Podcasts about Bahrain

Prince Andrew has reportedly been cleared to travel freely outside the UK after the FBI officially closed its investigation into his alleged links with Jeffrey Epstein. Though never formally charged, the Duke of York had self‑imposed a travel ban for roughly six years—venturing abroad just once to Bahrain in 2022—due to fears of arrest or subpoena if he left the UK. According to a leaked memo, U.S. authorities concluded there was no evidence of a so‑called “client list” or any criminal wrongdoing by Andrew, and with no pending charges, he can now travel internationally without legal jeopardy.The closure of the probe marks a significant shift for Andrew, who has largely stayed at his Royal Lodge residence in Windsor amid public and professional fallout stemming from his ties to Epstein. While he settled a civil lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre in 2022 without admitting liability, the absence of criminal charges—and the FBI's assurance that no other high‑profile individuals would face prosecution—effectively removes the legal restrictions that had constrained his movements. Now, friends and royal insiders suggest he may begin traveling again, though the reputational damage from the Epstein connection continues to cloud his public standing.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:'Air Miles Andy' free to end travel ban after FBI closes probe into Prince's links with paedo tycoon Jeffrey Epstein | The Sun

Nick is joined by Racing Post senior writer Lee Mottershead to discuss the latest from around the racing world. They look ahead to the July Festival in the company of Wathnan's Richard Brown and Case Clay, plus words from Eve Johnson Houghton on her July Stakes contender and her efforts for Racing Welfare at the weekend. Bahrain Turf Club's Ed Veale drops in to preview the Bahrain season launch at Newmarket this week, while Dan Barber has the Timeform perspective on the Coral-Eclipse, and Marc and Gabi Rühl - breeders of Hochkonig - are our Weatherbys Bloodstock Guests.

Nick is joined by Racing Post senior writer Lee Mottershead to discuss the latest from around the racing world. They look ahead to the July Festival in the company of Wathnan's Richard Brown and Case Clay, plus words from Eve Johnson Houghton on her July Stakes contender and her efforts for Racing Welfare at the weekend. Bahrain Turf Club's Ed Veale drops in to preview the Bahrain season launch at Newmarket this week, while Dan Barber has the Timeform perspective on the Coral-Eclipse, and Marc and Gabi Rühl - breeders of Hochkonig - are our Weatherbys Bloodstock Guests.

HEADLINES:♦ Fadi Ghandour Leads Petition Over Sequoia Partner's Islamophobia Toward Zohran Mamdani♦ Dubai Duty Free Chocolates Smash Records with 2.5 Million Bars Sold in Six Months♦ UAE and World Economic Forum Launch Global Platform to Future-Proof AI Regulation♦ Bahrain Sets Gulf's First Stablecoin Rulebook, Leading Crypto Regulation Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDusWhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLUInstagram: https://aug.us/4ihltzQSmashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): https://aug.us/3BTU2MY 

Justinus Lhaksana - Indonesian Football and the Road to the 2026 World Cup In October 2022, the image of Indonesian football filling news bulletins around the world was one of tragedy and horror at the huge loss of life sparked by clashes between fans and security agents at a football match in Kanjuruhan, East Java. Less than three years later, this image is being replaced some by something quite different. In June this year, Indonesia did what no other Southeast Asian football team has done since the 1930s and proceeded to the fourth round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup to be held in Canada, Mexico and the USA in 2026. To get this far Indonesia beat both China and Bahrain at home after going down to Australia and Japan away in the third round of qualifying. Now, only two matches stand between this team becoming the first to represent the Republic of Indonesia at a FIFA World Cup. In 1938, it was the first Asian nation to go to a FIFA World Cup but was of course competing under the Dutch East Indies flag. The success of the Indonesian national team or Timnas Garuda, so far is due to a well-orchestrated plan to bolster the team from without and make significant investment within. Reeling from the Kanjuruhan tragedy and the international and domestic response to it, in February 2023, Joko Widodo appointed Erick Thohir, the Minister for State-Owned Enterprises in his government, as the new chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) with a mandate for the total reform of football, to tackle its myriad problems. For Thohir, a millionaire former owner of football teams in Europe, North America and Indonesia and with deep links in FIFA itself, this was also an opportunity to reshape Indonesian football from the top down. The project to reform the national team had in fact started some years earlier under the then South Korean coach, Shin Tae-yong. At its core was the recruitment of players of Dutch descent who after naturalisation would qualify to play for Indonesia. Since 2020, at least 15 players in the men's team have been naturalised and very recently four Dutch women footballers of Indonesian descent were also naturalised and will play in the Indonesian squad. The next major milestone in this larger plan came in January this year, with the appointment of former Dutch superstar Patrick Kluivert as coach of Timnas. It is now his task to finish the job and get the Garudas to the World Cup. Why undertake such a project of naturalization for the national teams? How have the fans responded to this influx of imported players? What is the state of Indonesia's domestic football league and down to the grassroots that has made it necessary in the first place? And what will it take for Indonesian football to overcome its challenges and finally take its place on the world stage? In this week's episode Jemma chats with Justinus Lhaksana, a football commentator (https://www.youtube.com/@CoachJustinl28/videos) and former coach of the Indonesian national futsal team. In 2025, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales and Tito Ambyo from RMIT. Image: Image: Eliano Reijnders and Mees Hilgers receive their naturalisation certificates at the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels, 1 October 2024.

As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the ‘Indian Empire', or more simply as the Raj. It was the British Empire's crown jewel, a vast dominion stretching from the Red Sea to the jungles of Southeast Asia, home to a quarter of the world's population and encompassing the largest Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities on the planet. Its people used the Indian rupee, were issued passports stamped ‘Indian Empire', and were guarded by armies garrisoned in forts from the Bab el-Mandeb to the Himalayas. And then, in the space of just fifty years, the Indian Empire shattered. Five partitions tore it apart, carving out new nations, redrawing maps, and leaving behind a legacy of war, exile and division. Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia (William Collins and HarperCollins India, 2025) by Sam Dalrymple, for the first time, presents the whole story of how the Indian Empire was unmade. How a single, sprawling dominion became twelve modern nations. How maps were redrawn in boardrooms and on battlefields, by politicians in London and revolutionaries in Delhi, by kings in remote palaces and soldiers in trenches. Its legacies include civil war in Burma and ongoing insurgencies in Kashmir, Baluchistan and Northeast India, and the Rohingya genocide. It is a history of ambition and betrayal, of forgotten wars and unlikely alliances, of borders carved with ink and fire. And, above all, it is the story of how the map of modern Asia was made. Dalrymple's stunning history is based on deep archival research, previously untranslated private memoirs, and interviews in English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Konyak, Arabic and Burmese. From portraits of the key political players to accounts of those swept up in these wars and mass migrations, Shattered Lands is vivid, compelling, thought-provoking history at its best. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. 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

As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the ‘Indian Empire', or more simply as the Raj. It was the British Empire's crown jewel, a vast dominion stretching from the Red Sea to the jungles of Southeast Asia, home to a quarter of the world's population and encompassing the largest Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities on the planet. Its people used the Indian rupee, were issued passports stamped ‘Indian Empire', and were guarded by armies garrisoned in forts from the Bab el-Mandeb to the Himalayas. And then, in the space of just fifty years, the Indian Empire shattered. Five partitions tore it apart, carving out new nations, redrawing maps, and leaving behind a legacy of war, exile and division. Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia (William Collins and HarperCollins India, 2025) by Sam Dalrymple, for the first time, presents the whole story of how the Indian Empire was unmade. How a single, sprawling dominion became twelve modern nations. How maps were redrawn in boardrooms and on battlefields, by politicians in London and revolutionaries in Delhi, by kings in remote palaces and soldiers in trenches. Its legacies include civil war in Burma and ongoing insurgencies in Kashmir, Baluchistan and Northeast India, and the Rohingya genocide. It is a history of ambition and betrayal, of forgotten wars and unlikely alliances, of borders carved with ink and fire. And, above all, it is the story of how the map of modern Asia was made. Dalrymple's stunning history is based on deep archival research, previously untranslated private memoirs, and interviews in English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Konyak, Arabic and Burmese. From portraits of the key political players to accounts of those swept up in these wars and mass migrations, Shattered Lands is vivid, compelling, thought-provoking history at its best. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the ‘Indian Empire', or more simply as the Raj. It was the British Empire's crown jewel, a vast dominion stretching from the Red Sea to the jungles of Southeast Asia, home to a quarter of the world's population and encompassing the largest Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities on the planet. Its people used the Indian rupee, were issued passports stamped ‘Indian Empire', and were guarded by armies garrisoned in forts from the Bab el-Mandeb to the Himalayas. And then, in the space of just fifty years, the Indian Empire shattered. Five partitions tore it apart, carving out new nations, redrawing maps, and leaving behind a legacy of war, exile and division. Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia (William Collins and HarperCollins India, 2025) by Sam Dalrymple, for the first time, presents the whole story of how the Indian Empire was unmade. How a single, sprawling dominion became twelve modern nations. How maps were redrawn in boardrooms and on battlefields, by politicians in London and revolutionaries in Delhi, by kings in remote palaces and soldiers in trenches. Its legacies include civil war in Burma and ongoing insurgencies in Kashmir, Baluchistan and Northeast India, and the Rohingya genocide. It is a history of ambition and betrayal, of forgotten wars and unlikely alliances, of borders carved with ink and fire. And, above all, it is the story of how the map of modern Asia was made. Dalrymple's stunning history is based on deep archival research, previously untranslated private memoirs, and interviews in English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Konyak, Arabic and Burmese. From portraits of the key political players to accounts of those swept up in these wars and mass migrations, Shattered Lands is vivid, compelling, thought-provoking history at its best. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. 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

As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the ‘Indian Empire', or more simply as the Raj. It was the British Empire's crown jewel, a vast dominion stretching from the Red Sea to the jungles of Southeast Asia, home to a quarter of the world's population and encompassing the largest Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities on the planet. Its people used the Indian rupee, were issued passports stamped ‘Indian Empire', and were guarded by armies garrisoned in forts from the Bab el-Mandeb to the Himalayas. And then, in the space of just fifty years, the Indian Empire shattered. Five partitions tore it apart, carving out new nations, redrawing maps, and leaving behind a legacy of war, exile and division. Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia (William Collins and HarperCollins India, 2025) by Sam Dalrymple, for the first time, presents the whole story of how the Indian Empire was unmade. How a single, sprawling dominion became twelve modern nations. How maps were redrawn in boardrooms and on battlefields, by politicians in London and revolutionaries in Delhi, by kings in remote palaces and soldiers in trenches. Its legacies include civil war in Burma and ongoing insurgencies in Kashmir, Baluchistan and Northeast India, and the Rohingya genocide. It is a history of ambition and betrayal, of forgotten wars and unlikely alliances, of borders carved with ink and fire. And, above all, it is the story of how the map of modern Asia was made. Dalrymple's stunning history is based on deep archival research, previously untranslated private memoirs, and interviews in English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Konyak, Arabic and Burmese. From portraits of the key political players to accounts of those swept up in these wars and mass migrations, Shattered Lands is vivid, compelling, thought-provoking history at its best. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Between declining alcohol consumption and increasing tariffs, Esther Mobley updates us on how California's wine industry is meeting this moment. Olivia Haver loves cheese so much, she has devoted her career to babysitting it. Exploring her roots, recipe developer Noor Murad dives into the food of Bahrain. At RVR in Venice, chefs Travis Lett and Ian Robinson blend Japanese influences with Southern California produce.

