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This special episode of Cheat Codes marks the podcast's first-ever conversation in Arabic, expanding the global reach of sickle cell education and advocacy. Dr. Miguel Abboud, a pioneer in sickle cell disease and longtime leader at the American University of Beirut, joins Dr. Karim Osman for an in-depth discussion on care across the lifespan, research advancements, and challenges facing patients in the Arab world. Together, they explore newborn screening, access to treatment, and the future of sickle cell care for Arabic-speaking communities worldwide. SHOW DESCRIPTION Cheat Codes is intended for patients, caregivers, providers, and the greater community of people who are impacted by Sickle Cell Disease. Each episode, Cheat Codes strives to provide listeners with critical education, the latest scientific updates, and voices from the Sickle Cell community. Join an inclusive community and build connections with other hemolytic anemia allies by following @AllyVoicesRising on Instagram. TRANSPARENCY STATEMENT Cheat Codes: A Sickle Cell Podcast is made possible by Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. Visit Agios.com to learn more. The following Agios-supported programs are intended for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. Please speak with your healthcare professional before making any treatment decisions. Host and guests featured in this episode have been compensated for their time.
In this Conflicted Conversation, Simon Sebag Montefiore returns to the show, this time to talk about his new book The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. Simon explains: How Britain and France tried — and often failed — to shape the post-Ottoman Middle East Why Sykes–Picot is a misleading shorthand for the region's modern borders How Atatürk, Nasser and other Middle Eastern leaders remade the region through their own choices The violent shift from Ottoman pluralism to nationalist, more homogeneous states Why Nasser's charisma produced a powerful Arab myth but a disastrous authoritarian model Why traditional monarchies in Morocco, Jordan and the Gulf often outlasted revolutionary republics How America became the Middle East's dominant anti-imperial imperial power after Europe's retreat Why militias, parastates and insurgencies make “total victory” in today's Middle East so elusive Find Simon on X: x.com/simonmontefiore Visit Simon's website: www.simonsebagmontefiore.com Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ Find us on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. Produced and edited by Thomas Small . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week, Jason is joined by esteemed British historian and author, Simon Sebag Montefiore, to discuss his latest book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. Jason and Sebag's discussion ranges over centuries of history and ping pongs back and forth on myriad topics. It tries to make the peripheral central by putting the non-Arab, non-Sunni groups at the centre of understanding the Modern Middle East. They unpack how the Middle East became the Disorderly region we know today and where to frame current conflicts historically to understand certain deeper dynamics, especially as pertains to minorities and their ambitions for statehood and peoplehood. They focus a lot on WWI and the dynamics that emerged from it and shaped the history of the Kurds, Armenians, Turks, and fleeing Ionian Greeks. These were the dynamics of population transfer and ethnonationalism that destroyed the old Middle East of the Millet System. They try to avoid the overdone Israel/Palestine dynamics which occasionally shed more heat than light. With this framing in place, they look at what tragedies took us to the current pointless and self-defeating Iran war, and where we might go from here. To get part 2 with bonus content, and hear it before anyone else, join our Mega Orderers Club at disordershow.com/club Producer: George McDonagh Subscribe to our Substack - https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ Disorder on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@DisorderShow Show Notes Links: To get Simon's book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cauldron-Making-Modern-Middle-East/dp/1399634895/ For more Disorder about the history of the Middle East, try: What is Zionism and is it still relevant today? Israel's Independence Day with Phil Rosenberg https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ug89R0zHLumkldJX5Cmo2 And Sir Vincent Fean The Case for Palestinian Statehood: https://disorder.supportingcast.fm/listen/disorder/ep74-part2-the-case-for-palestinian-statehood And the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day: https://disorder.supportingcast.fm/listen/disorder/ep36-part-i-former-armenian-president-sarkissian-on-armenian-genocide-remembrance-day This episode is brought to you in partnership with the New Books Network, for more visit https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/up-partners/disorder
Arabic culture and literature hold a vastly rich classical history that continues to captivate scholars and readers worldwide. Renowned literary critic and Columbia University professor, Dr. Muhsin Al-Musawi, explores the depths of this heritage, from the global allure of the Arabian Nights to the historical dynamic of Baghdad's intellectual hubs. The discussion delves into how translation served as a window between cultures, the contested notion of an age of decay, and the brilliant prose of modern artists like Jabra Ibrahim Jabra. Reflecting on his own career of writing out of love and devotion rather than mere scholarship, Dr. Al-Musawi critiques how literary prizes can drive trendy imitation instead of a genuinely creative mind. 00:00 Introduction 01:57 The Roots of Passionate Scholarship 05:19 Baghdad's Layered Intellectual Landscapes 09:51 Cultural Solace & the Ambition of Translation 12:26 Confronting the Global Legacy of the Arabian Nights 14:55 Literary Taste & the Metamorphosis of Translation 19:40 The Romantic Search for Spaces Without Borders 26:27 The Vastness of Classical Traditions & the True Renaissance 28:53 Intellectual Intersections & the Republic of Letters 33:15 Challenging the Conventional Notion of an Age of Decay 39:45 Jabra Ibrahim Jabra & the Topography of an Artist 44:58 Curating a Diverse Core Arabic Fiction Curriculum 49:33 Trendy Prizes & the Necessity of the Creative Mind Muhsin Jassim al-Musawi is Professor of Classical and Modern Arabic Literature, Comparative and Cultural Studies at Columbia University. A renowned scholar and literary critic, his teaching and research interests span several periods and genres. He is the author of 39 books (including 6 novels) and over 60 scholarly articles. He has been editor of the Journal of Arabic Literature since 2000. His publications cover theory, postcolonial discourse, the Arabic novel, poetry, Orientalism, the Arabian Nights, medieval Islamic knowledge and modern Arabic poetics. He taught for over two decades at universities in the Arab world before moving to Columbia University. He is the recipient of the Owais Award in Literary Criticism (2002), the Kuwait Prize in Arabic Language and Literature (2018), the King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Literature in English (2022), and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (2022). Connect with Muhsin al-Musawi
MUSLIMS ARE planning enclaves that could put self-contained religious communities near Dallas and Houston. Meanwhile, amplifiers broadcast the call to prayer in American cities like Minneapolis, Dearborn and Hamtramck, Michigan, and Paterson, New Jersey. Imams are growing increasingly bold in their statements that their goal is to turn America into a Muslim nation. What most Americans don't realize is that there is no separation of church and state in Islam. The church IS the state, for all intents and purposes. But more than that, this is a spiritual war that the god of Muhammad—who is not to be confused with the triune God of the Bible—intends to win. Here's the link to the article Derek mentioned, "A Call to Power: Islamic Leaders See Ballot Box as Path to Paradise," by Paul Sperry. That fact is also behind a statement issued by the foreign ministers of Turkey, the UAE, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In a joint statement, the ministers objected to Israel's plan to build 3,400 new dwellings in an area east of Jerusalem called E1. They complain that this would separate Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem from the rest of the so-called West Bank, blocking the creation of a future Palestinian state with its capital at Jerusalem. From the Israeli standpoint, that is rather the point. After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel will not accept an independent Palestinian state on its borders. Further eroding the situation in the Middle East, Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Turks are seeking an Interpol red notice for the arrest of Netanyahu as part of a criminal case against him for Israel's interception of an aid flotilla sailing for Gaza back in May. The charges include genocide, crimes against humanity and torture. Well, good luck with that. We also discussed a plan to build data centers around the ring of fire, the volcanically active area around the Pacific Ocean, using geothermal energy to power the centers. Tapping into volcanoes to generate electricity. What can possibly go wrong? Also: Social media is causing an epidemic of mental and spiritual illness, as evidenced by the crowd of women who gathered outside the courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts Thursday in support of Lindsay Clancy, who has admitted to killing her three children. Granted, postpartum depression is a real thing. But that doesn't mean Clancy shouldn't be held accountable for what she did. Derek's new book War of the Watchers Book One: From Baal to Balfour is now available at Amazon in paperback and as a Kindle e-book! It's also a part of a special offer at the SkyWatchTV store: Get War of the Watchers, Derek's previous book The Second Coming of Saturn, and a 13-part teaching DVD based on The Second Coming of Saturn for your donation of at least $45! Follow us! • X (formerly Twitter): @pidradio | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunker• Substack: gilberthouse.substack.com | SharonKGilbert.substack.com• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation• Facebook.com/pidradio Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! f you are so led, you can help out at www.GilbertHouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to this podcast, our weekly Bible studies, and our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker. The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at pidradio.com/app. JOIN US IN ISRAEL (NOTE NEW DATES)! We will tour the Holy Land October 25–November 6, 2027 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store/.
Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek must disclose that they have had Hasan Piker on this program. They are listening and learning from him. In this week's news: Israel bombs a Syrian airbase, potentially moving closer to a conflict with Turkey (1:22); Jared Kushner and Benjamin Netanyahu agree to scrap the Gaza Board of Peace's Hamas disarmament plan (7:09); the Iran MOU expires as Trump escalates the economic war (9:20); the Islamic Republic might restart the shooting war (13:36); the Pentagon and Arab governments rethink America's military presence in the Gulf (15:58); Trump curtails military exercises with South Korea, possibly moving toward diplomacy with North Korea/DPRK (18:53); the Sudanese military concludes a new cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia (24:47); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues to expand (27:39); in Ukraine, Zelenskyy faces calls for new elections (30:06); Trump suspends new tariffs on Canada (33:01); the U.S. moves Operation Southern Spear onto land (34:50); and a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report details the cost of the new “Trump class” battleships (36:45). Watch a replay of last night's livestream with Séamus Malekafzali. Don't forget Derek's Substack, Foreign Exchanges. Enjoy Danny's new Substack, Imperialist Realism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Danny and Derek must disclose that they have had Hasan Piker on this program. They are listening and learning from him. In this week's news: Israel bombs a Syrian airbase, potentially moving closer to a conflict with Turkey (1:22); Jared Kushner and Benjamin Netanyahu agree to scrap the Gaza Board of Peace's Hamas disarmament plan (7:09); the Iran MOU expires as Trump escalates the economic war (9:20); the Islamic Republic might restart the shooting war (13:36); the Pentagon and Arab governments rethink America's military presence in the Gulf (15:58); Trump curtails military exercises with South Korea, possibly moving toward diplomacy with North Korea/DPRK (18:53); the Sudanese military concludes a new cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia (24:47); the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues to expand (27:39); in Ukraine, Zelenskyy faces calls for new elections (30:06); Trump suspends new tariffs on Canada (33:01); the U.S. moves Operation Southern Spear onto land (34:50); and a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report details the cost of the new “Trump class” battleships (36:45). Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. After Israel struck a military base in Syria, where Turkey was apparently ready to deploy forces, Horovitz reviews the ensuing diplomatic ruckus between Israel, Turkey and Syria, with a US envoy castigating Israel but the White House silent. Following this week's meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump aide Jared Kushner regarding the Board of Peace plan for Gaza, Horovitz explains the shared goal but differing approaches of the US and Israel, and highlights the need to not only disarm Hamas but also drain its coffers. Horovitz examines the results of Monday's Likud primary and the options still available for Netanyahu to parachute a few of his own selected candidates to high slots on the party's final Knesset slate. He also updates us on the emergence of yet another small party, and a renewed alliance between three established ones. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: ‘Don’t’: Netanyahu says he warned Turkey before Israel struck Syrian base PM, Kushner clashed over continued Israeli strikes on Oct. 7 terrorists — officials Hamas must be drained of its money as well as its weapons Arab-majority Hadash, Ta’al and Balad parties agree on joint run after striking deal Hawkish ex-general Ofer Winter expected to launch new party next week, shaking up the right Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz appears on Daily Briefing podcast with host Jessica Steinberg (Flash 90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How do Israeli elections actually work? Israelis don't vote directly for prime minister, no party has ever won a majority, and a party with just a handful of Knesset seats can sometimes hold the keys to government. Noam Weissman sits down with former Knesset member Rachel Azaria to unpack coalition building, the 3.25% electoral threshold, the power of Haredi and Arab parties, and why Israeli politics can look so confusing from an American perspective. They also explore the biggest divides shaping Israel's next government, and what to watch as the 2026 election approaches. If you like this podcast, you'll love SAPIR, the quarterly journal of ideas edited by Bret Stephens. Subscribe for FREE at sapirjournal.org/noam. Follow Noam on Instagram: noamlweissman_ Check out our episodes on Youtube. This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand. ------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Borderlines with That Semite Jewish History Nerds Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Wondering Jews
We just wrapped up our first ever live show in Wyoming (naturally), and we had a blast!! Thank you so much to the Jackson Hole Jewish Community for hosting us, to the amazing listeners who traveled to be there, and to our special guest Nadav Eyal, who you all know from Call Me Back, Yediot Achronot, and his substack Between Us. You can and should also follow him on X and Instagram.Good for the Jews is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.If you like, you can also watch this episode on YouTube, and check out more photos on our Instagram! * We cover all this and more with Nadav:* What the Heck is goin on in Israeli politics??* What the polls are saying, and what can change it.* People who hate Israel won't change their mind if Bibi loses…but it will be easier* Israel needs to get out of the news cycle* Can the next Israeli government have Arab parties in its coalition?* Diplomacy vs. Strength, The Rebbe vs. Nadav* Iron wall, not Sparta* The American mindset is the minority mindset - and we Israelis can learn from that.* Mainstrea media is the worst form of media - except for all the others.* Only follow journalists who can lose their jobs for telling the truth.* Notes from the trenches of Columbia University.* If it walks like a terrorist and talks like a terrorist, it's a terrorist - even if it's Jewish.Again thank you to the amazing community of Jackson Hole for making this happen! Where should we have our next live show? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe
What will it take to confront antisemitism at America's elite universities? Dan is joined by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whose 2023 questioning of three Ivy League university presidents became a defining moment in the debate over antisemitism on college campuses. Drawing from her new book, Poisoned Ivies, Stefanik argues that the crisis reflects decades of systemic ideological bias, failed leadership and money from Arab countries buying academic influence. They discuss what it will take to confront antisemitism at America's elite universities, and whether government intervention risks creating new problems of its own. Purchase Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's book here. Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center on October 22. —- Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going. Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back This episode was sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com. ___ In this episode: - The congressional hearing that changed everything - Why did it take October 7 for Washington to act? - Her proof that Students for Justice in Palestine organization is tied to Hamas - Could government intervention make universities worse? - The universities that handled post October 7 protests right and how they did it - Should Jewish students give up on attending Ivy League schools? - Could federal funding cuts hurt American competitiveness? - How can elite universities overcome campus antisemitism? ___ More Ark Media: Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings. Explore Israel Votes Listen to Ark News Daily Listen to For Heaven's Sake Listen to What's Your Number? Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal Instagram | Ark Media | Dan X | Dan Dan Senor & Saul Singer's book, The Genius of Israel Get in touch Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
A unique personal journey spanning from a third-generation textile merchant family in Japan to a thriving design studio in Beirut serves as the foundation for iconic designer Nada Debs' universal message of collaboration. The intricate world of Levantine woodwork, the philosophy of repetitive geometry, and the complex balance between handmade craft and modern scaling highlight the depth of her artistic vision. This narrative of personal heritage and local production illustrates how design can become a powerful tool to restore civic pride and challenge traditional mindsets. 00:00 Introduction 01:35 A Message of Oneness & Overcoming Conflict 04:01 Roots Across the Silk Road 10:39 Post-War Devastation & the Surge of Homegrown Pride 18:25 Dismantling the Western Complex & Embracing Equality 20:05 Finding Acceptance in the Search for Personal Identity 24:33 Embracing the Warmth of Beirut & the Value of Antiques 29:21 The Path to Design 33:17 Shifting the Mindset on Local Production 38:24 The Genesis of "East and East" & Establishing a Studio 44:48 Reclaiming Pride in Lebanese Craft 46:46 Deciphering the Levantine Vernacular 53:13 Hand Craftsmanship vs. Modern Scaling 01:02:04 Expanding the Language of Harmony Nada Debs is a Lebanese designer living and working in Beirut. Her work spans scale and discipline: from product and furniture design to one-off commissions across craft, art, fashion and interiors. What ties her work together is her ability to distil culture and craftsmanship to create pieces of emotional resonance. Nada grew up in Japan, studied design at the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States and has spent significant periods of time living and travelling the world, finding connections between different cultures. She calls her approach: handmade and heartmade. Her grandfather travelled the Silk Route to Japan; her own personal Silk Route led her back to Lebanon, where she founded her studio in 2002. Her 'East & East' philosophy fuses Islamic geometry with Far Eastern minimalism. Connect with Nada Debs
The battle over the Likud Party primaries this week was a clear example of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting his dominance over his political kingdom, Haaretz senior analyst Esther Solomon told the Haaretz Election Podcast. Netanyahu had unsuccessfully tried to cancel the always robust Likud primaries altogether – ultimately compromising by pushing through a measure where he chose the candidates for nine key spots on the top of the list. He included a spot for Oren Dobronsky, an Israeli high-tech entrepreneur and hummus chain owner in Silicon Valley who has not lived in Israel for years, has no political experience and made headlines recently for calling U.S. President Donald Trump a “morally corrupt piece of shit” in the recent past. The prime minister’s message was clear, Solomon said: "This is no longer about the Likud party. This is about me." Solomon joined Haaretz correspondent Judy Maltz and host Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss the top stories from the last week week, which included controversy over efforts by expat Israelis to travel en masse to vote to replace the current government, and a proposal by opposition frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot to form a minority government even if he doesn’t have a decisive election victory. Also on the podcast, Maltz described her encounters as she travels across Israeli cities to take their pulse ahead of the election, including Kfar Chabad, where, she quipped “only the Messiah is more popular” than far-right extremist Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Arab city of Umm-al-Fahm, where she said it was “very sad” that many young well-educated Palestinian citizens of Israel said they were so alienated that they were not planning to vote. Read more: Netanyahu's New Election Ploy Smells of Desperation and Elon Musk In Monday's Likud Party Primary, Netanyahu Hopes to Get Rid of Lawmakers Whom He Had Nurtured in the Past Netanyahu Changes Likud Rules to Let Far-right Politician Run in Primary 'People Here Like Ben-Gvir's Tough-guy Approach': Will This Netanyahu Stronghold Near Gaza Go Further Right? 'We Need to Finish the Job': The Israeli Town Where Itamar Ben-Gvir Ranks Second Only to the MessiahSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Former Yesh Atid Knesset member Yoav Segalovitz met on Thursday with MK Mansour Abbas, head of the United Arab List. The two are said to have discussed principles for working together and measures to be taken to fight violence in the Israeli Arab sector. After the meeting, Dr. Ilana Shpaizman, a senior lecturer at the Dept. of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University, spoke to KAN's David Ze'ev about the ramifications. (Photo: Then-MK Yoav Segalovitz at the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee/Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode of Trending Middle East, the UAE joins seven other Arab and Islamic nations in condemning Israel for rejecting renewed efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, as Jared Kushner holds talks with Hamas and regional mediators in Egypt. We also examine a sharp slowdown in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as attacks on tankers and stalled US-Iran talks continue to disrupt maritime traffic, while Iran resumes crude loading through alternative export routes. We look at Iraq's seizure of more than $26 million in cash and 60kg of gold as part of a widening anti-corruption campaign. And Abu Dhabi's sovereign fund launches a bid to take full ownership of AD Ports Group, while the UAE encourages motorists to drive safely ahead of the new school year with its annual Accident-Free Day campaign. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans
Ralph speaks to Baroness Beeban Kidron, a member of the UK House of Lords and a leading voice on children's rights in the digital environment, whose book is “Users: How Big Tech Took Control and How to Fight Back.” Then we welcome back whistleblower Becky McClain a biotech scientist injured in an unsafe lab and author of “Exposed: A Pfizer Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.”Baroness Beeban Kidron is a member of the UK's House of Lords and a former film director. She is a leading voice on children's rights in the digital environment and a global authority on digital regulation. She has played a central role in establishing standards for online safety and privacy across the world. She is the author of Users: How Big Tech Took Control and How to Fight Back.The things that children experience online are deliberately designed to distract them. Now, they are there to distract them because those companies want the attention so they can advertise. They want their data so that they can perfect their commercial terms,their product. And they even want their attention to compete against the other people who are competing for their attention. So here we have an absolute arms race for a child's attention.Baroness Beeban KidronI do want to say very clearly to anyone listening: This is a battle you shouldn't be fighting on your own. And there is a responsibility for politicians—for both local politicians and federal politicians (national in our case, here in the UK) —to actually put these companies under the same sort of strictures that all other corporate companies do… One of the things I'm looking at is whether we can recategorize apps as products. And then they'll have all the product liability, the product safety, consumer rights—all the things that we expect of everything else in our life from our food to our cars to our toys. That they would actually have to think before they roll them out: Are they safe? And when they've proven unsafe, we would have a very clear set of legal approaches to address that.Baroness Beeban KidronBecky McClain is a retired biotech worker and research scientist. She is known as the first successful biotech whistleblower who spoke and reported on biolab safety issues of public concern. On April 1, 2010, Ms. McClain won a federal court whistleblower trial against Pfizer, Inc., which centered on free speech rights concerning biosafety and public health. She is the author of Exposed: A Pfizer Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.The public wants transparency to ensure that biolabs are run ethically, safely, responsibly, and with accountability. Transparency into these matters builds public trust with science and with government. But without free-speech protections for scientists and also medical physicians, transparency fails, accountability is dismissed, and the public trust hits rock bottom.Becky McClainNews 8/14/26* This week, a new round of primaries was held in the upper midwest and New England. The biggest shock of the night was the defeat of Francesca Hong in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary. Hong, a Wisconsin State Assemblywoman and member of Madison DSA, went into election night leading in the polls and while she won an astonishing 311,000 votes, her opponent – Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, with the endorsement of sitting Democratic Governor Tony Evers – maintained a lead of approximately one-half of one percentage point throughout the night. As the final margin will be under 1 percent, Hong is entitled to request a recount, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but WKOW reports she has conceded the race. Hong was seen as the best chance for the insurgent, DSA-aligned left to capture a gubernatorial nomination this cycle, particularly in a crucial swing state, but her campaign was dogged by electability concerns and unpopular past statements made by the candidate. Crowley will face Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, who cruised to an easy victory in the GOP gubernatorial primary, in November.