Afghan, Syrian women  WATCH: 

Kate Adie introduces stories on the fate of a sick Afghan girl, a surprising return to Sudan, Armenia's choice between Russia and the West, Germany's culture of remembrance, and a first-time visit to an Irish wake.In Afghanistan's Hindu Kush, where drought and hunger are rife, Yogita Limaye meets a father who made the unenviable decision to sell his young daughter into marriage to fund her medical treatment. Child marriage is not uncommon in rural communities, and the recent codification of laws under the Taliban government has made it more permissible.Sudan has entered its fourth year of a brutal civil war, though government forces have reclaimed the capital Khartoum over the past year, driving out the paramilitary Rapid Support forces. Mohanad Hashim grew up Khartoum, and recently returned for the first time since the government took back control.Armenia is holding key elections next month, which will serve as a major test of the country's political trajectory - to strengthen old ties with Russia, or to accelerate plans to join the EU. Rayhan Demytrie has been in the capital, Yerevan.Germany's culture of remembrance has long been seen as a model for how others can reckon with dark episodes of their past. But this has come under some scrutiny after the culture minister announced plans to broaden exactly what the country chooses to remember. Chelsea Coates reports from Berlin.And finally, Vincent Dowd recently returned to southwest Ireland - somewhere he knows well after many years spent holidaying in the region. But this visit was more tentative than usual, as he was to attend his first traditional Irish wake.Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinators: Katie Morrison & Sophie Hill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Sam Harris has two brains. One is making sense of the political chaos. The other is waking up from it. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Sam Harris, neuroscientist, author, and host of the Making Sense podcast, for part one of a two-part conversation on surviving the modern world with your sanity intact. They unpack the outrage machine, political tribalism, and what it actually takes to stay clear-headed inside the noise. They discuss: Why Sam finally quit Twitter after 12 years, and what changed How the attention economy fuels hyper-partisanship and authoritarianism The moral panic around race, and how it radicalized the center Immigration policy, deportation, and the abandonment of Afghan allies Free speech, Orbán's defeat, and the future of liberal democracy If you want to learn Sam's approach to staying engaged with the world without losing your mind to it, go to onecommune.com/sam to get 30 days of his Waking Up app for free. This episode was made possible by: Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot risk-free with a 100-day return guarantee, and get 15% off your order at vivobarefoot.com/commune. Sunlighten: Visit sunlighten.com/commune Up to 2,100 off saunas and $50 off Red Light Products with code “COMMUNE” Beyond Biohacking: Save $400 on any ticket with code COMMUNE400 at beyondconference.com. LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at drinklmnt.com/commune. Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off our entire product line.

The House narrowly nixes a bill that would have disallowed federal immigration officials from masking their faces; a mental health facility in Randolph is closing its residential facility; Williston voters go back to the polls to overturn a previously passed library renovation; an Afghan refugee who'd been living in Boston is now opening a restaurant in Brattleboro; the women's Vermont Green FC ran to a scoreless draw against Hartford in its inaugural full season game; Plus…how to be true to yourself and be accepted by loved ones as part of our series of communal live storytelling events in Brattleboro. 

Returning guest Marina LeGree, Executive Director of Ascend Athletics, is always a delight to have on The Dark Zone. In this episode, we discuss her introduction to adventure racing, the parallels between Ascend and AR, and how her family is again returning to The Maine Summer Adventure Race. LeGree founded Ascend Athletics in Afghanistan in 2015 — taking girls into the mountains to teach navigation skills, rope work, and what it feels like to be part of a team. The Taliban shut that down in 2021. Ascend pivoted to Pakistan, and helped to resettle 134 Afghan alumni across three continents. The work of Ascend, in the face of incredible challenges, didn't stop. Marina and her team kept moving forward. It is easy to see the strong connection between Ascend and AR culture. There is always difficult terrain to traverse, the need for good navigation, and genuine teamwork. The Afghan alumni who made it out of Kabul in 2021 are now leading Ascend's Hike for Her events in Dublin, North Carolina, and around the world. One of them just volunteered to take the Ascend model to Africa. And some have dipped their toes into the AR waters.This is a conversation about adaptation when situations change rapidly, about building teams across impossible cultural distances, and why good work matters in an evolving world. Thank you to Marina for coming on the show! Shownotes:Ascend Athletics Hike for Her - https://www.ascendathletics.org/eventSponsor Links:ARWS Junior World Champs - https://tinyurl.com/mr48z4c6Youth Adventure Race Camp - https://events.adengear.com/e/YouthRaceCamp2026