FedEx's strategic Network 2.0 consolidation program, aims to close 30% of its U.S. package distribution facilities within two years. This initiative is already contributing significant savings, with $200 million expected this quarter, and involves integrating legacy Express and Ground networks to achieve greater efficiency and eliminate $2 billion in annual costs.  The broadcast also details Maersk's decision to reopen service at Israel's largest port, Port of Haifa, after a brief suspension due to heightened tensions and missile attacks from Iran. The carrier is closely monitoring the situation, including the navigability of the critical Strait of Hormuz, following reports of a ceasefire.  Additionally, Air Hong Kong, a freighter subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways and a DHL Express capacity provider, has completed a seven-year transition from an Airbus A300-600 fleet to an all-A330 freighter fleet. The new A330s are larger and newer than the retired A300-600s, offering 25% more payload and an extended range for new destinations such as Bahrain and Sydney.  Finally, don't miss upcoming FreightWaves events, including a What the Truck?!? episode featuring Transportation Secretary Shawn Duffy, and major summits like the Enterprise Fleet Summit on July 23rd, and the Supply Chain AI Symposium on July 30th in Washington D.C.. Register for these and get your F3 tickets by visiting live.freightwaves.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephanie Hansen:Hello everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people that are obsessed with food and they come across their obsessions through cookbooks, podcasts, content writers, and today we're talking with Maggie Hoffman. And I was excited because I said I don't get to talk to fellow podcasters very often. Congratulations on your podcast. It is the Dinner Plan podcast. Maggie is the former digital director of Epicurious. She also has many newsletters. So I'm excited to talk to you about that. The Dinner Plan plus What to Drink , plus The Vintage Table Maggie Hoffman - You are my person.Maggie Hoffman:Maybe too many newsletters. We'll see.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, I'm sure it's a lot. So where should we jump in first? Let's just, let's talk about your newsletters because you already commented on my background. I have a lot of vintage pieces in the background. How did you start the Vintage Table or what was your first newsletter?Maggie Hoffman:Well, it's a little bit complicated, but I actually started with what to drink. In sort of a previous life, I was mostly a cocktail writer. I used to review bars for the San Francisco Chronicle. And I've written two books about cocktails that were published by Ten Speed. The One-Bottle Cocktail: More than 80 Recipes with Fresh Ingredients and a Single SpiritBatch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every OccasionAnd so that's like a whole side of my life. And I was running a drinks newsletter for Epicurious when I was there. And when I left, that was sort of the, the going independent. I was able to send one newsletter to that audience and say this is where I'll be.So, you know, I don't update that one as often, but I do have. I like to talk about what I'm drinking, you know, when I'm trying new non alcoholic beers, or sometimes I'll share cocktail recipes from new books I'm reading. So that one was actually first. My main gig is the Dinner plan, which is a podcast and substack. It's sort of a living, breathing system. So the podcast goes Every week I interview a cookbook author every week. We talk about inspiration and where they find dinner ideas and the books they love. And then at the end of every show, someone calls in and shares what's in their fridge and the cookbook author guest comes up with a dinner idea for them.And usually these folks are people with cookbooks, often new cookbooks. And so in the substack each week, we share all of the links to all the recipes that they have talked about so people don't have to like, take notes. Anything they've recommended, it's all there in the newsletter. And then we reprint a recipe from Their books. You can get a little preview of the book, and that's why you should sign up for the newsletter. Someone told me they were taking notes on the show, and I was like, oh, no, no, no, you don't have to do that.Stephanie Hansen:You have such good notes on the episodes.Maggie Hoffman:And, I mean, I listen to these things over and over.Stephanie Hansen:You have, like, attached and linked every single recipe idea anyone's ever discussed in the pod. I mean, it's extensive, you guys, you gotta follow.Maggie Hoffman:And then I have a big list, which I think is really fun, of every book that has gotten recommended. So each person comes with, like, two or three ideas. Well, that has become a very big list. We're getting close to 50 episodes, and each person. I mean, you do the math. So, yeah, that's the main project, and then the vintage table is a little side project, and maybe they'll get merged at some point, but I just cannot buy every piece of vintage tableware that I love. And so I thought I should probably start sharing the links so that I get. Maybe other people will take them off the market.Stephanie Hansen:That is smart, because once you start, like, in that Facebook marketplace or Etsy channel of looking for vintage things, ebay, they find you. Yeah, yeah.Maggie Hoffman:So there's usually, like, a theme, you know, sort of beachy things for summer or, you know, whatever is the thing that I'm sort of obsessing over. And that's just for fun, but it's a lot of fun.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, I. I find it very fun. When you were so how long were you the digital director at Epicurious?Maggie Hoffman:I think I was there a total of four years. I started as the senior editor under David to Markin, who's at King Arthur Flour now, and I took over running it when he left.Stephanie Hansen:And we're probably better off now because we have so many different avenues for creators. Right. Substack has really, like, democratized the creating world. From podcasting, did you find, like, you know, when you work for a big company, there's resources and podcast studios, and then all of a sudden you're on your own and you have to figure it all out. Substack makes it so easy.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, substack and all the other ways. You know, I think everyone's ability to sort of launch their own independent media is truly exciting, and people are doing it in all sorts of, you know, not just substack, but also their own websites and Patreon and, you know, people have huge success.Stephanie Hansen:Do you think that that is. I mean, I feel sad about that. I think it is cutting into traditional magazine resources, digital resources, digital archives, because people don't necessarily need that to be seen anymore. They can create their own engines. But I also, like, every time I get a magazine, it's a little bit thinner. I think, like, oh, don't wait. Because I still love some of those traditional printed forms and I love linear television, and I also like terrestrial radio still. Like, I want there to be all those things and not have it be just one thing.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, I mean, I think it's a little more complicated. I wouldn't blame independent creators for the shrinking of food media. I think that has a lot more to do with, you know, everything moving to digital and then sort of being flooded with ads and then search changing so much. I mean, there's just so many things that have shaped that. And I think it's incredibly sad to see, you know, so much of, you know, both book publishing and magazine publishing struggle. It has to do with ad dollars. And, you know, those are places where there are the resources for everything to be tested and tested again. And, you know, I think there's going to have to be a question of how many independent creators people can support.And I don't think advertising is over. I think that is a way to fund some of this as well. You know, if an advertiser wants to support an independent creator, I think that's great. The budgets are going to be smaller than what they were paying for something else. And maybe it can all coexist, I'm.Stephanie Hansen:Hoping, because I think it ultimately, if it raises all boats right. But I mean, we are consolidating in a pretty rapid clip with the top seven media companies and social influencers. But when you think about your podcast and when you conceived it and knew who you wanted to talk to, what did that look like? Like, did you know right away what you were going to zero in on?Maggie Hoffman:Did I know? I was at the beach and was taking a long walk with my husband and sort of saying, were to do this thing, what would it be? I had gone through the process of pitching a show to Conde, which they decided they didn't want, and so I was pretty heartbroken and kind of had lost confidence. I've been in food media about 15 years now, a really long time. I actually worked in book publishing before that and blogging, and I was at Serious Eats in very early, exciting years. And. And I love being a part of that community. I love being able to see what's coming soon. Like, one of the biggest joys when I first started at epicurious, was I showed up and there was this stack of cookbooks on one of the, like, files sitting on one of the file cabinets. And people would sort of say, hey, does anybody have a copy of this? Does anybody have a copy of that? I was like, this is where I'm supposed to be like, you know, I mean, you can see the.Stephanie Hansen:Yep.Maggie Hoffman:Stacks of cookbooks continue. And so I sort of was like, what will be Feel like it sort of captures some of that excitement that I could do independently, and what would it take to do independently, and who would I want to talk to, what new books are, am I excited about? And, you know, just what would that conversation be? And I knew I didn't want it to be a podcast, really, about feeding kids. That's really not what it is. It's really for all cooks, and it focuses a lot on that moment of inspiration. And, you know, I was really burnt out, and it was affecting my cooking. And I think everyone who works really hard can feel that affecting their cooking.Stephanie Hansen:I'm just coming off a cookbook launch or getting ready to launch, and I'm like, sometimes the idea of what to eat, I'm just like, all I've done is cook this week. Like a million places for a million people, for a million things, documented it all. And I just want a piece of peanut butter toast.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah. And that's fine, I think. But, you know, even if you don't work in food, I think if your job is stressful, the world is stressful. Everything, you know, everything feels like it's on fire. Cooking can be really nourishing, sort of mentally and, you know, spiritually, or it can be a thing that causes stress. And how do you get to a place where it feels like it is soothing, where it feels like it's a meditation. Meditation. Whatever it is you need from cooking, how do you get to a place where your dinners make you happy, where you're delighted by what you eat? And so we talk a lot about that.And so I think that came out of. I had written a story about cooking burnout during the days of the early pandemic. And it was something I kept getting notes about where people would be like, oh, my gosh, this is totally me. And so that's the thing I come back to, and people's answers are very different. I sort of wondered, like, if we kind of bring up this topic with so many different food people, is it going to start to get repetitive? But sometimes someone will just floor me with a totally different response to this problem. And so that's been really interesting.Stephanie Hansen:During the pandemic, I've had a radio show about food for, gosh, 18 years, I think. And during the pandemic, we did a lot of that. We called it pantry panic because you were going into the grocery store with your mask and your cart or your bucket, whatever you were putting your groceries in, and you were just literally like throwing staples in just because you didn't want to run out of yeast or flour or sugar and beans and rice and whatever you had. And then you'd get home, you'd be looking at your pantry and like, oh my gosh, how am I going to actually turn this into a meal for cooks and home cooks? You know, that was what we do. Like, okay. But for a lot of people that were two working families had really relied on a lot of convenience type of foods, that was a really new experience for them. To be staring at a bag of split peas and figuring out how to get that to the table.That was such a great. For me as a cook, it was such a great reorienting of how we look at our food systems and how to help people. And it reinvigorated my love of cooking and wanting to write cookbooks that would be for everybody necessarily. Not like, you know, I'm from the Midwest, we cook pretty. Basically, we don't have access to a lot of the fresh stuffs on either coast, but we do have these great grains and we have all these things that are in the breadbasket of the United States. It that pandemic, silver lining for me was going back to actually cooking.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah. I also think we saw the rise of a lot of small businesses that are making things to make life easier and to add flavor. You know, there's. There's so many more companies selling various, you know, sauces and seasonings and things. You know, I think I was in a moment where I was like, oh, man. Like you had to replace restaurant food with home cooked food. And was I really going to do something complicated? And that's where, you know, I just am really cheering for these small businesses because it can be so amazing to have those on hand. And you can usually mail order them.Stephanie Hansen:And just thinking about, like, the condiments, like chili crisp is a condiment that has been around for a long time, but just came into the zeitgeist in the last five years. You know, obviously the proliferation of hot sauces, but also like sumac and za' atar and some of these more world spices that we weren't familiar with necessarily. It's really brought a whole new way of looking at your basic home cooking.Maggie Hoffman:And, of course, some people have been cooking with those things forever, for sure. But I also think there, you know, the cookbook publishing industry is very slow because it takes two years for books to come out. Right. It's a very slow process. And so I think you're finally seeing so many more books from so many more voices, and so you have a guide. You're not just blindly using something you've never seen before.Stephanie Hansen:Along those lines, are there, like, a handful of books that have come across your desk recently that you're like, yes.Maggie Hoffman:I mean, so many. That's, like, my whole thing. Let me think. I mean, there's so many, I think, of the recent one. Zaynab Issa, Third Culture Cooking, is really wonderful. She was a Bon Appetit, and it's just incredibly talented with flavor. She does a lot of development for NYT Cooking now, and that's a good place to find her recipes. But that book's really lovely.Norma Rod's book, she was at Yotam Ottolenghi, and her book is called “Lugma, Abundant Dishes and Stories From My Middle East”, and she's from Bahrain. And that book is just. You just want to cook everything in it. Just really, really. I mean, the photography is stunning. Oh, my gosh. What else? Rick Martinez's new salsa book, “Salsa Daddy, a Cookbook: Dip Your Way Into Mexican Cooking” is really fun and really just, like, a smart thing. If you are feeling bored with sort of, you know, your rotation of, like, protein.Like, if you are doing rotisserie chicken, can of beans, pasta, like, if you were doing that rotation, the answer. When I talked to Rick, he was talking about how when you make salsas, like, so many of them, you could freeze. And so then you can mix and match. You can pull one from your freezer. You can, you know, toss that rotisserie chicken with a green salsa one night and a different salsa the other night. And that was just, like, so exciting to me.Stephanie Hansen:Do you use your freezer a lot? I mean, I find, like, cooks. I have two freezers, and they're always loaded, and I'm trying to eat out of the freezer constantly with the very little success.Maggie Hoffman:That's always the challenge. You really have to keep a list. You really have to put, like, a freezer night on your schedule. My husband travels a lot, and so I try to eat from the freezer when he's gone. So it's like, this is super easy when I'm juggling. I use the freezer for all kinds of things. You know, I do try to put sauces in there. But he had that problem of, like, chucking half of the can of chipotle is in the freezer.Stephanie Hansen:You never get to it.Maggie Hoffman:One thing, I did have one sort of freezer epiphany recently. Not so much of summer food, but I often make turkey chili. It's one of my favorites. Really comforting. And I always put beans in it, which is how I grew up with it. And I was freezing a big, big batch and realized there was no way I was going to fit this batch in the freezer. But I'm just, you know, putting a can of beans in it and letting it simmer for half an hour. Right.So I was like, oh, wait, I'm not going to include the beans in the frozen version. I'm just going to freeze the part that is less bulky, and then when I take it out of the freezer, I can add the can of beans, heat it all up, and that way I'm not taking something from the pantry where it's fine, and using up the space in my freezer.Stephanie Hansen:Gosh, that is kind of, like, weirdly groundbreaking because I'm using Ziploc bags and freezing them flat. I'm using super cubes, mason jars, quartz pints, but.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, that's right.Stephanie Hansen:Wow. Yes. Okay. I'm just. I'm that.Maggie Hoffman:And I wonder if there's other things like that.Stephanie Hansen:Well, I was just trying to think.Maggie Hoffman:And you just don't need to add something bulky before freezing.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Maybe even, like, just sauces, like adding the meats where you can just quickly saute the meats, throw in the sauce, and. Huh.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:All right. You might be on to something. This is exciting.Maggie Hoffman:I mean, and especially I use the instant pot a lot in the summer. My kitchen's really hot. And so if you're making just, like, a basic, you know, shredded chicken in an instant pot, any sauce could be the liquid.Stephanie Hansen:Yep. I also find, like, I make a lot of soups and Stewie and breezy things, and there's only two of us, and I cook, like, for eight. So by the time I'm done after making the initial meal, having a leftover meal, maybe a lunch, I still have, like, four portions, and by then, I don't want to eat it anymore. So I'm like, oh, okay, how can I freeze this? And how can I make it into a handy meal for the next? I give away a lot of food probably because of that, because I just don't want to deal with it anymore.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah. If you're recipe testing, if you're working on books, there's just, you gotta share.Stephanie Hansen:And you've made three of the same thing and it's very similar. Maybe a little dash of this or dash of that. You're just like, ugh, I don't want to look at it one more second. When, when you think about the vintage table, just going back to that a second, we're seeing a lot of vintage things come back in vogue. So like the sterling silver platters and the farm glass. And you mentioned DANSK, you know, food 52 reinvested in that company and rebought it out of bankruptcy. Are there trends that you're seeing like with linens or silverware or things that you're excited about?Maggie Hoffman:I mean, I love weird silver. Sort of how this all started is that my favorite thing is, you know, and they're not that expensive if you have just like a tiny little fork. But you know, there's forks for everything. There's a lemon fork and an olive fork and a sardine fork. And so I love that a berry spoon. I had, I found this beautiful berry spoon that kind of had. It was pierced so that if you had like, you know, something that was a little wet, the, the water would run off and it was just gorgeous. And I put it in the newsletter and a friend of mine reached out and said, I have that.Maggie Hoffman:I got it for my wedding for my grandmother and I've never seen a similar one. And there it was on ebay.Stephanie Hansen:That's so cool.Maggie Hoffman:I think that's neat. And, and so, yeah, I'm really into the strangest silver you can possibly find.Stephanie Hansen:It's funny because you don't think about how many pieces there are. And you were like. The first time I ate at a French restaurant with my mother in law who was very proper, I was so intimidated. There was literally like 18 pieces of silverware on the place setting. And I mean, I knew like from the Joya cooking diagram that my mom showed me, like, but there were so many pieces of silver, I had no idea. And I just waited to eat. I ordered the same thing she did. And I waited to eat until she picked up something and then I would pick it up.And years later I kind of confessed and we laughed. And she was like, I didn't know what half of that stuff was. We just don't eat like that now.Maggie Hoffman:No. And I like to have these little things, like to set out snacks for friends, you know, put out a bunch of bowls of things and then it's just like that. The little serving fork you know, on the plate of charcuterie or whatever is old.Stephanie Hansen:I want to tell people too. Like, if you have pieces that are real sterling or fancy crystal dishes, whatever it is, like, use them, you know, Like, I think we wait for this special occasion, that our lives are special occasions. You know, we are being inundated with a lot of information and a lot of weird news. And if you can just have that moment of feeling luxurious by yourself or in your own home or with your friends, I think it brings. Breaks down the barriers of entertaining. Like, serve beans and rice on crystal dishes if you want to. Who cares?Maggie Hoffman:And like, anytime you're in real life with an actual human is especially. Yes.Stephanie Hansen:Like, get out that vintage coupe glass and pour yourself a mocktail or a cocktail, whatever.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, I have these. My husband grew up with these little cocktail. They're like cocktail picks. I think they're for like an olive and your martini. And they're little swords from Toledo, Spain, which is where, like, swords are made. And they're real little swords. And he and his cousins used to like, sword fight with them. And they're absolutely dangerous.It's a terrible idea. But they're really fun. For olives or for like, you know, that little tapa that's like pepper and an anchovy and an olive.Stephanie Hansen:Yes. What do they call those? Pinchos.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, so we do that sometimes and we had the little swords and one time someone was clearing the plates and just threw one out. Oh, a little like. So in the end, I actually ended up finding another set. They're around, they're not expensive. And so now the ones that were his grandmother's are like on a shelf sort of displayed. And the. The ebay ones are in rotation.Stephanie Hansen:Wow, that's pretty great. When you are looking for guests, do you search the Internet? Do you spend a lot of time on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook? What's your.Maggie Hoffman:I have known the book publicists from all the different publishing houses for a long time. So often I get an email when a book's coming out. I also go on. Just like if you go on a. On a bookstore website, you can go on Amazon and sort by date. I can see what's coming out. You know, like, here are all the books coming out in August under Cooking and Food. So I often do that.I'm planning several months in advance. So it's really sort of trying to figure out when is the right time to talk to somebody. And often, you know, people are juggling like a European tour and an American tour. I try to talk to them before things get really busy. And in fall. Fall's the big cookbook season, and so there's so many new releases, and some of them are too busy to talk to me, but I'm talking to some really exciting people. This.Stephanie Hansen:Oh, nobody would be too busy. I always think it's kind of shocking. Like, the first time I reached out to Yodam Odalingi, actually, and I just was like, oh, I don't know what he's doing, but I want to talk to him. He's fun. And so I just, like, sent him an Instagram message, and he replied. And we booked an interview for the radio show, and he was so delightful that we recorded a video podcast of it, too. And he was just so great. And people were like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe you got him.I was like, well, maybe sometimes people just don't ask. And I don't know. I just think you always can ask. People can always say no.Maggie Hoffman:Exactly. Exactly. And, you know, I'm not strict. I'd say almost all of my guests are people with, like, a book coming out that week. But then there's also just people I want to talk to. I talked to Hetty McKinnon, and now that was last year, and she has a new book coming out this year, and maybe we'll do it again. But, you know, this challenge, it can be interesting to talk to people in different moments of their lives. People who have just finished a book sometimes are kind of overwhelmed, and it's not the moment where they're, like, thinking about cooking for themselves necessarily.So it can be useful sort of across the board.Stephanie Hansen:When you are booking a guest, do you think about, like. And maybe this is a separate question, too, but the monetization of the podcast, like, do you worry about that? You're a freelance person. Is this, like. I. I'm kind of thinking about the substack algorithm and wondering if it's peaked for. Because people feel like they're subscribing to lots of things, and people are feeling kind of poor right now because the economy's not necessarily been great. Do you worry about that, or do.Maggie Hoffman:You just let me tell you about my business a little bit? So, I mean, I'm making it up as I go, but very early on, I felt like I wanted the newsletter to be visible to everyone because it's part of the service of the show. I want everyone to get all those links, and I want people to listen, and I want it to serve as a reminder, like, hey, there's, a new show up, you know, and the day that I publish the show every week, you know it's going to show up. If you follow in Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen, you know, that's a thing. But so I have paid subscriptions as an option on Substack and that is people who want to support the show. The show costs money. I record at a studio. I don't record at home mostly because there's a construction project going on next door. I recorded a studio with an amazing engineer and his team.So I pay them for the space and for the help and everything else I do myself. It is my full time job. So in order to pay for all those things, I have advertising and I sell the advertising myself. So yeah, so I'm reaching out to people and saying, look like this is this wonderful audience that loves to cook and is looking for things that will make their cooking life better or easier, more delicious. And people are interested. And so the people who are paid Substack subscribers are supporting the show and to thank them, every week I give away a copy of the author's book and that goes to paid subscribers. So my hope is that people might sign up for an annual subscription. It's 30 bucks.Maggie Hoffman:And then they might win a book. That would be 30 bucks and it would all work out. I have a super exciting. I'm doing like a big thank you to paid subscribers for the 50th episode of the show which is coming up. And it is an unbelievable prize. It's going to be so awesome. But so that's the most of my money is not being made by paid subscribers. I have like not very many.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah.Maggie Hoffman:And, but I love substrate and I love the community. Something I'm really into is the notes part of it which I think some people hate because it's social media. But I think there is a cool food scene on there and something that I do is just post my like actual boring dinner, not a picture. It's literally just like this is my plan. First thing in the morning I'll say this is what I'm doing tonight and that can be fun. And so most of the money that pays for the production of the show and for my full time work is coming from advertisers. I'm so grateful for them. And you know, I think when I listen to a podcast and I hear a recommendation in the host voice, I often consider buying those.And so I believe, I believe in the power of it. And I work with advertisers who I think are cool. And it's a fun part of the business, which is that I get to talk to founders of food companies and cookware companies. And so I actually wouldn't give that up. I think it's really fun.Stephanie Hansen:That's very unique because I came from a sales background myself. I've owned a couple of companies and food is my full time life too. But it's freelance. I mean, I'm freelance. Radio, freelance podcast, freelance TV show, all the things. Freelance cook, write a cookbook. And you cobble together the pots of money and at the end of the year you have 15 W9s and you pay your own insurance. But there is a little bit of freedom in that.That's nice too. So I'm impressed that you're doing all that yourself. That's cool.Maggie Hoffman:I mean, freelance writing, I would say. There's so many great writers out there and people who are writing features for magazines and that's their like full time gig. Like those are really amazing people. I am an editor at heart, really. I've always been an editor and it's harder to put together editing gigs and so the writing, the things that I was being offered weren't that exciting. And I was like, what if I just invest in this? What if I take a couple of months and see what it's going to cost and what I can raise in advertising? And I told myself I was going to take the leap and not evaluate whether it was a good idea or not for six months.Stephanie Hansen:Smart.Maggie Hoffman:And it turned out we sort of said, okay, I'm going to learn how to do it. I'm going to get better at it and try to make it good. Then I'm going to try to grow it and increase the audience and then I'm going to try to monetize it. And it's turned out that I've sort of done all those things at once.Stephanie Hansen:It is the dinner plan and I can really think of no better way than to end this podcast than those last three minutes of you describing what it's like and what it feels like to make this a full time endeavor and why people want to listen and support you. I really enjoyed this chat. You're really doing some incredible work and I just like everything you're doing. So congratulations on getting this all figured out.Maggie Hoffman:Thanks so much.