* The Minnesota primaries delivered more encouraging results for the left. In the high-profile Senate primary to replace retiring Senator Tina Smith, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan emerged victorious over her opponent, Congresswoman Angie Craig. Flanagan was backed by a broad, progressive coalition – including Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and outgoing Senator Tina Smith herself – while Craig was backed by more centrist Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and ultrazionist Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer. If elected, Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, would be the first Native American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, per the Minnesota Reformer. Flanagan has also gone on record saying that Chuck Schumer, who would be poised to lead the Senate Democrats as Majority Leader if the party retakes that chamber, needs to be replaced with a “progressive champion” though she has not gone as far as Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan who explicitly called for Schumer to be replaced by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, as reported by Semafor.* In more Minnesota news, Congresswoman Craig's decision to vacate her old seat in the state's second congressional district “created a crowded primary for her seat,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. On Tuesday, progressive candidate Matt Little triumphed. Little is a strong proponent of Medicare for All and does not blanch at describing Israel's campaign in Gaza as a genocide. Little overwhelmingly won the endorsement of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and of congressional progressives like Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Greg Casar, as well as the Progressive Caucus PAC. If Little wins in what the Star Tribune describes as a swing district historically, it will send a strong signal that progressives can win even in tough districts.* In New England, the results tell a somewhat different story. Specifically, in Connecticut's first congressional district, 14-term incumbent Congressman John Larson lost his primary to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, over 30 years Larson's junior, by over 20 points. However, Bronin is far from a progressive challenger. Whereas Larson enjoyed the backing of the Working Families Party and Congressman Jamie Raskin – though he also had the backing of AIPAC – Bronin's only major national endorsement was from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In short, this would best be described as a non-ideological, but rather age-based primary challenge. This will surely set off major alarm bells for another aged incumbent in New England facing a much younger primary challenger: Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Additionally, as Ryan Grim notes, “John Larson was/is the champion of the bill to expand Social Security, which was up to…200+ cosponsors but [former Speaker Nancy] Pelosi would never allow it to get to the floor. There's now an extremely popular bill that could actually pass that needs a lead sponsor.”* Another recent primary loss is worth examining: that of Kshama Sawant in Seattle. Sawant, a former Seattle City Councilmember aligned with the Trotskyist Socialist Alternative party, resigned her council seat and sought to unseat her local Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, running as an independent in Washington's ninth congressional district. The state of Washington has a top two primary system, so Sawant would have only had to get the second most votes to secure a head-to-head matchup against Smith in November. Yet, instead Sawant finished a distant third behind Smith and the Republican candidate Doug Basler. Perhaps that doesn't seem surprising – independent and third party candidates are often outspent by huge margins. Yet, the facts belie that explanation. In fact, a new piece on the Joe Wrote substack finds that “Sawant's campaign wasn't the rag-tag, bootstrapped operation that we typically see from insurgent socialists. Sawant reported $607,493 in campaign spending, meaning she outspent Republican Doug Basler by over six-to-one and still lost to him.” Wrote goes on to state that “The Sawant campaign spent $25.33 per vote, the highest for any candidate in the race…The only registered PAC that spent on the race was Sawant's Revolutionary Change PAC, which raised $5,600 through ActBlue and spent it on billboards.” If nothing else, this test case demonstrates that money is not enough for the left to break through the two-party duopoly. A candidate also needs institutional, organizational support – like that of DSA – and, perhaps most importantly, broadbase solidarity with the other component parts of the movement. Going it alone simply will not get the job done.* In more independent and third party news, we have an update to a previous story about the race for Congress in Pennsylvania's seventh congressional district. Last week, we discussed Andrew Tupone, a candidate running in this race on the Green Party ballot line, despite the GP of Pennsylvania distancing themselves from him – and spokesman Chris Robinson even calling him a “a nice Republican.” According to Lehigh Valley Public Media, the Green Party is now going a step further, formally requesting the Pennsylvania courts “either kick Tupone off the ballot or require him to identify himself as a member of another party.” In their petition to the court, the Green Party argues that “Candidate Tupone and his agents or affiliates who circulated his nomination papers misled voters into signing the nomination papers on the mistaken belief that they were helping to place a candidate supported by the Green Party onto the ballot.” This piece also notes that three Lehigh Valley residents are challenging the petitions Tupone presented to get on the ballot, arguing that technical errors would disqualify thousands of these signatures. For his part, Tupone “has denied having any ulterior motive to enter the race or accepting financial assistance from any outside groups.”* At the same time, in Nebraska, it seems there are two, dueling faux third parties seeking to siphon off votes from the other side. The Nebraska Examiner reports that both the “Nebraska Democratic Party and the national Working Families Party have sued Nebraska's Working People Party to block it from the fall ballot.” The Democrats and WFP are seeking to block Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen from officially recognizing the party, and to “declare that the party's name is breaking state law because it is meant to confuse voters.” Apparently, Nebraska election law includes a provision allowing the secretary of state to “reject a candidate's filing if…that someone is not a ‘good-faith candidate' or is trying to cause confusion for voters,” and that “objections to party names can be considered.” The kicker is that last week, the Nebraska Republican Party filed a lawsuit alleging that the “America First Party” is a similarly bad-faith attempt to confuse and deceive voters and thereby undercut the fortunes of Nebraska Republicans. A Nebraska judge has issued an emergency injunction stopping certification of both the Nebraska Working People Party and America First Party through August 20th.* Turning to local news, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appears to be moving against Councilmember Nithya Raman, her Democratic rival for the mayoralty in the general election. LAist reports that while Raman has chaired the Council's powerful Housing and Homeless Committee since 2023, Bass' close ally, Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson is “planning to announce…that the city will split the committee into two parts — one on housing, the other on homelessness — neither of which will be led by Raman.” In a campaign video, Raman alleged that the move constituted political retaliation, saying “I called for an audit of our homelessness programs…and now I've been removed…I might be getting punished for running against Mayor Bass, but Angelenos are the ones paying the price for these political games.” Mayor Bass and Councilmember Raman finished first and second respectively in the June primary, meaning they will face off in November with no Republican on the ballot.* In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced this week that he will throw his weight behind a new bill in the city council seeking to curb Amazon's practice of utilizing subcontractors instead of directly employing delivery workers. The Wall Street Journal explains that although these subcontractors “aren't direct employees of…Amazon [or other companies], they often wear branded uniforms or vests and drive corporate-branded vans or trucks,” but are not entitled to the same workplace protections and are excluded from collective bargaining. In a statement, Mamdani highlighted how “Corporations like Amazon build billion-dollar business models by insulating themselves from accountability through a system of exploitative subcontracting.” The Journal reports the bill would also “require warehouse operators to obtain licenses from the city,” and in order to get a license, ”operators would have to adhere to new safety, training and employment requirements, including hiring thousands of the city's contract couriers.” In response, Amazon is, as usual, threatening to move its business out of the city, but also deploying its secret, New York-specific weapon: their chief lobbyist, Jessica Schumer, daughter of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to the American Prospect. This sets up a major clash between an array of titanic forces in New York politics and whether or not Mayor Mamdani emerges triumphant will be a huge test of his political clout.* Finally, AP reports the parliament of Lebanon voted this week to abolish the death penalty, making it the first nation in the Arab world to do so. This piece notes that the country has maintained an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment for over 20 years; while death sentences have been issued since then, they have all been suspended or commuted. The official sentence of capital punishment will be replaced with “life imprisonment with aggravated hard labor,” a somewhat vague legal concept that will have to be defined and refined as time goes on. AP adds that this vote comes amidst the Lebanese parliamentary debate over a proposed general amnesty law, that could “reduce sentences or even release convicted militants,” from the country's various civil wars, as well as others convicted of drug-related crimes. The parliamentary bloc of Hezbollah voted against the law. Lebanon banning capital punishment stands in stark contrast to the Israeli Knesset, which voted in May to adopt a new death penalty statute described by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as perpetuating “racial discrimination against Palestinians” and amounting to “a grave erosion of human rights.”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal to answer listener questions about the growing number of highly educated Israelis leaving the country, why Nadav believes it's not just military conflicts driving them away, and the deeper issues facing Israeli society. ___ Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going. For the full episode, subscribe here to - Inside Call me Back ____ You can access the full episode here, where Dan and Nadav answer listener questions about: - Would a new Israeli government actually be able to create significant systemic change? - How the past 3 years have dramatically changed attitudes and capabilities of the IDF - Can Israel's moderate right reshape the election? - What do each of Israel's Arab parties stand for and which might succeed? - Why a popular Jewish Knesset member is joining an Arab party and why that's significant More Ark Media: Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings. Explore Israel Votes Listen to Ark News Daily Listen to For Heaven's Sake Listen to What's Your Number? Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal Instagram | Ark Media | Dan X | Dan Dan Senor & Saul Singer's book, The Genius of Israel Get in touch Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
In this episode we spoke with Marian Scheuer Sofaer, Esquire, and Dr. Einav Yehuda-Shnaidman about The Expulsion of Jews from Iraq, 20th Century: The Agonies of Redemption (Brill, 2024), by Dr. Zvi Yehuda, and translated by Sofaer. Dr. Zvi Yehuda, born in Iraq in 1936, immigrated to Israel as a teenager during Operation Ezra and Nehemiah and went on to complete a PhD in History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, later founding and heading the research institute at the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center. He began to write the book in 1984, in a conversation with former Knesset Speaker Shlomo Hillel, and grew into a forty-year project of archival research across Israel, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Iraq, conducted in Hebrew, English, French, German and Judeo-Arabic. Yehuda passed away before he could complete editing the English translation; his daughter, Dr. Einav Yehuda-Shnaidman, together with Sofaer, brought the English edition to completion. The book situates the modern Iraqi Jewish community within a more discontinuous history than is often assumed. Yehuda's research identified a substantial gap, from the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries, in which no functioning Jewish community existed in Iraq; the community that flourished into the twentieth century instead descended from waves of immigration beginning after 1740, drawing Jews from Kurdistan, Iran, and Europe, and developing its own distinct Judeo-Arabic dialect. Following Israel's establishment and victory in 1948, Sofaer and Yehuda-Shnaidman described the systematic persecution that followed: mass dismissals of Jews from government employment, punitive import-export regulations, and new restrictions on real estate and mortgages. Yehuda-Shnaidman emphasized that Prime Minister Nuri al-Said was a central architect of this policy, proposing to the United Nations a plan to force Iraq's Jews to leave within four months, stripped of citizenship and property—a plan ultimately abandoned only after Jordan refused to allow the deportation convoys to cross its territory. Central to Yehuda's research is his conclusion that the expulsion was not, as long assumed, a response to Zionist activity, but a deliberate, state-directed policy to remove Iraq's Jews and seize their assets. The book also overturns the long-standing claim that bombs thrown at Jewish targets in Baghdad in 1950–51 were planted by Zionists to encourage emigration; evidence uncovered only in 2013 by an Iraqi journalist instead implicates Arab extremists, and points to the wrongful execution of Jews framed for the attacks. Altogether, the book documents the expulsion and dispossession of some 150,000 Jews from Iraq, part of the roughly one million Jews forced from Muslim-majority countries across the twentieth century—a history Yehuda insisted be established on primary evidence rather than inherited assumption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