New data shows that 27 per cent of all Australian school students are now classified as having a disability. Plus, the BBC has published a report on Afghan fathers selling their daughters as sex slaves suggesting it's the fathers who are the victims.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ebola outbreak risk is high inside DR Congo but it's no pandemic emergency: TedrosUN chief calls for Security Council reform during Japan visitUN launches $529 million plan for Afghan returnees

Afghanistan is facing a dire lack of food exacerbating a severe humanitarian crisis caused by dramatic aid cuts, the Taliban government's policies and severe drought. Such is the desperation, Afghan fathers have spoken of their impossible choices: selling children to survive. Also: President Putin arrives in China for his 25th visit, hot on the heels of Donald Trump. As he left Russia, he said there was an “unprecedented level” of trust between his country and China. International concern mounts over the scale of the Ebola epidemic in Africa, with the World Health Organisation holding an emergency meeting. Police in Spain have arrested the son of the retail magnate, Isak Andic, as they investigate his death eighteen months ago. The founder of the Mango fashion group died after falling more than a-hundred metres during a hike in mountains near Barcelona. And worms living with a sponge called a glass castle and ghost sharks are just two of more than eleven hundred marine species scientists have discovered in the past year. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Internationally bestselling author Nadia Hashimi in conversation with Afghan-born debut author Patmeena Sabit (a “gorgeous and powerful debut” - NYT). They discuss their shared family roots in Afghanistan, how women fought in the Special Forces on the frontlines of war, how there's a variety of perspectives in the Muslim diaspora, how characters talk to you, and how all writing is a “false start” until you hit your stride. You will also hear whose young son mistakenly said, “I thought you wrote the books. I didn't know you just ordered them from Amazon.”

Since January 2026, Afghanistan has been operating under a new Code of Criminal Procedure, and for women, the situation has deteriorated further. In some cases, the law now allows a husband to legally administer corporal punishment to his wife. The provision comes from a new legal text introduced by the Taliban, published on January 4, 2026. The Afghan human rights NGO Rawadari obtained a copy and released an analysis later that month. In what cases is this allowed? So where does domestic violence come in? So is domestic violence ever punished under this code? Why introduce measures like these? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the latest episodes, click here: ⁠⁠⁠What is the Fermi paradox?⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠What's the Tinder Paradox ?⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Could vanlife be a lifestyle choice for you?⁠⁠⁠ A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Afghan refugees who came to the United States in 2021 and 2022 -- and came here legally -- are facing growing scrutiny amidst a changing immigration environment. Now, Utah citizens are stepping in to try to save their Afghan neighbors from deportation. A new bonus episode of KSL Podcasts' "Stranger Becomes Neighbor" just dropped this morning, looking at the efforts of everyday Utahns to help their neighbors navigate a changing immigration landscape. We bring in KSL Podcasts Senior Podcast Producer, Andrea Smardon, to discuss this new episode in a rapidly changing political environment and how we need to make critical changes to the immigration process.

The word paikar is Persian for "war" or "warrior" and what you're getting from a documentary of the same name is war, of a sort, but layered among so many levels: the war within a family, the war in Afghanistan, the war within the director's own self. This is filmmaking at its highest level, and I'm so thrilled to be joined by director Dawood Hilmandi today to talk about his truly epic directorial debut, which screened at this year's Hot Docs.PAIKAR (2025)'s logline: "an Iranian expat journeys back to his homeland, where he must face his domineering father and grapple with complex emotions about family ties, cultural identity, and his place in the world."I've spent 18 months in Afghanistan and it holds a special place in my heart. Let's celebrate people like Dawood who have given so much to make their art a reality.In this episode, Dawood and I discuss:what his father would think of his film;how he got started in filmmaking;what made him decide to do PAIKAR as his directorial debut;the blend of languages in between Iran and Afghanistan and why the landscape is so important in understanding the film;what people should know before watching the film and how they should feel afterwards;the technical aspects of the film and how he decided how it was going to go -- at least in the beginning;why did he choose the festivals he did for his film;the release date for the film;what's next for him.the state of film in Afghanistan.Dawood's Indie Filmmaker Highlight: Aboozar AminiMemorable Quotes:" He would be grateful or he would feel good that it's not against him. It's more like for him or because of him."" The filmmaking, it has a long history in my family. Even as a child we were not allowed to watch films, so we were forbidden to watch films.""I need to share untold stories."" It's like when once you leave your country is almost like the memory of a home that maybe doesn't exist anymore. So you keep desiring that home. You keep thinking of it."" Just be patient with the emotional moments and with the silences in the film."" I have a different kind of connection to IDFA because I used to go there and watch films, like days nonstop, watching six films a day."" We're starting a new era of Afghan films and new sort of new type of films. Links:Follow Dawood On InstagramPAIKAR Trailer

As immigration policy shifts...Afghan refugees are facing more hurdles to stay in the U-S. And here in Utah...some citizens are trying to help. That's what we hear about in a new, bonus episode of the KSL Podcast Stranger Becomes Neighbor. Joining me now LIVE is senior podcast producer...Andrea Smardon. 

Brother Matthew was a worldly teenager when his mother decided she and her son needed to go to church. By the end of that first service, both of them had committed their lives to following Christ. As Matthew grew in faith, he was convicted and inspired by the Acts accounts of Paul's missionary travels. Studying Paul's efforts to take the gospel to the Gentiles, Matthew began to ponder who the Gentiles were in his generation, living far from the truth of Christ? As he began to ask that question in prayer, God laid on his heart the nation of Afghanistan. Matthew began taking steps towards service in that war-torn country, and repeatedly God confirmed His calling. Months later, Matthew was in Uzbekistan, serving with a church-planting effort and getting on-the-ground education in Central Asia ministry and culture. Listen as Matthew tells the stories of the people he met who experienced supernatural visions and encounters with Jesus. He'll also talk about the risks of sharing the gospel among Muslims, and the miraculous story of how God helped him get approval for an Afghan visa from the Taliban consulate! Matthew will recount what it looked like when he arrived in Kabul – just a few years after Soviet tanks withdrew – and how the Lord led him to serve in a village as God faithfully guided, one step at a time. Pray this week for our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and throughout Central Asia.

Over the past few years, Houston has taken in more Afghan refugees than any other American city. When refugees arrive, Omer Yousafzai is there to welcome them. He owns The Afghan Village restaurant, which has become a community hub and gathering place for Afghans and non-Afghans alike. This week Dan heads to Houston to share a meal with Omer at his restaurant. Over palau and kabobs — cooked with the help of Omer's nine-year-old son — they discuss how Omer's time as a defense contractor in the Afghanistan War inspired him to open the restaurant, the place's rocky first days, and why some people eat there for free. This episode originally aired on May 2, 2022, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz were two Miami Beach stoners with zero military experience and absolutely no background in military procurement – but they had audacity to spare. The childhood friends hustled their way into nearly $300 million in Pentagon contracts, supplying ammunition to the Afghan army. They raked in millions along the way, blowing their profits on bayfront condos, luxury cars, and Miami clubs. But when you build a weapons empire on hustle, bravado, and a lot of weed… sooner or later, someone will notice the smoke.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Wednesday's Mark Levin Show, don't do this Iran deal, Mr. President! The Iranian regime the world's worst terrorist state for decades, which funds proxies, lies in negotiations, and uses talks to buy time while pursuing its fundamentalist ideology. The only path to true elimination of this regime is arming and training the Iranian people to overthrow their internal police state. Without fully toppling the regime, it will regroup, Hezbollah and Hamas will survive, and critics (Democrats, media, isolationists) will still attack Trump as having wimped out. Also, Barack Obama ignited Marxist-Islamist influences during his administration and is now praising Zohran Mamdani. In New York City, Mamdani is deliberately fostering a hostile and potentially deadly environment for Jews, where they face intimidation by thugs and Islamists, cannot safely attend temple, and encounter widespread antisemitic graffiti. Though he issues denunciations, he abolishes the anti-Semitic commission, targets organizations, and signals his intent to create conditions forcing Jews to leave, effectively aiming to depopulate the city of its Jewish community. Later, California has awarded CAIR-CA at least $41 million in taxpayer funds—mostly federal—over the last five years through the Department of Social Services, primarily for immigration legal services to Afghan newcomers. CAIR presents itself as a Muslim civil rights group but it is a front group for Hamas. CAIR should be shut down and its officials deported. Afterward, Alan Dershowitz, who has left the Democrat Party, calls in. Republicans need to retain the House and Senate to prevent Senators Warren, Murphy, and Rep AOC from controlling key committees – they are harmful to the country and peace. He calls Bernie Sanders the greatest anti-Semite today for opposing anything Jews or Israel do, drawing a parallel to 1932 German Jews who supported Hitler and ended up in Auschwitz. Sanders is a hypocrite who claims Jewish heritage yet abandoned diverse Brooklyn for overwhelmingly white Vermont to address racial problems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would it mean to be a "great ancestor"? Futurist Ari Wallach believes that's the question everyone, including our tech leaders, should be asking right now. Ari joins Oz to explain why the systems we're building today are laying rails for centuries to come. And he argues that shifting culture through storytelling is the fastest way to change the systems that govern our lives. He also introduces The Protopias Collection, six graphic novels imagining worlds that are messy and human, but unmistakably better. Also on the show: Alex Thier, the CEO of Lapis, discusses Lalah, an AI-powered chatbot built to help Afghan students learn beyond the classroom, a place girls can’t access past the sixth grade. Additional Reading: Ari Wallach: 3 ways to plan for the (very) long term | TED Talk The Protopias Collection: Various: 9781953165787: Amazon.com: Books EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/techstuff Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spoiler: it's not China. Matt Ehret traces North America's drug crisis from the British Empire's original opium wars through the CIA's Air America heroin pipeline, Afghan poppy fields guarded by Western troops, and the Sackler family's OxyContin empire. He shows how Afghan opium production exploded the moment US forces arrived in 2001 and collapsed again the moment the Taliban returned in 2023, a fact the Pentagon's trillion-dollar budget apparently could not replicate. He also names the actual players fueling today's fentanyl crisis: Khalistani organized crime networks in British Columbia, money-laundering banks including TD Bank and a bank belonging to the British Royal Family, and a pharmaceutical company that paid a fine smaller than its profits. If China were really running a reverse opium war, they're doing a terrible job. Everyone else in this story seems far more competent.