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, I'm going to put links to all the newsletters and the pod. I'll work on getting this episode prepared and send you a proof before we release it. But thanks, Maggie. I appreciate you being a guest today.Maggie Hoffman:Thank you.Stephanie Hansen:All right, we'll talk soon.Maggie Hoffman:All right. Bye.Stephanie Hansen:Okay, bye. Bye.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Stephanie Hansen:Hello everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people that are obsessed with food and they come across their obsessions through cookbooks, podcasts, content writers, and today we're talking with Maggie Hoffman. And I was excited because I said I don't get to talk to fellow podcasters very often. Congratulations on your podcast. It is the Dinner Plan podcast. Maggie is the former digital director of Epicurious. She also has many newsletters. So I'm excited to talk to you about that. The Dinner Plan plus What to Drink , plus The Vintage Table Maggie Hoffman - You are my person.Maggie Hoffman:Maybe too many newsletters. We'll see.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, I'm sure it's a lot. So where should we jump in first? Let's just, let's talk about your newsletters because you already commented on my background. I have a lot of vintage pieces in the background. How did you start the Vintage Table or what was your first newsletter?Maggie Hoffman:Well, it's a little bit complicated, but I actually started with what to drink. In sort of a previous life, I was mostly a cocktail writer. I used to review bars for the San Francisco Chronicle. And I've written two books about cocktails that were published by Ten Speed. The One-Bottle Cocktail: More than 80 Recipes with Fresh Ingredients and a Single SpiritBatch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every OccasionAnd so that's like a whole side of my life. And I was running a drinks newsletter for Epicurious when I was there. And when I left, that was sort of the, the going independent. I was able to send one newsletter to that audience and say this is where I'll be.So, you know, I don't update that one as often, but I do have. I like to talk about what I'm drinking, you know, when I'm trying new non alcoholic beers, or sometimes I'll share cocktail recipes from new books I'm reading. So that one was actually first. My main gig is the Dinner plan, which is a podcast and substack. It's sort of a living, breathing system. So the podcast goes Every week I interview a cookbook author every week. We talk about inspiration and where they find dinner ideas and the books they love. And then at the end of every show, someone calls in and shares what's in their fridge and the cookbook author guest comes up with a dinner idea for them.And usually these folks are people with cookbooks, often new cookbooks. And so in the substack each week, we share all of the links to all the recipes that they have talked about so people don't have to like, take notes. Anything they've recommended, it's all there in the newsletter. And then we reprint a recipe from Their books. You can get a little preview of the book, and that's why you should sign up for the newsletter. Someone told me they were taking notes on the show, and I was like, oh, no, no, no, you don't have to do that.Stephanie Hansen:You have such good notes on the episodes.Maggie Hoffman:And, I mean, I listen to these things over and over.Stephanie Hansen:You have, like, attached and linked every single recipe idea anyone's ever discussed in the pod. I mean, it's extensive, you guys, you gotta follow.Maggie Hoffman:And then I have a big list, which I think is really fun, of every book that has gotten recommended. So each person comes with, like, two or three ideas. Well, that has become a very big list. We're getting close to 50 episodes, and each person. I mean, you do the math. So, yeah, that's the main project, and then the vintage table is a little side project, and maybe they'll get merged at some point, but I just cannot buy every piece of vintage tableware that I love. And so I thought I should probably start sharing the links so that I get. Maybe other people will take them off the market.Stephanie Hansen:That is smart, because once you start, like, in that Facebook marketplace or Etsy channel of looking for vintage things, ebay, they find you. Yeah, yeah.Maggie Hoffman:So there's usually, like, a theme, you know, sort of beachy things for summer or, you know, whatever is the thing that I'm sort of obsessing over. And that's just for fun, but it's a lot of fun.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, I. I find it very fun. When you were so how long were you the digital director at Epicurious?Maggie Hoffman:I think I was there a total of four years. I started as the senior editor under David to Markin, who's at King Arthur Flour now, and I took over running it when he left.Stephanie Hansen:And we're probably better off now because we have so many different avenues for creators. Right. Substack has really, like, democratized the creating world. From podcasting, did you find, like, you know, when you work for a big company, there's resources and podcast studios, and then all of a sudden you're on your own and you have to figure it all out. Substack makes it so easy.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, substack and all the other ways. You know, I think everyone's ability to sort of launch their own independent media is truly exciting, and people are doing it in all sorts of, you know, not just substack, but also their own websites and Patreon and, you know, people have huge success.Stephanie Hansen:Do you think that that is. I mean, I feel sad about that. I think it is cutting into traditional magazine resources, digital resources, digital archives, because people don't necessarily need that to be seen anymore. They can create their own engines. But I also, like, every time I get a magazine, it's a little bit thinner. I think, like, oh, don't wait. Because I still love some of those traditional printed forms and I love linear television, and I also like terrestrial radio still. Like, I want there to be all those things and not have it be just one thing.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, I mean, I think it's a little more complicated. I wouldn't blame independent creators for the shrinking of food media. I think that has a lot more to do with, you know, everything moving to digital and then sort of being flooded with ads and then search changing so much. I mean, there's just so many things that have shaped that. And I think it's incredibly sad to see, you know, so much of, you know, both book publishing and magazine publishing struggle. It has to do with ad dollars. And, you know, those are places where there are the resources for everything to be tested and tested again. And, you know, I think there's going to have to be a question of how many independent creators people can support.And I don't think advertising is over. I think that is a way to fund some of this as well. You know, if an advertiser wants to support an independent creator, I think that's great. The budgets are going to be smaller than what they were paying for something else. And maybe it can all coexist, I'm.Stephanie Hansen:Hoping, because I think it ultimately, if it raises all boats right. But I mean, we are consolidating in a pretty rapid clip with the top seven media companies and social influencers. But when you think about your podcast and when you conceived it and knew who you wanted to talk to, what did that look like? Like, did you know right away what you were going to zero in on?Maggie Hoffman:Did I know? I was at the beach and was taking a long walk with my husband and sort of saying, were to do this thing, what would it be? I had gone through the process of pitching a show to Conde, which they decided they didn't want, and so I was pretty heartbroken and kind of had lost confidence. I've been in food media about 15 years now, a really long time. I actually worked in book publishing before that and blogging, and I was at Serious Eats in very early, exciting years. And. And I love being a part of that community. I love being able to see what's coming soon. Like, one of the biggest joys when I first started at epicurious, was I showed up and there was this stack of cookbooks on one of the, like, files sitting on one of the file cabinets. And people would sort of say, hey, does anybody have a copy of this? Does anybody have a copy of that? I was like, this is where I'm supposed to be like, you know, I mean, you can see the.Stephanie Hansen:Yep.Maggie Hoffman:Stacks of cookbooks continue. And so I sort of was like, what will be Feel like it sort of captures some of that excitement that I could do independently, and what would it take to do independently, and who would I want to talk to, what new books are, am I excited about? And, you know, just what would that conversation be? And I knew I didn't want it to be a podcast, really, about feeding kids. That's really not what it is. It's really for all cooks, and it focuses a lot on that moment of inspiration. And, you know, I was really burnt out, and it was affecting my cooking. And I think everyone who works really hard can feel that affecting their cooking.Stephanie Hansen:I'm just coming off a cookbook launch or getting ready to launch, and I'm like, sometimes the idea of what to eat, I'm just like, all I've done is cook this week. Like a million places for a million people, for a million things, documented it all. And I just want a piece of peanut butter toast.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah. And that's fine, I think. But, you know, even if you don't work in food, I think if your job is stressful, the world is stressful. Everything, you know, everything feels like it's on fire. Cooking can be really nourishing, sort of mentally and, you know, spiritually, or it can be a thing that causes stress. And how do you get to a place where it feels like it is soothing, where it feels like it's a meditation. Meditation. Whatever it is you need from cooking, how do you get to a place where your dinners make you happy, where you're delighted by what you eat? And so we talk a lot about that.And so I think that came out of. I had written a story about cooking burnout during the days of the early pandemic. And it was something I kept getting notes about where people would be like, oh, my gosh, this is totally me. And so that's the thing I come back to, and people's answers are very different. I sort of wondered, like, if we kind of bring up this topic with so many different food people, is it going to start to get repetitive? But sometimes someone will just floor me with a totally different response to this problem. And so that's been really interesting.Stephanie Hansen:During the pandemic, I've had a radio show about food for, gosh, 18 years, I think. And during the pandemic, we did a lot of that. We called it pantry panic because you were going into the grocery store with your mask and your cart or your bucket, whatever you were putting your groceries in, and you were just literally like throwing staples in just because you didn't want to run out of yeast or flour or sugar and beans and rice and whatever you had. And then you'd get home, you'd be looking at your pantry and like, oh my gosh, how am I going to actually turn this into a meal for cooks and home cooks? You know, that was what we do. Like, okay. But for a lot of people that were two working families had really relied on a lot of convenience type of foods, that was a really new experience for them. To be staring at a bag of split peas and figuring out how to get that to the table.That was such a great. For me as a cook, it was such a great reorienting of how we look at our food systems and how to help people. And it reinvigorated my love of cooking and wanting to write cookbooks that would be for everybody necessarily. Not like, you know, I'm from the Midwest, we cook pretty. Basically, we don't have access to a lot of the fresh stuffs on either coast, but we do have these great grains and we have all these things that are in the breadbasket of the United States. It that pandemic, silver lining for me was going back to actually cooking.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah. I also think we saw the rise of a lot of small businesses that are making things to make life easier and to add flavor. You know, there's. There's so many more companies selling various, you know, sauces and seasonings and things. You know, I think I was in a moment where I was like, oh, man. Like you had to replace restaurant food with home cooked food. And was I really going to do something complicated? And that's where, you know, I just am really cheering for these small businesses because it can be so amazing to have those on hand. And you can usually mail order them.Stephanie Hansen:And just thinking about, like, the condiments, like chili crisp is a condiment that has been around for a long time, but just came into the zeitgeist in the last five years. You know, obviously the proliferation of hot sauces, but also like sumac and za' atar and some of these more world spices that we weren't familiar with necessarily. It's really brought a whole new way of looking at your basic home cooking.Maggie Hoffman:And, of course, some people have been cooking with those things forever, for sure. But I also think there, you know, the cookbook publishing industry is very slow because it takes two years for books to come out. Right. It's a very slow process. And so I think you're finally seeing so many more books from so many more voices, and so you have a guide. You're not just blindly using something you've never seen before.Stephanie Hansen:Along those lines, are there, like, a handful of books that have come across your desk recently that you're like, yes.Maggie Hoffman:I mean, so many. That's, like, my whole thing. Let me think. I mean, there's so many, I think, of the recent one. Zaynab Issa, Third Culture Cooking, is really wonderful. She was a Bon Appetit, and it's just incredibly talented with flavor. She does a lot of development for NYT Cooking now, and that's a good place to find her recipes. But that book's really lovely.Norma Rod's book, she was at Yotam Ottolenghi, and her book is called “Lugma, Abundant Dishes and Stories From My Middle East”, and she's from Bahrain. And that book is just. You just want to cook everything in it. Just really, really. I mean, the photography is stunning. Oh, my gosh. What else? Rick Martinez's new salsa book, “Salsa Daddy, a Cookbook: Dip Your Way Into Mexican Cooking” is really fun and really just, like, a smart thing. If you are feeling bored with sort of, you know, your rotation of, like, protein.Like, if you are doing rotisserie chicken, can of beans, pasta, like, if you were doing that rotation, the answer. When I talked to Rick, he was talking about how when you make salsas, like, so many of them, you could freeze. And so then you can mix and match. You can pull one from your freezer. You can, you know, toss that rotisserie chicken with a green salsa one night and a different salsa the other night. And that was just, like, so exciting to me.Stephanie Hansen:Do you use your freezer a lot? I mean, I find, like, cooks. I have two freezers, and they're always loaded, and I'm trying to eat out of the freezer constantly with the very little success.Maggie Hoffman:That's always the challenge. You really have to keep a list. You really have to put, like, a freezer night on your schedule. My husband travels a lot, and so I try to eat from the freezer when he's gone. So it's like, this is super easy when I'm juggling. I use the freezer for all kinds of things. You know, I do try to put sauces in there. But he had that problem of, like, chucking half of the can of chipotle is in the freezer.Stephanie Hansen:You never get to it.Maggie Hoffman:One thing, I did have one sort of freezer epiphany recently. Not so much of summer food, but I often make turkey chili. It's one of my favorites. Really comforting. And I always put beans in it, which is how I grew up with it. And I was freezing a big, big batch and realized there was no way I was going to fit this batch in the freezer. But I'm just, you know, putting a can of beans in it and letting it simmer for half an hour. Right.So I was like, oh, wait, I'm not going to include the beans in the frozen version. I'm just going to freeze the part that is less bulky, and then when I take it out of the freezer, I can add the can of beans, heat it all up, and that way I'm not taking something from the pantry where it's fine, and using up the space in my freezer.Stephanie Hansen:Gosh, that is kind of, like, weirdly groundbreaking because I'm using Ziploc bags and freezing them flat. I'm using super cubes, mason jars, quartz pints, but.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, that's right.Stephanie Hansen:Wow. Yes. Okay. I'm just. I'm that.Maggie Hoffman:And I wonder if there's other things like that.Stephanie Hansen:Well, I was just trying to think.Maggie Hoffman:And you just don't need to add something bulky before freezing.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Maybe even, like, just sauces, like adding the meats where you can just quickly saute the meats, throw in the sauce, and. Huh.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:All right. You might be on to something. This is exciting.Maggie Hoffman:I mean, and especially I use the instant pot a lot in the summer. My kitchen's really hot. And so if you're making just, like, a basic, you know, shredded chicken in an instant pot, any sauce could be the liquid.Stephanie Hansen:Yep. I also find, like, I make a lot of soups and Stewie and breezy things, and there's only two of us, and I cook, like, for eight. So by the time I'm done after making the initial meal, having a leftover meal, maybe a lunch, I still have, like, four portions, and by then, I don't want to eat it anymore. So I'm like, oh, okay, how can I freeze this? And how can I make it into a handy meal for the next? I give away a lot of food probably because of that, because I just don't want to deal with it anymore.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah. If you're recipe testing, if you're working on books, there's just, you gotta share.Stephanie Hansen:And you've made three of the same thing and it's very similar. Maybe a little dash of this or dash of that. You're just like, ugh, I don't want to look at it one more second. When, when you think about the vintage table, just going back to that a second, we're seeing a lot of vintage things come back in vogue. So like the sterling silver platters and the farm glass. And you mentioned DANSK, you know, food 52 reinvested in that company and rebought it out of bankruptcy. Are there trends that you're seeing like with linens or silverware or things that you're excited about?Maggie Hoffman:I mean, I love weird silver. Sort of how this all started is that my favorite thing is, you know, and they're not that expensive if you have just like a tiny little fork. But you know, there's forks for everything. There's a lemon fork and an olive fork and a sardine fork. And so I love that a berry spoon. I had, I found this beautiful berry spoon that kind of had. It was pierced so that if you had like, you know, something that was a little wet, the, the water would run off and it was just gorgeous. And I put it in the newsletter and a friend of mine reached out and said, I have that.Maggie Hoffman:I got it for my wedding for my grandmother and I've never seen a similar one. And there it was on ebay.Stephanie Hansen:That's so cool.Maggie Hoffman:I think that's neat. And, and so, yeah, I'm really into the strangest silver you can possibly find.Stephanie Hansen:It's funny because you don't think about how many pieces there are. And you were like. The first time I ate at a French restaurant with my mother in law who was very proper, I was so intimidated. There was literally like 18 pieces of silverware on the place setting. And I mean, I knew like from the Joya cooking diagram that my mom showed me, like, but there were so many pieces of silver, I had no idea. And I just waited to eat. I ordered the same thing she did. And I waited to eat until she picked up something and then I would pick it up.And years later I kind of confessed and we laughed. And she was like, I didn't know what half of that stuff was. We just don't eat like that now.Maggie Hoffman:No. And I like to have these little things, like to set out snacks for friends, you know, put out a bunch of bowls of things and then it's just like that. The little serving fork you know, on the plate of charcuterie or whatever is old.Stephanie Hansen:I want to tell people too. Like, if you have pieces that are real sterling or fancy crystal dishes, whatever it is, like, use them, you know, Like, I think we wait for this special occasion, that our lives are special occasions. You know, we are being inundated with a lot of information and a lot of weird news. And if you can just have that moment of feeling luxurious by yourself or in your own home or with your friends, I think it brings. Breaks down the barriers of entertaining. Like, serve beans and rice on crystal dishes if you want to. Who cares?Maggie Hoffman:And like, anytime you're in real life with an actual human is especially. Yes.Stephanie Hansen:Like, get out that vintage coupe glass and pour yourself a mocktail or a cocktail, whatever.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, I have these. My husband grew up with these little cocktail. They're like cocktail picks. I think they're for like an olive and your martini. And they're little swords from Toledo, Spain, which is where, like, swords are made. And they're real little swords. And he and his cousins used to like, sword fight with them. And they're absolutely dangerous.It's a terrible idea. But they're really fun. For olives or for like, you know, that little tapa that's like pepper and an anchovy and an olive.Stephanie Hansen:Yes. What do they call those? Pinchos.Maggie Hoffman:Yeah, so we do that sometimes and we had the little swords and one time someone was clearing the plates and just threw one out. Oh, a little like. So in the end, I actually ended up finding another set. They're around, they're not expensive. And so now the ones that were his grandmother's are like on a shelf sort of displayed. And the. The ebay ones are in rotation.Stephanie Hansen:Wow, that's pretty great. When you are looking for guests, do you search the Internet? Do you spend a lot of time on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook? What's your.Maggie Hoffman:I have known the book publicists from all the different publishing houses for a long time. So often I get an email when a book's coming out. I also go on. Just like if you go on a. On a bookstore website, you can go on Amazon and sort by date. I can see what's coming out. You know, like, here are all the books coming out in August under Cooking and Food. So I often do that.I'm planning several months in advance. So it's really sort of trying to figure out when is the right time to talk to somebody. And often, you know, people are juggling like a European tour and an American tour. I try to talk to them before things get really busy. And in fall. Fall's the big cookbook season, and so there's so many new releases, and some of them are too busy to talk to me, but I'm talking to some really exciting people. This.Stephanie Hansen:Oh, nobody would be too busy. I always think it's kind of shocking. Like, the first time I reached out to Yodam Odalingi, actually, and I just was like, oh, I don't know what he's doing, but I want to talk to him. He's fun. And so I just, like, sent him an Instagram message, and he replied. And we booked an interview for the radio show, and he was so delightful that we recorded a video podcast of it, too. And he was just so great. And people were like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe you got him.I was like, well, maybe sometimes people just don't ask. And I don't know. I just think you always can ask. People can always say no.Maggie Hoffman:Exactly. Exactly. And, you know, I'm not strict. I'd say almost all of my guests are people with, like, a book coming out that week. But then there's also just people I want to talk to. I talked to Hetty McKinnon, and now that was last year, and she has a new book coming out this year, and maybe we'll do it again. But, you know, this challenge, it can be interesting to talk to people in different moments of their lives. People who have just finished a book sometimes are kind of overwhelmed, and it's not the moment where they're, like, thinking about cooking for themselves necessarily.So it can be useful sort of across the board.Stephanie Hansen:When you are booking a guest, do you think about, like. And maybe this is a separate question, too, but the monetization of the podcast, like, do you worry about that? You're a freelance person. Is this, like. I. I'm kind of thinking about the substack algorithm and wondering if it's peaked for. Because people feel like they're subscribing to lots of things, and people are feeling kind of poor right now because the economy's not necessarily been great. Do you worry about that, or do.Maggie Hoffman:You just let me tell you about my business a little bit? So, I mean, I'm making it up as I go, but very early on, I felt like I wanted the newsletter to be visible to everyone because it's part of the service of the show. I want everyone to get all those links, and I want people to listen, and I want it to serve as a reminder, like, hey, there's, a new show up, you know, and the day that I publish the show every week, you know it's going to show up. If you follow in Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen, you know, that's a thing. But so I have paid subscriptions as an option on Substack and that is people who want to support the show. The show costs money. I record at a studio. I don't record at home mostly because there's a construction project going on next door. I recorded a studio with an amazing engineer and his team.So I pay them for the space and for the help and everything else I do myself. It is my full time job. So in order to pay for all those things, I have advertising and I sell the advertising myself. So yeah, so I'm reaching out to people and saying, look like this is this wonderful audience that loves to cook and is looking for things that will make their cooking life better or easier, more delicious. And people are interested. And so the people who are paid Substack subscribers are supporting the show and to thank them, every week I give away a copy of the author's book and that goes to paid subscribers. So my hope is that people might sign up for an annual subscription. It's 30 bucks.Maggie Hoffman:And then they might win a book. That would be 30 bucks and it would all work out. I have a super exciting. I'm doing like a big thank you to paid subscribers for the 50th episode of the show which is coming up. And it is an unbelievable prize. It's going to be so awesome. But so that's the most of my money is not being made by paid subscribers. I have like not very many.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah.Maggie Hoffman:And, but I love substrate and I love the community. Something I'm really into is the notes part of it which I think some people hate because it's social media. But I think there is a cool food scene on there and something that I do is just post my like actual boring dinner, not a picture. It's literally just like this is my plan. First thing in the morning I'll say this is what I'm doing tonight and that can be fun. And so most of the money that pays for the production of the show and for my full time work is coming from advertisers. I'm so grateful for them. And you know, I think when I listen to a podcast and I hear a recommendation in the host voice, I often consider buying those.And so I believe, I believe in the power of it. And I work with advertisers who I think are cool. And it's a fun part of the business, which is that I get to talk to founders of food companies and cookware companies. And so I actually wouldn't give that up. I think it's really fun.Stephanie Hansen:That's very unique because I came from a sales background myself. I've owned a couple of companies and food is my full time life too. But it's freelance. I mean, I'm freelance. Radio, freelance podcast, freelance TV show, all the things. Freelance cook, write a cookbook. And you cobble together the pots of money and at the end of the year you have 15 W9s and you pay your own insurance. But there is a little bit of freedom in that.That's nice too. So I'm impressed that you're doing all that yourself. That's cool.Maggie Hoffman:I mean, freelance writing, I would say. There's so many great writers out there and people who are writing features for magazines and that's their like full time gig. Like those are really amazing people. I am an editor at heart, really. I've always been an editor and it's harder to put together editing gigs and so the writing, the things that I was being offered weren't that exciting. And I was like, what if I just invest in this? What if I take a couple of months and see what it's going to cost and what I can raise in advertising? And I told myself I was going to take the leap and not evaluate whether it was a good idea or not for six months.Stephanie Hansen:Smart.Maggie Hoffman:And it turned out we sort of said, okay, I'm going to learn how to do it. I'm going to get better at it and try to make it good. Then I'm going to try to grow it and increase the audience and then I'm going to try to monetize it. And it's turned out that I've sort of done all those things at once.Stephanie Hansen:It is the dinner plan and I can really think of no better way than to end this podcast than those last three minutes of you describing what it's like and what it feels like to make this a full time endeavor and why people want to listen and support you. I really enjoyed this chat. You're really doing some incredible work and I just like everything you're doing. So congratulations on getting this all figured out.Maggie Hoffman:Thanks so much.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, I'm going to put links to all the newsletters and the pod. I'll work on getting this episode prepared and send you a proof before we release it. But thanks, Maggie. I appreciate you being a guest today.Maggie Hoffman:Thank you.Stephanie Hansen:All right, we'll talk soon.Maggie Hoffman:All right. Bye.Stephanie Hansen:Okay, bye. Bye.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