In this episode we spoke with Marian Scheuer Sofaer, Esquire, and Dr. Einav Yehuda-Shnaidman about The Expulsion of Jews from Iraq, 20th Century: The Agonies of Redemption (Brill, 2024), by Dr. Zvi Yehuda, and translated by Sofaer. Dr. Zvi Yehuda, born in Iraq in 1936, immigrated to Israel as a teenager during Operation Ezra and Nehemiah and went on to complete a PhD in History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, later founding and heading the research institute at the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center. He began to write the book in 1984, in a conversation with former Knesset Speaker Shlomo Hillel, and grew into a forty-year project of archival research across Israel, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Iraq, conducted in Hebrew, English, French, German and Judeo-Arabic. Yehuda passed away before he could complete editing the English translation; his daughter, Dr. Einav Yehuda-Shnaidman, together with Sofaer, brought the English edition to completion. The book situates the modern Iraqi Jewish community within a more discontinuous history than is often assumed. Yehuda's research identified a substantial gap, from the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries, in which no functioning Jewish community existed in Iraq; the community that flourished into the twentieth century instead descended from waves of immigration beginning after 1740, drawing Jews from Kurdistan, Iran, and Europe, and developing its own distinct Judeo-Arabic dialect. Following Israel's establishment and victory in 1948, Sofaer and Yehuda-Shnaidman described the systematic persecution that followed: mass dismissals of Jews from government employment, punitive import-export regulations, and new restrictions on real estate and mortgages. Yehuda-Shnaidman emphasized that Prime Minister Nuri al-Said was a central architect of this policy, proposing to the United Nations a plan to force Iraq's Jews to leave within four months, stripped of citizenship and property—a plan ultimately abandoned only after Jordan refused to allow the deportation convoys to cross its territory. Central to Yehuda's research is his conclusion that the expulsion was not, as long assumed, a response to Zionist activity, but a deliberate, state-directed policy to remove Iraq's Jews and seize their assets. The book also overturns the long-standing claim that bombs thrown at Jewish targets in Baghdad in 1950–51 were planted by Zionists to encourage emigration; evidence uncovered only in 2013 by an Iraqi journalist instead implicates Arab extremists, and points to the wrongful execution of Jews framed for the attacks. Altogether, the book documents the expulsion and dispossession of some 150,000 Jews from Iraq, part of the roughly one million Jews forced from Muslim-majority countries across the twentieth century—a history Yehuda insisted be established on primary evidence rather than inherited assumption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
In this episode we spoke with Marian Scheuer Sofaer, Esquire, and Dr. Einav Yehuda-Shnaidman about The Expulsion of Jews from Iraq, 20th Century: The Agonies of Redemption (Brill, 2024), by Dr. Zvi Yehuda, and translated by Sofaer. Dr. Zvi Yehuda, born in Iraq in 1936, immigrated to Israel as a teenager during Operation Ezra and Nehemiah and went on to complete a PhD in History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, later founding and heading the research institute at the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center. He began to write the book in 1984, in a conversation with former Knesset Speaker Shlomo Hillel, and grew into a forty-year project of archival research across Israel, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Iraq, conducted in Hebrew, English, French, German and Judeo-Arabic. Yehuda passed away before he could complete editing the English translation; his daughter, Dr. Einav Yehuda-Shnaidman, together with Sofaer, brought the English edition to completion. The book situates the modern Iraqi Jewish community within a more discontinuous history than is often assumed. Yehuda's research identified a substantial gap, from the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries, in which no functioning Jewish community existed in Iraq; the community that flourished into the twentieth century instead descended from waves of immigration beginning after 1740, drawing Jews from Kurdistan, Iran, and Europe, and developing its own distinct Judeo-Arabic dialect. Following Israel's establishment and victory in 1948, Sofaer and Yehuda-Shnaidman described the systematic persecution that followed: mass dismissals of Jews from government employment, punitive import-export regulations, and new restrictions on real estate and mortgages. Yehuda-Shnaidman emphasized that Prime Minister Nuri al-Said was a central architect of this policy, proposing to the United Nations a plan to force Iraq's Jews to leave within four months, stripped of citizenship and property—a plan ultimately abandoned only after Jordan refused to allow the deportation convoys to cross its territory. Central to Yehuda's research is his conclusion that the expulsion was not, as long assumed, a response to Zionist activity, but a deliberate, state-directed policy to remove Iraq's Jews and seize their assets. The book also overturns the long-standing claim that bombs thrown at Jewish targets in Baghdad in 1950–51 were planted by Zionists to encourage emigration; evidence uncovered only in 2013 by an Iraqi journalist instead implicates Arab extremists, and points to the wrongful execution of Jews framed for the attacks. Altogether, the book documents the expulsion and dispossession of some 150,000 Jews from Iraq, part of the roughly one million Jews forced from Muslim-majority countries across the twentieth century—a history Yehuda insisted be established on primary evidence rather than inherited assumption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies
In 2024, at the height of Israel's US-backed genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, one of the most widespread waves of college campus protests since the Vietnam War exploded across the United States. Then came the repressive backlash. Over the past two years, we've seen a harrowing assault on free speech and the right to protest from the federal government and Zionist organizations, and universities themselves have ramped up their own internal surveillance and repression machines, weaponizing them against their own students, grad students, and faculty.Life, learning, and activism on American college campuses looks very different today than it did in 2024, but the student-led Palestine solidarity movement is not going away. As a new school year begins, we speak with four students at different college campuses across the University System of Maryland (USM), who are all organizers and members of the USM Divestment Coalition for Palestine, about how the movement is maintaining its demands and adapting its tactics in 2026.Additional links/info:USM DIvestment Coalition for Palestine website, Instagram, and LinktreeDiamondback Staff, The Diamondback, “USM students call for divestment from defense companies at Board of Regents meeting”Credits:Audio Post-Production: Alina NehlichBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
Become an Israel Guys member → https://israelguys.link/member-HK4 Israeli settlers are besieging an Arab home in the West Bank, and Netanyahu's IDF are doing nothing to stop it. This according to dozens of headlines plastering the media over the past few days. This is a crazy story, and every day it seems like the reporting just gets more and more intense. We have been reaching out to all of our sources, pulling together as much first hand information as possible so we can bring you the truth, and the truth is kind of wild. There is a lot more going on here with both the Arabs, and the Israelis involved in the incident than what is getting reported. Ben Hilton brings you the truth here on today's video.
This week, news that didn't make the news, from Palestine. First up, I sit down with Palestinian writer and researcher Nadine Sayegh to discuss her latest piece State, Soldiers, and Systematic Sadism: The Israeli Military's Normalization of Sexual Violence. Nadine explains the Israeli hasbara tactic of purple-washing, the global Norths violent feminism, and the confluence of sex and genocidal violence. We discuss the medias failure to place accountability on systems, suggesting that the problem, much like with the US own torture programs, is just a few bad eggs. Next up, associate editor at the Electronic Intifada Nora Barrows Friedman comes back on the show to discuss the latest news from Palestine: what's the story with Hamas stepping down, as concentration camps are constructed inside the concentration camp of Gaza, and as the so-called ceasefire continues to be violently broken by Israel daily? Nora also discusses the most recent violent escalations of settler violence in the occupied West Bank, and the medias continued failure to cover it, and if they do, to cover it only from the side of Israeli propaganda. Nadine N. Sayegh is a Palestinian multidisciplinary writer and researcher focusing on the Arab-speaking world. Her work spans gender, geopolitics, human security, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. She holds an MA in Media and the Middle East from SOAS, London, and a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Toulouse (Jean-Jaurs), where her dissertation examined multiscalar gendered oppression in Palestine and Jordan. Her research and commentary have been featured in scholarly and journalistic venues, with select works translated internationally. Nora Barrows Friedman is an associate editor at Electronic Intifada and the co-host of their weekly livestream. The News That Didn't Make the News. Each week, co-hosts Mickey Huff and Eleanor Goldfield conduct in depth interviews with their guests and offer hard hitting commentary on the key political, social, and economic issues of the day with an emphasis on critical media literacy. The post Project Censored – Purple-Washing, Pogroms & Media Malpractice on Palestine [ENCORE] appeared first on KPFA.
Turning their attention away from Iran and toward another Middle Eastern hotspot, Aimen and Thomas explain the course of events in Libya since the Arab Spring. Seismic political events are underway in that sad country, which has been riven by civil war and political division for over fifteen years. They discuss: The difference between East and West Libya First Libyan Civil War: state collapse and militia fragmentation NATO intervention and Western short-termism Khalifa Haftar: from Gaddafi officer to eastern strongman Second Libyan Civil War: Operation Dignity and divided government Libya proxy war: Egypt, UAE, Russia, Turkey and Qatar Libyan oil politics: NOC, Central Bank and Haftar's leverage U.S.-backed Libya deal: Saddam Haftar, Dbeibah and Pakistan mediation Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ Find us on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. Produced and edited by Thomas Small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“He's not a trustworthy witness to his own story. Everything is ten times bigger and better than it really was — except when he was accused of crimes, in which case he can't really remember anymore.” — Joby Warrick on Carlos the Jackal Yesterday, WOLA's Adam Isacson and John Walsh described how the US government has appropriated the term “narco-terrorism” to justify their Latin American killing spree. Today, we talk the real thing. Pulitzer Prize-winning Joby Warrick has a new book out about the rise and fall of Carlos the Jackal, who he calls the “original super-terrorist.” So who was Carlos the Jackal? Originally he was named by his Venezuelan Marxist father Ilich in homage to Lenin. Then he renamed himself Carlos, borrowing from a fake passport the French police happened to find in 1975. While The Jackal came from the London Guardian after reporters spotted Frederick Forsyth's best-seller on the bookshelf of his London safe house. Ilich (i.e. Carlos) loved it. Anything for attention. Especially from the capitalist media. His career, as a proxy Palestinian terrorist, was equally audacious. His solo debut, at 24, was the attempted London assassination of Marks & Spencer chairman Joseph Sieff. Two years later, Carlos waltzed into OPEC headquarters in Vienna and kidnapped most of the world's oil ministers, a terrorist heist that, Warrick reveals, was financed by Muammar Gaddafi. Then all of Carlos' yesterdays — and there are many, as Warrick discovers when he interviews him in his French jail. He spent twenty years on the run, mostly barely camouflaged in faded Eastern European hotels. The Mossad didn't even consider him worth assassinating. By the eighties he had become a gun for hire who'd stopped attacking Israelis. And at 75, in his convent-turned-prison outside Paris, the world's original super-terrorist cooks his own meals, repeats old leftist slogans, and misremembers everything except his innocence. In spite of his pathetic fate, Carlos matters because, as Warrick notes, the Jackal model is back in fashion. Russia and Iran now hire petty crooks on Telegram for a few hundred dollars to firebomb synagogues or assassinate dissidents. Gaza's tragic hopelessness echoes the post-1967 conditions that bred the first wave of Palestinian terror. Social media is now infested with wannabe violent influencers. The day of the Jackal, then, is not only our history but also our future. Five Takeaways • Interview with the Jackal. Warrick negotiated for over a year — with Carlos, then with a French government determined he not be glorified, since his gravest crimes were against French citizens — for roughly ninety minutes in March 2025, no recorder, no camera, notebook only. The prison is a converted sixteenth-century convent outside Paris where the Nazis once tortured members of the Resistance; inside it, Carlos remains the big man on campus — guards call him Carlos, not Ilich, and he keeps a large cell, cooks his own meals, and browses the internet. At 75 he is natty, polyglot, charming — and stooped, forgetful, repeating himself into what Warrick calls a fog of old memories. As a witness he is worthless: everything ten times bigger and better than it was, except the crimes, which he suddenly cannot recall.• Ilich, Carlos, Jackal: An Accidental Brand. His ardent-Marxist father named his three sons Vladimir, Ilich, and Lenin, after the founder of the Soviet Union. “Carlos” came from a fake passport — Carlos Martinez — that French police happened to seize in 1975; the pudgy dark-glasses photo the world memorized was a passport fake he remains embarrassed by. “The Jackal” was coined by the British tabloids after reporters prowling his London safe house spotted Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal on the bookshelf. He embraced all of it: a true believer whose slogans still pour out in prison, welded to a massive ego that always placed Carlos at the center of the revolution. Had Instagram existed, Warrick agrees, he'd have used it — the pre-digital influencer, with the world's press as his platform.• From Five Bullets to Kidnapping OPEC. His 1970 baptism of fire in the Black September fighting hardened him past the point of return; his solo test, at 24, was the attempted assassination of Marks & Spencer chairman Joseph Sieff — an old gun, five bullets, a jam, and a bullet deflected by the victim's teeth (“good old Milk Marketing Board,” Sieff told the BBC from his hospital bed). The masterpiece came in December 1975: a 26-year-old walks into OPEC's Vienna headquarters mid-conference, takes the world's oil ministers hostage, extracts a plane and a ransom, and flies them to North Africa — the most audacious terrorist act Warrick can name. The book's scoop settles who sponsored it: not Saddam Hussein, as biographers and a 2010 docudrama claimed, but Muammar Gaddafi — the autocrat pioneering the criminal proxy with no return address.• Twenty Years, No Capture — and a Mossad Pass. The world's most wanted man spent two decades in comfort: Budapest his favorite hideout (good meals, nice hotels — Carlos insisted on top-flight everything), the Hungarians, East Germans, and Romanians almost proud to host their superstar guest, Assad's Syria always available. The run ended only when the Bloc fell and the Arab states tired of him; the French and Americans finally tracked him to Khartoum in 1994. The great deflation is the Mossad: they never bothered with him. His mentor Wadi Haddad — the true operational genius — they hunted and killed; Carlos, by then a mercenary who'd stopped attacking Israelis, simply fell down the priority list. The world's most fearsome terrorist wasn't worth Israel's effort.• The Return of Violent Chaos. Warrick's closing argument, and the reason this history is news: the Gaddafi model has been rediscovered. Russia and Iran now hire criminals — recruited on Telegram, paid a few hundred dollars in crypto — to throw grenades into synagogues, set fires, and assassinate dissidents: hundreds of incidents already, most under the radar, none traceable to Moscow or Tehran. The modern Carlos works for whoever pays; ideology has left the business entirely. Gaza's hopelessness, meanwhile, mirrors the post-1967 despair that launched the first international terror wave — and we are not prepared. As for America's own extrajudicial turn, from drone war to boat strikes: “There's no precedent... it is a grave change for us as Americans. Very troubling to me.” About the Guest Joby Warrick is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and veteran national security correspondent for The Washington Post. His books include The Triple Agent, Red Line, and Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. The Jackal: The Rise and Fall of Carlos, the World's First Super-Terrorist (Scribner, August 18, 2026), built on newly declassified archives, secret police files, and a rare interview with Carlos himself, is out next week.