The LA Mayoral race is heating up and Spencer Pratt is exposing the left for its hypocrisy. Then, Howie discusses an e-bike accident and an Afghan national is selling offensive 9/11 rugs.  Visit the Howie Carr Radio Network website to access columns, podcasts, and other exclusive content.

President Trump is criticised by senior figures in his own Republican Party, as he doubles down on a plan to pull out more than 5000 US troops from Germany. What will a withdrawal mean for global security? Also: Britain's Prime Minister suggests banning some pro-Palestinian protests; JNIM militants launch a large-scale operation in Mali; we meet a former Russian soldier who's fled the fighting in Ukraine; FIFA allows female Afghan footballers to play in international competitions; and the Paralympic gold medalist, Alex Zanardi, dies.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

The Republican chairmen of the US congressional armed services committees have said they're very concerned about the Pentagon's decision to withdraw five thousand troops from Germany. Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers warned that prematurely reducing America's forward presence in Europe risked undermining deterrence and sending the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin. NATO says it's seeking clarification from Washington about the plan.Also in the programme: FIFA will allow a team of Afghan women refugees to represent their country in international tournaments; and we look back on the life of a former racing driver and Paralympian.(Photo: A soldier pilots a drone during the 'Combined Resolve' exercise at 7th Army Training Command's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels. More than 3,800 personnel participate in the exercise series, which is a reoccurring U.S. Army Europe and Africa exercise held several times throughout the year for its rotationally deployed troops. US-led army exercise 'Combined Resolve' - media day, Hohenfels, Germany - 30 Apr 2026. CREDIT: ANNA SZILAGYI/EPA/Shutterstock)

The US says it will withdraw five thousand of its troops from Germany, as a rift widens between the two countries over the war in Iran. The German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, says Washington's decision was foreseeable, but that the continuing presence of American forces was in German and US interests. We speak to a German member of the European parliament. Also on the programme: British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer tells the BBC that he wants tougher policing of protests in the UK after the stabbing of two Jewish men in London; and we hear from two Afghan female footballers about their hopes of competing internationally. (Photo: Badge of a soldier is seen during the 'Combined Resolve' exercise at 7th Army Training Command's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, 30 April 2026. Credit: Photo by ANNA SZILAGYI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Public health is easiest to overlook when it is doing its job well, and hardest to defend when uncertainty is unavoidable. In this episode, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, former CDC Director and infectious disease physician, reflects on the leadership challenges, pressure, and public scrutiny she faced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She discusses the difficulty of communicating evolving science in real time, preparing for congressional hearings, and rebuilding morale within an agency under intense strain. Dr. Walensky also highlights lesser-known public health efforts, including the CDC's work to prevent measles spread during the Afghan evacuation. She shares her perspective on the agency's current challenges and emphasizes the importance of relationships, workforce trust, modern data systems, and her ongoing work with the Vaccine Integrity Project. Tune in to hear why rebuilding trust in public health will require not only better systems, but better storytelling. Resources Follow Dr. Rochelle Walensky on LinkedIn. Explore the CDC's role in public health preparedness and response here. Read about the Vaccine Integrity Project here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US blockade of Iranian ports continues as President Donald Trump weighs other options to pressure Iran into a deal. New Commerce Department data shows inflation is heating up. Governors in Maine and Louisiana are making moves that are shaking up the midterms. Concerns are growing over the status of the group responsible for overseeing election security. Plus, FIFA has made a historic decision involving the Afghan women's soccer team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dame Maureen Lipman joins Chloe Tilley to talk about Allegra, the joyful new musical play that begins a nationwide tour just two days after her 80th birthday. She tells us about playing a woman who finds happiness in a world that can't quite handle it, and the physical demands of singing and dancing eight times a week.A University of Cambridge study has found that socioenvironmental stressors - such as racism or poverty - may influence the body's ability to function healthily in pregnancy - they say it could help to explain why black women and their babies face significantly higher rates of complication than white women. We hear from the lead author of the study Dr Grace Amedor. Is it time to retire the term 'bouncer'? We hear from Satia Rai, CEO of the International Professional Security Association, who will tell the largest gathering of the security profession in Europe this week that we should ditch it in favour of 'guardian' to help women on a night out feel safer, and to attract more women into the job. We also get the view of Tee, a female door supervisor at a Birmingham bar.And we've heard today that Afghan women footballers will be able to play international matches from as early as June, after FIFA have said they will recognise the women's national team. The players haven't been allowed to play any official competitive internationals since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Mahjooba Nowrouzi, senior reporter from the BBC Afghan service, discusses the significance of the decision.As Lena Dunham's new book Famesick debuts at the top of the bestseller charts, we discuss the art of memoir and how tricky it can be for women's stories to navigate the line between emotional honesty, ‘oversharing' and self-protection. Chloe is joined by bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink, whose memoirs include The Last Act of Love, and Sarah Gwonyoma, book reviewer and founder of @whatsarahreadnext.Presenter: Chloe TilleyProducer: Helen Fitzhenry

Trump is secretly shipping 1,100 Afghan refugees to the Congo. His DOJ just indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center. Trump extends the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire and claims he can make a deal with Iran "immediately," while the Pentagon reveals the U.S. has burned through nearly half its precision missiles, THAADs, Patriots, and Tomahawks. Lebanon and Israel hold direct talks in Washington; Hezbollah says they won't honor any agreement. David also covers: • The world's largest condom maker raising prices 30% because of the Iran war ("I call five billion condoms a good weekend") • UK bans smoking for anyone born after 2009 • RFK Jr. blocking a CDC study showing COVID vaccines cut ER visits in half • The full Afghanistan betrayal: interpreters who risked everything for America now being shipped to the Democratic Republic of Congo by Trump • Southern Poverty Law Center indicted by Trump's DOJ right after they labeled Turning Point USA a far-right extremist group tied to hate groups • Trump reading the Old Testament in the Oval Office (not the Jesus parts) • Pete Hegseth's Pentagon purge, Hung Cao's Christian nationalist comments, Kash Patel's drinking scandals, and Lindsey Graham's alleged drinking problem • MAGA's "heritage American" obsession vs. Kash Patel, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Usha Vance's birthright citizenship • 2026 midterm outlook: Congress at 10% approval, massive gerrymandering wars in Virginia, California, Texas, and a looming Supreme Court Voting Rights Act case Dark humor, zero filter, three hours of unvarnished truth. Subscribe, like, and drop a comment: What story pissed you off the most this week?

There was an attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner this weekend. Paul opens with a clear-eyed take on what that means: this is not a new normal, this is the normal, and the silence from the president and Congress is its own kind of failure. Political violence is now a permanent feature of the American landscape, and we still don't have a national security strategy that treats it as one. Stay vigilant doesn't mean stay anxious — it means demand that the people we pay to protect this republic actually do the work. From there, Paul takes you inside his Morning Joe hit on the administration's plan to send roughly 1,100 Afghan allies — 400 of them children, 150 with relatives currently serving in the U.S. military — to Congo or back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. He puts names and faces on it: his own Iraqi interpreter Mohammed, now in Nashville, whose son plays football and whose daughter is thriving in school. Then he closes on the counter-story: Seth Bodnar in Montana, the rise of independent veteran candidates, and why 45% of the country is finally getting representation that doesn't wear a jersey for either failed party. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Ditch your expensive carrier and support Independent Americans! Make the switch to Noble Mobile. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Get some of Maine's finest gear - check out Loyal Citizen. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The players are also the umpires — and that's why the game is broken. In this on-air conversation, Paul Rieckhoff lays out why the Virginia redistricting fight is a flashing red warning light for American democracy, not a win for either team. Republicans moved first in Texas. Democrats followed. And the 45% of Americans who now identify as independent are watching both parties gerrymander their way toward mutual annihilation while 10,000 voters a week walk away from the two-party system entirely. From there the conversation shifts to the Strait of Hormuz, where Trump's three stated objectives in Iran — regime change, securing enriched uranium, and reopening the strait — remain unmet while 41% of the Navy is tied up and gas prices climb toward four dollars a gallon. Paul closes with a story that should not get lost: the administration's reported plan to send Afghan allies, including 400 children, to the Congo. A betrayal of the people who had our troops' backs, and a warning shot to every future ally who might consider standing with us. Righteous anger, rigorous analysis, and a reminder that independent is an attitude. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Ditch your expensive carrier and support Independent Americans! Make the switch to Noble Mobile. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Get some of Maine's finest gear - check out Loyal Citizen. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Not only is the new hardline regime in Tehran now more likely to go rogue as a nuclear power a la North Korea, ordinary Iranians—who Trump and Bibi initially claimed we were rescuing—are also living under even harsher conditions. At the same time, the war has burned through billions worth of our critical weapons stockpile, a development that surely will figure into China's calculations vis‐à‐vis Taiwan. This is the moment for Dems to reshape their brand and win back everyday working Americans. Plus, the settlers' escalating attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, the Trump administration's depraved treatment of Afghan refugees, any talk of aid for UAE stinks of Trump family corruption, and Dems need to fix their blue places while simultaneously working to win voters in the red ones.show notes Nick's nonprofit, Kristof Impact Nick's NYT column page Helen Keller International Kristof Farms Tim's playlist Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and LA in May: TheBulwark.com/EventsExclusive $25-off Carver Mat athttps://on.auraframes.com/BULWARK. Promo Code THEBULWARKGet 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.

President Donald Trump is giving Iran a short window to unify behind an offer for peace in the Middle East after negotiations between Tehran and Washington recently broke down — or the ceasefire he extended Tuesday ends.Donald Trump's labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is leaving the agency amidst accusations of misconduct. She's now the third cabinet member to leave during the second Trump administration.Elsewhere, Virginia voters approved a new congressional map on Tuesday that could help Democrats pick up seats in the House during the midterms later this year. But a state judge blocked the map from being certified just a day after its passage.And, in global news, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, tonight for another round of peace talks with the U.S.A top Trump administration envoy floated the idea to FIFA this week to replace Iran with Italy at this summer's World Cup. The swap was likely suggested as an effort to repair ties between President Donald Trump and Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni amid rumors they've fallen out over the presidents attack on Pope Leo XIV.The Trump administration is reportedly in talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to send as many as eleven hundred Afghan refugees there, including more than 400 children.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek will livestream from Route 3 as they take to the World Cup on foot. This week's news: in Iran, Trump extends the ceasefire after talks fail (1:02), Iran reimposes its Strait of Hormuz blockade (6:05), the Islamic Republic's leadership rejects unilateral concessions (9:11), and Persian Gulf mines and oil spills threaten commerce (13:13); the UAE seeks a currency swap after the Iran war's economic shocks (16:28); Israel violates the Lebanon ceasefire amid extension talks (18:11) while the IDF punishes soldiers over crucifix desecration (21:00); Gaza's reconstruction costs cause problems, plus governance delays (24:13); the U.S. offers to send Afghan refugees to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (26:33); Japan lifts its lethal arms export ban (28:59); the Sudanese army retakes Moja from the RSF (30:22); the TPLF reasserts control over the Tigray government (32:55); Ukraine reopens the Druzhba pipeline for an EU loan (34:51); CIA deaths expose the United States' role in Mexico drug raids (37:55); and boat strike survivors allege mistreatment in U.S. custody (40:59). Be sure to subscribe to our newest miniseries, Marx Prestige. And check out our series on Christian Zionism with Daniel Hummel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny and Derek will livestream from Route 3 as they take to the World Cup on foot. This week's news: in Iran, Trump extends the ceasefire after talks fail (1:02), Iran reimposes its Strait of Hormuz blockade (6:05), the Islamic Republic's leadership rejects unilateral concessions (9:11), and Persian Gulf mines and oil spills threaten commerce (13:13); the UAE seeks a currency swap after the Iran war's economic shocks (16:28); Israel violates the Lebanon ceasefire amid extension talks (18:11) while the IDF punishes soldiers over crucifix desecration (21:00); Gaza's reconstruction costs cause problems, plus governance delays (24:13); the U.S. offers to send Afghan refugees to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (26:33); Japan lifts its lethal arms export ban (28:59); the Sudanese army retakes Moja from the RSF (30:22); the TPLF reasserts control over the Tigray government (32:55); Ukraine reopens the Druzhba pipeline for an EU loan (34:51); CIA deaths expose the United States' role in Mexico drug raids (37:55); and boat strike survivors allege mistreatment in U.S. custody (40:59).Be sure to subscribe to our newest miniseries, Marx Prestige.And check out our series on Christian Zionism with Daniel Hummel. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hundreds of Afghans who helped the United States' war effort in Afghanistan, and who are detained in Qatar, may soon be sent back to Afghanistan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the State Department. The push comes after President Trump halted the Afghan resettlement program more than a year ago. Amna Nawaz discussed what may come next with Shawn Van Diver of Afghan Evac. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Trump Wants to Send Afghan Allies to Congo to Die. Hegseth Bans Mandatory Flu Shot for Troops. Va. Passes New Dem-Friendly Map. The Mets Really Stink.  Episode 500. Iran is seizing ships, Trump is shipping our Afghan allies to Congo, Hegseth is killing the flu vaccine mandate, and Virginia just turned gerrymandering into an arms race. Then Paul sits down with retired Air Force Major General Sarah Zabel — a 31-year veteran, cyber and strategy leader, and independent candidate for Congress in Idaho's 1st District — for a no-BS briefing on what strategic incompetence actually costs the country. If you're in the angry middle and wondering whether an independent veteran can really win in a so-called red state, this one is the proof of concept. Major General (Ret.) Sarah Zabel is a 31-year Air Force veteran and independent candidate for Congress in Idaho's 1st District. A graduate of the Air Force Academy with a computer science degree, she spent her career as a communications and cyber systems officer, deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and served in senior roles at the Air Staff, Joint Staff, U.S. Transportation Command, and as vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency. She retired as a two-star in 2018, worked as an adjunct researcher for the RAND Corporation, cared for her father through Alzheimer's, and authored "Fighting Chance," a book on the science of depression. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Ditch your expensive carrier and support Independent Americans! Make the switch to Noble Mobile. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on the Gist, exploring the consequences of relocating Afghan allies to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Then, Wall Street Journal China Bureau Chief Jonathan Cheng is back to discuss the complexities of reporting on a closed society like North Korea, the strategic thinking behind the Kim dynasty's ruthless tactics, and what it's actually like to attend church in Pyongyang. He is the author of Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult. Finally, in the spiel, we dive into the fascinating, brutal, and ultimately ineffective history of expert Korean stone throwers. Produced by Corey Wara Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Started the week off with not one but two mass shootings in Turkey, and then talked about the very significant election in Hungary. Also a deadly stampede in Haiti, Myanmar political prisoners freed, Iran war updates, Russia rakes in oil revenue, and an Afghan migrant in France was caught on security camera raping farmers' sheep AND goats. Music: Analepsy/"Apocalyptic Premonition"