FedEx's strategic Network 2.0 consolidation program, aims to close 30% of its U.S. package distribution facilities within two years. This initiative is already contributing significant savings, with $200 million expected this quarter, and involves integrating legacy Express and Ground networks to achieve greater efficiency and eliminate $2 billion in annual costs.  The broadcast also details Maersk's decision to reopen service at Israel's largest port, Port of Haifa, after a brief suspension due to heightened tensions and missile attacks from Iran. The carrier is closely monitoring the situation, including the navigability of the critical Strait of Hormuz, following reports of a ceasefire.  Additionally, Air Hong Kong, a freighter subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways and a DHL Express capacity provider, has completed a seven-year transition from an Airbus A300-600 fleet to an all-A330 freighter fleet. The new A330s are larger and newer than the retired A300-600s, offering 25% more payload and an extended range for new destinations such as Bahrain and Sydney.  Finally, don't miss upcoming FreightWaves events, including a What the Truck?!? episode featuring Transportation Secretary Shawn Duffy, and major summits like the Enterprise Fleet Summit on July 23rd, and the Supply Chain AI Symposium on July 30th in Washington D.C.. Register for these and get your F3 tickets by visiting live.freightwaves.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, joins guest host Casey Kustin, AJC's Chief Impact and Operations Officer, to break down Israel's high-stakes strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure and the U.S. decision to enter the fight. With Iran's terror proxy network reportedly dismantled and its nuclear program set back by years, Spencer explains how Israel achieved total air superiority, why a wider regional war never materialized, and whether the fragile ceasefire will hold. He also critiques the international media's coverage and warns of the global consequences if Iran's ambitions are left unchecked. Take Action: Take 15 seconds and urge your elected leaders to send a clear, united message: We stand with Israel. Take action now. Resources and Analysis: Israel, Iran, and a Reshaped Middle East: AJC Global Experts on What Comes Next AJC Advocacy Anywhere - U.S. Strikes in Iran and What Comes Next  Iranian Regime's War on America: Four Decades of Targeting U.S. Forces and Citizens AJC Global Forum 2025: John Spencer Breaks Down Israel's War and Media Misinformation Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod:  Latest Episodes:  Iran's Secret Nuclear Program and What Comes Next in the Iranian Regime vs. Israel War Why Israel Had No Choice: Inside the Defensive Strike That Shook Iran's Nuclear Program Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Casey Kustin:   Hi, I'm Casey Kustin, AJC's Chief Impact and Operations Officer, and I have the pleasure of guest hosting this week's episode. As of the start of this recording on Wednesday, June 25, it's been 13 days since Israel launched precision airstrikes aimed at dismantling the Iranian regime's nuclear infrastructure and degrading its ballistic missile capabilities to help us understand what transpired and where we are now, I'm here with John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, co-director of the Urban Warfare Project and Executive Director of the Urban Warfare Institute.  John, welcome to People of the Pod. John Spencer:   Hey, Casey, it's good to see you again.  Casey Kustin:   Thanks so much for joining us. John, you described Israel's campaign as one of the most sophisticated preemptive strike campaigns in modern history, and certainly the scope and precision was impressive. What specific operational capabilities enabled Israel to dominate the Iranian airspace so completely? John Spencer:   Yeah, that's a great question, and I do believe it basically rewrote the book, much like after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, where Israel did the unthinkable, the United States military conducted 27 different studies, and it fundamentally changed the way we fight warfare. It's called Air-Land Battle. I think similarly with Operation Rising Lion, just the opening campaign rewrote what we would call, you know, Shock and Awe, Joint Forcible Entry, things like that. And the capabilities that enabled it, of course, were years of planning and preparation. Just the deep intelligence infiltration that Israel did before the first round was dropped. The Mossad agents texting the high command of the IRGC to have a meeting, all of them believing the texts. And it was a meeting about Israel. They all coming together. And then Israel blew up that meeting and killed, you know, in the opening 72 hours, killed over 25 senior commanders, nine nuclear scientists, all of that before the first bomb was dropped.  But even in the opening campaign, Israel put up over 200 aircrafts, almost the entire Israeli air force in the sky over Iran, dominating and immediately achieving what we call air supremacy. Again, through years of work, almost like a science fiction story, infiltrating drone parts and short range missiles into Iran, then having agents put those next to air defense radars and ballistic air defense missile systems. So that as soon as this was about to begin, those drones lost low cost drones and short range missiles attacked Iranian air defense capabilities to give the window for all of the Israeli F-35 Eyes that they've improved for the US military since October 7 and other aircraft.  Doing one of the longest operations, seconded only to one other mission that Israel has done in their history, to do this just paralyzing operation in the opening moment, and then they didn't stop. So it was a combination of the infiltration intelligence, the low-tech, like the drones, high-tech, advanced radar, missiles, things like that. And it was all put together and synchronized, right? So this is the really important thing that people kind of miss in military operations, is how hard it is to synchronize every bit of that, right? So the attack on the generals, the attack on the air defenses, all of that synchronized. Hundreds of assets in a matter of minutes, all working together. There's so much chance for error, but this was perfection. Casey Kustin:   So this wasn't just an operational success, it was really strategic dominance, and given that Iran failed to down a single Israeli Aircraft or cause any significant damage to any of Israel's assets. What does that tell us about the effectiveness of Iran's military capabilities, their Russian built air defenses that they have touted for so long? John Spencer:   Absolutely. And some people say, I over emphasize tactics. But of course, there's some famous sayings about this. At the strategic level, Israel, one, demonstrated their military superiority. A small nation going against a Goliath, a David against a Goliath. It penetrated the Iranian myth of invincibility. And I also failed to mention about how Israel, during this opening of the campaign, weakened Iran's ability to respond. So they targeted ballistic missile launchers and ballistic missile storages, so Iran was really weakened Iran's ability to respond. But you're right, this sent a signal around the Middle East that this paper tiger could be, not just hit, it could be dominated. And from the opening moments of the operation until the ceasefire was agreed to, Israel eventually achieved air supremacy and could dominate the skies, like you said, without losing a single aircraft, with his really historic as well. And hit what they wanted with what they wanted, all the military infrastructure, all the senior leaders. I mean, eventually they assigned a new commander of the IRGC, and Israel found that guy, despite him running around in caves and things.  It definitely had a strategic impact on the signal to the world on Israel's capabilities. And this isn't just about aircraft and airstrikes. Israel's complete dominance of Iran and the weakness, like you said. Although Israel also taught the world back when they responded to Iran's attack in April of last year, and in October of last year, is that you probably shouldn't be buying Russian air defense systems like S-300s. But Iran still, that was the backbone of their air defense capabilities, and Israel showed that that's a really bad idea. Casey Kustin:   You mentioned the component of this that was not just about going after infrastructure sites, but targeting Iranian military leadership and over 20 senior military and nuclear figures, according to public reporting. This was really a central part of this campaign as well. How does this kind of decapitation strategy alter the regime's military capability now, both in this immediate short term, but also in the long term, when you take out that kind of leadership? John Spencer:   Yeah, absolutely. I mean, much like when the United States took out Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, who had been decades of leadership of the Quds Force, the terror proxies, which I'm sure we'll talk about, overseeing those to include the ones in Iraq, killing my soldiers. It had a ripple effect that was, it's hard to measure, but that's decades of relationships and leadership, and people following them. So there is that aspect of all of these. Now we know over 25 senior IRGC and Iranian basically leadership, because they killed a police chief in Tehran and others. Yet that, of course, will ripple across.  It paralyzed the leadership in many ways during the operation, which is the psychological element of this, right? The psychological warfare, to do that on the opening day and then keep it up. That no general could trust, much like Hezbollah, like nobody's volunteering to be the next guy, because Israel finds him and kills him. On the nuclear though, right, which all wars the pursuit of political goals. We can never forget what Israel said the political goals were – to roll back Iran's imminent breakout of a nuclear weapon, which would not only serve to destroy Israel, because that's what they said they wanted to do with it, but it also gives a nuclear umbrella, which is what they want, to their exporting of terrorism, and the Ring of Fire, the proxy networks that have all been defanged thanks to Israel. That's the reason they wanted. So in taking out these scientists.So now it's up to 15 named nuclear scientists. On top of the nuclear infrastructure and all the weaponization components. So it's not just about the three nuclear enrichment sites that we all talked about in the news, you know, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. It's about that complete, decades-long architecture of the scientists, the senior scientists at each of the factories and things like that, that does send about, and I know we're in right now, as we're talking, they're debating about how far the program was set back. It holistically sets back that definitely the timeline.  Just like they destroyed the Tehran clock. I'm sure you've heard this, which was the doomsday clock that Iran had in Tehran, which is the countdown to the destruction of Israel. Israel stopped that clock, both literally and figuratively. Could they find another clock and restart it? Absolutely. But for now, that damage to all those personnel sets everything back. Of course, they'll find new commanders. I argue that you can't find those same level of you know, an Oppenheimer or the Kahn guy in Pakistan. Like some of those guys are irreplaceable. Casey Kustin:   So a hallmark of Israeli defense policy has always been that Israel will take care of itself by itself. It never asks the United States to get involved on its behalf. And before President Trump decided to undertake US strikes, there was considerable public discussion, debate as to whether the US should transfer B2s or 30,000 pound bunker busters to Israel. From purely a military perspective, can you help us understand the calculus that would go into why the US would decide to take the action itself, rather than, say, transfer these assets to Israel to take the action? John Spencer:   Sure. It's a complex political question, but actually, from the military perspective, it's very straightforward. The B2 stealth fire fighter, one of our most advanced, only long range bomber that can do this mission right, safely under radar, all this stuff. Nobody else has it. Nobody else has a pilot that could do it. So you couldn't just loan this to Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East, and let them do the operation. As well as the bomb. This is the only aircraft with the fuselage capable of carrying this side. Even the B-52 stratomaster doesn't have the ability to carry this one, although it can push big things out the back of it. So just from a logistics perspective, it wouldn't work.  And then there's the classification. And there's many issues with, like, the somebody thinking that would have been the easiest, and even if it was possible, there's no way to train an Israeli pilot, all the logistics to it, to do it. The Israel Begin Doctrine about, you know, taking into their own hands like they did in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007, is still in full effect, and was shown to be literally, a part of Israel's survival is this ability to, look, I understand that allies are important. And I argue strongly that Israel can never go at it alone, and we should never want it to. The strength of any nation is its allies.  And the fact that even during this operation, you saw immense amounts of American military resources pushed into the Middle East to help defend Israel and US bases but Patriot systems on the ground before this operation, THAAD systems on the ground before the system. These are the advanced US army air defense systems that can take down ballistic missiles. You had Jordan knocking down drones. You had the new Assad replacement guy, it's complex, agreeing to shoot things down over their airspace. That is part of Israel's strength, is its allies.  I mean, the fact that you have, you know, all the Arab nations that have been helping and defending Israel is, I think, can't be underscored under Israel doesn't, shouldn't need to go it alone, and it will act. And that's the Begin Doctrine like this case. And I do believe that the United States had the only weapon, the only capability to deliver something that the entire world can get behind, which is nuclear proliferation, not, you know, stopping it.  So we don't want a terror regime like the Islamic regime, for so many different reasons, to have a nuclear weapon close to breakout. So United States, even the G7, the United Nations, all agree, like, you can't have a nuclear weapon. So the United States doing that limited strike and midnight hammer, I think, was more than just about capabilities. It was about leadership in saying, look, Iran's double play that the economic sanctions, or whatever, the JCPOA agreement, like all these things, have failed. Conclusively, not just the IAEA statement that they're 20 years that now they're in violation of enrichment to all the different intelligence sources. It was not working. So this operation was vital to Israel's survival, but also vital for the world and that too, really won in this operation. Casey Kustin:   Vital both in this operation, in the defense of Israel, back in April 2024 when Iran was firing missiles and we saw other countries in the region assist in shooting them down. How vital is Israel's integration into CENTCOM to making that all work? John Spencer:   Oh, I mean, it's life saving. And General Carrillo, the CENTCOM Commander, has visited Israel so much in. The last 20 months, you might as well have an apartment in Tel Aviv. It's vital, because, again, Israel is a small nation that does spend exponential amounts of its GDP in its defense. But Iran, you know this, 90 million much greater resources, just with the ballistic missile program. Why that, and why that was so critical to set that back, could overwhelm Israel's air defense systems. Could. There's so much to this, but that coordination. And from a military to military perspective, and this is where I come and get involved, like I know, it's decades long, it's very strong. It's apolitical on purpose. It's hidden. Most people don't know it, but it's vital to the survival of our greatest ally in the Middle East. So it meets American interest, and, of course, meets Israel's interest. Casey Kustin:   Can you help us understand the Iranian response targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, because this seemed like a very deliberate way for the regime to save face and then de-escalate. But if the ceasefire falls apart, what are the vulnerabilities for us, troops and assets in the region. How well positioned are our bases in Qatar, Al Dhafra in the UAE, our naval assets in Bahrain, our bases in Iraq? How well positioned are we to absorb and deter a real retaliatory response? John Spencer:   Yeah, it's a great question. I mean, first and foremost, you know, there is a bit of active defense. So, of course, all of our US bases are heavily defended. A lot of times, you can see things are about to happen, and you can, just like they did, they moved to naval aircraft that would have been even vulnerable in some of these locations, out to sea, so they can't be touched. Heavily defended. But really, active defense is absolutely important, but really deterrence is the greatest protection. So that has to be demonstrated by the capability, right? So the capability to defend, but also the capability to attack and the willingness to use it.  This is why I think that supposedly symbolic to the 14 bunker busters that the United States dropped during Operation Midnight Hammer. Iran sent 14 missiles. President Trump says, thanks for the heads up. You know, all of it was evacuated, very symbolic, clearly, to save face and they had a parade, I guess, to say they won something. It's ludicrous, but sometimes you can't get inside the heads of irrational actors who are just doing things for their own population.  Our bases, the force protection is heavy. I mean, there's never 100% just like we saw with all the air defenses of Israel, still about 5% or if not less, of the ballistic missiles got through one one drone out of 1000 got through. You can never be 100% but it is the deterrence, and I think that's what people miss in this operation. It set a new doctrine for everyone, for the United States, that we will use force with limited objectives, to send an immense amount of strength.  And when somebody says there's a red line now that you should believe that, like if you would have injured a single American in the Middle East, Iran would have felt immense amount of American power against that, and they were very careful not to so clearly, they're deterred. This also sent a new red line for Israel, like Israel will act just like it did in other cases against even Iran, if they start to rebuild the program. War is the pursuit of political objectives, but you always have to look at the strategic on down. Casey Kustin:   On that last point, do you think we have entered a new phase in Israeli military doctrine, where, instead of sort of a more covert shadow war with Iran, we will now see open confrontation going forward, if necessary? John Spencer:   Well, you always hope that it will not be necessary, but absolutely this event will create, creates a new doctrine. You can see, see almost everything since October 7, and really there were just things that were unconceivable. Having studied and talked to Israeil senior leaders from the beginning of this. Everybody thought, if you attacked Hezbollah, Iran, was going to attack and cause immense amounts of destruction in Israel. Even when Israel started this operation, their estimates of what the damage they would incur was immense. And that it didn't is a miracle, but it's a miracle built in alliances and friendships with the United States and capabilities built in Israel.  Of course, Israel has learned a lot since October 7 that will fundamentally change everything about not just the military doctrine, but also intelligence services and many aspects that are still happening as they're fighting, still to this day in Gaza to achieve the realistic, measurable goal there. Yes, it absolutely has set forth that the old ways of doing things are gone, the you know, having these terror armies, the ring of fire that Israel has defanged, if not for Hamas dismantled and destroyed.  It sets a new complete peace in the Middle East. But also a doctrine of, Israel is adapting. I mean, there's still some elements about the reserve forces, the reigning doctrine, that are evolving based on the magnitude of the war since October 7. But absolutely you're right about they will, which has been the doctrine, but now they've demonstrated the capability to do it to any threat, to include the great, you know, myth of Iran. Casey Kustin:   So when you talk about this defanging of the Iranian proxy network obviously, Israel undertook significant operations against Hezbollah. Over the last year, they've been in active conflict with the Houthis. How does this operation now alter the way that Iran interacts with those proxies and its capacity to wage war against Israel through these proxies? John Spencer:   Yeah, cripples it, right? So Iran's nuclear ambition and its terror campaign are literally in ruins right now, both literally and figuratively. Hezbollah was defanged, the leadership, even taking out Nasrallah was believed to have caused catastrophic consequences, and it didn't. So, absolutely for Iran, also during this operation, is sniffing because all of his proxies were silent. I think the Houthis launched two missiles because thanks to Israel and the United States, the Houthi capabilities that should never have been allowed to amass, you know, this pirate terror empire. They didn't make those greatest shore to sea arsenal out of falafels. It got it straight from Iran, and that pipeline has already been cut off, let alone the capabilities.  Same thing with Hezbollah, which relied heavily on pipelines and infrastructure of missiles and everything being fed to it by Iran. That's been cut. The Assad regime being the drug empire, support of Hezbollah to rule basically, in Lebanon, has been cut. Hezbollah couldn't come to the aid of Assad. All of these variables. And of course, Hamas will never be able to do anything again, period. It all causes Iran to have to rethink everything. From, you know, not only their own national defense, right air defense capabilities and all this, but their terror campaign, it isn't just in ruins. There's a new doctrine, like it's not acceptable.  Now, of course, that's going to be hard to fully reign in. You have Shia backed groups in Iraq, you have a lot of bad things going on, but the Quds Force, which is its job, it's all shattered. Of course, they'll try to rebuild it. But the fact that these terror proxies were already so weakened by Israel that they couldn't do anything and remain silent. Hezbollah just was silent basically during this, is very significant to the peace going forward. I mean, there, there's still a lot of war here, but Israel and the United States have rewritten the map of the Middle East. Casey Kustin:   in the hours days that followed the US deciding to engage here. A lot of the conversation focused on the possibility of triggering now broader regional escalation, but we didn't see that, and it sort of shattered that myth that if Israel or the US were to go after Iran, that it would spiral into a broader Middle East conflict. Why did we not see that happen? Why did this remain so controlled? John Spencer:   So many reasons that really go back a few months, if not years? Mean going back to the first the Abraham Accords, President Trump's recent tour of the Gulf states and his story. Turic financial deals Israel's like we talked about with the Arab nations that were part of protecting it, the fact that the so on, that very geopolitical aspect. And we saw Iran turn to Russia, because there's always geopolitical considerations. Iran turned to Russia. Said, you're going to help us out. We signed this security agreement last year. We've been helping you in Ukraine do the awful things you're doing there.  And Russia said, No, that's not what we said. And it called called President Trump. President Trump says, how about you worry about mediating a ceasefire in Ukraine? And well, so they turned to China and the fact that there was nobody again, and that all the work that had been done with all the people that also disagree, nation states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, all those others. Those are many of the contributing factors.  But war also, I wrote this piece about, this isn't Iraq, this isn't Afghanistan, this isn't Libya. I really hate the lazy comparisons. This was contained and not able to spill out by constant communication from day one of what the goals were. Limited objective to roll back a threat to the world nuclear program and the ballistic program as well. That prevents the ability for even the Islamic regime to say, you know, my survival is at risk, I need to escalate this, right? So, being clear, having strategic clarity from Israel, and when the United States assisted, from the United States. You know, war is a contest of wills, not just between the military is fighting it, but the political element and the population element. So, you know, being able to communicate to the population in Israel and like, what's the goal here? Like, how long are we gonna have to do this? And to the United States. Like, what are our interests? Keeping it the goal limited, which all parties did.  And even, in fact, you had the G7 meeting during this and they signed an agreement, we agree Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That is a big part of how you permit the spill out. But it does have many contextual elements of the broader, this isn't black and white between Israel and Iran. It's much bigger than that. And that, and we saw all that work that has been done to show strength through peace, or peace through strength, in all the forms of national power that have been rallied against what is chaos that the Islamic regime wants in the Middle East. Casey Kustin:   So now that we've had a few days to begin to assess the impact of both the US and the Israeli strikes based on what's publicly available. I think you wrote that the nuclear timeline has been pushed back years. We saw some reporting in the New York Times yesterday saying it's only set back months. It seems this morning, the US is concurring with the Israeli assessment that it's been set back years. A lot of talk about where certain Where did certain stockpiles of enriched uranium, and how confident can we be at this point in any of these assessments? John Spencer:   So yes, as we're talking, people are trying to make it political. This should be a non partisan, non political issue. I'm an objective analyst of war. If you just write down all the things that Israel destroyed, validated by satellite imagery. then the fact that somebody And even the spinning of words where like we saw with that leaked report, which was the preliminary thoughts about something, it isn't comprehensive, right?  So one, BDA has never come that fast. Two, we do know, and Iran has validated, like all these scientists dead, all these generals dead, all these components of the nuclear program, damaged or destroyed. The idea that somebody would say, well, you only set it back a couple months to me, it's just anti-intellectual. Look, Natanz, Esfahan, Fordo, we can debate about how much stuff is inside of that mountain that was destroyed, although 14 of the world's best bunker buster munitions, 30,000 pounds punching through.  I just think, it's not a silly argument, because this is very serious. And yes, there could be, you know, hundreds of pounds of enriched uranium up there, a certain percentage that got floated around. That's not the, the things that set the timeline of breakout. Breakout included all the components of the knowledge and capability to reach breakout and then weaponization of a nuclear bomb. There's nobody, I think, who can comprehensively, without nuancing the words say that Israel wasn't very effective, and the United States assistance in only what the United States could do, at setting this program back and actually stopping the immediate danger. Of course, Iran is still a danger. The program is still a danger, but I just think it's so political that they're trying to say that, well, you only said it back a couple months. That's like, that's ridiculous. Casey Kustin:   So as an objective analyst of war, but also as someone who's really been a voice of moral clarity and has called out the international media over the last 18 months for a lot of this disinformation, misinformation, bias reporting. Before we go, John, what is one consequence of this operation that the international media is just missing? John Spencer:   One is that, I think the international media who are debating whether Iran was literally using an opposing opinion against global thought that Iran was close to a nuclear bomb, they missed that completely and tried to politicize it to where, just giving disinformation agents that tidbit of a headline that they need. I do believe in journalistic standards, fact checking, those elements and holding those people accountable. I live in the world of experts. People on the platform X who think they're experts.  But when you have national media running headlines for sensationalism, for clicks, for you know, struggling for opposition to just political administration, we should learn to really question a single report as valid when there's overwhelming opposition. I don't know how to put that succinctly, but you think we would learn over the last, you know, 20 months of this lies, disinformation, statistical warfare, the things like that that, yeah, it's just crazy that that somebody would think in any way this wasn't an overwhelming success for the world, that this program was set back and a new doctrine for treating the program was established. Casey Kustin:   Finally, John, before we wrap up here, the question on everyone's mind: can the ceasefire really hold? John Spencer:   So, you know, I don't do predictions, because I understand wars uncertainty. It's human. It's political. It looks by all signs, because of how Iran was dominated, and how the United States showed that if it isn't contained, then immense amounts of force and of course, Israel's superiority, I believe that the ceasefire will hold. It was normal. And I made some some posts about the historical examples of wars coming to an end, from the Korean War, to the Yom Kippur war, Bosnia War, where you had this transition period where you're rolling back forces and everything. But the by the fact that Iran has said, Yeah, we agreed. We have stopped our operation. All signs for me are saying that this ceasefire will hold, and now the world's in a better place. Casey Kustin:   John, thank you so much for the insight, for, as I said, your moral clarity that you bring to this conversation. We appreciate you joining us today on People of the Pod. John Spencer:   Thank you so much.   