This Day in Legal History: Britain's Last ExecutionsOn August 13, 1964, two men—Peter Anthony Allen and Gwynne Owen Evans—were hanged simultaneously in two different English prisons for the murder of a man during a robbery. They were the last people ever executed in the United Kingdom. Evans died at Strangeways Prison in Manchester and Allen at Walton Prison in Liverpool, both at eight in the morning, and with them, centuries of capital punishment in Britain came quietly to an end.Neither man knew he was making history; the abolition of the death penalty wasn't yet law. But the machinery of change was already turning. The very next year, in 1965, Parliament passed the Murder Act, which suspended the death penalty for murder for a trial period of five years. In 1969, Parliament made that suspension permanent for England, Scotland, and Wales. The death penalty lingered on the books for a handful of exotic offenses—treason, piracy with violence, certain military crimes—until it was finally abolished completely in 1998, bringing British law into line with the European Convention on Human Rights.The significance of August 13, 1964 is sharpened by contrast. Britain reached the end of capital punishment through ordinary legislation, and much of Europe followed a similar path, treating abolition as a basic human-rights commitment. The United States took the opposite fork: the Supreme Court briefly halted the death penalty in 1972 in Furman v. Georgia, only to allow it back four years later in Gregg v. Georgia, and capital punishment remains part of American law today, administered by the federal government and a number of states. So this anniversary is a useful mirror—a reminder that two closely related legal systems, working from a shared common-law inheritance, reached opposite conclusions on one of the deepest questions a legal system can face: whether the state should ever have the power to take a life. That's the question our opening quote, from Bryan Stevenson, puts squarely on the table.The law firm Motley Rice is in line for a payday of more than $67 million—its fee for winning New Mexico's sprawling case against Meta. We covered the underlying result: a judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a teen mental-health fund, on top of $375 million in civil penalties a jury imposed in March, bringing New Mexico's potential recovery to more than $942 million. Motley Rice represented the state on contingency, and under its contract it can seek a sliding-scale cut—20% of the first $50 million recovered, scaling down to 5% on amounts over $250 million—which works out to roughly 7% of the total, or about $67 million. Here's the practice-of-law angle worth understanding. States increasingly hire private plaintiffs' firms to bring these massive cases because they don't have the in-house firepower to go toe-to-toe with a company like Meta and its armies of lawyers. The firm fronts the enormous cost and risk of years of litigation in exchange for a percentage if it wins—the same model that produced the giant tobacco settlements of the 1990s, in which Motley Rice was a central player. Supporters say it lets under-resourced states take on deep-pocketed defendants they otherwise couldn't touch; critics say it hands public law-enforcement power to private firms with a profit motive. The significance is that this is the economic engine behind the whole wave of state social-media litigation we've been tracking. The fee comes out of New Mexico's recovery, and it only gets paid after appeals conclude—and Meta has said it will appeal—so the number, like the verdict, isn't final. But it's a rare, concrete look at the money that makes this kind of public-interest litigation actually happen. Law firm Motley Rice's fee for Meta case in New Mexico could top $67 million | ReuterAlbuquerque Journal · JD JournalTwo press-freedom organizations—The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation—have sued in Manhattan federal court to shut down a Trump Media service that sells wealthy subscribers early access to President Trump's social media posts. The service, called Truth API, launched August 1 and charges up to $100,000 a month for a faster feed of ten high-profile Truth Social accounts, including the president's own. The legal concern at the heart of the suit is a specific and serious one: Trump's posts routinely move financial markets—an announcement about tariffs or a company can send stocks lurching—and a paid feed that delivers those posts to deep-pocketed subscribers before the general public gives those subscribers a head start to trade on market-moving information. In other words, it potentially creates a two-tiered market in the president's words, where those who can pay six figures a month get to act on presidential statements seconds or minutes before everyone else. That's the kind of information asymmetry securities law generally frowns on. The service drew scrutiny fast—Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff had already called for a government investigation days before this suit. It's also legally novel: the plaintiffs are press-freedom groups, framing public access to a president's official-ish communications as a matter of public interest, which raises interesting questions about their theory and standing. The significance is that this sits at a genuinely new intersection—of a president who governs partly through market-moving social media posts, the business incentive to monetize that, and a securities and public-information framework that never contemplated selling early access to the president's feed. However the case comes out, it's a preview of the strange legal questions created when official speech becomes a paid product. Trump sued over service that offers paid early access to Truth Social posts | ReutersWashington Post · NPRA group of current and former Palestinian students and staff have sued Columbia University, alleging that the school discriminated against its Palestinian community over the past two years. According to the complaint filed in New York, the plaintiffs say Columbia failed to protect Palestinian members from harassment, subjected them to what they call “unfair and biased disciplinary hearings,” and “actively participated in and amplified” what they describe as racially, ethnically, and politically motivated targeting of Palestinians on campus. The legal vehicle here is worth understanding, because it's the same one being wielded on multiple sides of the campus fights. Civil-rights law—principally Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—bars institutions that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. We've seen Title VI invoked against universities over allegations of antisemitism, and we've seen the Justice Department use it to pressure schools like Harvard. Here, Palestinian and Arab plaintiffs are invoking that same framework to allege discrimination against them. The context matters: Columbia suspended more than 65 students last year over a pro-Palestinian protest that shut down its main library, and it agreed to pay the federal government over $200 million to resolve federal probes and restore funding. Columbia has denied discriminating and says it condemns hate, and it declined to comment on the pending litigation. To be clear, these are allegations in a complaint, not proven facts, and I'm not weighing in on the underlying political conflict. The significance is legal and institutional: universities are now being sued from opposite directions under the very same civil-rights statute, and Columbia in particular finds itself squeezed between federal enforcers, one set of students, and another—each claiming the protection of Title VI. It's a vivid illustration of how anti-discrimination law becomes the battleground when a campus fractures. Palestinian students and staff sue Columbia University alleging discrimination | ReutersUS News · Middle East Eye This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe
Jonathan Schanzer discusses the opaque leadership within Iran, noting the Supreme Leader's prolonged absence and the IRGC's tightening grip on power. The regime appears sclerotic, relying on aging loyalists while forcing the U.S. to remain engaged in regional conflicts to strain its economy. Simultaneously, the Houthis have escalated maritime attacks in the Red Sea and on Saudi infrastructure, effectively opening a new front in the conflict. This escalation exploits fractures between Arab states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who remain in competition rather than forming a unified front against Iranian proxy networks. (2)
Tomer Tzaban, a former Israeli counterterrorism operative who spent a decade conducting undercover missions in Gaza, has detailed his experiences in a podcast interview about his book, “The Ghosts of Rafah: An Undercover Counter-Terrorism Agent in the Heart of the Middle East Conflict.” Tzaban spoke with Alan Skorski on the Alan Skorski Reports podcast about his years with the elite Shimshon unit, where he served from 1986 to 1996. The unit operated undercover inside Gaza, with agents frequently assuming Arab identities and relying on disguises and carefully developed cover stories. Tzaban described operations that involved tracking terrorist suspects, preventing attacks and targeting members of armed groups. One operation involved a group of terrorists who, according to Tzaban, had disguised themselves as young Orthodox Jewish men as part of a plan to abduct Israeli soldiers and hold them for ransom. Tzaban also described an operation in which an intended target was located in a heavily populated area. The team abandoned the mission after a large number of children emerged from a nearby school, he said. Protecting civilians took precedence over completing the operation, consistent with the procedures under which the unit operated. Maintaining a convincing disguise required attention to details that went far beyond clothing and appearance. Tzaban said operatives had to understand local customs, speech patterns and even seemingly insignificant differences in daily life. He recalled that agents avoided strongly scented personal-care products because unfamiliar fragrances could make them appear out of place. Teams also worked with local Arabic speakers who could navigate regional dialects and social nuances. According to Tzaban, Gaza's different areas had distinct dialects, making language a potentially dangerous vulnerability. An operative could speak Arabic well and still attract attention by using words or pronunciation associated with another region. The conversation also touched on “Fauda,” the Israeli television series about undercover counterterrorism operatives. Tzaban said he knows several actors involved with the series and believes some of the show's early storylines drew heavily on the kinds of missions conducted by units such as Shimshon. His book recounts individual operations while also examining the personal cost of spending years working undercover. Tzaban described the constant pressure of maintaining a false identity and the psychological effects that could continue long after an operation ended. Tzaban also discussed security concerns in Europe, arguing that some extremist organizations have pursued strategies for decades that are now becoming more visible. He warned that Western countries, including the United States, should study those developments rather than wait until similar threats emerge at home. The interview concluded with a discussion of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the intelligence failures that preceded it. Tzaban said the attack represented a profound turning point for Israel and had consequences that extended far beyond the immediate security failure, changing the way many Israelis and Jews view the country's security and the threat posed by Hamas. “The Ghosts of Rafah” draws on Tzaban's experiences to provide a firsthand account of Israel's undercover counterterrorism operations in Gaza during the 1980s and 1990s. Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ2_UjnyWOY&t=4s Alan Skorski Reports 12AUG2026 - PODCAST
Coming in at number 3 in our top five is the 19 May 2026 podcast with the Gulf banking and finance analyst Andrew Cunningham. Sign up NOW at ArabDigest.org for free to join the club and start receiving our daily newsletter & weekly podcasts.