In this episode of Success Saudi, we sit down with Wafa Al Obaidat, Founder and CEO of PLAYBOOK, a fast-growing digital platform designed to support and connect women and executive leaders. Originally launched in Bahrain, PLAYBOOK now has a global presence, including a growing footprint in Saudi Arabia.Wafa shares the lessons learned from building PLAYBOOK after bootstrapping her first company, Obai & Hill, to multimillion-dollar revenue. We explore the mindset shifts required for growth, the challenges women face in scaling, and her perspective on balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood.

Tuesday, June 24th, 2025Today, Iran fires missiles at US bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq in what is seen as a performative retaliation to Trump's unconstitutional bombing of Iranian nuclear enrichment sites; the Supreme Court has blocked a judge's order forbidding removal of immigrants to third countries; lawyers for Gavin Newsom have asked the district court to consider a preliminary injunction to block Trump's deployment of the military to California as a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act; Democrats in the Senate are winning their arguments before the parliamentarian on multiple provisions in the Billionaire Bailout Bill; ICE detains Marine Corps veteran's wife who was still breastfeeding their baby; Democrats will protest Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center with a pride event; there is an underground resistance inside the VA against Trump's ban on care for transgender veterans; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.Thank You, Naked WinesTo get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to nakedwines.com/DAILYBEANS and use code DAILYBEANS for both the code and password.Thank You, Native PathGet up to 66% Off, free shipping, and a 365-Day Money Back Guarantee at nativekrill.com/dailybeans StoriesG.O.P. Can't Include Limits on Trump Lawsuits in Megabill, Senate Parliamentarian Rules | The New York TimesICE detains wife of veteran and mother of newborn after routine green card appointment | ABC NewsDemocrats to Protest Trump's Takeover of Kennedy Center With Pride Event | The New York TimesInside the Veterans Affairs Department's underground resistance to Trump's care ban for transgender vets | The Advocate Good Trouble With Guest Anna BowerAnna Bower: "I rarely post personal things. But I need to talk about my 4-year-old niece, Hope. She has a rare disease. A drug called elamipretide has helped her survive. But the FDA recently denied its approval. Now, her health hangs in the balance. Please share her story & urge the FDA to reconsider.

Patrick Bet-David, Tom Ellsworth, Vincent Oshana and Adam Sosnick react to President Trump's surprise announcement of a “complete and total ceasefire” between Israel and Iran, how Trump pulled it off, and the global implications moving forward. They also analyze reactions from world leaders, Iran's next move, and whether the ceasefire will hold—or explode. Plus, what this means for oil markets, U.S. elections, and peace in the Middle East.-----

This episode forms part of a new strand of our podcast: Seapower Past and Present which explores seapower as it is understood and practised in the modern world whilst offering a historical perspective on the themes we explore. Each episode is chosen according to a theme or a location – a hotspot in the modern world where seapower has a major influence on geopolitics. So if you enjoy this episode do please seek out others in this strand – you will shortly be able to find episodes on economic warfare, critical national infrastructure, how technology is changing the nature of warfare at sea; and on hugely significant locations in the modern maritime world – the Black Sea, South China Sea, Middle East and Arctic.To make this series come alive we've teamed up with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. In each episode you will hear from at least one historian and from at least one practitioner, a member of the armed forces who has direct first hand, personal experience of the topic being discussed.For this episode our host Dr Sam Willis is joined by Dr Ziya Meral Senior Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute and lecturer at the International oriental studies. He is an expert on global trends shaping defence and security, climate change and security, Turkey and Middle Eastern countries, and intersection of religion with global affairs. The second guest in this episode is Commander Edward Black of the Royal Navy. He is the First Sea Lord's Visiting Fellow at Royal United Services. As a Mine Clearance Diving Officer Commander Black has served extensively abroad including Operational Tours in Afghanistan and Bahrain; Loan Service with the Royal Navy of Oman; as Defence Attaché in Mali and Deputy Defence Advisor in Kenya. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For analysis of the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites and Tehran's response, Geoff Bennett spoke with retired Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan. He commanded the U.S. 5th Fleet based in Bahrain and is now a distinguished military fellow at the Middle East Institute. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

//The Wire//1730Z June 23, 2025////PRIORITY////BLUF: IRANIAN COUNTERATTACK TARGETS US MILITARY BASES IN MIDDLE EAST. SHIPPING CONCERNS MOUNT AS IRAN THREATENS TO TARGET SHIPPING IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----Middle East: This morning the kingdom of Qatar closed their airspace to commercial aviation traffic. Separately, both the United States and Britain issued shelter-in-place orders for their citizens. Shortly after these announcements, multiple Iranian ballistic missiles struck US military bases throughout the region. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar appears to have been successfully targeted to some degree, and impacts were reported at the US Navy base in Bahrain. Reports have emerged indicating unknown bases in Iraq were also targeted by ballistic missiles.Shortly after the missiles were launched, American fighter aircraft were observed scrambling in Saudi Arabia, with a number of sorties being conducted on targets unknown.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: As this is a developing situation, the success of these missile strikes remains unknown until the dust settles. Video evidence indicates that many of the missiles were successfully intercepted, however some made it through to successfully impact their targets. Qatar announced that 100% of the missiles intended for their nation were successfully intercepted, however this remains unconfirmed at this time and Qatari media groups stated that at least three missiles evaded defenses to impact at Al Udeid. No word on casualties from any of the strikes reported so far today.Following the strikes on Iranian facilities over the weekend (and today's retaliatory strikes), tensions have escalated sharply throughout the region. Iranian forces have threatened to "close" the Strait of Hormuz, which traditionally involves the emplacement of sea mines throughout the choke point. There are no indications that IRGCN and/or IRIN vessels have laid any mines just yet. However, some commercial shipping companies that are unwilling to accept the risk have turned around and begun returning to their homeports.Analyst: S2A1Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground//END REPORT//

Noor Murad is a Bahrain-born, New York–trained, London-based chef and the author of the wonderful new cookbook Lugma. You may know her recipes from her time running the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and contributing to the books Falastin, Shelf Love, and Extra Good Things. Now it's time to get to know Noor herself through this delicious collection of traditional and re-imagined dishes from Bahrain and beyond.Also on the show we catch up with Brian Voll, the creative force behind the innovative cookbook series Menus By Brian.Get your tickets to our live event on July 23 at the Bell House in Brooklyn. Featuring conversations with Padma Lakshmi, Hailee Catalano & Chuck Cruz, and a live taping of Bon Appétit Bake Club with Jesse Szewczyk and Shilpa Uskokovic. Ticket sales benefit One Love Community Fridge. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Khalid Saad is a seasoned venture capitalist and FinTech entrepreneur with a proven track record of launching new ventures and accelerating existing ones. Over the years, he has partnered with startups and established companies on digital strategy, business development, partnerships, and market-entry plans—spanning payment systems, remittance services, crypto platforms, open banking, and more  .He is the Founder & Managing Partner of Bunat Ventures, a Bahrain-based regulated venture-builder VC focused on nurturing and investing in high-growth startups across the GCC.Khalid serves on the board of CoinMENA, a Central Bank–regulated crypto-asset exchange, and is a board member of Oqal – Bahrain Chapter, the region's largest and most active angel investment network  . Additionally, he advises 01 Systems, a leading regional financial technology and digital transformation firm, and contributes to the Finance, Insurance & Tax Committee of the Bahrain Chamber.Until recently, Khalid was the Founding CEO of Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB)—the largest FinTech hub in MENA, recognized by S&P Global Ratings as one of the region's two most advanced FinTech ecosystems  . Under his leadership, BFB united ~100 public and private stakeholders (regulators, banks, telcos, asset managers, family firms, educational institutions, etc.) and hosted around 50 companies working across payments, blockchain, crypto assets, data analytics, robo-advisory, crowdfunding, and AI  .Before BFB, Khalid was a Business Development Manager at the Bahrain Economic Development Board, where he promoted the financial services sector and attracted major institutions—from banks and wealth managers to FinTechs and insurers—to Bahrain  . Prior to that, he worked with Ernst & Young, conducting feasibility studies, market research, and implementing a governance, risk & compliance platform in Bahrain, and with SEI Investments in London managing UK and European equity portfolios  .Khalid holds an MSc from Imperial College London and a First Class BSc from the University of Exeter  .LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalidesaad/

For analysis of the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites and Tehran's response, Geoff Bennett spoke with retired Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan. He commanded the U.S. 5th Fleet based in Bahrain and is now a distinguished military fellow at the Middle East Institute. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

WORKING FOR GLOBAL SECURITY. Sir John Chipman KCMG is Executive Chairman of The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).  As former Director-General and Chief Executive of the IISS he directed its growth globally as the world's premier institute providing facts and analysis on international security issues. He developed the IISS role as a convener of vital inter-governmental summits, conceiving and establishing two regional security institutions under IISS auspices: in the Asia-Pacific the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue hosted by Singapore, and in the Middle East the IISS Manama Dialogue hosted by Bahrain. “Europe's strategic personality will be ushered in through NATO's new spending doors.” “It's sometimes underestimated how diverse the power centres have become in today's world. Big companies in particular, having more power than most medium-sized states.” “The proliferation risk is very high right now.”

//The Wire//2300Z June 17, 2025////ROUTINE////BLUF: STRATEGIC BUILDUP CONTINUES AS USA CONTINUES PLANS FOR WAR WITH IRAN.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: The previously observed strategic buildup of tanker aircraft continues, as over a dozen KC-135's moved from Europe to the Middle East overnight. Most of these tankers were flying under the "GOLD" callsign, indicating that they were flying in formation with fighter aircraft in tow. This morning, satellite imagery confirmed that almost every US Navy warship stationed in Bahrain has departed port, to include one Littoral Combat Ship, a few minesweepers, and over a dozen support vessels.This morning President Trump stated that the United States has achieved aerial superiority in the skies over Iran. President Trump also has taken to social media to demand the "unconditional surrender" of Iran, and has threatened to assassinate the Ayatollah if demands are not met.Strait of Hormuz: Overnight, two ships collided in the Gulf of Oman. The M/T FRONT EAGLE collided with the M/T ADALYNN, causing a large fire. Rescue operations are ongoing.AC: Despite early reports, this incident is not the result of combat action. It is not clear why, however the FRONT EAGLE executed a turn hard to starboard, which resulted in her collision with the ADALYNN.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: At this point, it is challenging to interpret the recent statements by the White House in any other manner than that a formal declaration of war with Iran is merely a formality. The decision to go to war may have already been signed and sealed as theorized months ago, or the die might not have been cast just yet. Either way, there's absolutely nothing that the American people can do about it at this point, other than improve personal readiness as best one can. Though tensions are palpably high right now, the real challenges will come many months after the US enters into a war with Iran, should that be the chosen course of action.More tactically, the threats to the average citizen living in the American homeland remain, though with debatable levels of severity due to the sheer uncertainty of what the threat really is. Anytime the United States targets anything in the Middle East, the potential for lone-wolf-style attacks here in the homeland increases. At the moment, however, the risks of a false-flag incident occurring to drag the United States into a war is also very high. Protests with varying levels of severity continue more or less persistently in many major US cities, which will present risks regardless of what's happening in the international space.Analyst: S2A1Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground//END REPORT//

In this episode, we delve into the intersection of AI and pharma, uncovering how artificial intelligence is set to change drug discovery and its impact on investing. Learn what this means for the future of healthcare and your investment portfolio.   Disclosure: The views expressed are those of the speaker and are subject to change at any time. These views are for informational purposes only and should not be relied on as a recommendation to purchase any security or as an offer of securities or investment advice. No forecast can be guaranteed. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.   Unless otherwise indicated, logos and product and service names are trademarks of MFS® and its affiliates and may be registered in certain countries. Distributed by: U.S. – MFS Institutional Advisors, Inc. ("MFSI"), MFS Investment Management and MFS Fund Distributors, Inc., Member SIPC.; Latin America – MFS International Ltd.; Canada – MFS Investment Management Canada Limited. 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As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the ‘Indian Empire', or more simply as the Raj. Sam Dalrymple was kind enough to speak with me about his new book, Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, and how this enormous entity was divided, before and after British rule came to an end. Order Shattered Lands here: https://lnkfi.re/9482xG?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking for unique and authentic F1 merchandise? Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.racingexclusives.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Check out The RaceWknd magazine ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Title music created by J.T. the Human: https://www.jtthehuman.com/ Contact & Feedback: Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts Email: scuderiaf1pod@gmail.com X: @ScuderiaF1Pod Episode Show Notes: June 15th, 2025 Welcome to our deep dive into the thrilling and controversial 2025 Canadian Grand Prix! Join us as we unpack all the drama from Montreal, where the F1 championship battle took a dramatic turn. In this episode, we cover: Mercedes' Triumphant Return: Relive George Russell's sensational victory from pole position, marking Mercedes' first win of the 2025 F1 season. We discuss how the team capitalized on evolving track conditions and strategic brilliance to secure this crucial win. Kimi Antonelli's Historic Debut Podium: Hear about the incredible performance of rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli, who secured his maiden Formula 1 podium at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, contributing to a fantastic double podium for Mercedes. The McLaren Meltdown: Norris-Piastri Collision & Fallout: The defining moment of the race saw McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collide while battling fiercely for position. We analyze the intra-team incident, Norris's DNF, and the immediate and potential long-term fallout for the Woking-based squad, currently leading the Constructors' Championship. Lando Norris Under Pressure: A Season Review: We examine Lando Norris's key moments facing pressure in 2025, including his qualifying struggles at Emilia-Romagna and China, the grid penalty at Bahrain, and the crash in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Qualifying. We also touch upon other notable instances from previous F1 seasons where the Briton faced intense pressure. Championship Standings Update: Get the very latest 2025 F1 Drivers' World Championship and 2025 F1 Constructors' World Championship standings after the Canadian Grand Prix. We break down which drivers and teams gained or lost ground since the Spanish Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen are locked in a fierce title fight! Austrian Grand Prix Preview: Looking ahead to the Red Bull Ring in Austria in two weeks, we discuss the top F1 storylines to watch: McLaren's team dynamics post-collision, Mercedes' potential for continued success, Red Bull's home-turf comeback, and the intensifying F1 2025 championship battle. Don't miss our full 2025 Canadian Grand Prix race review, including detailed qualifying results. Join the conversation! Follow us on X @ScuderiaF1Pod Subscribe to the Scuderia F1 Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating and review if you enjoyed the show! Thanks for tuning in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text MessageThe drumbeat of conflict reverberating through the Middle East has drawn global attention, but behind the headlines lies a methodical strategy that deserves deeper understanding. Following the catastrophic events of October 7th, 2023—Israel's own 9/11—we've witnessed the systematic dismantling of Iran's proxy network throughout the region.This episode examines Israel's calculated response to Hamas and other Iran-backed groups, tracing how Israeli forces have degraded Hamas's military capabilities, decimated Hezbollah's leadership, curtailed Iraqi and Syrian militias, and contained Houthi threats from Yemen. We explore how this campaign has now reached Iran itself, with Israel targeting military infrastructure to prevent nuclear capabilities while facing reprisals against civilian areas. The contrast between these approaches speaks volumes about the conflict's moral dimensions.What does it mean that only two theocracies in the world—Iran and Yemen—are actively exporting religious violence? How might Israel's campaign against Iran's military effectiveness create conditions for expanded peace in the region? As we witness history unfold, understanding these dynamics helps us grasp not just the headlines, but the profound shifts reshaping the Middle East's future. our book of the day is "Sledgehammer" by David FriedmannKey Points from the Episode:• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia unexpectedly endorsed President Trump's Middle East peace plan, alongside many other nations• Turkey was historically cooperative with Israel until President Erdogan's leadership beginning in 2003• Iran has been exporting hate and violence in the region for nearly 50 years through proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas• Since October 7th, 2023, Israel has systematically degraded Hamas, weakened Hezbollah, and curtailed Iraqi and Syrian militias• Israel is now directly confronting Iran's military capabilities, particularly its nuclear program• Of all world theocracies, only Iran and Yemen are actively exporting violence through physical means• The 2020 Abraham Accords created unprecedented peace agreements between Israel and UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco• These agreements achieved peace without requiring Israel to make territorial concessionsOther resources: Israel's Sept 11thLM#38--Israel's 9-11, part 1LM#39--Israel's 9-11, part 2--Don't look awayLM#54--Black Saturday, October 7th -- One Year LaterWant to leave a review? Click here, and if we earned a five-star review from you **high five and knuckle bumps**, we appreciate it greatly, thank you so much!

Send us a textThe Ones Ready crew is back with your daily drop, and today's episode is hotter than the LRSO's payload. Jared breaks down the latest in defense news with a healthy dose of sarcasm, fury, and common sense—none of which were found in the FY26 budget. From the Navy's sixth-gen fighter dreams to Putin's never-ending land grab, the episode covers it all. We're talking U.S. evacuation plans in Bahrain, AFRICOM vs EUCOM turf wars, drone warfare budget gymnastics, and why building a micro nuke in Alaska is finally something to get excited about. Oh, and apparently we're ready to go to war over Greenland…?If you like watching bureaucratic chaos unfold in real-time while Jared dunks on generals and defends SpaceX like it's a religion, this one's for you.

Join Jim and Greg for Thursday's 3 Martini Lunch as they break down the money trail that might explain Gov. Newsom's reluctance to confront the LA rioters, whether the evacuation of some U.S. personnel and their families means we're on the brink of major conflict in the Middle East, and the staggering incompetence of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.First, they dig into reports suggesting California Gov. Gavin Newsom was uninterested in maintaining order during the recent LA riots because the group sponsoring the protest, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, contributed nearly half a million dollars and a lot of manpower to help him survive the 2021 recall.Next, they wonder how to interpret the State Department's decision to remove some U.S. personnel and their dependents from Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Are we on the brink of conflict over Iran's nuclear program or is this simply a move to pressure Iran to accept the U.S. nuclear deal?Finally, they head back to Los Angeles as Mayor Karen Bass continues to ooze incompetence. And she is still blaming the rioting, the looting, and the property destruction on President Trump and his followers. Jim explains how Bass has now badly failed two big tests over the past six months and reminds us that Bass was on Joe Biden's short list for a running mate in 2020.Please visit our great sponsors:Talk it out with Betterhelp. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at https://BetterHelp.com/3MLRight now, with zero commitment, try OCI for free.  Go to https://Oracle.com/MARTINIIt's free, online, and easy to start—no strings attached. Enroll in Understanding Capitalism with Hillsdale College. Visit https://hillsdale.edu/Martini

On The A.M. Update, Aaron McIntire reports President Trump's growing pessimism about securing a nuclear deal with Iran, expressing doubts to the New York Post about stopping Iran's uranium enrichment, amid news of a U.S. personnel drawdown in the Middle East. The State Department ordered non-essential staff and families to leave the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and offered voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait, signaling potential escalation risks with Iran. Trump announces a trade deal with China on Truth Social, securing magnets and rare earths with 55% tariffs, while China faces 10%, though details remain unclear. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warns Congress that failing to pass the “Big Beautiful Bill” would trigger a “cataclysmic” tax hike, crippling businesses and families. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reports 330 illegal immigrants arrested in Los Angeles riots since June 6, with 113 having prior convictions, and questions who funds their professional riot gear. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson compares protests to a Confederate victory, drawing criticism. HHS Secretary RFK Jr. explains firing the CDC's vaccine advisory board due to conflicts of interest and untested vaccines, naming new members like Robert Malone. McIntire reflects on Brian Wilson's death at 82, noting the irony of California's musical icon passing as Los Angeles burns. A poll predicts Sunday headlines may read “America on Fire” after planned “No Kings” protests. A sharp take on a tense global and domestic landscape.   Iran nuclear deal, Trump administration, Middle East drawdown, China trade deal, tariffs, Los Angeles riots, ICE arrests, Big Beautiful Bill, Scott Bessent, RFK Jr., CDC vaccine advisory board, Michael Tait, Brian Wilson, Beach Boys, No Kings protests, Chicago protests, Brandon Johnson

//The Wire//2000Z June 11, 2025////PRIORITY////BLUF: INDICATIONS AND WARNINGS EMERGE REGARDING DEVELOPMENTS IN MIDDLE EAST. RIOTS CONTINUE TO EXPAND IN MANY MAJOR U.S. CITIES. RIOTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND BECOME MORE KINETIC.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: Indications and warnings are growing regarding an unknown threat to the United States throughout the region. Reports have emerged indicating that the US Navy base in Bahrain is at an increased defensive posture, and that non-essential staffers and their families are currently being evacuated from the American Embassies in Baghdad, Kuwait, and Bahrain. A few moments ago the UKMTO office also issued a very vague warning statement, advising mariners to be advised of increasing tensions through the Strait of Hormuz.AC: At the moment, none of this is confirmed, but the rumors are trickling out anyway, since this appears to be a very time-sensitive threat, whatever it is. Nobody knows what's going on for sure, but a lot of diplomatic stations and military bases are at an increased level of readiness right now, which looks to be related to a very specific threat of some kind. Shooting from the hip (without any solid detail to go on), this could be related to an imminent Iranian nuclear test, or it could be related to Israel launching pre-emptive strikes to prevent such. Either way, the threat is extremely vague, but the heightened readiness seems real enough.Northern Ireland: Protests transitioned into rioting throughout several cities overnight, from a few different perspectives. Originally, riots broke out over the weekend in response to immigration issues and the assault of a child. However, as unrest has spread, opportunistic criminals have taken advantage of the fray to conduct looting that was unrelated to the initial incident.-HomeFront-USA: Counter-ICE protests have emerged in several major cities around the nation. So far, most of the more disruptive events have taken place in Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, NYC, Providence, and Denver.Ohio: This morning evacuations were ordered for Vinton County after an industrial accident occurred at a local explosives factory in McArthur. Local authorities state that a very large tank of nitric acid began leaking at Austin Powders this morning, prompting the creation of a substantially large evacuation zone. The FAA has also placed a 30-mile Temporary Flight Restriction over the facility as the contents of the tank continue to present a hazard to the general area.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Last night the city of Los Angeles implemented a curfew for the city center, in an attempt to quell the rioting. Mass arrests were made in the DTLA area, however a state of civil unrest remains as demonstrations and protests have remained fairly persistent over the past week.Regarding the protest events for this weekend nationwide, roughly 1,655 events are scheduled for June 14th, most of which are being conducted and organized by the "No Kings" cause. Of course, it is highly likely that not all of these 1,600+ events will take place. However, there is always the possibility that areas which have no history of political unrest may be the recipient of general shenanigans this weekend.Analyst: S2A1Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground//END REPORT//

X: @JayRuderman @americasrt1776 @ileaderssummit @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk Join America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio co-hosts Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy with Jay Ruderman, the President of the Ruderman Family Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Jay's career began in law as an Assistant District Attorney in Salem, Massachusetts. Jay Ruderman is the author of the new book which was released recently titled “Find Your Fight: Make Your Voice Heard for the Causes That Matter Most” (Greenleaf Book Group Press). Jay Ruderman has focused his life's work on advancing empowerment for individuals - by advocating for people with disabilities worldwide, and educating Israeli leaders on the American Jewish Community. As President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, his ambitious approach has led the Foundation to become a leader in this vital arena and disability rights advocacy both nationally and in Israel. americasrt.com (https://americasrt.com/) https://summitleadersusa.com/ | https://jerusalemleaderssummit.com/ America's Roundtable on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-roundtable/id1518878472 X: @JayRuderman @americasrt1776 @ileaderssummit @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk America's Roundtable is co-hosted by Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy, co-founders of International Leaders Summit and the Jerusalem Leaders Summit. America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio program - a strategic initiative of International Leaders Summit, focuses on America's economy, healthcare reform, rule of law, security and trade, and its strategic partnership with rule of law nations around the world. The radio program features high-ranking US administration officials, cabinet members, members of Congress, state government officials, distinguished diplomats, business and media leaders and influential thinkers from around the world. Tune into America's Roundtable Radio program from Washington, DC via live streaming on Saturday mornings via 68 radio stations at 7:30 A.M. (ET) on Lanser Broadcasting Corporation covering the Michigan and the Midwest market, and at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk Mississippi — SuperTalk.FM reaching listeners in every county within the State of Mississippi, and neighboring states in the South including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. Tune into WTON in Central Virginia on Sunday mornings at 6:00 A.M. (ET). Listen to America's Roundtable on digital platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Google and other key online platforms. Listen live, Saturdays at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk | https://www.supertalk.fm

Australia have one foot at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after a stunning and dramatic 1-0 win over Japan at Perth Stadium on Thursday night. Aziz Behich's 90th minute screamer broke a 16-year-drought against Japan and ensures Australia's destiny remains in their own hands should Saudi Arabia defeat Bahrain. Paul Williams is in Perth with Japanese journalist Sean Carroll to bring us all the action, while we hear from Firzie Idris in Jakarta, Hassanin Mubarak discusses Graham Arnold's first game in charge of Iraq, while Sultan Al Ali talks about the impact Cosmin Olaroiu can have on the UAE. Be sure to follow The Asian Game on all our social media channels: X: https://twitter.com/TheAsianGame IG: https://instagram.com/theasiangame Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheAsianGamePodcast 

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 4th of June and here are the headlines.1. Multi-party Delegation Briefs EAM on Anti-Terror Diplomacy TourA multi-party delegation led by BJP leader Baijayant Panda met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar after returning from visits to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria to rally support against Pakistan-backed terrorism. The team included MPs and leaders across party lines, including Asaduddin Owaisi and Ghulam Nabi Azad. The delegation briefed Jaishankar on their findings, highlighting India's global rise under PM Modi. They said India's economic and diplomatic strength is helping forge international partnerships on trade and counterterrorism. Jaishankar lauded their outreach efforts.2. Monsoon Session of Parliament Set to Begin July 21Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the Monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 21 and run until August 12. The session was recommended by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will convene at 11 a.m. after a three-month recess. The session's announcement comes amid calls by opposition parties for an urgent special session to discuss Operation Sindoor—India's major military strike on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir earlier this year.3. Punjab YouTuber Held for Links to Pakistan Spy NetworkPunjab Police arrested Jasbir Singh, a YouTuber from Rupnagar, for alleged involvement in a Pakistani spy network. Singh, who runs the channel ‘Jaan Mahal', was nabbed by the State Special Operations Cell in Mohali. Authorities say he is linked to Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, a Pakistani intelligence operative, and maintained close ties with Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra—previously arrested on similar charges—and a Pakistani High Commission official. The espionage network is believed to be terror-backed. Investigations are ongoing into the extent of Singh's involvement and communication with Pakistan-based handlers.4. RCB Victory Parade Cancelled, Celebration at Stadium InsteadRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cancelled its IPL victory parade on Wednesday, originally planned from Vidhan Soudha to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bengaluru Traffic Police confirmed the cancellation, stating the team would instead meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Vidhan Soudha. A celebration is now scheduled at the stadium. RCB had earlier announced the parade on social media, thanking fans for their unwavering support over 18 seasons. The franchise won its first IPL title this year, prompting city-wide excitement. Fans can now attend the celebration directly at the stadium later today.5. Trump Doubles Tariffs on Global Steel, Aluminium ImportsU.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday doubling tariffs on nearly all steel and aluminium imports to 50 percent, citing national security concerns. The hike—effective Wednesday—follows his 2018 move imposing 25 percent tariffs under the Trade Expansion Act's Section 232. The UK, which recently signed a trade deal with the U.S., is exempt and will maintain the current 25 percent rate. Trump's decision marks a significant escalation in his administration's trade policy, as Washington continues to pressure nations for fairer deals and increased domestic metal production.That's all for today. This was the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express.

Colômbia, República Democrática do Congo, Libéria, Letônia e Bahrain foram eleitos para mandatos de dois anos, cada; trabalhos se iniciarão em 1 de janeiro de 2026, ano em que a ONU escolherá o nome que substituirá António Guterres.

Beijing is waiving visa requirements for citizens from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. People from these countries can visit China for upwards of 30 days without a visa starting June 9.

Análisis del segundo bloque de carrera y las ruedas de prensa de UAE y Bahrain. Con Gabriele Gianuzzi y Albert Rivera. 📍 Encuéntranos en... ➡️ https://www.twitch.tv/acdpeloton ➡️Grupo de Telegram: https://t.me/familiaACDP ➡️Twitter: twitter.com/ACDPeloton ➡️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acdpeloton/ ➡️Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/ACDpeloton Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

This week, we're basking in the evening sunshine at Cooking the Books Live at Rockwater, Hove with Noor Murad.Her debut cookbook, Lugma is her twist on the familiar, to use an Ottolenghi term, of the food from her homeland, Bahrain.It's the very first international cookbook of Bahraini recipes, but reflects her own experiences of growing up there, the mix of Persian and Indian flavours infused with her own half Britishness and a brash of new York where she worked before landing in the bosom of the Ottolenghi family.Click here for tickets to the next Cooking the Books Live with Gurd Loyal, and then pop over to Gilly's Substack for the fascinating Q&A with the audience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

X: @americasrt1776 @ileaderssummit @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk Join America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio co-hosts Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy with Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Kehi-Lath Je-shurun on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He has been a congregational Rabbi for over 30 years, and previously served pulpits in Montreal, Quebec and Mount Vernon, New York. This interview was recorded 12 hours prior to the heinous murder of two staff members of Israel's Embassy to the US, which took place in front of the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were planning to get engaged when their lives were cut short by a pro-Hamas supporter. He is on the leadership team of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition, on the board of directors of the American Jewish Committee, NY and American Friends of Open University Israel, and a founding board member of the Moral Hearts Alliance, which builds Jewish-Christian cooperation in support of Israel. His first book, “Despite Everything: A Chronicle of Jewish Resilience in the Aftermath of October 7th,” was published in September 2024. Rabbi Steinmetz writes a weekly column for The Jewish Journal, and has written for many other publications, including The Washington Post, The Daily News, The Globe and Mail, La Presse, Haaretz, and The Jerusalem Post. americasrt.com (https://americasrt.com/) https://summitleadersusa.com/ | https://jerusalemleaderssummit.com/ America's Roundtable on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-roundtable/id1518878472 X: @americasrt1776 @ileaderssummit @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk America's Roundtable is co-hosted by Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy, co-founders of International Leaders Summit and the Jerusalem Leaders Summit. America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio program - a strategic initiative of International Leaders Summit, focuses on America's economy, healthcare reform, rule of law, security and trade, and its strategic partnership with rule of law nations around the world. The radio program features high-ranking US administration officials, cabinet members, members of Congress, state government officials, distinguished diplomats, business and media leaders and influential thinkers from around the world. Tune into America's Roundtable Radio program from Washington, DC via live streaming on Saturday mornings via 68 radio stations at 7:30 A.M. (ET) on Lanser Broadcasting Corporation covering the Michigan and the Midwest market, and at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk Mississippi — SuperTalk.FM reaching listeners in every county within the State of Mississippi, and neighboring states in the South including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. Tune into WTON in Central Virginia on Sunday mornings at 6:00 A.M. (ET). Listen to America's Roundtable on digital platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Google and other key online platforms. Listen live, Saturdays at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk | https://www.supertalk.fm

There's a building in North London, built from equal parts brick and tahini, with walls coated in olive oil and floors stained with spice. This is the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, where a group of individuals meet and eat, cook and write, tear and share and gather with just one motive: to create good food with good ingredients, and to share it with the world. Chef and author Noor Murad joined the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen in 2018, eventually becoming its head and the writer of its books, “Shelf Love” and “Extra Good Things.” Bahrain-born, London-based and New York-trained, Noor's own recipes have been featured in the New York Times, and she's cooked on BBC's Saturday Kitchen. Her Middle Eastern roots have a strong influence on her cooking, with Arabic, Indian, and Persian flavors making a prominent appearance in her recipes. Noor joins Google to discuss her book “Lugma: Abundant Dishes & Stories from my Middle East.” Lugma is an Arabic word that means, “a bite.” The book offers over 100 recipes as an ode to the food she grew up eating—traditional flavors and modern dishes from Bahrain, the surrounding Middle East, and beyond. Watch this episode at youtube.com/TalksAtGoogle.

“This has been my favorite session of the three days. Thank you,” said one attendee following a powerful live conversation at AJC Global Forum 2025. This exclusive episode of AJC's People of the Pod, presented by AJC's Women's Global Leadership Network, features a candid discussion on the critical impact of Jewish women leaders in global diplomacy and conflict resolution. Casey Kustin, AJC's Chief Impact and Operations Officer, joins former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mira Resnick and Dana Stroul, Research Director and Kassen Family Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, to share how they've navigated the corridors of power, shaped international policy from the Middle East to Europe and beyond, and opened doors for the next generation of women in foreign affairs. ___ Resources– AJC Global Forum 2025 News and Video AJC Global Forum 2026 returns to Washington, D.C. Will you be in the room? Listen – AJC Podcasts: Most Recent Episodes: A United Front: U.S. Colleges and AJC Commit to Fighting Campus Antisemitism What is Pope Francis' Legacy with the Jewish People? Why TikTok is the Place to Talk about Antisemitism: With Holocaust Survivor Tova Friedman The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the PodFollow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Interview Transcript: Manya Brachear Pashman:  Live from AJC Global Forum 2025, welcome to People of the Pod. For audience members who are not in this room, you are listening to a show that was recorded in front of a live studio audience on April 29 at AJC Global Forum 2025 in New York. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman. Thank you all for being here. In countries around the world, women are working more than ever before. But compared to men, they are not earning as much or being afforded an equal voice – at work, at home, or in the community. In no country in the world do women have an equal role. Let me repeat that. In no country in the world, do women have an equal role–when it comes to setting policy agendas, allocating resources, or leading companies.  With us today are three modern-day Miriams who have raised their voices and earned unprecedented roles that recognize the intellect and compassion they bring to international diplomacy. To my left is AJC Chief Impact and Operations Officer, Casey Kustin. Casey served as the staff director of the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee on the House Foreign Affairs Committee for 10 years. She has worked on political campaigns at the state and national level, including on Jewish outreach for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Welcome, Casey.  To Casey's left is Dana Strohl. She is the Director of Research for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. She was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East. In this role, she led the development of U.S. Department of Defense policy and strategy for Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq–I'm not done–Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Prior to that, she also served on Capitol Hill as the senior professional staff member for the Middle East on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Welcome, Dana. And last but not least, Mira Resnick. Mira was the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, in which she handled two crucial Middle East portfolios, usually helmed by two separate people. Previously, she oversaw the Department's Office of regional security and arms transfers, where she managed foreign arms sales and shepherded the Biden administration's military assistance to Ukraine and Israel after Russia's invasion and after the October 7 Hamas attacks. Like Casey, Mira has also served as a senior professional staff member with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, focusing on the Middle East and North Africa. Thank you for being here, Mira.  Welcome to all of you, to People of the Pod.  I think it's safe to say, this panel right here, and all the knowledge and experience it represents could solve the Middle East conflict in one day, if given the chance. Casey, you served for a decade as staff director for the Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee. A decade, wow. You witnessed a lot of transition, but what were the constants when it came to regional cooperation and security needs?  Casey Kustin: What's the saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And that's the world that we're all trying to build. So, you know, from an American perspective, which we all came from in our government work, it was trying to find those shared interests, and trying to cultivate, where we could, points of common interest. And even with the challenges of October 7 now, perhaps stalling some of those areas of progress, you still see that the Abraham Accords haven't fallen apart. You saw when Iran launched missiles at Israel. You saw other countries in the region come to, maybe they wouldn't say Israel's defense. It was their airspace defense. But you saw that still working. You see that still working now. And it's every day when we come to work at AJC, we're thinking about how to increase and strengthen Israel's place in the world. Manya Brachear Pashman:  So Mira, your role encompassed both Israel and the Gulf for the first time, right? Mira Resnick:   That was the first time at my level. Yes.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Okay, so whose idea was that, and did that put you or the US in a position to work for the good of the neighborhood, rather than just Israel, or just the Gulf States? Mira Resnick:   Yeah, this was an opportunity for the State Department to be able to see all of the different threads that were coming throughout the region. This is something that Dana did on a daily basis. This is something that our colleagues at the NSC did on a daily basis. The Secretary, of course, needs to be able to manage multiple threads at the same time. When I was overseeing arms sales, of course, I would have to consider Israel and the Gulf at the same time.  So this wasn't a new idea, that our interests can be aligned within one portfolio, but it was particularly important timing for the United States to be able to see and to talk to and to hear our Gulf partners and our Israeli partners at the same time within the same prism, to be able to truly understand what the trends were in the region at that particularly critical moment, post-October 7. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Dana, in your role as Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense, you met with military leaders in the Middle East, around the world, and you were often the only woman at the table. What do women contribute to international conflict resolution that's missing when they're not given a seat at the table? Dana Strohl:   Well, let me start out by stating the obvious, which is that women make up 50% of the global population of the world. So if 50% of the world is missing from the negotiating table, from the peacemaking table, from conflict prevention mechanisms, then you're missing 50% of the critical voices. There's evidence, clear evidence, that when women are part of peace processes, when they are part of negotiations, the outcomes on the other side are 35% more sustainable. So we have evidence and data to back up the contention that women must be at the table if we are going to have sustainable outcomes.  When I think about the necessity, the imperative, of women being included, I think about the full range of conflict. So there's preventing it, managing it, and then transitioning to peace and political processes in a post-war or post-conflict situation. In every part of that, there's a critical role for women. As examples, I always think about, when you make policy, when you have a memo, when there's a statement that's really nice, in the big capital of some country, or in a fancy, beautiful palace somewhere in the Middle East or in Europe.  But peace only happens if it's implemented at a local level. Everyone in the world wants the same things. They want a better life for their kids. They want safety. They want access to basic services, school, health, clean water and some sort of future which requires jobs. Confidence you can turn the light on. You can drive your car on a road without potholes. Those are details that often are not included in the big sweeping statements of peace, usually between men, that require really significant compromises.  But peace gets implemented at a very local level. And at the local level, at the family level, at the community level, at the school level, it's women. So how those big things get implemented requires women to champion them, to advance them. And I will also just say, you know, generally we should aspire to prevent conflict from happening. There's data to suggest that in countries with higher levels of gender equality, they are less likely to descend into conflict in the first place.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Can you recall a particularly consequential moment during your tenure, when you were at the table and it mattered? Dana Strohl:   So my view on this is that it was important for me to be at the table as a woman, just to make the point. That women can serve, just like men. Do the same job. And frankly, a lot of the times I felt like I was doing a better job. So what was really important to me, and I can also just say sitting up here with Mira and Casey, is that all of us have worked together now for more than a decade, at different stages of, getting married, thinking through having kids, getting pregnant, taking parental leave, and then transitioning back to work. And all of us have been able to manage our careers at the same time. That only happens in supportive communities, in ecosystems, and I don't just mean having a really supportive partner.  My friends up here know, I ask my mom for a lot of help. I do have a partner who really supported me, but it also means normalizing parenthood and being a woman, and having other obligations in the office space. I would make a point of talking about being a parent or talking about being a woman. To normalize that women can be there. And often there were women, really across the whole Middle East, there were always women in the room. They were just on the back wall, not at the table. And I could see them looking at me.  And so I thought it was really important to make the point that, one, a woman can be up here, but I don't have to be like the men at the table. I can actually talk about, well, I can't stay for an extra day because I have a kindergarten, you know, theater thing, and I have to run back and do that.  Or there were many times actually, I think Mira was Zooming for parent teacher conferences after we were having the official meeting. But I think it's important to actually say that, at the table, I'm going to leave now and go back to my hotel room because I'm making a parent teacher conference. Or, I have to be back by Friday because I'm taking a kid to a doctor's appointment.  So all the women that come after us can see that you can do both, and the men at the table can understand that women have a right to be here. Can do the jobs just as effectively and professionally as the men, and do this other absolutely critical thing. Manya Brachear Pashman:   But your point about, it requires a supportive network, a supportive work community. You told me a story before we got up here about just how supportive your colleagues were in the Department of Defense.  Dana Strohl:   I will give a shout out to Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of Defense. So one of the things you do in our positions is travel with the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Defense. And these are not the kind of things where they get on a plane and you land in whatever country. There's a tremendous amount of planning that goes into these. So on a particular trip, it was a four country trip, early in 2023. Secretary Austin was going to multiple countries. He had switched the day, not he, but his travel team, of his departure, which then caused us to switch the day of my son's birthday party. And then they switched the time of his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, and we could not change the birthday party.  So I called Secretary Austin's office and said, Listen, I want to be at my son's birthday party. So I've looked and it looks like I can take this commercial flight. So I won't be on the Secretary of Defense's plane, but I can largely land around the same time as you all and still do my job in the region. And to their credit, they said, okay, and then one of the things that you do in my position is you get on the airplane and you talk to the Secretary of Defense about the objectives and the goals and the meetings. So they said, Okay, we'll just change that to earlier. You can do it the day before we depart, so that he can hear from you. You're on the same page. You can make the birthday party. He can do the thing. So we were actually going to Jordan for the first stop. And it turns out, in his itinerary, the first thing we were doing when we landed in Jordan, was going to dinner with the King. And it was very unclear whether I was going to make it or not. And quite a high stakes negotiation.  But the bottom line is this, I finished the birthday party, had my mother come to the birthday party to help me clean up from the birthday party, changed my clothes, went to Dulles, got on the airplane, sort of took a nap, get off the airplane. And there is an entire delegation of people waiting for me as you exit the runway of the airplane, and they said, Well, you need to go to this bathroom right here and change your clothes.  I changed my clothes, put on my suit, ran a brush through my hair, get in a car, and they drove me to the King's palace, and I made the dinner with the king. It's an example of a team, and in particular Secretary Austin, who understood that for women to have the opportunities but also have other obligations, that there has to be an understanding and some flexibility, but we can do both, and it took understanding and accommodation from his team, but also a lot of people who are willing to work with me, to get me to the dinner. And I sat next to him, and it was a very, very good meal. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I find that so encouraging and empowering. Thank you so much. Casey, I want to turn to you. Mira and Dana worked under particular administrations. You worked with members of Congress from different parties. So how did the increasing polarization in politics affect your work, or did it? Casey Kustin:   It's funny, I was traveling last week for an AJC event, and I ended up at the same place with a member of Congress who was on my subcommittee, and I knew pretty well. And he looked at me and he said, the foreign affairs committee, as you know it, is no longer. And that was a really sad moment for me, because people always described our committee as the last bastion of bipartisanship. And the polarization that is seeping through every part of society is really impacting even the foreign policy space now. As you see our colleague, our Managing Director of [AJC] Europe, Simone Rodan[-Benzaquen], who many of you know, just wrote a piece this week talking about how, as Israel has become to the progressive, when Ukraine has become to the far right.  And I think about all the years I spent when Ted Deutch, our CEO, was the top Democrat on the Middle East subcommittee, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), a great friend of AJC, was the chair of the subcommittee. And Ted and Ileana would travel around together. And when she was the chair, she always made a point of kind of joking like Ted's, my co chair, and we did so many pieces–with Mira's great support of legislation for the US, Israel relationship, for Syria, for Iran, that we worked on together, really together. Like at the table with my staff counterparts, trying to figure out, you know, what can your side swallow? What can your side swallow? And I hear from so many of our former colleagues that those conversations aren't really taking place anymore. And you know, the great thing about AJC is we are nonpartisan, and we try so hard to have both viewpoints at the table. But even that gets harder and harder. And Dana's story about the King of Jordan made me laugh, because I remember a very similar experience where I was on a congressional delegation and Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen, and I was six months pregnant at the time, and I wanted to go on the trip, and the doctor said I could go on the trip. And we were seated around the table having the meeting.  And I, as you won't be able to hear on the podcast, but you in this room know, look very young, despite my age. And you're self conscious about that. And I remember Ileana just being so caring and supportive of me the entire trip. And I wasn't even her staffer, and I remember she announced to the King of Jordan that I was six months pregnant, and you could kind of see him go, okay. That's very like, thank you. That's very nice. But even just having that moment of having the chairwoman on the other side of the aisle. That whole trip. I think I've told some AJC people another funny story of on that same trip, we met with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch in Jerusalem, and she pulled me up to him, and she said to the patriarch, will you bless her unborn child? Knowing I'm Jewish, she leaned over and said to me: Can't hurt. So I hope that we return to a place like that on Capitol Hill. I think there are really good staffers like us who want that to happen, but it is just as hard a space now in foreign policy as you see in other parts of politics. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Mira, I want to ask you another policy related question. How did the Abraham Accords change the dynamics of your combined portfolio, and how could it shape the future? Mira Resnik:   My first, one of my first trips, certainly my first trip to the Middle East, when I was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Security, overseeing security assistance and security cooperation, was to Dubai, as the State Department representative for the Dubai Airshow. And it is a huge event that showcases the world's technology. And I remember walking into the huge hangar, that every country that has a defense industry was showcasing their most important, their most important munitions, their most important aircraft. And I remember seeing the enormous Israeli pavilion when I was there. And I was staying at a hotel, and I get to the breakfast and they said, Would you like the kosher breakfast or the non-kosher breakfast. And I'm like, Am I in Israel?  And I was blown away by the very warm relationship–in the security space, in the humanitarian space. I agree with Casey that things have gotten a little tougher since October 7, and since the aftermath in Gaza. But what I would also point out is that April and October, during the time when when we witnessed Israel under cover, when we witnessed Iran's missiles and projectiles going toward Israel and going toward other regional airspace, our diplomats, our militaries, our intelligence officials, all had earlier warning because of the work of other Gulf governments, even those who have not joined the Abraham Accords. And that is a prime example of where this security cooperation really matters. It saves lives. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So Casey, so much of what AJC does has to do with international diplomacy and maintaining that regional cooperation and security, and that sounds a lot like your previous role. So I'm really curious how much your job truly has changed since you came to AJC? Casey Kustin:   You're absolutely right. There are so many similarities in what we do at AJC and what we did in the government. And the core of that is really those relationships that you build with partners and interlocutors in other countries and other governments, and the foundation, over decades that AJC has laid. Particularly in the Middle East, thanks to 30 years of quiet travel to the region.  It struck me when I first came here, the access that AJC has is nearly the same that we had traveling as members of Congress. And the meetings and the quality and the level of meetings that AJC is afforded in these other countries.  Our missions, which many of you have been on, often feel like congressional delegation trips to me, and the conversations and the candor with which partners speak to AJC is almost the same that was afforded to members of Congress. And that has been comforting, in a way, as you said Manya, Because there feels like there's continuity in the work that we're doing, and it has made me realize that organizations, non-governmental organizations, advocacy organizations, play such a crucial role in supporting the work of a government, of your country's government. And in reinforcing the values and the interests that we as AJC want to communicate that very much dovetail, with hopefully any US administration.  I think that the role that an organization like ours, like AJC, can play in a particular moment, like we're in, where, as we've discussed, there's hyperpartisanship, and we hear a lot, Dana mentioned this. We hear a lot from foreign partners that the way our democracy works with a change in administration every four years is unsettling to some of them, because they don't know if a particular policy or agreement is going to continue the role that we can play, providing some of that continuity and providing a nonpartisan and thoughtful place to have conversations. Because they know that we have that kind of nuanced and thoughtful and nonpartisan insight. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I really appreciate your insights on the roles that you've played, and I think the audience has as well. But I want to pivot back to your role as women. Dana, I mentioned that you were often the only woman at the table. Would you discover that when you arrived at meetings and events? Dana Strohl:   In Washington, DC, and in particular, I'm very proud to have served in the Biden administration, where there were always women at the table. And I will also say that there was a network of women, and it was the same on the Hill. On the hill, there was actually a box of maternity clothes that was kept in then-Senate Leader Harry Reid's office.  And his National Security Advisor called me when she heard I was pregnant the first time, which was during the 2015 JCPOA negotiations on the Hill, which meant that I was super tired and doing all of those congressional hearings and briefings, but there was a network of women who were supporting each other and giving me clothes as I got bigger and bigger. And it continued into the Pentagon and the State Department, where there were always women and when we saw each other at the White House Situation Room or in the different meetings, there was always the quiet pull aside. How are you doing? How are your kids? Are you managing? What's the trade off on your day to day basis? Can I do anything to help you?  And in particular, after October 7, that network of people really kicked into high gear, and we were all checking in with each other. Because it was the most intense, most devastating time to work in the government and try to both support Israel and prevent World War III from breaking out across the Middle East. So that was DC. In the Middle East, I largely assumed that I was going to be the only woman at the table, and so I decided to just own it. There are some great pictures of me always in a pink jacket, but the point you know, was that I expected it, and there were always women, again, against the back walls. I made an effort whenever possible to make sure everyone at the table, regardless of your gender, had an opportunity to speak and participate, but I was also not just the only woman.  A lot of times, I was the co-chair with whatever partner it was in the Middle East, so I had a speaking role, and I felt was incumbent upon me to present a model of leadership and inclusivity in how we engage with our partners, spoke to our partners, listened to our partners concerns, and that that was part of the job. And only once, I remember it very clearly. We were at a dinner after a big meeting, and somebody looks at me, it's a meeting with all, y7all men, all men for a dinner. And they said, Is this what it's like for you all the time? And I said, Yes, it is. And you know, it took two and a half years for somebody to notice, so. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Mira, what have you experienced? And have you ever worried as a woman that you weren't being taken seriously? Mira Resnick:   I think that every woman in one of these jobs has imposter syndrome every so often, and walking into the room and owning it, fake it till you make it right. That's the solution. I will. I agree with Dana wholeheartedly that in Washington, I was really proud to walk into the room and never fear that I was the only woman. And I even remember traveling where another delegation was all women, and our delegation was all women, and how surprising that was, and then how disappointing, how surprising that was, but to take notice of the moment, because they don't happen very often.  I think that in Washington and throughout diplomacy, the goal is to pay it forward to other women. And I wasn't the last person to pump in the Ramallah Coca Cola factory, and I wasn't the first person to pump in the Ramallah Coca Cola factory. But that is, that was, like, my moment where I was like, Oh, this is a strange place to be a woman, right?  But I do find that women really bring holistic views into our policy making, and whether it's meeting with civil society, even if your job is strictly security cooperation to understand the human impacts of your security decisions, or making sure that you are nurturing your people, that you are a good leader of people.  I remember post-October 7, I was looking for some way that I could nurture in the personal life. And I see Nadine Binstock here, who goes to my shul, and Stephanie also. Stephanie Guiloff is also in the audience. She's my neighbor, and also goes to my shul. And after October 7, I took on the Kiddush Committee Coordinator at my shul. So that every week, no matter what I was experiencing at the office and no matter where I was in the world, our community would be a little bit more nurtured. And it was a way for me to like to give back to the community, and at the same time be able to continue to do the hard power work of security cooperation. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So Mira, Casey, Dana, thank you so much for joining us, sharing your modern-day Miriam experiences. I want to open it up for questions from the audience. Just raise your hand and someone will bring you a microphone. Audience Member: Hi, I'm Maddie Ingle. I'm a Leaders for Tomorrow alum. What is some advice that any of you have for young women like me in the advocacy space and in general. Casey Kustin:   First of all, thank you for taking the time to come to Global Forum and for joining LFT. You've already taken the first step to better arming yourself as an advocate. I think there is, I wish someone had said to me, probably before I met the two of them who did say it to me, that it was okay to take up space around the table. I remember sitting in secure facilities, getting classified briefings from ambassadors, male ambassadors who were 30 years my senior, and watching the two of you in particular i. Not be scared to challenge the back and forth when I as a probably still, you know, mid 20s, early 30s, did have fear of speaking up.  And I wish someone, when I was your age as a teenager, had, and obviously, I had supportive parents who told me I could do anything, but it's different. It's different than seeing it modeled by people who are in the same space as you, and who are maybe even just a couple years older than you. So I would just say to you not to ever be afraid to use your voice. This is a memory that has stuck with me for 15 years. I was in a meeting, sitting next to my congressman boss, with two men who were probably in their 60s, and a vote was called. And you never know on the Hill when a vote is going to be called. So it interrupts a meeting. And he had to go vote, and he said, Casey will finish the meeting with you. And they looked at him and said, Does she know what we're talking about?  Dana Strohl: We have all been there, Casey. Casey Kustin: We have all been there. So even if you're met with a response like that when you try to use your voice, don't let it deter you. Audience Member: Hi, guys. I'm Jenny. This has been my favorite session of the three days. Thank you guys. My mom is the first female, woman brakeman conductor on Amtrak. So you guys are just so empowering. As a long time Democrat, you guys talked about bipartisan issues. With how the Democratic Party is. I know you guys probably can't go fully into this. Do you have any inspiring words to give us hope when it feels very scary right now, as a Democrat, how divided our party is. Casey Kustin: I work for a nonpartisan organization now, so I'll let them handle that one. Dana Strohl:   I, so were we all on the Hill during the first Trump administration? And there was still bipartisanship. And what I'm looking for right now is the green shoots of our democracy. And I see them. There is thinking through what does it mean to be in this country, to be an American, to live in a democracy? What does democracy do? I think, first of all, it is healthy and okay for Americans to go through times of challenge and questioning. Is this working for us? And you know, the relationship between the government, whether it's legislative, judicial, executive and the people, and it's okay to challenge and question, and I think it's okay for there to be healthy debates inside both the Republican and the Democratic Party about what what this stands for, and what is in the best interest of our country.  And you can see both in polling data and in certain areas where there actually are members of Congress coming together on certain issues, like economic policy, what's in the best interest of our constituents and voters. That there is thinking through what is the right balance between the different branches of our government.  I was talking to somebody the other day who was reminding me this actual, you know, we are, we are in a time of significant transition and debate in our society about the future of our country and the future role of the government and the relationship. But it's not the first time, and it won't be the last. And I found to be that part of my job was to make sure I understood the diversity of voices and views about what the role of the government should be, general views about American foreign policy, which was our job, was just such a humble reminder of democracy and the importance of this back and forth. Audience Member:  [My name is Allie.] My question for you is, what are your hopes and dreams for generation alpha, who will be able to vote in the next election?  Casey Kustin:   I think we all have, all our kids are still in elementary, or Mira, your one is going into middle school now– Mira Resnik: To middle school. Casey Kustin:   So the vast majority of our children are still elementary school age. And for me, I have a very interesting experience of moving my family out of a very diverse community in Washington, DC to Jacksonville, Florida. And it's a very different environment than I thought that my children were going to grow up in, because at the time, we didn't anticipate leaving DC anytime soon, and it's made me realize that I want them to live in a world where no matter what community They are growing up in, they are experiencing a world that gives them different perspectives on life, and I think it's very easy now that I have gone from a city environment to suburbia to live in a bubble, and I just, I hope that every child in this next generation doesn't have to wait until they're adults to learn these kinds of really important lessons. Dana Strohl:   I have two additional things to add. I'm very concerned at what the polling suggests, the apathy of young people toward voting, the power of voting, why it matters. And participation, that you need to be an active citizen in your governments. And you can't just vote every four years in the presidential election, there's actually a ton of voting, including, like the county boards of education, you got to vote all the way up and down you continuously. And that it's okay to have respectful debate, discourse, disagreements in a democracy. So I would like this generation to learn how to have respectful discourse and debate, to believe that their votes matter and just vote. And three, on the YouTube thing, which is terrifying to me, so I'm hoping the educators help me with this is, how to teach our kids to separate the disinformation, the misinformation, and the fiction that they are getting because of YouTube and online. So mine are all elementary schoolers, and I have lost positive control of the information they absorb.  And now I'm trying to teach them well, you know, that's not real. And do I cut off certain things? How do I engage them? How do I use books and when? So they need to not just be active participants in their society, all up and down the ballot, multiple times every year, but they need to know how to inform themselves. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And Mira? Mira Resnick:   I do hope that our children, as they approach voting age, that they see the value in cooperation with each other, that they see the value of face to face conversation. I think that honestly, this is the value of Shabbat in my household. That you take a break from the screens and you have a face to face conversation. My children understand how to have conversations with adults now. Which is, I think, a critical life skill, and that they will use those life skills toward the betterment of their communities, and more broadly, our Jewish community, and more broadly than that, our global community. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Thank you so much. Thank you to everyone.

Latest reporting from Times of Israel on wildfires: https://www.timesofisrael.com/fire-authority-needs-double-the-budget-to-cope-during-mega-fires-era-official/ Next week, President Trump is heading to Saudi Arabia to convene a summit with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. The agenda? Arms deals, AI partnerships, and a substantial Saudi investment pledge. Israel isn’t on his itinerary, although […]

Latest reporting from Times of Israel on wildfires: https://www.timesofisrael.com/fire-authority-needs-double-the-budget-to-cope-during-mega-fires-era-official/ Next week, President Trump is heading to Saudi Arabia to convene a summit with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. The agenda? Arms deals, AI partnerships, and a substantial Saudi investment pledge. Israel isn't on his itinerary, although […]

Latest reporting from Times of Israel on wildfires: https://www.timesofisrael.com/fire-authority-needs-double-the-budget-to-cope-during-mega-fires-era-official/ Next week, President Trump is heading to Saudi Arabia to convene a summit with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. The agenda? Arms deals, AI partnerships, and a substantial Saudi investment pledge. Israel isn’t on his itinerary, although […]

Ark Media is looking for two college summer interns – one who can support operations and another who can support product design. To apply, please follow the links below:Product: https://app.testgorilla.com/s/b1e1of2hOperations: https://app.testgorilla.com/s/7hy7zlpuWatch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastSubscribe to Ark Media's new podcast ‘What's Your Number?': lnk.to/HJI2mXArk Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgTo contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.orgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor Today's episode:Latest reporting from Times of Israel on wildfires: https://www.timesofisrael.com/fire-authority-needs-double-the-budget-to-cope-during-mega-fires-era-official/Next week, President Trump is heading to Saudi Arabia to convene a summit with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. The agenda? Arms deals, AI partnerships, and a substantial Saudi investment pledge. Israel isn't on his itinerary, although Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has just announced that he will be traveling to Israel in advance of President Trump's Middle East trip, and that Secretary Hegseth will be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Katz and Israel's military leadership. He will then travel to Saudi Arabia to accompany President Trump on his travels. The Middle East visit will also take place against the backdrop of an important personnel change on Trump's national security team – namely, the national security advisor Mike Waltz stepping down and moving to the UN. To unpack what's at stake for Israel and the US, we're joined by Mike Singh, former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council and now managing director at the Washington Institute, and Call me Back regular, Nadav Eyal, columnist for Yediot Ahronot.CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Bahrain delivered the race of the season so far, within changing strategies up and down the grid providing some AWESOME racing! We chat about all that good stuff and still find time to pop off about the latest round of questionable TV directing...You can listen to an extended version of this episode on our Patreon! Sign up to hear extended versions of every Race Review podcast this season. You'll also get every P1 episode ad-free, early access to live tickets and merch, and access to our Discord server where you can chat with us and other F1 fans! Click here to sign up now!Matt's running the London Marathon for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. Click here if you'd like to donate - thanks so much!Follow us on socials! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.