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Reports circulated on Hebrew-language media last night that Israel suspects that two Arab states are plotting to attack Israel by lulling it into a false sense of security through fake diplomatic agreements. According to two separate reports published by the Kan public broadcaster and Channel 12, the two countries — neither of which is identified by name due to an Israeli censor-dictated blackout — would sign diplomatic agreements with Israel to “anesthetize” the Jewish state and remove any unwanted scrutiny while building up forces. In light of these reports, we take a tour of Israel's borders and discuss IDF operations on each front at this time, from illegal civilian crossings into Syria and Lebanon to efforts to combat smuggling on the border with Egypt. With a recent Board of Peace push to disarm Hamas, has the IDF stepped away from utilizing the "Nili" intelligence unit targeting Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7, 2023, onslaught on southern Israel? In Lebanon, we hear about how the first pilot IDF pullout is proceeding and whether the military is already planning similar steps. And finally, we learn about a new push to fortify the border with Jordan. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Hebrew reports claim two Arab states plotting to sign diplomatic deals with Israel to trick it as they plan for war Three settlement activists illegally enter Syria overnight, are detained by IDF Israel said to tell US it will keep targeting Oct. 7 terrorists as Gaza disarmament stalls Israeli pause on strikes in Gaza suspends deadly hunt for October 7 terrorists Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Samar Hejazi is a Palestinian Canadian artist whose multidisciplinary work spans sculpture, textiles and printmaking, challenging traditional perceptions of reality. After spending years in Toronto, she now lives and works in Dubai. She's one of the primary contributors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute's latest exhibit, Costume Art, which debuted at the Met Gala in New York. Samar tells Q guest host Garvia Bailey how she was recruited for the exhibit and why she chose to honour Arab designers on fashion's biggest night.
This week, Michael Gove is joined by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore to discuss the rulers, revolutionaries and nation builders who shaped one of the world's most turbulent regions.From Ibn Saud's dramatic conquest of Riyadh and Atatürk's creation of modern Turkey to Ben-Gurion, Reza Shah and Nasser, Simon explores the extraordinary personalities who built states from the ruins of empire. What made these leaders so successful – and why did so many of their projects end in dictatorship, war or collapse?They also discuss Nasser's rise as the champion of Arab nationalism, Gaddafi's obsession with his Egyptian hero, and the strongmen who tried to remake the Arab world in their own image.And looking at the Middle East today, Simon explains why the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, the failure of nationalism and the rise of political Islam still shape the region's conflicts.Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian confesses to becoming "that dad" who chases down every light left on in the house amid rising utility costs, using it as a jumping-off point for a candid conversation about financial stress and what it looks like to build a budget and a life of contentment on faith rather than anxiety. He digs into a Christianity Today piece contrasting Texas's new Bible-inclusive public school reading list with Connecticut's optional Arab and Islamic studies curriculum, arguing public schools shouldn't be in the business of shaping worldview either direction. Brian shares a Reuters poll showing bipartisan support for stronger social media regulation to protect kids, arguing government has a role but parents bear the ultimate responsibility. He also covers Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signing a bill expanding late-term abortion access, a Max Lucado piece offering six practical steps toward forgiveness, a Crossway article on what to do when feelings don't line up with Scripture, and closes with a rich conversation on Rich Villodas's book The Narrow Path and the difference between "peacekeeping" and true biblical "peacemaking."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Christian kids, do you recall all those old warnings against fantasy fiction?[1. Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash.] Some people implied that if you made up too much stuff, you'd lose track of reality. Alas. For some cases, they’re absolutely right. Too many people are abusing God's gift of imagination. They cast people they do not know as villains in a fantasy world in which they are the big moral heroes. This habit is taking over social platforms and podcasts. How can Christian fans respond with wisdom? Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Winter's Dawn by Morgan L. Busse Realm Makers fundraiser for ongoing defamation lawsuit The Talismiths: The Secret Saboteur by M. L. Hodder King Justice: The Legend Begins by Evelyn M. Exley Mission update New at Lorehaven: Conqueror of Shadow and Light review Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Concession stand Some “conspiracy theories” are issues of wisdom, not sin. And in fact, some ideas labeled “conspiracies” turn out to be true! For more, listen to our episode How Can Christians Engage Wisely With Conspiracy Theories? | with Mike Duran Or read Mike's article: Christians Who Engage Conspiracy Theories Must First Believe God's Sovereign Rule Yet we've always had seen conspiracy theories based on fiction. And today more people are building bigger and worse idols. This makes the problem more than foolishness. It's actual sin. And this false accusation hurts true people we know and respect. It also hurts people who still struggle after real abuse and lies. Maybe you've been hurt by a real offense by a trusted someone. In that case, you don't need people weaponizing your empathy. We'll give you strong Bible tools to defend your calling and time. 1. False accusers are hurting true people. By now you may know about the Realm Makers defamation suit. Our friends and allies, Scott and Becky Minor, are suing a defamer. Two weeks ago, they released their need for legal cost support. So far, they've reached nearlry $20,000 of a $50,000 funding goal. We support them with 20 percent of new Lorehaven sponsors. But first, about the opponent, don't just speculate. Donate! Scott and Becky's open letter with the fundraiser: Defamation Against Realm Makers & the Minors Standing Together for Truth: Protect the Realm Makers Community Dear Realm Makers Family, Authors, and Friends, If you've ever sat in a Realm Makers keynote, chatted on the RealmSphere, or exhaled once you found “your people” at our annual conference, you know how much creative Christians benefit from being a part of our community. Realm Makers has always sought to be a safe haven for Christian writers of speculative stories. Today, we're coming to you with hearts heavy with a burden that impacts many members of our creative family. For the past year, we have been fighting a devastating battle to protect not just ourselves, but all of you. But we've reached a point where we can no longer carry the weight alone, and we desperately need our community to stand with us. The Attack on Us All Since early 2025, our authors, Realm Makers, and we (Scott and Becky personally) have been the targets of a malicious campaign of online defamation. A podcast organization has published dozens of episodes leveling unthinkable accusations against us that include fabrications of child trafficking, cyberbullying, running a cult, and engaging in criminal conspiracies. THESE CLAIMS ARE CATEGORICALLY UNTRUE. If you want to take the deep dive into the events that precipitated the battle, we have created a page that should answer most questions here: https://www.realmmakers.com/lawsuit/ Initially, we hoped these claims were too outlandish to be taken seriously. We chose to monitor the situation and proceed prudently through the legal system rather than engage in a public online war. But despite our efforts to do things legally and with level heads, our attackers have only doubled down. New videos continue to be published—with one posting as recently as the end of June 2026—directly threatening not just Realm Makers' reputation, but also questioning the character of prominent members of the Christian writing community. The more we researched, the bigger we realized the issue was–we were just the most recent targets in our accuser's “information” campaign against a growing list of Christian authors. The repeated contact with or calling out of people we know and love goes back to 2012 or earlier. Exclusive statement from author Bryan Davis David Solomon has used multiple aliases over the years, but he has always been consistent in his demonizing of people whom he thinks have crossed him. Ever since I declined meeting with him at my home more than ten years ago because I had to go out of town, he has used various media to publicly accuse me of everything from an alliance with former VP Mike Pence to traffic hundreds of children internationally, to trying to bomb a church, to grooming children in a church I supposedly pastored, to conspiring with famous murderers across the country, and on and on and on. If anyone tries to do anything to stop him or even speak against him, that person becomes a fellow trafficker in his mind and joins in the circle of those he attacks. That's what happened to Scott and Becky Minor of Realm Makers. When David and his allies joined Realm Makers, they started spreading lies about me to other members, so Scott rightfully banned them from the group. Of course, that action made Scott and Becky targets for David's lies, and he found a podcaster who was willing to be a platform for a new round of absurd claims. Hoping to keep Realm Makers safe from attack, Scott started civil legal proceedings against David and the podcaster. As you all know, such action costs a lot of money, but Scott and Becky have stepped up to try to stop this lying grifter from hurting them or anyone else, which is why I support their fundraiser and I am thankful for their efforts. I would like prayer for myself and other authors who have been maliciously attacked by David, that people would not be deceived by him and that he would stop his evil actions. 2. Scripture condemns a malicious witness. This is a real problem, as grown-up people treat slander as truth. Even professing Christians repeat clear lies about whole groups. Whatever their motives, they're crossing into our business: fiction. Yet we know the difference between made-up stories and reality. They don't. Or they pretend they don't. They claim it's all true. These defamers raid reality for spare parts to fit in their narrative. They adapt real people, groups, and plotlines for their “fanfiction.” Who's the star? Often themselves. Or “you,” the faithful listener. But this episode isn't for or even about any specific false accuser. Nor is it about similar accusations, at scale, all over the world. Our audience: anyone who wonders if we must hear “both sides.” And anyone who thinks “better safe than sorry” in wrong ways. So now, let's explore how Scripture condemns all such figures. God’s word says Christians who accuse others have two options. First, if the offense is a personal sin issue, talk with the person. Or then try 2-3 witnesses. Or take the conflict to church leaders. Their job is to attempt to bring reconciliation (Matthew 18). Second, if the offense is about law, you need two-plus witnesses. And you need to take the matter before diligent judges. “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) Our own justice systems often reflect Old Testament principles. That's because God has ordained the civil magistrate (Romans 13). He also gives stern warnings against “a malicious witness.” “If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Deuteronomy 19:16–21) Defamers, even professing Christians, ignore these biblical laws. Instead they follow (and don't even argue for) a third option. They go onto podcasts to hire you as a backup “elder” or “judge.” But is that our job? To be a church elder or judge over this “case”? Jesus Christ Himself refused to get dragged into that (Luke 12:14)! So before we even listen to an accuser's words, we should ask: Did you take this to your church? Or to the civil magistrate? And if the reply is no: “Who appointed me a judge or an arbiter?” We can also discern a malicious witness who denies plain reality. Some accusers go further and have ulterior motives, like Sanballat. 3. Biblical heroes reject bad actors' attacks. Many biblical prophets and kings faced false accusations. And yet one man comes close to the Christian creator: Nehemiah. Here's a professional, a diplomat, a creative leader of exiled Jews. His book is mainly about his quest to build something new. Nehemiah longs to rebuild Jerusalem's wall and guard his people. Also, he's one of the few biblical authors to speak in first-person! Quick recap: the secular king sends Nehemiah to do this work. Nehemiah's position and calling are legitimate by all authorities. This quickly attracts jeering and slander by several villains. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” (Nehemiah 2:19–20) What's their first tactic? False accusation of breaking the law. Nehemiah doesn't record a long defense. Just a quick rejoinder. Here he doesn't record their motives. Maybe people already knew. Commentaries like this one reveal his possible political rivalries. So keep that in mind with all his strategies. None are sincere. One chapter later, the enemies return. What do they do now? Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” (Nehemiah 4:1–4) No more legal threats now. Instead they just troll the builders. Watch now how Nehemiah responds. He knows not to feed them. Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. (Nehemiah 4:5) What's next for Sanballat and co.? He escalates from trolling. But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. (Nehemiah 4:7–8) Today's similar tactics: death threats, doxxing, and swatting. Nehemiah responds with both prayer and wise self-defense. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. (Nehemiah 4:9) So after legal threats, trolling, and violence plots, they get sneaky. Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. (Nehemiah 6:1–2) Today false accusers try this tactic: “I just want to meet with you.” “I think we got off on the wrong foot. Now let's talk. On my terms.” And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. (Nehemiah 6:3–4) Nehemiah responds professionally and brushes them aside. He avoids distractions. He focuses on the work he's called to do. This doesn't feel very “Christian.” After all, Sanballat needs God! And yet Nehemiah knows he's a proven bad-faith manipulator. Sanballat repeats the attempt. Nehemiah just repeats himself. No need for new arguments or attempts to persuade the accuser. He sticks to what he knows, grounded on the truth, and says no. What's next? They try the old “people say this about you” trick! In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.' And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” (Nehemiah 6:5–7) It's not Sanballat who says this. It's those other people out there! This is a flagrant appeal to our desire to protect our reputations. And it is “spiritual” concern-trolling of the worst possible sort. Frankly, Sanballat should have led with this one. It's fooled many. Important background: Nehemiah's people did sin against God. So he could have been vulnerable to “spiritual” accusations. Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands. (Nehemiah 6:8–9) He didn't buy it. He simply states they made all this up. We get another quick prayer in-narrative. Before one final trick. Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” (Nehemiah 6:10) Again, Sanballat should have tried this strategy earlier. It sounds so spiritual. The house of God! Only it's misused. It's almost persuasive, mixes truth with lies, and appeals to fear. But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. (Nehemiah 6:11–12) Our hero doesn't attempt some “spiritual” argument to Shemaiah. In fact, he refers to his own character and gives a simple refusal. That's because he knows this isn't a spiritual attack. It's political. Nehemiah's enemies resorted to cold hard cash as a motivator. In modern terms, we would say he recognizes foreign collusion. For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid. (Nehemiah 6:13–14) Deftly our hero avoids the trap. And prays to God for divine justice. He even calls out unnamed prophets who tried to intimidate him. One can only imagine the “spiritual” language they may have used. In all cases, Nehemiah knew none of the strategies were sincere. And in the end, he avoids every trap and keeps to the project. Today, similar villains will try any tricks to stop people of integrity. And today they may use what plays well: accusations of abuse. Not even Sanballat knew to try that tactic. It's often effective. That's because Scripture does warn about abusive leaders. But God's word equally warn about the malicious false witness. Against false accusations, apply biblical justice and wise rebukes. One way or another, they will be defeated. And hopefully repent. Com station Top question for listeners Have you had a “Nehemiah” moment of standing up for your calling? Next on Fantastical Truth Now that we've talked the tough topics, let's talk about subjects more epic and fun. Like dragons! Possibly ones in our midst! The author we mentioned earlier, Bryan Davis, doesn't even have time to run all these conspiracies. That's because he'd been too busy with bestselling novels. So next week, we'll finally invite Bryan into the studio to share more about the castle walls he's built over the last many decades.
Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. Occupied West Bank UN holds hearing on escalating violence against Palestinians in Occupied West Bank, official says it's “advancing de-facto annexation”; House Dem leader Jeffries calls for closure of Delaney Hall immigrant detention center, blasts “violent mass deportation machine”; Food banks, immigrants, activists in Sacramento blast federal food aid cuts, urge state action for immigrants and vulnerable residents; 3 CA lakes – Clear Lake, Tahoe, and Salton Sea – in trouble from natural and human sources; 3 states – Tennessee, Alabama, and Oklahoma – are set to hold executions on the same day, a first in the US since 2010; Lebanon becomes first country in Middle East and Arab world to ban capital punishment The post UN holds hearing on escalating violence against Palestinians in Occupied West Bank; House Dem leader Jeffries calls for closure of Delaney Hall immigrant detention center – August 11, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
AP's Lisa Dwyer reports on an Arab country that is abolishing the death penalty.
The modern experience of China is often viewed through a western lens, but its complex history and relationship with the Arab world reveal a much deeper story. Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi challenges the dominant narrative of a growing security footprint and intense US-China competition over the Middle East. Instead, the conversation explores the evolving diplomatic recognition, transactional dynamics, and economic connections that define Sino-Middle Eastern relations. This discussion unpacks why the Chinese experience is often neglected in the Arab intellectual tradition and how the modalities of empire are shifting in the 21st century. 00:00 Introduction 04:33 Escaping the Post 9/11 Paradigm Shift 07:23 Alternative Journeys & Transformative Intellectual Paths 14:22 Dismantling Dominant Narratives on Regional Footprints 17:13 Contextualizing China's Strategic Priorities 26:41 Historical Dimensions & Evolving Diplomatic Ties 34:34 Financial Synergy, Alternatives & Global concessions 37:48 Deconstructing Frameworks & the Myth of the Silk Road 44:40 Projecting Arab Anxieties onto a Cultural Other 52:52 Technological Realities & the Changing Modalities of Power Mohammed Alsudairi is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations of the Arabic Speaking World at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University. Senior Nonresident Fellow, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies He holds a PhD in Comparative Politics from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), an MA in International Relations and International History from the London School of Economics and Peking University, and a BSc in International Politics from Georgetown University. Prior to his appointment at CAIS, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at HKU, working on a project examining the intersections between religion and infrastructure in the context of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Since 2015, he oversaw the development of the Asian Studies Program at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2022, he was awarded a research fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to work on his upcoming book manuscript. He is also a Senior Nonresident Fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies. Connect with Mohammed Alsudairi
While the polls in Israel have been relatively stagnant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal standing has faltered. “The minute that Netanyahu's stock seems weak, people will start selling it, and that has begun to happen,” said Haaretz columnist Joshua Leifer, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast. Joining Leifer on the podcast, Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan observed that in her conversations with mainstream Israelis who “don’t identify as leftists,” they see a real alternative leader in challenger Gadi Eisenkot. “People have said of Netanyahu in the past that there's no one who can replace him, who has the experience and the gravitas that we need. Now, for the first time in a very long time, people are saying it looks like there's someone who can actually do it.” The two panelists joined host Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss the debut of new right-wing parties who eschew Netanyahu and their “machinations” attempting to engineer a government coalition that would include the anti-Netanyahu center-right – while excluding Yair Golan’s Democrats Party, and, of course the Arab parties. "There is maybe a hope or a fantasy of finding some way of creating a government that excludes Yair Golan and the Democrats, and that closes the door definitively on having a potential Arab party in the coalition,” said Leifer, referring to the right’s growing fear of the prospect of an Eisenkot-led government that includes Mansour Abbas’ United Arab List. Read more: How to Actually Read the Israeli Election Polls Israel's Opposition Parties Are Courting New Immigrants With a New Set of Priorities In Haifa, the 'Putin Aliyah' and Despairing Arab Citizens Warn of A Dire Future Analysis by Joshua Leifer | Eisenkot Keeps Running Away From What Everyone Knows He Believes Most Israelis Fear Upcoming Election Could Be Compromised, New Poll FindsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-Newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche will be sworn in at the White House this afternoon. -Former PA Senator Rick Santorum describes the danger and radicalism of Democratic Socialists of America aligned candidates on "Sunday Report." -Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers sounds the alarm on electing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed on "Saturday Agenda." -Vincent Candelora, Minority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives, and Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party Ben Proto react to the new law encouraging Arab and Islamic studies in Connecticut schools. -Former Democrat Evan Barker describes why she left the party on "Wake Up America Weekend." -Bob Brooks examines why it took so long for establishment Democrats to panic as radical socialists take center stage within their party. -More Republicans encourage Ohio Rep. Max Miller to resign amid allegations that he physically abused his wife and their daughter. Today's podcast is sponsored by : PARAMOUNT PLUS - Don't Miss “Lioness” - all episodes NOW STREAMING on Paramount Plus NOBLE GOLD - Don't wait six months from now wishing you had positioned earlier. Have the conversation now. Schedule a free gold strategy session at http://NobleGoldInvestments.com/NEWSMAX Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at http://Newsmax.com/Podcasts Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at http://NewsmaxPlus.com Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : http://nws.mx/shop Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media: -Facebook: http://nws.mx/FB -X/Twitter: http://nws.mx/twitter -Instagram: http://nws.mx/IG -YouTube: https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV -Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV -TRUTH Social: https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX -GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/newsmax -Threads: http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX -Telegram: http://t.me/newsmax -BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com -Parler: http://app.parler.com/newsmax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Dan and Tal Becker answer listener questions about why having an Arab party in Israel's governing coalition is less acceptable now more than ever and what happened the last time it was tried. They also discuss how Israeli law addresses the separation of church and state and problems that creates.. ___ Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going. For the full episode, subscribe here to - Inside Call me Back ____ You can access the full episode here, where Dan and Tal answer listener questions about: What does the El-Sayed primary victory in Michigan mean for Democrats Jewish identity and the deep connection between Jews and Israel Barriers to including Arab parties in Israel's governing coalition Issues created by the lack of an Israeli constitution The surprisingly strong alliance between Israel and the UAE What is the status of International Court of Justice and ICC charges against Israeli leaders? Is there hope for progress to stabilize Israeli-Palestinian tension and violence? Why Israel's center left policies and party are losing supporters ____ More Ark Media: Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings. Explore Israel Votes Listen to Ark News Daily Listen to For Heaven's Sake Listen to What's Your Number? Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal Instagram | Ark Media | Dan X | Dan Dan Senor & Saul Singer's book, The Genius of Israel Get in touch Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
This week, Hamza Hamouchene returns to the podcast to talk about Towards Palestinian Liberation: Global Perspectives on Anti-Colonial Resistance and Solidarity, the new collection he co-edited with Abi Bae. Palestine, he argues, cannot be understood simply as a “conflict” or humanitarian crisis, but as a national liberation struggle against settler colonialism embedded in a larger system of Western imperialism and global capitalism.Hamza traces Israel's role within the imperial order, the class interests of Arab ruling elites, and the political economy of occupation and dispossession. Drawing connections to Algeria, Vietnam, South Africa, and other anti-colonial struggles, he emphasizes the revolutionary potential of international solidarity and the necessity of connecting struggles against colonialism, capitalism, and imperialism.Steve brings MMT into the discussion, arguing that an analysis of real resources is incomplete without confronting the imperial power and violence through which those resources are controlled. The conversation ultimately points beyond solidarity with Palestine toward a larger project of liberation. As Hamza wraps it up:“We need to be in solidarity with movements that are fighting for their rights, fighting against land grabs, against extractivism, against neocolonial plunder. Be with the Palestinians in their struggle for liberation. Because what we want, Steve, is not just a liberated Palestine. We want a liberated Palestine in a liberated world.”Too often, mainstream narratives on Palestine are narrowly focused on Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Solidarity is reduced to a matter of human rights and international law violations. Hamza stands firm in his refusal to treat Palestine as an exception to the global struggle against imperialism.Dr. Hamza Hamouchene is a London-based Algerian researcher-activist, commentator and a founding member of Algeria Solidarity Campaign (ASC), Environmental Justice North Africa (EJNA) and the North African Food Sovereignty Network (Siyada). He is currently the Arab region Programme Coordinator at the Transnational Institute (TNI). His work is focused on issues of extractivism, resources, land and food sovereignty as well as climate, environmental, and energy justice in the Arab region. He is the author/editor of five books: “Towards Palestinian Liberation: Global Perspectives on Anti-Colonial Resistance & Solidarity” (2026), “Dismantling Green Colonialism: Energy and Climate Justice in the Arab Region” (2023), “The Arab Uprisings: A decade of struggles” (2022), “The Struggle for Energy Democracy in the Maghreb” (2017) and The Coming Revolution to North Africa: The Struggle for Climate Justice (2015).
Islander #6 magazine is now one sale. Buy it here! Calvin Robinson joins us to discuss Hollywood's ultimatum, the great Arab welfare scam, and Jon Bernthal's concept of "dog racism".
Kicking off our annual What the Hell summer book series, Hussain Abdul-Hussain discusses his new book, “The Arab Case for Israel: And Other Essays from a Distant Conflict”. Having grown up in Beirut and in Baghdad surrounded by anti-Israel rhetoric, Hussain recounts his journey from accepting the region's conventional wisdom to concluding that normalization with […]
Kicking off our annual What the Hell summer book series, Hussain Abdul-Hussain discusses his new book, "The Arab Case for Israel: And Other Essays from a Distant Conflict". Having grown up in Beirut and in Baghdad surrounded by anti-Israel rhetoric, Hussain recounts his journey from accepting the region's conventional wisdom to concluding that normalization with Israel is one of the Arab world's greatest strategic opportunities. He argues that economic cooperation, not perpetual conflict, offers the best path to a more prosperous and stable Middle East, and that the Abraham Accords demonstrated what is possible when governments prioritize the future over a mythical past. WTH is preventing more countries from following that path? And can the promise of the Abraham Accords still be realized?Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) and the author of the book The Arab Case for Israel (Wicked Son/Post Hill Press 2026). He champions immediate, unconditional, and comprehensive peace between every Arab nation and the Jewish state. Hussain's research focuses on Arab affairs, spanning Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Sudan. His career launched as a reporter, and later managing editor, at Beirut's The Daily Star. In Washington, he helped launch and manage the congressionally funded Arabic satellite network Alhurra Iraq before leading the Washington bureau of the Kuwaiti daily Alrai. He has also served as a Visiting Fellow at London's Chatham House. His latest book is The Arab Case for Israel and Other Essays from a Distant Conflict (2026).Read the transcript here.Subscribe to our Substack here.
Most discourses about Israel or Palestine are morality plays of good guys vs bad guys. Egyptian-born Hussein Aboubakr Mansour takes a different approach, seeing the conflict as a self-reproducing system of political and economic extraction where Arab regimes, opposition movements, rival states, Western academics, NGOs, and Gulf monarchies like Qatar all convert Palestinian victimhood into their own forms of power, money, and meaning. Listen as Mansour speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about his childhood in an Egypt organized around the liberation of Palestine and explores why any exit from the system must run not through policy, but rather through the human need for meaning itself.
Michigan's Senate seat is a must-win for Democrats hoping to take control of the Senate in 2026. The midterms are reflecting a surge of energy behind left-leaning Democratic candidates—sometimes known as the Mamdani effect—challenging their party's establishment and its tarnished image. Abdul El-Sayed, a former health official, firmly supports Medicare for All and the abolition of ICE. He's ahead of his moderate Democratic rival, Haley Stevens, in most polls. But that has some Democrats worried that El-Sayed is too radical to win the general election in a state that narrowly voted for Trump in 2024. El-Sayed talks with David Remnick about being “radicalized in medical school,” the trap of expressing righteous anger as an Arab candidate, how Robert F. Kennedy's anti-science views have taken such a hold on the public, and why AIPAC and other lobbying groups have spent sixty million dollars opposing him in this election. Further reading and listening: “Michigan Is the Next Big Test for the Democratic Party,” by Jason Zengerle “Can the Democrats Get It Together?,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin “Governor Gretchen Whitmer on COVID-19, Trump, and the Accusations Against Joe Biden,” an episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine's writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Visit Masa Chips - Use Code Wright for 25% off your first order! Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this Monday Headline Brief of The Wright Report, Bryan breaks down President Trump's decision to postpone a planned massive offensive against Iran after Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince threatened to cut off US access to Saudi bases. Bryan lays out why Arab nations are unwilling to fight the IRGC despite the escalating threat, growing fears that Iran could have nuclear warheads within five years, and a wave of Iranian cyber attacks hitting US water utilities. He also covers a mass Muslim migrant crossing into Spain's enclave of Ceuta that Bryan says was quietly orchestrated by Morocco's king. Plus, Bryan covers Elon Musk's massive new investment to boost GOP midterm chances, a growing New Jersey noncitizen voter registration scandal, fresh reporting on Democratic Socialists' ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and Mayor Mamdani's stumbling rollout of free NYC buses and a controversial second-home tax. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32 Keywords: Wright Report, Bryan Dean Wright, Iran war, Saudi Arabia, MBS, Strait of Hormuz, Ceuta, Morocco, Spain, Elon Musk, midterms, New Jersey voter fraud, DSA, China, Zohran Mamdani, George Soros
Claire Blumenthal Zeitler was adopted into an Orthodox Jewish family as a baby — until, a year after her wedding, her biological mother tracked her down and revealed something nobody could have prepared her for: her biological father is part of the deposed royal family of Bahrain. In this deep dive with Nachi Gordon, Claire walks through the whirlwind of discovering she's half-Arab, the isolation of hiding it from her Chassidish community, and the identity crisis that followed — a woman raised frum and Ashkenazi who suddenly had to reckon with being 50% something she'd always been taught to fear. What follows is a wild journey: years spent chasing that other half of herself through the Old City, a Palestinian university, and life in Egypt and Dubai — dating across cultures and even studying as the first identified Jew at a Palestinian school. Then came October 7th, a devastating gut-check that forced her to confront who she really is, and the slow, incremental return to Shabbos, to her family, and ultimately to Israel. It's a raw, unbelievable story about identity, belonging, and finding your way home — literally and spiritually. This episode is sponsored by: ► PZ Deals Download the app and never pay full price again! https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful _________________ ► KTYT – Win $1,000,000 for Your Shul Take on a Kabbalah to stay quiet during a specific part of davening, and you're entered to win $1,000,000 for the shul, yeshiva, mikvah, or Torah project of your choice. Head to KTYT.org, make your Kabbalah, and pick which part of davening you're committing to. https://ktyt.org/en/mpPOD _________________ ► Shopify Guru Shopify store looks great but not selling the way it should? Shopify Guru gets under the hood and makes it actually work, no developer needed every time you want to make a change. https://go.jcn.io/sgmp _________________ ► Ness Vacation Homes EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness. https://nessvacationhomes.com/ _________________ ► El Al From the Hebrew announcements to the Israeli atmosphere onboard, flying EL AL feels like Israel before you even land. With nonstop flights to Israel and Jewish comfort from takeoff to landing, there's nothing like hearing: ברוכים הבאים לישראל. Book your next flight with EL AL: https://www.elal.com/eng/usa?utm_source=meaningful&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=gcny_incoming_usa&cid=s:el%7Cm:what%7Ccp:gcny%7Cct:incoming%7Cau:usa _________________ ► Rothenberg Law Firm Personal Injury Law Firm For 50+ years! Reach out today for a free case evaluation. https://shorturl.at/JFKHH _________________ ► Town Appliance Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp. https://www.townappliance.com https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp
Michigan's Senate seat is a must-win for Democrats hoping to take control of the Senate in 2026. The midterms are reflecting a surge of energy behind left-leaning Democratic candidates—sometimes known as the Mamdani effect—challenging their party's establishment and its tarnished image. Abdul El-Sayed, a former health official, firmly supports Medicare for All and the abolition of ICE. He's ahead of his moderate Democratic rival, Haley Stevens, in most polls. But that has some Democrats worried that El-Sayed is too radical to win the general election in a state that narrowly voted for Trump in 2024. El-Sayed talks with David Remnick about being “radicalized in medical school,” the trap of expressing righteous anger as an Arab candidate, how Robert F. Kennedy's anti-science views have taken such a hold on the public, and why AIPAC and other lobbying groups have spent sixty million dollars opposing him in this election. Further reading and listening: “Michigan Is the Next Big Test for the Democratic Party,” by Jason Zengerle “Can the Democrats Get It Together?,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin “Governor Gretchen Whitmer on COVID-19, Trump, and the Accusations Against Joe Biden,” an episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This week on the Mark Levin Show, an armed lunatic set off an incendiary device in an apparent anti-ICE attack outside a federal building housing FBI and ICE offices in NYC. Violence against ICE is up 1,300%. This is what happens when Democrats repeatedly demonizing ICE as Nazis who “disappear” people, along with similar rhetoric against Trump, Republicans, Netanyahu, and Israel. Afterward, the ICC is a complete political setup job that the United States and Israel do not recognize. No, Zohran Mamdani cannot arrest Benjamin Netanyahu while he's at the UN in NYC – it's a crime to attempt to arrest an elected head of state. Mamdani is hypocritically targeting only Netanyahu while giving a pass to mass-murdering dictators and leaders from Arab, Muslim, and other regimes. Zohran Mamdani and the growing cabal of Marxist Islamists, who want to destroy America, will swallow the Democrat leadership. They continue to claim they are for the “working people.” Marxist policies enslave the working people. The mass grave in in communist China, the Soviet Union, and North Korea were all filled with hardworking people who rejected those systems. Later, communism is all about working people -- killing them, enslaving them, and brutalizing them. It's amazing how the Communists talk up "the working people." For communists, working people exist to serve the state and its centralized masterminds rather than as sovereign individuals. Only in free societies, especially America, are working people the heart and soul of society—the backbone of freedom. Communism is the most defective ideology ever imposed because it requires no knowledge or experience—only an iron fist and a destructive ideology that ignores human nature for an undefined “general good.” Also, New Jersey officials and a software vendor IDEMIA are publicly disputing responsibility for a glitch that registered about 6,600 non-citizens to vote. Between New Jersey, the election mess in California, and such historic examples as the Chicago political machine and LBJ in Texas, it's clear Democrats want to legalize fraud and give permanent power to the Democratic party. Senator Tim Sheehy delivered a compelling Senate floor speech explaining the long-running war with Iran's radical Islamist regime in Tehran. Sheehy stressed that the regime, which seized power 47 years ago through brutality and has never stopped, cares nothing about American politics or faith; it seeks to kill Americans and other atrocities it celebrates and rewards. The United States did not start the conflict but must finish it so another generation is not forced to fight the same murderous adversary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices