Podcasts about Lebanon

SHOW 12-23-25 THE SHOW BEGINS WITH DOUBTS F THE EU... 1831 BRUSSELS EU STRUGGLES WITH RUSSIAN ASSETS AND AID Colleague Judy Dempsey. Judy Dempsey discusses the EU's difficulty in utilizing frozen Russian assets and the "defeat" for Chancellor Merz regarding the funding mechanism for Ukraine. NUMBER 1 THE RISE OF THE AFD IN GERMANY Colleague Judy Dempsey. Judy Dempsey continues, focusing on the rise of the AfD party in Germany and its connections to elements of the US Republican party. NUMBER 2 STALEMATES IN GAZA AND LEBANON Colleague Jonathan Schanzer. Jonathan Schanzer discusses the stalemate regarding the last hostage in Gaza, the fragmented control of the territory, and threats in Lebanon and Syria. NUMBER 3 EU REGULATION VS. US GROWTH Colleague Michael Toth. Michael Toth critiques the European Union's "regulatory imperialism" and contrasts it with the economic growth of the US. NUMBER 4 STATE DEPARTMENT RECALLS AND STRATEGY Colleague Mary Kissel. Mary Kissel discusses the recall of career ambassadors by the Trump administration and challenges in Panama and Greenland. NUMBER 5 AUSTRALIA'S DEFENSE AND CHINA Colleague Grant Newsham. Grant Newsham warns about Australia's lack of defense capabilities and the erosion of its influence in the Pacific islands due to Chinese political warfare. NUMBER 6 THE BORING BENEFITS OF AI Colleague Kevin Frazier. Kevin Frazier advocates for the "boring use cases" of AI, such as in healthcare and traffic management, to save costs and improve efficiency. NUMBER 7 REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Colleague Kevin Frazier. Kevin Frazier continues, warning against a "waterfall of regulation" by states and advocating for "regulatory sandboxes" to allow experimentation. NUMBER 8 US EXPANSIONISM AND DIPLOMATIC RIFTS Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley analyzes US foreign policy moves regarding Greenland, Panama, and Venezuela, describing them as a return to "might is right" expansionism. NUMBER 9 THE MONROE DOCTRINE AND NAVAL POWER Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley continues, debating whether the US is a naval or continental power in the context of enforcing the Monroe Doctrine and discussing a proposal for new battleships. NUMBER 10 THE DECLINE OF LITERACY AND CONTEXT Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley continues, discussing the decline of literacy and context since the mid-20th century, comparing modern society to the Eloi and Morlocks of H.G. Wells. NUMBER 11 KING CHARLES III AND UK POLITICAL TURMOIL Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley continues, analyzing the challenges King Charles III faces under the Keir Starmer government, which Copley compares to the era of Oliver Cromwell. NUMBER 12 THE LEGEND OF THE HESSIANS Colleague Professor Richard Bell. Professor Richard Bell discusses the American fear of Hessian soldiers and Washington's strategic victory at Trenton. NUMBER 13 FRANCE'S GLOBAL STRATEGY IN THE REVOLUTION Colleague Professor Richard Bell. Professor Richard Bell continues, highlighting the role of Foreign Minister Vergennes and how French involvement expanded the war globally. NUMBER 14 BENEDICT ARNOLD AND PEGGY SHIPPEN Colleague Professor Richard Bell. Professor Richard Bell continues, discussing Peggy Shippen's influence on Benedict Arnold's defection and their subsequent life in London. NUMBER 15 THE ACCIDENTAL COLONIZATION OF AUSTRALIA Colleague Professor Richard Bell. Professor Richard Bell concludes, recounting the story of convict William Murray and the accidental selection of Australia as a penal colony following the loss of the American colonies. NUMBER 16

STALEMATES IN GAZA AND LEBANON Colleague Jonathan Schanzer. Jonathan Schanzer discusses the stalemate regarding the last hostage in Gaza, the fragmented control of the territory, and threats in Lebanon and Syria. NUMBER 3 1937 RAMALLAH

For many of us, Christmas is filled with joy, memories, and traditions, but also stress, loneliness, and the pressure to look happy on social media In this episode, we talk honestly about why Christmas can feel both life-giving and draining and wrestle with the questions Gen Z is really asking: How do you represent Christ in family dynamics that are complicated or even painful? What do you do when the holiday blues hit hard? How do you make this holiday less about the business of Christmas and more about the person of Christmas? If you've ever felt overwhelmed, discouraged, or conflicted during the holidays, this conversation is for you.   ABOUT: Lina AbuJamra is a Pediatric ER doctor, now practicing telemedicine, and the founder of Living With Power Ministries. Known for her bold faith and down-to-earth honesty, she's passionate (and allegedly funny) about helping people connect biblical truth to everyday life. Whether through teaching, writing, or podcasting, Lina brings hope to those wrestling with life's hardest questions. When she's not speaking or creating content, she's providing medical and humanitarian aid in crisis zones like Lebanon and Uganda. Learn more about her at LivingWithPower.org. Follow on Insta: linaabujamra Follow on Facebook: Lina Abujamra

PREVIEW HEZBOLLAH REARMAMENT FUNDED BY IRAN AND SMUGGLING TUNNELS Colleague Jonathan Schanzer. Jonathan Schanzer, from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, details Hezbollah'srearmament, funded primarily by Iran with some Turkish and Qatari involvement. He highlights the discovery of massive smuggling tunnels in Syria and Lebanon, illustrating the staggering financial investment made to arm the region for conflict against Israe

Are we in a 'plastic moment,' an inflection point where the future of the Middle East can finally be reshaped? Veteran peace negotiator Dr. Tal Becker joins the podcast to analyze the shifting tides of regional diplomacy. Reflecting on his recent discussions in Abu Dhabi, Becker describes the Abraham Accords as an emerging "Judeo-Muslim civilization" where the focus isn't on "who the land belongs to," but the realization that "we all belong to the land."  Beyond geopolitics, Becker addresses the trauma of rising Western antisemitism—which he likens to a "zombie apocalypse"—and calls for a resurgence of liberal nationalism. This episode is a masterclass in navigating a zero-sum world to build a future of prosperity, courage, and shared belonging. Key Resources: The Abraham Accords, Explained AJC CEO Ted Deutch Op-Ed: 5 Years On, the Abraham Accords Are the Middle East's Best Hope AJC's Center for a New Middle East Listen – AJC Podcasts: Architects of Peace The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod 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: Manya Brachear Pashman:   As the international community looks to phase two of the cease fire between Israel and the Hamas terror group in Gaza, the American Jewish Committee office in Abu Dhabi invited Dr Tal Becker to participate in discussions about what's next for the region. Dr Becker is one of Israel's leading experts on international humanitarian law and a veteran peace negotiator with Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians. He is currently vice president of the Shalom Hartman Institute, and he joins us now right after the conference in Abu Dhabi to share some of the insights he contributed there.  Tal, welcome to People of the Pod. Tal Becker:   Thank you very much, Manya. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So Tal, you have just returned from a conference in Abu Dhabi where you really took a deep dive, kind of exploring the nature of Arab-Israeli relations, as we are now entering the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.  So I'm just curious, you've been steeped in this for so long, for decades, do you sense, or did you sense a significant shift in the region when it comes to Arab-Israeli relations and the future? Tal Becker:   So I think Manya, we're at a very kind of interesting moment, and it's hard to say exactly which direction it's going, because, on the one hand, we have had very significant military successes. I think a lot of the spoilers in the region have been significantly set back, though they're still there, but Israel really has had to focus on the military side of things a lot. And it, I think, has strained to some extent, the view of what's possible because we're being so focused on the military side.  And I think it is a moment for imagining what's possible. And how do we pivot out of the tragedy and suffering of this war, make the most of the military successes we've had, and really begin to imagine what this region could look like if we're going to continue to succeed in pushing back the spoilers in this way.  Israel is a regional power, and I think it for all our vulnerability that requires, to some extent, for Israel to really articulate a vision that it has for the region. And it's going to take a little bit of time, I think, for everybody to really internalize what's just happened over these last two years and what it means for the potential for good and how we navigate that. So I really think it's kind of like what they call a plastic moment right now. Manya Brachear Pashman:   A plastic moment, can you define that, what do you mean by plastic? Tal Becker:   So what I mean by a plastic moment, meaning it's that moment. It's an inflection point right where, where things could go in one direction or another, and you have to be smart enough to take advantage of the fluidity of the moment, to really emphasize how do we maximize prosperity, stability, coexistence? How do we take away not just the capabilities of the enemies of peace, but also the appeal of their agenda, the language that they use, the way they try to present Muslim Jewish relations, as if they're a kind of zero sum game. So how do we operate both on the economic side, on the security side, but also on the imagining what's possible side, on the peace side. As difficult as that is, and I don't want to suggest that, you know, there aren't serious obstacles, there are, but there's also really serious opportunities. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So what did you sense when you were there, in terms of the perception of Israel? I mean, were people optimistic, for lack of a better term? Tal Becker:   So first of all, it was, you know, a great opportunity to be there. And having been involved, personally, very intensively in the Abraham Accords, I always feel a bit emotional whenever I'm in the Emirates in particular, and Morocco and Bahrain and so on. And to be honest, I kind of feel at home there. And so that's a lovely thing.  I think, on the one hand, I would say there's a there's a relief that hopefully, please God, the war in Gaza is is behind us, that we're now looking at how to really kind of move into the phase of the disarmament of Hamas and the removal of Hamas from governance, you know, working with the Trump team and the Trump plan. And I think they have a bunch of questions. The Emiratis in particular, are strategic thinkers. They really want to be partners in advancing prosperity and stability across the region in pushing back extremism across the region, and I think they're eager to see in Israel a partner for that effort. And I think it puts also a responsibility on both of us to understand the concerns we each have. I mean, it takes some time to really internalize what it is for a country to face a seven-front war with organizations that call for its annihilation, and all the pressure and anxiety that that produces for a people, frankly, that hasn't had the easiest history in terms of the agenda of people hating the Jewish people and persecuting them. So I think that takes a bit of appreciation.  I think we also, in the return, need to appreciate the concerns of our regional partners in terms of making sure that the region is stable, in terms of giving an opportunity for, you know, one way I sometimes word it is that, we need to prepare for the worst case scenario. We need to prevent it from being a self fulfilling prophecy.  Which really requires you to kind of develop a policy that nevertheless gives an opportunity for things to get better, not just plan for things to get worse. And I think our partners in the Gulf in particular really want to hear from us, what we can do to make things better, even while we're planning and maybe even a bit cynical that things might be very difficult. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So you mentioned the Abraham Accords, and I'm curious if you feel that Israel, I know Israel has felt isolated, at times, very isolated, and perhaps abandoned, is even the correct word.  Do you feel that is the case as we enter the second phase of the ceasefire? Do you feel that is less so the case, and do you feel that that might be less so the case because of the Abraham Accords existence? Tal Becker:   Well, so let's first talk about the Abraham Accords and their significance.So I think a lot of people present the Abraham accords as kind of an agreement that is about shared interests and shared challenges and so on, and that's definitely true. But they are, in my view, at least aspirationally, something much bigger than that. First of all, they are almost the articulation of what I call a Judeo Muslim civilization, the view that Jews and Muslims, or that all different peoples of the Middle East belong to this place and have a responsibility for shaping its future. The way I describe the Abraham Accords is that they're a group of countries who basically have said that the argument about who the land belongs to is not as important as the understanding that we all belong to the land. And as a result of that, this is kind of a partnership against the forces of extremism and chaos, and really offering a version of Israeli Jewish identity and of Muslim Arab identity that is in competition with the Iranian-Hezbollah-Hamas narrative that kind of condemns us to this zero sum conflict.  So the first thing to say is that I think the Abraham Accords have such tremendous potential for reimagining the relationship between Muslims and Jews, for reimagining the future of the region, and for really making sure that the enemies of peace no longer shape our agenda, even if they're still there. So in that sense, the opening that the Abraham Accords offers is an opening to kind of reimagine the region as a whole. And I think that's really important. And I think we have now an opportunity to deepen the Accords, potentially to expand them to other countries, and in doing so, to kind of set back the forces of extremism in the region. In a strange way, I would say Manya that Israel is more challenged right now in the west than we are in the Middle East. Because in the West, you see, I mean, there's backlash, and it's a complicated picture, but you can see a kind of increasing voices that challenge Israel's legitimacy, that are really questioning our story. And you see that both on the extreme left and extreme right in different countries across the West, in different degrees. In the Middle East, paradoxically, you have at least a partnership around accepting one another within the region that seems to me to be very promising.  And in part, I have to say it's really important to understand, for all the tragedy and difficulty of this war, Israel demonstrated an unbelievable resilience, unbelievable strength in dealing with its its adversaries, an unbelievable capacity, despite this seven front challenge, and I think that itself, in a region that's a very difficult region, is attractive. I think we do have a responsibility and an interest in imagining how we can begin to heal, if that's a word we can use the Israeli Palestinian relationship, at least move in a better direction. Use the Trump plan to do that, because that, I think, will also help our relationship in the region as a whole, without making one dependent on the other. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So I want to follow up with what you just said, that Israel faces perhaps many more challenges in the west than in the region. What about the Jewish people, would you apply that same statement to the Jewish people? Tal Becker:   Well, I think, you know, we've seen, we've seen the rise of antisemitism. And in my view, one way to think about October 7 is that October 7 marks the end of the post-Holocaust era. So there were a few decades there where, even if antisemitism existed, there were many circles in which it was socially unacceptable to give it voice. And something has shattered in the West in particular that it seems to be more socially acceptable to express antisemitism or antisemitic-adjacent type views, and that, I think has has really shocked and shaken many Jews across the western world.  I guess the thing I would say about that is, you know, some of the Jews I come across in the West were under, in my view, a bit of an illusion, that antisemitism had somehow been cured. You feel this sometimes in North America, and that essentially, we had reached a stage in Jewish history where antisemitism was broadly a thing of the past and was on the margins, and then the ferocity with which it came back on October 8 was like a trauma. And one of the definitions of trauma is that trauma is a severe challenge to the way you understand the world and your place in it.  And so if you had this understanding of your reality that antisemitism was essentially a thing of the past in North America in particular. And then all of a sudden it came back. You can see that traumatic experience. And what I want to argue or suggest is that the problem isn't that we had the solution and lost it. I think the problem was we had an illusion that there was a solution in the first place. Unfortunately, I think the Jewish people's history tells the story that antisemitism is kind of like the zombie apocalypse. It never exactly disappears. You can sometimes marginalize it more or marginalize it less. And we're now entering an era which I think Jews are familiar with, which is an era that it is becoming more socially acceptable to be antisemitic. And that to some extent, Jewish communal life feels more conditional and Jewish identity, and while being accepted in the societies in which you live also feels more conditional.  And while that is a familiar pattern, we are probably the generation of Jews with more resources, more influence, more power, more capacity than probably at any other time in Jewish history. And so it would be a mistake, I think, to think of us as kind of going back to some previous era. Yes, there are these challenges, but there are also a whole set of tools. We didn't have the F35 during the Spanish Inquisition.  So I think that despite all these challenges, it's also a great moment of opportunity for really building Jewish communities that are resilient, that have strong Jewish identity, that are that have a depth of Jewish literacy, and trying to inoculate as much as possible the societies in which we live and the communities in which we live from that phenomenon of antisemitism perhaps better than we had had done in previous iterations of this.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   I also want to go back and explore another term that you've used a couple of times, and that is enemies of peace. And I'm curious how you define the enemies of peace. Who are you talking about? And I'm asking you to kind of take a step back and really broaden that definition as much as possible. Tal Becker:   I mean, it goes back to that idea that I mentioned about the Abraham Accords, which is an understanding that there are different peoples in the Middle East that call it home, and each of those peoples deserves a place where they can nurture their identity and cultivate it and have their legitimacy respected, and in that sense, those who are engaged in a kind of zero sum competition, that feel that their exist, existence depends on the obliteration of the other. I see those as enemies of peace.  Now, I believe that both Jews and Palestinians, for example, have a right to self determination. I think that both belong in the sense that both deserve the capacity to cultivate their own identity. But the right to self determination, for example, the Palestinian right to self determination doesn't include the right to deny the Jewish right to self determination. It doesn't include the right to erase Jewish history.  In the same way that we as Jews need to come to terms with the fact that the Palestinian people feel a real connection to this place. Now, it's very difficult, given how radicalized Palestinian society is, and we have to be very realistic about the threats we face, because for as long as the dominant narrative in Palestinian society is a rejection of Jewish belongingness and self determination, we have a very difficult challenge ahead of us. But I essentially, broadly speaking, would say, the enemies of peace are those who want to lock us into a zero sum contest. Where essentially, they view the welfare of the other as a threat to themselves. Y You know, we have no conflict with Lebanon. We have no conflict with the people of Iran, for example. We have a conflict, in fact, a zero sum conflict with an Iranian regime that wants to annihilate Israel. And I often point to this kind of discrepancy that Iran would like to destroy Israel, and Israel has the audacity to want not to be destroyed by Iran. That is not an equivalent moral playing field. And so I view the Iranian regime with that kind of agenda, as an enemy of peace. And I think Israel has an obligation to also articulate what its aspirations are in those regards, even if it's a long time horizon to realize those aspirations, because the enemies are out there, and they do need to be confronted effectively and pretty relentlessly. Manya Brachear Pashman:   For our series on the Abraham Accords, Architects of Peace, I spoke with Dr Ali Al Nuami, and we talked about the need for the narrative to change, and the narrative on both sides right, the narrative change about kind of what you refer to as a zero sum game, and for the narrative, especially out of Israel, about the Palestinians to change. And I'm curious if you've given that any thought about changing, or just Israel's ability or obligation to send a message about the need for the Palestinians indeed to achieve self determination and thrive. Tal Becker:   Well, I think first, it's important to articulate how difficult that is, simply because, I mean, Israel has faced now two years of war, and the sense that I think many Israelis felt was that Palestinian society at large was not opposed to what happened on October 7, and the dominant narratives in Palestinian society, whether viewing Israel as some kind of a front to Islam, or viewing Israel as a kind of colonial enterprise to then be like in the business of suggesting a positive vision in the face of that is very difficult, and we do tend Manya, in these situations, when we say the narrative has to change, we then say, on the other side, they have to change the narrative, rather than directing that to ourselves. So I think, you know, there is an obligation for everyone to think about how best to articulate their vision.  It's a huge, I think, obligation on the Palestinian leadership, and it's a very one they've proved incapable of doing until now, which is genuinely come to terms with the Jewish people's belongingness to this part of the world and to their right to self determination. It's a core aspect of the difficulty in addressing this conflict. And having said all that, I think we as Israeli Jews also have an obligation to offer that positive vision. In my mind, there is nothing wrong with articulating an aspiration you're not sure you can realize, or you don't even know how to realize. But simply to signal that is the direction that I'm going in, you know?  I mean Prime Minister Netanyahu, for example, talks about that he wants the Palestinian people to have all the power to govern themselves and none of the power to threaten Israel. Which is a way of saying that the Palestinian people should have that capacity of self determination that gives them the potential for peace, prosperity, dignity, and security, But not if the purpose of that is to essentially be more focused on destroying Israel than it is on building up Palestinian identity. Now that I think, can be articulated in positive terms, without denying Israel's connection to the land, without denying the Jewish people's story, but recognizing the other. And yes, I think despite all the difficulties, victory in war is also about what you want to build, not just what you want to destroy. And in that sense, our ability to kind of frame what we're doing in positive terms, in other words, not just how we want to take away the capacities of the extremists, but what we want to build, if we had partners for that, actually helps create that momentum. So I would just say to Dr Ali's point that, I think that's a shared burden on all of us, and the more people that can use that language, it can actually, I think, help to create the spaces where things that feel not possible begin to maybe become possible. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Which in many ways Trump's 20 point plan does that. It doesn't just only talk about disarming Hamas. It talks about rebuilding Gaza. Are there other ways in which Israel can assure the success of the Palestinian people and push forwards. Can you envision other ways? Tal Becker:   Well, I mean, I'm sure there's lots that people can do, but there is a burden on the Palestinian people themselves, and I do find that a lot of this discourse kind of takes agency away from the Palestinian people and their leadership. In a way, there's a kind of honesty to the Trump plan and the Security Council resolution that was adopted endorsing the plan that has been missing for quite a while. The Trump plan, interestingly, says three things.  It says, on this issue of a kind of vision or pathway. It says, first of all, it basically says there is no Palestinian state today, which must have come as a bit of a shock for those countries recognizing a Palestinian state. But I think that is a common understanding. It's a little bit of an illusion to imagine that state.  The second thing is how critical it is for there to be PA reform, genuine reform so that there is a responsible function in Palestinian governing authority that can actually be focused on the welfare of its people and govern well.  And the third is that then creates a potential pathway for increasing Palestinian self-determination and moving potentially towards Palestinian statehood, I think, provided that that entity is not going to be used as a kind of terror state or a failed state. But that, I think, is a kind of honest way of framing the issue. But we don't get around Manya the need for responsibility, for agency. So yes, Israel has responsibility. Yes, the countries of the region have responsibilities.  But ultimately, the core constituency that needs to demonstrate that it is shifting its mindset and more focused on building itself up, rather than telling a story about how it is seeking to deny Jewish self determination, is the Palestinian leadership. And I do think that what's happening in Gaza at least gives the potential for that.  You have the potential for an alternative Palestinian governance to emerge. You have the potential for Hamas to be set back in a way that it no longer has a governing role or a shape in shaping the agenda. And I think if we can make Gaza gradually a success story, you know, this is a bit too optimistic for an Israeli to say, but maybe, maybe we can begin to create a momentum that can redefine the Israeli Palestinian relationship. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So I asked what can Israel do to move forward to assure the Palestinians that they are behind their success and thriving? What can Israel do to make sure that it's respected, that is not facing the challenges from the West, from that region. What can Israel do? What is Israel's obligation, or is that an unfair question, to ensure its success and its moving forward? Tal Becker:   I think it's a really difficult question, because the criticism that Israel has gotten throughout this war and the threats to its legitimacy in the way that they've erupted, I think, is a really complicated phenomena that has many moving parts. So some part of it, I think, rightly, is about Israeli policy and Israeli language and the way it has framed what it has been doing, and really the unbelievable moral dilemmas that the war in Gaza posed, and how Israel conducted itself in the way of those dilemmas. And people can have different views about that.  I think there's a misunderstanding, very significantly, of the nature of the battlefield and how impossible Hamas in its deliberate kind of weaponization of the civilian population, made that. So there's one component that has to do with Israel. There's another component that we can't ignore, that has to do with antisemitism. And that, I think, for that group right who almost define themselves through their hostility towards the Jewish people and towards the very idea of Jewish self determination, it's hard to think anything that Israel says or does that actually matters, right? These were the people who were criticizing Israel even before it responded.  And so in that sense, I think putting too much on Israel is a problem. Maybe I'll just focus on the area that I think is most interesting here, and that is, in my view, a lot of the argument about Israel in the West, we'll take the US, for example, is actually not an argument about Israel, but more an argument about the US that is channeled through Israel. In other words, a lot of people seem to be having their argument about America's story of itself channeled through their argument about Israel. And what they're actually arguing about is their vision of America.  And you can see different versions of this. There's a story of America as perhaps a kind of white Christian country that was exploited by immigrants and is exploited by other countries in the world, and that narrative kind of tends pushes you in a direction of having a certain view, in my view, mistaken, in any event, about Israel. That is more to do about your story of America than it has anything to do with what Israel is doing or saying. And then you hear this very loudly, and I'm not suggesting these are exactly even.  But on the more radical kind of progressive left, you have a story of America as essentially a country that never came over the legacy of slavery, a country that has to kind of apologize for its power, that it sees itself as a colonial entity that can't be redeemed. And when you're kind of locked in that version of America, which I kind of think is a kind of self hating story of America. Then that then projects the way you view Israel more than anything Israel says or does. So this has a lot to do with America's, and this is true of other countries in the West, that internal struggle and then the way different actors, especially in the social media age, need to position themselves on the Israel issue, to identify which tribe they belong to in this other battle.  So in my view, people who care about the US-Israel relationship, for example, would be wise to invest in this, in the battle over America's story of itself, and in that sense, it's less about Israeli public diplomacy and less about Israeli policy. It's much more about the glasses people wear when they look at Israel. And how do you influence those glasses? Manya Brachear Pashman:   I could sit here and talk to you all day, this is really fascinating and thought provoking. I do want to ask two more questions, though, and one is, I've been harping on what can Israel do? What are Israel's obligations?  But let me back up a step. What about the Arab states? What are the other neighbors in the region obligated to do to assure the Palestinians that they're going to succeed and thrive? Tal Becker:   Yeah, I mean, it's a really important question and, and I think that for many, many years, we suffered from, I would say, a basic lack of courage from Arab states. I'm generalizing, but I hope that others would advance their interests for them. And in some sense, I think the Abraham Accords really flipped that, because Abraham Accords was the Arab states having the courage and the voice to say, we need to redefine our relationship with with Israel, and in that way, create conditions, potentially for Palestinians to do, to do the same.  I would say that there are a whole set right, and, not my position to kind of be the lecturer, and each country is different in their own dynamics. I think the first from an Israeli perspective, of course, is to really push back against this attempt to delegitimize the Jewish people's belonging in the Middle East, and not to allow this kind of narrative where the only authentic way to be a Palestinian or a Muslim is to reject the idea that other peoples live in the region and have a story that connects them to it, and Israel is here to stay, and it can be a partner. You can have disagreements with it. But the idea that it's some kind of illegitimate entity, I think, needs to be taken out of the lexicon fundamentally. I think a second area is in really this expectation of Palestinian especially in the Israeli Palestinian context, of being partners in holding the Palestinians accountable not to have the kind of the soft bigotry of low expectations, and to really recognize Palestinian agency, Palestinian responsibility and also Palestinian rights, yes, but not in this kind of comic strip, victim villain narrative, where Israel has all the responsibilities and the Palestinians have all the rights. My colleague, Einat Wilf, for example, talks about Schrodinger's Palestine. You know, Schrodinger's Cat, right? So Schrodinger's Palestine is that the Palestinians are recognized for rights, but they're not recognized for responsibilities. And Israel has rights and responsibilities. And finally, I would say in terms of the the taking seriously the spoilers in the region, and working with Israel and with our partners to make sure that the spoilers in the region don't dictate the agenda and don't have the capacity to do so, not just hoping that that, you know, Israel and the US will take care of that, but really working with us. And I think a few countries are really stepping up in that regard. They have their own constraints, and we need to be respectful of that, and I understand that.  But I think that, you know, this is a strategic partnership. I sometimes joke that with the Emirates, it's a Jewish and a Muslim state, but it's a Catholic marriage. We've kind of decided to bind together in this kind of strategic partnership that has withstood these last two years, because we want to share a vision of the Middle East that is to the benefit of all peoples, and that means doing kind of three things at once. Meaning confronting the spoilers on the one hand, investing in regional integration on the other, and seeing how we can improve Israeli Palestinian relations at the same time. So working in parallel on all three issues and helping each other in the process and each other thrive. I mean, there's a whole bunch of stuff beyond the conflict. There's, you know, AI and fighting desertification and irrigation and defense tech and intelligence, and a whole host of areas where we can cooperate and empower each other and be genuine partners and strengthen our own societies and the welfare of our own peoples through that partnership for ourselves, for each other and for the region. So there's a lot to do. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And my last question – I've asked, what do the Arab states need to do? What does Israel need to do? What do Jewish advocates around the world need to do?  Tal Becker:   So I think the most important thing at this moment for me, Manya, is courage. There is a danger, because of the rise in antisemitism and the kind of hostility that one sees, that Jews in particular will become more silent. And they'll kind of hide a little bit in the hope that this will somehow pass them. And I think what our history has taught us, is generally, these are phenomena that if you don't stand up against them early, they become extremely powerful down the line, and you can't, and it becomes very, very costly to confront them.  So it takes courage, but I would say that communities can show more courage than individuals can, and in that sense, I think, you know, insisting on the rights of Jews within the societies in which they live, fighting for those kind of societies, that all peoples can prosper in. Being strong advocates for a kind of society in which Jews are able to thrive and be resilient and prosper, as well as others as well. I think is very important.  Just in a nutshell, I will say that it seems to me that in much of the world, what we're seeing is liberalism being kind of hijacked by a radical version of progressivism, and nationalism being hijacked by a version of ultra-nationalism. And for Jews and for most people, the best place to be is in liberal nationalism. Liberal nationalism offers you respect for collective identity on the one hand, but also respect for individual autonomy on the other right. That's the beautiful blend of liberal nationalism in that way, at least aspirationally, Israel, being a Jewish and democratic state, is really about, on the one hand, being part of a story bigger than yourself, but on the other hand, living a society that sees individual rights and individual agency and autonomy. And that blend is critical for human thriving and for meaning, and it's been critical for Jews as well. And so particularly across the diaspora, really fighting for liberal national identity, which is being assaulted from the extremes on both sides, seems to me to be an urgent mission. And it's urgent not just for Jews to be able not to kind of live conditionally and under fear and intimidation within the societies they live, but as we've seen throughout history, it's pretty critical for the thriving of that society itself.  At the end of the day, the societies that get cannibalized by extremes end up being societies that rot from within. And so I would say Jews need to be advocates for their own rights. Double down on Jewish identity, on resilience and on literacy, on Jewish literacy. At the same time as fighting for the kind of society in which the extremes don't shape the agenda. That would be my wish. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Making liberal nationalism an urgent mission for all societies, in other words, being a force for good. Tal Becker:   Yes, of course. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Our universal mission. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for sharing all of these thoughts with us and safe travels as you take off for the next destination. Tal Becker:   Thank you very much, Manya. I appreciate it. Manya Brachear Pashman:   As we approach the end of the year, and what a year it's been, take some time to catch up on episodes you might have missed along the way, rewind and listen to some of my more memorable interviews, such as my conversation with former Israeli hostage Shoshan Haran, abducted with her daughter, son in law and grandchildren during the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023. Meet doctors or hen and Ernest Frankel, two MIT professors who amid anti Israel academic boycotts, are trying to salvage the valuable research gains through collaboration with Israeli scholars. And enjoy my frank conversation with Jonah Platt, best known for playing Fiyero in Broadway's wicked who now hosts his own hit podcast Being Jewish with Jonah Platt. Hard to believe all of this and more has unfolded in 2025 alone. May 2026 be peaceful and prosperous for us all.  

Your daily news in under three minutes. At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Turmoil – Chapter One, 6min., Lebanon Directed by Sary Andre El Asmar A young woman lives between two worlds: Europe, where she's built a life, and Lebanon, the home she can't stop longing for. Torn between memory and desire, she drifts back and forth, riding the emotional rollercoaster of exile, identity, and belonging. Get to know the filmmaker: What motivated you to make this film? What motivated me to make this film was the complex feeling of belonging and displacement that many Lebanese expats carry. I started filming randomly with no clear plan.When my friend, who lives in Germany, came back to Lebanon we spent many days together, and after that i began to sense the constant push and pull, the urge to return to her home but at the same time the desire to leave again. For me home is where your roots are, but it's also where safety feels uncertain. The film became a reflection of living between two places, two lives, and two versions of what “home” means. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? Well actually, I have been shooting randomly for about 1 year and a half. I am a sea lover and mountain lover. So I used to shoot randomly every time I went out. But the idea of putting those shots into the final product took me like 3 months. How would you describe your film in two words!? Wandering Roots What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? Emotional breakdowns There are 5 Stages of Filmmaking: 1) Development. 2) Pre-Production. 3) Production. 4) Post-Production. 5) Distribution.What is your favorite stage of the process and why? 4) Post-Production because this process is where the real story telling happens , where I can put all my emotions and meanings to start to take shape. ---- Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

On this week's episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Col. (ret.) Dr. Michael Milshtein, former head of the Department for Palestinian Affairs in Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate. They discuss the current status of the Gaza ceasefire deal, the contrasting realities on the ground in the Hamas-controlled red zone and the Israeli-controlled green zone, prospects for the U.S.-led Phase II of the deal, the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump, fear of escalation in Lebanon, and more. Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

President Herzog accepts invitation to visit Australia, IDF eliminates three Hizbullah terrorists in south Lebanon, Defense Minister declares Israel will resettle northern Gaza StripSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the 245th episode of TOMCRE, Monte and  CareyAnn celebrate nearly seven years of shows, reflect on how the podcast began as a radio program, and share hard‑won lessons from decades in real estate and mortgage. They unpack why what got you here won't get you there, how to thrive in a shifting market, and why mindset and structure are non‑negotiable for long‑term success.  Monte also shares big personal news: he's transitioning full‑time to Florida, staying active in real estate there, while Carrie Anne and CMG prepare to evolve and modernize the podcast with a new home base and expanded guest lineup. Through stories of resilience, community involvement, and relationship‑based business, this episode both honors the past and sets the stage for an exciting new chapter.- **0:00 – 2:20** – Celebrating **Episode 245** and nearly seven years together; memories of starting as a radio show on Talk 99.7.  - **2:20 – 4:30** – Thinking outside the box in real estate; shout‑out to **Jonathan Harris (Scout Realty)** and the book *What Got You Here Won't Get You There*.  - **4:30 – 7:00** – Market outlook for **2026**: insights from **Brian Buffini**, fewer agents in the “pond,” more transactions, and why adaptability beats fear.  - **7:00 – 9:30** – Mindset and momentum: how taking your foot off the gas can stall a business; shifting from “easy business” to real prospecting and hard work.  - **9:30 – 11:50** – The **power of numbers** and relationships: Art Kelly's “Friend Maker” concept, talking to more people, and serving more families through increased activity.  - **11:50 – 13:50** – Structure and routines: the impact of losing huddle calls, coaching, and workouts—and why structure is critical to reaching “your next level.”  - **13:50 – 15:20** – Monte's “unfair advantage”: a playful birthday reveal and “cold calling since age two” story.  - **15:20 – 18:00** – Big announcement: Monte's move to **Florida**, clarifying he's **not retiring**, and Carrie Anne's vision for taking the podcast to the **next level with CMG**.  - **18:00 – 21:20** – Abundance mindset: success leaves clues, why they openly share their “secrets,” and winning the battle in your mind before winning in the market.  - **21:20 – 22:35** – Community involvement in Florida: HOA leadership, neighborhood events, and a powerful moment with Monte's granddaughter that confirms the move.  - **22:35 – end** – Gratitude for listeners, reassurance that Monte is still selling homes in Florida, and excitement for the **next era** of Talk of Music City Real Estate.`We Educate and Motivate All Things Real Estate!Monte Mohr owns Realty One Group Music City and has sold over $1 Billion dollar's worth of real estate and over 3000 homes sold over his 30+ year career!Interested in joining Monte as an agent?www.topagentsuccess.comCarey Ann Cyr manages and operates one of the Top Branches for CMG Financial in Franklin, TN. She and her team have become known for closing nearly impossible deals! They have processed over 300 million in mortgages since 2016 with over 613 families ushered into their dream homes!Contact Carey Ann:www.yourtnlendingsolution.comThe Talk of Music City Real Estate is Produced, Voiced and Edited by www.itsyourshow.co

In this Christmas sermon from Isaiah 35, Pastor Jared Richard used the universal desire to go home for the holidays as a gateway to discuss our deeper spiritual longing for our true home with God. He explained that Isaiah 35 describes two contrasting places - the wilderness and desert representing our current broken world, versus the paradise of Lebanon, Carmel, and Sharon representing the home God has prepared for us. Pastor Richard walked through multiple layers of this prophetic passage, beginning with God's promise to bring exiled Israel home from Babylon, then expanding to humanity's exile from Eden due to sin, and ultimately pointing to Jesus as the solution. He emphasized that Jesus willingly left his perfect home in heaven, was born in exile-like conditions in a stable, was rejected by his own people, and died on the cross bearing our judgment so that we could return home to the Father. The sermon concluded with three applications: receiving the hope of Christ's salvation, following Christ's example in reconciling broken relationships, and rejoicing with fellow believers as we journey toward our eternal home together.   WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.   ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION. Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614 Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613   SERVICE TIMES Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)!   CONTACT www.bayleaf.org (919) 847-4477 #BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

It's Happening Again: Netanyahu Is Pushing Trump To Launch A Massive Attack On Iran & Lebanon! Plus, Russian General Killed In Moscow Car Bomb, Muslims Across West Attack Christmas Displays, Photos Of Epstein Groping Small Children EmergeSKY PILOT RADIO CLASSIC HITS 60's thru the 80's LISTEN and REMEMBER

We take a closer look at Pope Leo XIV's upcoming holiday schedule. Meanwhile, we meet the man who has been Santa for 60 years. And, across Lebanon, communities are celebrating Christmas with creativity, devotion, and resilience.

Episode #453: Patrick Phongsathorn is a human rights advocate and Fortify Rights advocacy specialist working on Myanmar. Raised near London by a Thai–Irish–South African family, he pairs legal rigor with practical savvy about how ministries, courts, and donors move. After abandoning an early push toward medicine, Patrick rerouted into politics and human rights, studying at SOAS and Sciences Po's Human Rights and Humanitarian Action program. He learned by doing: Human Rights Watch work on detention and refugee children; IOM in TimorLeste's smallstate bureaucracy; UNHCR in Lebanon at the height of the Syria crisis. After settlingin Thailand, he joined Fortify Rights in 2019, built monitoring systems, and now leads advocacy while training partners to craft evidencedriven strategies. Patrick's approach is simple and demanding: investigate carefully, argue from law, and listen first. As he puts it, “the most important people that I've spoken to about Myanmar are Myanmar people.” In Myanmar he sees a twotrack mission— minimize harm now and make justice possible later— because “if you don't reconcile the injustices that people face, then they will come back.” Fortify Rights has documented a pattern of indiscriminate airstrikes on civilians and protected sites—churches, IDP camps, hospitals, schools—often rising when the junta loses ground. Patrickcalls for an arms embargo and restrictions on aviation fuel alongside individual command accountability. The red lines are nonnegotiable: “It's never right to bomb a hospital, it's never right to bomb a school, it's never right to kill civilians in times of war.” Accountability, he insists, binds all parties, including the NUG, PDFs, and ethnic forces. He is also skeptical of sham elections and “safe zones,” urging instead a real Thai asylum system and sustained international pressure through the UN and universaljurisdiction cases. He also reflects on ‘the day after' the military's anticipated defeat, noting that they must avoid victors' justice while building institutions that can fairly try atrocity crimes. And as the global order frays, he reminds that Myanmar is a test of whether law can still restrain power, reminding listeners that “even if you're not interested in international politics, international politics will be interested in you.”

As 2025 draws to a close, the fate of the Trump administration's twenty point plan to end the war in Gaza, disarming Hamas and withdrawing Israeli forces, and facilitate good governance, security and reconstruction, has run headlong into harsh Middle Eastern realities. The administration is promising a transition to phase two by the end of the year, but the status of the International Stabilization Force and an on the ground Palestinian governing structure seem more theoretical than real. What are the chances of implementation of the Trump plan, particularly on security? What, or who, will actually govern Gaza? And what of the other U.S. efforts in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran? Join Aaron David Miller as he addresses these issues and others with Carnegie's Marwan Muasher, Israel Policy Forum's Nimrod Novik, and former Palestinian Authority adviser Manal Zeidan, on the next Carnegie Connects. 

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it was investigating a strike in Gaza City which reportedly killed at least five people, including civilians. According to the military, during operations on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line in the Strip’s north, troops spotted several suspects in “dominant structures” on the western side of the Yellow Line — meaning not in IDF-held territory. Fabian discusses the idea of "dominant structures" and reports on the uptick of Gazans attempting to cross the Yellow Line into Israeli-controlled Gaza. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said yesterday that his country is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River. This comes after Israel struck Hezbollah targets across Lebanon on Thursday morning, hitting weapons stores deep inside the country and a training camp used by the terror group. So which is it? Fabian weighs in. The Israel Defense Forces captured a suspected Islamic State jihadist in an overnight raid earlier this week in southern Syria, the military said in a Saturday statement. We learn how active ISIS is in southern Syria. Finally, an Israeli woman who reported having been kidnapped on Friday was extracted by the Palestinian Authority’s security forces from the West Bank city of Jericho, the military said. We hear about the oft-overlooked close coordination between Israeli and PA forces.Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: 5 said killed in Gaza City strike; IDF says it’s investigating, regrets any civilian harm Army says it killed two terror operatives who crossed Gaza’s Yellow Line Lebanese PM says country close to completing Hezbollah disarmament south of Litani River Widescale IDF strikes target Hezbollah training camp, terror sites across Lebanon IDF says it nabbed suspected ISIS jihadist in southern Syria operation PA forces extract Israeli from Jericho who reported being kidnapped Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: An Israeli woman who was extracted from the West Bank city of Jericho is seen next to an officer from the Civil Administration, December 19, 2025. (Courtesy)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Christ. In Community. In Lebanon.https://www.cornerstonelebanon.com/Youtube LivestreamThe Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments (66 books) are the unique, divinely inspired, authoritative word of God that came through human agents under God's providence. Its primary purpose is to make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:15), who is the ultimate revelation of Eternal Life that the Scriptures testify about (John 5:39; Luke 24:25-27).

The Trump administration has just wrapped another round of diplomatic talks with Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt about Gaza—and once again, it proves a truth Israel must never forget: we can rely only on ourselves. Whether regarding Gaza or Lebanon, ongoing US diplomacy is completely detached from the realities on the ground, and dangerously ignores the ideology driving our enemies.Join Our Whatsapp Channel: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GkavRznXy731nxxRyptCMvFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/AviAbelowJoin our Telegram Channel: https://t.me/aviabelowpulseFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pulse_of_israel/?hl=enPulse of Israel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsraelVideoNetworkVisit Our Website - https://pulseofisrael.com/Donate to Pulse of Israel: https://pulseofisrael.com/boost-this-video/

A fellow scientist remembers his friend Nuno Loureiro -- the beloved MIT professor authorities believe was killed this week by the same man suspected of killing two students at Brown University.Air Canada reaches a settlement with passengers after a crash-landing in a Halifax snowstorm more than 10 years ago -- an event that left our guest with an understandably visceral fear of flying.As part of a ceasefire deal with Israel, the Lebanese army must disarm the militant group Hezbollah by the end of this year. A former MP in Lebanon weighs on whether that's possible -- and what it could mean if it isn't. The Canadian couple who were struggling to secure a travel visa for their adopted Ugandan daughter have finally made it home for the holidays.In tonight's holiday reading, a child's Christmas wish for new ice skates is badly misinterpreted -- to the extreme dismay of that child, and then his mother. This year's World Pie-Eating Championship has a sur-pies winner -- but the contest's pie master laments the much faster competitors of days gone pie.As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that's off the tarts.

 “ If you're not willing to fail, you'll never succeed.” We are very honored to sit with today's guest with a message from a true innovator, leader, and inspiring figure. Salim Asrawi, the co-founder and President of Texas de Brazil, immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. He left Lebanon to come to America in search of the American Dream and after years of working his way through hospitality school and forming an unmatched work ethic that he still practices to this day. Salim is not just a successful and inspiring businessman but also has an enormous and giving heart as he gives to various charities, notably ones that support veterans and the first responder community. Today we will hear from this very inspiring Dallasite as he walks us through his life and tells us his life mission and “why”. For this special holiday episode, we have a special guest cohost in the Dallas Chief of Police, and Salim's friend, Daniel C Comeaux.

What a year it has been. In this special Year in Review 2025 episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, Khalil Diab and MohammadAli Jardaly look back at a remarkable year of conversations that went far beyond medicine. From artificial intelligence and innovation to humanities, storytelling, identity, and reinvention, 2025 revealed a powerful shift in how we talk about healthcare, careers, and purpose. We revisited unforgettable episodes featuring physicians, scientists, writers, entrepreneurs, and leaders from Lebanon and the diaspora voices that challenged assumptions, changed perspectives, and reminded us that medicine is as human as it is scientific. This episode reflects on: The growing role of AI in healthcare and beyond The return of humanities, books, and personal journeys to medical dialogue Powerful stories of career reinvention, entrepreneurship, and finding purpose Highlighting Lebanese and regional talent making a global impact Why you are never stuck—in medicine or in life Lessons learned from guests who reshaped how we think about success, risk, and fulfillment We also discuss how the podcast itself is evolving embracing video, reaching new audiences, and expanding its mission as an open platform for meaningful conversations. You don't have to be a physician to be part of this dialogue—if you have a story worth sharing, this space is for you.

“Conflict is the spirit of the relationship asking itself to deepen” --Sobonfu Somé Facilitator and writer Shilpa Jain deeply understands the nature of being human. She is well known in her East Bay community for hosting more than 250 “Yes Jams!” over the last decade, encouraging laughter and play as she facilitates groups through conflict. Working with change makers—activists, artists, healers, executives, and young people—she helps them navigate conflict from a place of freedom and joy. Join Host Serena Bian in conversation with Shilpa, exploring how conflict can bring us into greater clarity, purpose, and alignment. We'll look at conflict through a trauma healing lens, to learn how to love ourselves and one another better. We will explore conflict transformation and healing, leadership as friendship, alchemizing fear, how we “get free” together, and how to move beyond “cancel culture” with an open-heart. Bring your lunch, and join us after the conversation to walk and sit on the Commonweal land. Shilpa Jain For the last 11+ years, Shilpa has served as the Executive Director of YES!. YES! works with social changemakers at the meeting point of internal, interpersonal and systemic change, and aims to co-create a thriving, just and balanced world for all. Shilpa has researched and written numerous books and articles, and facilitated workshops and gatherings on topics including globalization, creative expressions, ecology, democratic living, innovative learning and unlearning. She has facilitated dozens of transformative leadership gatherings in India, Jordan, Senegal, Lebanon, Egypt, Thailand, Canada, Peru, and the US, working with hundreds of young leaders from more than 50 countries. She was founding coordinator of the Global Youth Leadership Collaborative, a network of 15 Jam facilitators from 14 countries that has collectively produced dozens of international gatherings for young changemakers, and distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to small-scale grassroots social change innovations worldwide. Find more of her writing at shilpajain.substack.com

What is a call? How does a person know if God is calling them to mission service? Join in a discussion as these and other questions are addressed.

Matt Faircloth interviews Maurice Philogene about designing a life around time freedom, personal fulfillment, and intentional investing, drawing from Maurice's journey from corporate executive, military officer, and police officer to real estate investor. Maurice explains how buying and systematically paying down small condo assets created early financial freedom, why ego-driven over-leverage nearly derailed him in 2008, and how discipline and simplicity became his long-term edge. They explore his transition into multifamily syndication, lessons from scaling too fast, and why he ultimately chose to deleverage, simplify, and prioritize lifestyle over endless growth. The conversation also dives into overseas investing in Cyprus and Lebanon, emphasizing relationships over spreadsheets and redefining success beyond net worth. Maurice PhilogeneCurrent role: Real Estate Investor, Syndicator, and Founder of Try Life OnSay hi to them at: https://trylifeon.com/ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/  Join the Best Ever Community  The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It's free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria.  Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WhoRyan Brown, Director of Golf & Ski at The Mountaintop at Grand Geneva, WisconsinRecorded onJune 17, 2025About the Mountaintop at Grand GenevaClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Marcus HotelsLocated in: Lake Geneva, WisconsinYear founded: 1968Pass affiliations: NoneClosest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Alpine Valley (:23), Wilmot Mountain (:29), Crystal Ridge (:48), Alpine Hills Adventure Park (1:04)Base elevation: 847 feetSummit elevation: 962 feetVertical drop: 115 feetSkiable acres: 30Average annual snowfall: 34 inchesTrail count: 21 (41% beginner, 41% intermediate, 18% advanced)Lift count: 6 (3 doubles, 1 ropetow, 2 carpets)Why I interviewed himOf America's various mega-regions, the Midwest is the quietest about its history. It lacks the quaint-town Colonialism and Revolutionary pride of the self-satisfied East, the cowboy wildness and adobe earthiness of the West, the defiant resentment of the Lost Glory South. Our seventh-grade Michigan History class stapled together the state's timeline mostly as a series of French explorers passing through on their way to somewhere more interesting. They were followed by a wave of industrial loggers who mowed the primeval forests into pancakes. Then the factories showed up. And so the state's legacy was framed not as one of political or cultural or military primacy, but of brand, the place that stamped out Chevys and Fords by the tens of millions.To understand the Midwest, then, we must look for what's permanent. The land itself won't do. It's mostly soil, mostly flat. Great for farming, bad for vistas. Dirt doesn't speak to the soul like rock, like mountains. What humans built doesn't tell us a much better story. Everything in the Midwest feels too new to conceal ghosts. The largest cities rose late, were destroyed in turn by fires and freeways, eventually recharged with arenas and glass-walled buildings that fail to echo or honor the past. Nothing lasts: the Detroit Pistons built the Palace of Auburn Hills in 1988 and developers demolished it 32 years later; the Detroit Lions (and, for a time, the Pistons) played at the Pontiac Silverdome, a titanic, 82,600-spectator stadium that opened in 1976 and came down in 2013 (37 years old). History seemed to bypass the region, corralling the major wars to the east and shooing the natural disasters to the west and south. Even shipwrecks lose their doubloons-and-antique-cannons romance in the Midwest: the Great Lakes most famous downed vessel, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, sank into Lake Superior in 1975. Her cargo was 26,535 tons of taconite ore pellets. A sad story, but not exactly the sinking of the Titanic.Our Midwest ancestors did leave us one legacy that no one has yet demolished: names. Place names are perhaps the best cultural relics of the various peoples who occupied this land since the glaciers retreated 12,000-ish years ago. Thousands of Midwest cities, towns, and counties carry Native American names. “Michigan” is derived from the Algonquin “Mishigamaw,” meaning “big lake”; “Minnesota” from the Sioux word meaning “cloudy water.” The legacies of French explorers and missionaries live on in “Detroit” (French for “strait”), “Marquette” (17th century French missionary Jacques Marquette), and “Eau Claire” (“clear water”).But one global immigration funnel dominated what became the modern Midwest: 50 percent of Wisconsin's population descends from German, Nordic, or Scandinavian countries, who arrived in waves from the Colonial era through the early 1900s. The surnames are everywhere: Schmitz and Meyer and Webber and Schultz and Olson and Hanson. But these Old-Worlders came a bit late to name the cities and towns. So they named what they built instead. And they built a lot of ski areas. Ten of Wisconsin's 34 ski areas carry names evocative of Europe's cold regions, Scandinavia and the Alps:I wonder what it must have been like, in 18-something-or-other, to leave a place where the Alps stood high on the horizon, where your family had lived in the same stone house for centuries, and sail for God knows how many weeks or months across an ocean, and slow roll overland by oxen cart or whatever they moved about in back then, and at the end of this great journey find yourself in… Wisconsin? They would have likely been unprepared for the landscape aesthetic. Tourism is a modern invention. “The elite of ancient Egypt spent their fortunes building pyramids and having their corpses mummified, but none of them thought of going shopping in Babylon or taking a skiing holiday in Phoenicia [partly in present-day Lebanon, which is home to as many as seven ski areas],” Yuval Noah Harari writes in Sapiens his 2015 “brief history of humankind.” Imagine old Friedrich, who had never left Bavaria, reconstituting his world in the hillocks and flats of the Midwest.Nothing against Wisconsin, but fast-forward 200 years, when the robots can give us a side-by-side of the upper Midwest and the European Alps, and it's pretty clear why one is a global tourist destination and the other is known mostly as a place that makes a lot of cheese. And well you can imagine why Friedrich might want to summon a little bit of the old country to the texture of his life in the form of a ski area name. That these two worlds - the glorious Alps and humble Wisconsin skiing - overlap, even in a handful of place names, suggests a yearning for a life abandoned, a natural act of pining by a species that was not built to move their life across timezones.This is not a perfect analysis. Most – perhaps none – of these ski areas was founded by actual immigrants, but by their descendants. The Germanic languages spoken by these immigrant waves did not survive assimilation. But these little cultural tokens did. The aura of ancestral place endured when even language fell away. These little ski areas honor that.And by injecting grandiosity into the everyday, they do something else. In coloring some of the world's most compact ski centers with the aura of some of its most iconic, their founders left us a message: these ski areas, humble as they are, matter. They fuse us to the past and they fuse us to the majesty of the up-high, prove to us that skiing is worth doing anywhere that it can be done, ensure that the ability to move like that and to feel the things that movement makes you feel are not exclusive realms fenced into the clouds, somewhere beyond means and imagination.Which brings us to Grand Geneva, a ski area name that evokes the great Swiss gateway city to the Alps. Too bad reality rarely matches up with the easiest narrative. The resort draws its name from the nearby town of Lake Geneva, which a 19th-century surveyor named not after the Swiss city, but after Geneva, New York, a city (that is apparently named after Geneva, Switzerland), on the shores of Seneca Lake, the largest of the state's 11 finger lakes. Regardless, the lofty name was the fifth choice for a ski area originally called “Indian Knob.” That lasted three years, until the ski area shuttered and re-opened as the venerable Playboy Ski Area in 1968. More regrettable names followed – Americana Resort from 1982 to '93, Hotdog Mountain from 1992 to '94 – before going with the most obvious and least-questionable name, though its official moniker, “The Mountaintop at Grand Geneva” is one of the more awkward names in American skiing.None of which explains the principal question of this sector: why I interviewed Mr. Brown. Well, I skied a bunch of Milwaukee bumps on my drive up to Bohemia from Chicago last year, this was one of them, and I thought it was a cute little place. I also wondered how, with its small-even-for-Wisconsin vertical drop and antique lift collection, the place had endured in a state littered with abandoned ski areas. Consider it another entry into my ongoing investigation into why the ski areas that you would not always expect to make it are often the ones that do.What we talked aboutFighting the backyard effect – “our customer base – they don't really know” that the ski areas are making snow; a Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison bullseye; competing against the Vail-owned mountain to the south and the high-speed-laced ski area to the north; a golf resort with a ski area tacked on; “you don't need a big hill to have a great park”; brutal Midwest winters and the escape of skiing; I attempt to talk about golf again and we're probably done with that for a while; Boyne Resorts as a “top golf destination”; why Grand Geneva moved its terrain park; whether the backside park could re-open; “we've got some major snowmaking in the works”; potential lift upgrades; no bars on the lifts; the ever-tradeoff between terrain parks and beginner terrain; the ski area's history as a Playboy Club and how the ski hill survived into the modern era; how the resort moves skiers to the hill with hundreds of rooms and none of them on the trails; thoughts on Indy Pass; and Lake Geneva lake life.What I got wrongWe recorded this conversation prior to Sunburst's joining Indy Pass, so I didn't mention the resort when discussing Wisconsin ski areas on the product.Podcast NotesOn the worst season in the history of the MidwestI just covered this in the article that accompanied the podcast on Treetops, Michigan, but I'll summarize it this way: the 2023-24 ski season almost broke the Midwest. Fortunately, last winter was better, and this year is off to a banging start.On steep terrain beneath lift AI just thought this was a really unexpected and cool angle for such a little hill. On the Playboy ClubFrom SKI magazine, December 1969:It is always interesting when giants merge. Last winter Playboy magazine (5.5 million readers) and the Playboy Club (19 swinging nightclubs from Hawaii to New York to Jamaica, with 100,000 card-carrying members) in effect joined the sport of skiing, which is also a large, but less formal, structure of 3.5 million lift-ticket-carrying members. The resulting conglomerate was the Lake Geneva Playboy Club-Hotel, Playboy's ski resort on the rolling plains of Wisconsin.The Playboy Club people must have borrowed the idea of their costumed Bunny Waitress from the snow bunny of skiing fame, and since Playboy and skiing both manifestly devote themselves to the pleasures of the body, some sort of merger was inevitable. Out of this union, obviously, issued the Ultimate Ski Bunny – one able to ski as well as sport the scanty Bunny costume to lustrous perfection.That's a bit different from how the resort positions its ski facilities today:Enjoy southern Wisconsin's gem - our skiing and snow resort in the countryside of Lake Geneva, with the best ski hills in Wisconsin. The Mountain Top at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa boasts 20 downhill ski runs and terrain designed for all ages, groups and abilities, making us one of the best ski resorts in Wisconsin. Just an hour from Milwaukee and Chicago, our ski resort in Lake Geneva is close enough to home for convenience, but far enough for you and your family to have an adventure. Our ultimate skier's getaway offers snowmaking abilities that allow our ski resort to stay open even when there is no snow falling.The Mountain Top offers ski and snow accommodations, such as trolley transportation available from guest rooms at Grand Geneva and Timber Ridge Lodge, three chairlifts, two carpet lifts, a six-acre terrain park, excellent group rates, food and drinks at Leinenkugel's Mountain Top Lodge and even night skiing. We have more than just skiing! Enjoy Lake Geneva sledding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing too. Truly something for everyone at The Mountain Top ski resort in Lake Geneva. No ski equipment? No problem with the Learn to Ride rentals. Come experience The Mountain Top at Grand Geneva and enjoy the best skiing around Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.On lost Wisconsin and Midwest ski areasThe Midwest Lost Ski Areas Project counts 129 lost ski areas in Wisconsin. I've yet to order these Big Dumb Chart-style, but there are lots of cool links in here that can easily devour your day.The Storm explores the world of North American lift-served skiing year-round. Join us. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

 “ If you're not willing to fail, you'll never succeed.” We are very honored to sit with today's guest with a message from a true innovator, leader, and inspiring figure. Salim Asrawi, the co-founder and President of Texas de Brazil,  immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. He left Lebanon to come to America in search of the American Dream and after years of working his way through hospitality school and forming an unmatched work ethic that he still practices to this day. Salim is not just a successful and inspiring businessman but also has an enormous and giving heart as he gives to various charities, notably ones that support veterans and the first responder community. Today we will hear from this very inspiring Dallasite as he walks us through his life and tells us his life mission and “why”. For this special holiday episode, we have a special guest cohost in the Dallas Chief of Police, and Salim's friend, Daniel C Comeaux.

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref 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

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

2026 will be a challenging year. The United States will be preoccupied with potentially game-changing mid-term elections. Western European nations seem likely to slide further into what Team Trump calls illegal immigrant-induced “civilization erasure.”  Then, there's Russia's intensifying bloodletting in Ukraine and  Western civilization's unfinished wars with jihadists in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.  The question to which we must give earnest, focused and sustained attention is: Will China's dictator, Xi Jinping, perceive such distractions – at least some of which he relentlessly fosters – as an irresistible opportunity to transition from the pre-kinetic warfare his Chinese Communist Party has long waged against us to a shooting war? An important webinar today will explore that prospect – and what we must be doing now to prepare for, and hopefully deter, it. You have a need-to-know. Join us at PresentDangerChina.org at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.  This is Frank Gaffney.

Monte Judah reports on escalating threats facing Israel, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and rising global antisemitism from a Messianic perspective.00:00 — Introduction and Opening (Shalom, IDF preparations in Lebanon/Syria/Gaza, terrorist attacks increasing)01:15 — Lebanon and Hezbollah Situation (Government not disarming Hezbollah, Israeli airstrikes, potential ground operation)04:30 — Syria and Druze Protection (IDF presence, new Syrian leader, protecting Druze villages)07:00 — Gaza Update (Ran Gvili hostage body, ceasefire issues, Yellow Line status quo, probing attacks, tunnels)11:45 — Trump's Peace Plan and Stabilization Force (Phase two delays, rebuilding Gaza, overstatements of peace)13:20 — Worldwide Terrorist Attacks (Sydney Australia Chanukah attack, Brown University shooting rumor, "Globalize the Intifada")15:10 — Broader Commentary and Parallels (Banning terrorists, Rob Reiner story analogy, ongoing threats)15:50 — Closing (Netanyahu-Trump meeting, Chanukah wishes, Shabbat Shalom)• What's really happening in Israel and the Middle East? Monte Judah breaks it down on Messianic World Update. Watch on LionandLamb.tv

In this episode, we take an honest look at a statement many Gen Zers quietly wrestle with: “I don't feel like a Christian.” What happens when your faith makes sense in theory, but feels distant or disconnected in your heart? Do fluctuating emotions or doubts mean something is wrong with your salvation? Let's explore what Scripture actually says about salvation and assurance, including the important distinction between eternal security (what God does and promises) and assurance of salvation (what we experience and feel). If you've ever wondered, “Am I really saved?” or if you've ever felt spiritually disconnected or unsure where you stand with God, this episode will help you ground your faith not in feelings, but in truth.   ABOUT: Lina AbuJamra is a Pediatric ER doctor, now practicing telemedicine, and the founder of Living With Power Ministries. Known for her bold faith and down-to-earth honesty, she's passionate (and allegedly funny) about helping people connect biblical truth to everyday life. Whether through teaching, writing, or podcasting, Lina brings hope to those wrestling with life's hardest questions. When she's not speaking or creating content, she's providing medical and humanitarian aid in crisis zones like Lebanon and Uganda. Learn more about her at LivingWithPower.org. Follow on Insta: linaabujamra Follow on Facebook: Lina Abujamra

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20251218dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Isaiah 35:1-2 God Makes the Desert Bloom In northern Chile, along the Pacific coast, lies one of the driest places on earth. Known as the Atacama, it sometimes goes decades without measurable rainfall. It’s so barren that NASA uses it to simulate conditions on Mars. But in rare years, the Atacama Desert receives a few inches of rain, like it did a few months ago. Within days, something astonishing happens. Dormant seeds that have been buried in the dust for years suddenly burst into life. The desert floor becomes carpeted with a palette of pink, purple, yellow, and white. The transformation is so dramatic that satellites can detect the color change from space. That’s the picture Isaiah gives us. Maybe your life feels a little like that dry ground right now. Life feels empty, brittle, and you’re waiting for something to change. Isaiah reminds us that God hasn’t forgotten how to make things bloom. His Word and his Spirit still bring renewal, transformation, and life. God rains down his grace, forgiveness, and peace on dry and weary hearts. God is able to transform the dry and the forsaken into vibrant life. God turns death into life. Jesus Christ went from barren death and three days later to life and immortality. He broke through the grave as the firstfruits from the dead. He endured the scathing punishment for your sin. He bore the withering wrath you deserved. He did all this so that God’s glory might be brought to full flower. He did it so that you, too, can go from death to life. Prayer: Dear God, send your rain on the dry places in my life. Let your grace soak into the cracks of my heart. Remind me that your Son, Jesus, was parched so that I can spend an eternity in paradise with you. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

The geopolitical shocks of 2025 have the potential to reverberate for decades to come. Trump's America first agenda and the new US national security strategy risk European unity, security and the rise of far right politics; Trump's trade wars have served to increase the pressure on states looking to balance relations with the US, China and also a rising India, and Israel's assaults in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon have changed the balance of power in the Middle East.  In the final episode of the year, Gavin Esler talks to Mark Leonard, co-founder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, to examine how the geopolitical balance has shifted in 2025. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger Picture Trump and his administration are now dismantling the entire green agenda. The [CB] has made everything unaffordable, Trump is now in the process of reversing this. The [CB] tried to trap Trump in a failing economy, Trump turn the tables and trapped the [CB]. The [DS] is fighting back, corruption still exists, criminals are still running many parts of gov across the country. Trump is dismantling their system and they are trying to stop him. Trump has countered the fake news, they have been trying to divide the people and pushing doubt in regards to the Trump administration. His admin are now showing the world that they are united and they stand behind Trump. This was needed for the next part of the plan that we are entering. Soon the storm is coming, buckle up. Economy  (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/unusual_whales/status/2001275434898784270?s=20 https://twitter.com/PlanetOfMemes/status/2000978294993236140?s=20 https://twitter.com/USTradeRep/status/2000990028835508258?s=20   enterprise services to EU companies, and they support millions of jobs and more than $100 billion in direct investment in Europe. The United States has raised concerns with the EU for years on these matters without meaningful engagement or basic acknowledgement of U.S. concerns. In stark contrast, EU service providers have been able to operate freely in the United States for decades, benefitting from access to our market and consumers on a level playing field. Some of the largest EU service providers that have hitherto enjoyed this expansive market access include, among others: — Accenture — Amadeus — Capgemini — DHL — Mistral — Publicis — SAP — Siemens — Spotify If the EU and EU Member States insist on continuing to restrict, limit, and deter the competitiveness of U.S. service providers through discriminatory means, the United States will have no choice but to begin using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures. Should responsive measures be necessary, U.S. law permits the assessment of fees or restrictions on foreign services, among other actions. The United States will take a similar approach to other countries that pursue an EU-style strategy in this area.  Political/Rights https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2000982942907039813?s=20   Russiagate. In 2017, he founded the Committee to Investigate Russia, a political NGO that promoted the Russiagate hoax. Former CIA Director John Brennan and DNI James Clapper served on its advisory board, giving intelligence world credibility to a partisan effort. The group's mission was clear: cripple President Trump and question the legitimacy of the 2016 election. https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2000993976330191330?s=20   efforts to have Trump imprisoned on wholly fabricated charges. Proof below. 3. In all likelihood, Reiner was in cahoots with the CIA in attempting to destroy our Constitutional form of government. Given the above, if anything Trump’s commentary on Reiner was too kind. So knock it off, bedwetters. https://twitter.com/TonySeruga/status/2001297973209416013?s=20 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2000987037638496554?s=20  https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/2001066545716326714?s=20 https://twitter.com/TheLastRefuge2/status/2001196416056619102?s=20 Brown University Received a Letter from 34 Human Rights Groups in August Requesting They Disable Their CCTV System  The question is: Did Brown University acquiesce under pressure from far-left human rights groups to disable their CCTV systems, in advance of the mass shooting on campus? [SOURCE – AUGUST 19, 2025] As originally reported in August 2025 {SOURCE}, a group of far-left human rights advocate sent a letter to 150 U.S. colleges and universities asking them to disable the CCTV systems to protect “free expression and academic freedom across the country,” because “the Trump administration has launched an aggressive campaign against US academic institutions.” The motive for the request to disable CCTV systems as stated: “Right now these tools are facilitating the identification and punishment of student protesters, undermining activists' right to anonymity––a right the Supreme Court has affirmed as vital to free expression and political participation.” {SOURCE} The letter from ‘Fight For The Future‘ (August, 2025) came after an earlier campaign by the same group seeking to stop the use of facial recognition cameras on college campuses. {SOURCE} Source: theconservativetreehouse.com https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/2001107948312133776?s=20   network. Students from there have been arrested for participating in terrorist plots. The evidence is so overwhelming, that House Republicans successfully convinced Harvard to cut research ties to Birzeit University — briefly. Let’s put it this way: If I were in Vegas and forced to bet on whether Professor Doumani had ever been part of any extremist plots, I wouldn’t bet on “no.” We need to stop accepting “Ivy League” as any meaningful measure of merit. https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/2001052796037017940?s=20   in the area with no noticeable gun, then started jogging towards the building where he shot one of the few conservative leaders on a radical campus. That seems like an assassination of Ella Cook, possibly with an innocent bystander taken down with her. https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001062786084880887?s=20  today, December 16, 2025, amid widespread speculation and emerging reports identifying him as the prime suspect in the December 13 mass shooting on campus that killed two students and injured nine others. The university has not released an official statement explaining the deletion, but online discussions and news coverage point to it as an effort to scrub digital traces of Kharbouch during the ongoing FBI manhunt and investigation. His X (formerly Twitter) account has also been taken down, fueling theories of a cover-up by the university, media, or authorities to control the narrative around his pro-Palestine activism and alleged radical views. As of now, federal authorities have released images and a timeline of the suspect’s movements but have not publicly confirmed Kharbouch’s involvement, though some outlets report he has fled and remains at large with a $50,000 reward offered for information leading to his arrest. This is a summary of his (now deleted) manifesto: In Mustapha Kharbouch’s 2024 manifesto, “I Hear The Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From The Camps to The Campus,” published by the Institute for Palestine Studies, the author reflects on his role in the Brown University Gaza Solidarity Encampment amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. As a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon, Kharbouch draws from his family’s history of displacement during the 1948 Nakba to frame his activism. The piece begins with lyrics from an adapted “Ancestor Song,” symbolizing a call to action and intergenerational resilience. He describes participating in non-violent protests, including an eight-day hunger strike by 19 students, arrests of 61 comrades for demanding university divestment from apartheid and illegal occupation, and organizing encampments with hundreds of participants engaging in rallies, teach-ins, art, film screenings, and chants. Kharbouch explores themes of “radical love” for land and people in Gaza, collective grief over the genocide, and solidarity as a revolutionary practice rooted in Palestinian revolutionary traditions that reject colonialism, carcerality, and imperialism. He critiques passive hope, instead advocating for active, decolonial hope through community-building and bearing witness to atrocities, like the invasion of Rafah. Influenced by queer feminist approaches (citing scholars like Sarah Ihmoud and Robin Kelley), he emphasizes transforming anger and despair into sustainable world-making, while questioning intergenerational betrayal and the cynicism inherited from survival under oppression. Ultimately, the manifesto affirms the encampment’s role in a broader student rebellion, linking campus actions to global Palestinian liberation and calling for continued, unyielding commitment despite challenges. https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2001028141851013528?s=20 https://twitter.com/JamesHartline/status/2001090533746467327?s=20 https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2001089445194235926?s=20 https://twitter.com/ProvidenceRIPD/status/2001345847133643062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2001345847133643062%7Ctwgr%5E8764cf1453bd57445310069de900ad0f6828d697%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Fbreaking-providence-police-release-photos-person-proximity-brown%2F https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2001047137308590081?s=20 https://twitter.com/TheSCIF/status/2000985628029403418?s=20 https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001347329585012818?s=20 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2001000454042607728?s=20 DOGE Trump Suspends ‘Tech Prosperity Deal' With UK Over Censorship and Regulations by ‘Online Safety Bill' Hurting US Tech Companies  Trump has suspended the ‘Tech Prosperity Deal' with the UK over its censorship push. The Telegraph reported: “The White House paused the tech prosperity deal amid concerns the Online Safety Act, which regulates online speech, will stifle American artificial intelligence companies, the Telegraph understands. The law allows the British government to levy large fines on tech giants it deems have facilitated hate speech.” After the rise of artificial intelligence, companies like OpenAI or xAI can face huge fines – harming their growth and giving China an edge in the AI race. “'The perception is that Britain is way out there on attempting to police what is said online, and it's caused real concern', a source with knowledge of the decision to suspend the deal said. ‘Americans went into this deal thinking Britain were going to back off regulating American tech firms but realized it was going to restrict the speech of American chatbots'.” Source: thegatewaypundit.com Geopolitical https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2001217017001685167?s=20    of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA In 1970, as National Security Advisor, Kissinger was briefed on and helped shape US oil import policies toward Venezuela following a visit by Venezuelan President Rafael Caldera. These policies, announced in June 1970, focused on long-term petroleum development and were positively received by Venezuela, but they represented unilateral US adjustments rather than a negotiated deal.  In 1972, Venezuela terminated a longstanding reciprocal trade agreement with the US that included concessional tariff rates on Venezuelan oil imports. Kissinger was informed of this as National Security Advisor, and the US considered maintaining low tariffs to avoid cost increases, but this was a termination process, not a new deal.   Venezuela effectively took control of oil fields and assets from US companies on two major occasions, though the processes involved nationalization and expropriation rather than outright theft without legal frameworks or compensation. These actions shifted operations from private foreign (including US) entities to state control under the Venezuelan government.In the 1970s, Venezuela nationalized its entire oil industry, which had been largely developed and operated by foreign companies since the early 20th century. On January 1, 1976, the government officially took over, creating the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA). This affected major US firms like Exxon (formerly Standard Oil), Gulf Oil, and others, which had held concessions. The companies were provided compensation as part of the process, and it was generally seen as an expected transition in global oil politics at the time, without major disruptions to US supply. In 2007, under President Hugo Chávez, Venezuela escalated state control by mandating that foreign oil projects in the Orinoco Belt (a massive heavy oil reserve) convert to joint ventures where PDVSA held at least a 60% stake. Companies like Chevron complied, but ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips refused, leading to the government expropriating their assets. International arbitration tribunals later ruled these actions unlawful, awarding ExxonMobil about $1.6 billion and ConocoPhillips over $8 billion in compensation (though Venezuela has contested and delayed payments). This has been a point of ongoing tension, with US firms pursuing Venezuelan assets globally to enforce the awards. These events did not involve taking oil fields directly from the US government but from American corporations with investments in Venezuela, reflecting broader shifts toward resource nationalism. https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2001087786879795546?s=20 War/Peace Zelensky: If Putin rejects peace plan, US must give us weapons The Ukrainian leader issued the warning as Russia said it would not drop its claims to land it believes to be its own  So Zelensky, NATO EU DS rewrote the plan knowing Russia wouldn’t accept it.  Source: thetimes.com Zelensky is stealing the election before it begins The overstaying Ukrainian leader has made a show of agreeing to hold a vote – but his preconditions make a mockery of it   The often-heard claim that Ukraine cannot hold presidential elections in wartime, by the way, is badly misleading, and a thoroughly politically motivated misrepresentation of the facts: In reality, the Ukrainian constitution only prohibits parliamentary elections in time of war. Elections for the presidency are impeded by ordinary laws which can, of course, easily and legally be changed by the majority which Zelensky controls in parliament. That is merely a question of political will, not legality.  Zelensky and his fixers are planning to shift the whole presidential election online. If they do, falsification in Zelensky's favor is de facto guaranteed or mail in ballots Source: rt.com Hegseth Orders Christmas Bonuses For War Department Top Performers  The War Department is rewarding its highest performers with monetary awards worth 15 to 25% of base pay, The Daily Wire can first report, rewards intended to reflect the “historic successes” of the past 10 months. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed all War Department department heads and principal staff assistants to “take immediate action to recognize and reward [the] very best” of the department's civilian workforce with “meaningful monetary awards consistent with the relevant existing civilian awards authorities for each pay system,” according to a memorandum for senior Pentagon leadership first obtained by The Daily Wire. The distribution of bonuses — which could reach up to $25,000 — is also in line with the Trump administration's broader efforts to make the federal government function more like a private-sector business. Source: dailywire.com FBI Agents Thought Clinton’s Uranium One Deal Might Be Criminal – But McCabe, Yates Stonewalled Investigation: Report Remember Uranium One? The massive 2010 sale of US uranium deposits to Russia approved by Hillary Clinton and rubber-stamped by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) – after figures linked to the deal donated to the Clinton Foundation? Turns out rank-and-file FBI investigators thought there was enough smoke to launch a criminal investigation, but internal delays and disagreements within the DOJ and FBI ultimately caused the inquiry to lapse, newly released records reveal.   The Uranium One transaction – involving the sale of a Canadian mining company with substantial U.S. uranium assets to Russia's state-owned nuclear firm Rosatom – became a flashpoint during Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Critics argued that then-Secretary of State Clinton, a member of CFIUS, helped approve the deal while donors connected to Uranium One made large contributions to the Clinton Foundation.  The newly released documents suggest that the circumstances surrounding Uranium One were never fully investigated, leaving unresolved questions about how a strategic U.S. asset came under Russian control – and whether potential criminal conduct went unexamined due to internal delays and legal disputes. Source: zerohedge.com Health https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2001327868979368264?s=20 [DS] Agenda https://twitter.com/Badhombre/status/2001052105155481995?s=20   million stolen through Medicaid fraud by Chavis Willis. – $12.5 million in federal education grants stolen by 1,834 “ghost students.” All of this happened in Minnesota under Tim Walz. Somali fraudsters were involved in almost every case. Ex-Marine planned attack in New Orleans that would ‘recreate’ Waco, officials say Plans to “carry out an attack” in New Orleans were thwarted after an ex-Marine was arrested while on the way to the Louisiana city with guns and body armor in the car, according to court documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. Micah James Legnon, 28, was charged with threats in interstate commerce. Federal authorities said they had been surveilling Legnon due to ties to an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government group. Four members of the group were arrested Friday in the Mojave Desert, east of Los Angeles, as they were rehearsing a foiled plot to set off bombs in Southern California on New Year's Eve, authorities said.  Legnon believed it was time to “recreate” Waco with an attack in New Orleans, authorities said in court documents. They pointed to a Dec. 4 chat message by Legnon written under the alias “Kateri The Witch” the day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived in New Orleans. Legnon's alias had “she/her” written beside it, but jail records referred to Legnon as male. Source: nbcnews.com https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/2001118961073639492?s=20 President Trump's Plan  https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001336422150869037?s=20 https://twitter.com/RAZ0RFIST/status/2001111187245736061?s=20 https://twitter.com/KariLakeWarRoom/status/2001117437274509736?s=20 RINO Congressman Who Voted to Impeach President Donald Trump Will Not Seek Re-election  In 2021, RINO Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump. Newhouse announced that he will not seek re-election in 2026, leaving Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) as the only one of the group remaining in Congress. https://twitter.com/RepNewhouse/status/2001291310146158666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2001291310146158666%7Ctwgr%5Ee6d32e37b15338ded9a698a990480010a5616470%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Frino-congressman-who-voted-impeach-president-donald-trump%2F The fates of the ten Republicans who voted to impeach: 1. Liz Cheney (WY) — Defeated in 2022 primary 2. John Katko (NY) — Retired in 2022 3. Adam Kinzinger (IL) — Retired in 2022 4. Fred Upton (MI) — Retired in 2022 5. Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA) — Defeated in 2022 primary 6. Peter Meijer (MI) — Defeated in 2022 primary 7. Anthony Gonzalez (OH) — Retired in 2022 8. Tom Rice (SC) — Defeated in 2022 primary 9. Dan Newhouse (WA) — Will not seek reelection 10. David Valadao (CA) — Reelected in 2024, currently serving in the 119th Congress Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2000999942303998185?s=20 https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/2001046169279955130?s=20   January 2017 briefing of Trump followed the same playbook, as did Strzok's conversation with General Flynn. The FBI's so-called briefings of Senators Grassley and Johnson also fit the same mold. Each time, they present it as a routine check-in or just a quick conversation. And each time, the real purpose is to box you in, lay traps and put you in prison. https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/2001087239938564475?s=20  https://twitter.com/BehizyTweets/status/2000996943741501841?s=20 There is no specific time limit mandated by law or congressional rules for the Senate to vote on a bill passed by the House, including one that codifies executive orders (such as the FY2026 NDAA, which reportedly incorporates 15 of President Trump’s executive orders). The Senate can schedule consideration and a vote at any point during the remainder of the current Congress (the 119th Congress ends on January 3, 2027). If the Senate does not act before then, the bill dies and would need to be reintroduced in the next Congress.In practice, for time-sensitive legislation like the NDAA, the Senate typically votes shortly after the House (often within days or weeks) due to bipartisan urgency around defense authorizations, but this is not a requirement. https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2001031213516304877?s=20 https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2000991371952357796?s=20   achievements will fail. We are family. We are united. https://twitter.com/EagleEdMartin/status/2001011049106161975?s=20 President Trump Issues Response to Vanity Fair Hit Piece Which Claims Susie Wiles Made a Pointed Remark About Him During an interview with the New York Post, Trump did not take the alleged remark Wiles made about him as an insult. In fact, he admitted to having a “very possessive” personality. “No, she meant that I'm — you see, I don't drink alcohol. So everybody knows that — but I've often said that if I did, I'd have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It's a very possessive personality,” Trump told the Post. “I've said that many times about myself. I'm fortunate I'm not a drinker. If I did, I could very well, because I've said that — what's the word? Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality. Oh, I've said it many times, many times before,” he added. Trump went on to tell the Post that he agrees the Vanity Fair article was a total hit job and Wiles's remarks were taken out of context.  . Source: thegatewaypundit.com  Based on recent reports, the entire Trump administration appears to be standing by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following the Vanity Fair article, with no notable dissent.   Specific individuals who have expressed support include: Name Position Donald Trump President JD Vance Vice President Doug Burgum Secretary of the Interior Scott Bessent Secretary of the Treasury Chris Wright Secretary of Energy Lori Chavez-DeRemer Secretary of Labor Linda McMahon Secretary of Education Scott Turner Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Brooke Rollins Secretary of Agriculture Sean Duffy Secretary of Transportation Kelly Loeffler SBA Administrator Lee Zeldin EPA Administrator Russ Vought OMB Director Pam Bondi Attorney General Kash Patel FBI Director Karoline Leavitt White House Press Secretary The [DS] has been trying to divide Trump adminitration from the beginning, they want people questioning everything, they are trying to have people doubt the administration.  how do you show the people that you are not divided.   Trump and team just changed the narrative, they took control, Susie and team most likely set this up, this way the team can tell the world they are united not divided. Information warfare. We are now moving into the next phase of the plan and the DS is panicking, the attacks against MAGA, his administration will continue, physical attacks will continue. The [DS] is fighting for their lives while Trump is dismantling their system and producing evidence on the  treasonous crimes they have committed. I think is letting us know we are moving into the storm, look how he stared this truth post.   (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

Jonathan Schanzer critiques the slow Australian police response to the Bondi Beach attack, linking the shooters to ISIStraining in the Philippines. He warns that the Albanese government's political "virtue signaling" regarding Palestine may have emboldened radicals, while noting Hezbollah is reconstituting its money and weapons pipelines in Lebanon. 1915 PORT DARWIN

C Judy Dempsey examines fears that Russia will shift military forces to the NATO border if a Ukraine peace deal is reached. She discusses reported US pressure on Kyiv to surrender the Donbas, noting that both Ukraine and the EU oppose such concessions due to sovereignty concerns and lack of security guarantees. Judy Dempsey addresses the industrial crisis in Germany, specifically the auto industry's struggle against Chinese electric vehicles. She notes that Chancellor Merz is avoiding necessary pension reforms due to political pressure, while the rise of the AfD and a shifting transatlantic relationship further complicate Germany's economic stability. Mary Kissel argues that Ukraine cannot surrender the Donbas without ironclad security guarantees, citing past broken agreements like the Budapest Memorandum. She validates Finnish and Baltic fears regarding Russian aggression and questions whether the Trump administration's business-centric approach can effectively manage Vladimir Putin's ideological brutality. Mary Kissel characterizes China's economy as collapsing under Xi Jinping's mismanagement. She highlights the plight of Jimmy Lai, a 78-year-old British citizen imprisoned in Hong Kong, and urges Western leaders to use economic leverage to demand his release as a prerequisite for any improved relations. Jonathan Schanzer critiques the slow Australian police response to the Bondi Beach attack, linking the shooters to ISIS training in the Philippines. He warns that the Albanese government's political "virtue signaling" regarding Palestine may have emboldened radicals, while noting Hezbollah is reconstituting its money and weapons pipelines in Lebanon. Jonathan Schanzer analyzes the "murky" killing of US servicemen in Syria, attributing it to jihadist elements within the government's security forces. He describes the situation in Gaza as a deadlock where Hamas remains armed because no international force, other than the unacceptable option of Turkey, is willing to intervene. Gregory Copley details how the Bondi Beach attackers trained in the Philippines' insurgent areas. While praising Australian intelligence agencies, he blames the Albanese government for encouraging anti-Israel sentiment, arguing this political stance has given license to radical groups and undermined public safety. Gregory Copley reflects on the 25-year war on terror, arguing that Western governments have become distracted. He contends that elevating terrorists like Bin Laden to "superpower" status was a strategic error, as the true objective of terrorism is to manipulate political narratives and induce paralysis through fear. Gregory Copley observes a 2025 shift toward nationalism and decisive leadership, asserting that globalism is declining. He notes that nuclear weapons are becoming "unusable" due to changing military doctrines and warns that Western democracies are sliding toward autocracy, drawing historical parallels to Oliver Cromwell's rise as Lord Protector. Gregory Copley reports on King Charles III's improving health and his unifying role within the Commonwealth. He contrasts the stability of the constitutional monarchy with the historical chaos of Cromwell's republic, suggesting the Crown remains a vital stabilizing force against political turmoil in the UK and its dominions. Joseph Sternberg challenges the Trump administration's antagonistic view of the EU, citing polls showing the institution remains popular among Europeans. He argues that US policy should not be based on the expectation of the EU's collapse, noting that the UK's exit was unique to its specific history and not a continental trend. Joseph Sternberg condemns the imprisonment of British citizen Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong as a failure of UKdiplomacy. He argues that Hong Kong's economic success cannot be separated from its political freedoms, warning that the erosion of the rule of law threatens the territory's viability as a business center. Joseph Postell discusses the 1983 INS v. Chadha decision, which eliminated the legislative veto. He explains how this ruling stripped Congress of its ability to check the executive branch, transforming a once-dominant legislature into a weak institution unable to reverse administrative decisions on issues like tariffs. Joseph Postell suggests correcting the Chadha precedent by adopting a view of severability where delegations of power are unconstitutional without the accompanying legislative veto. He notes that the War Powers Resolutionremains a rare exception where Congress still retains a mechanism to reverse executive actions via simple majority.

SOMALIA PUNTLAND 2022 Ambassador Hussein Haqqani and Bill Roggio discuss global terror outbreaks, including ISIS-linked attacks in Australia and Afghanistan. Haqqani argues the West prematurely declared victory, ignoring radical ideologies. He notes Pakistan's internal power struggles and failure to track jihadists, warning the region remains a launchpad for international terrorism. Bill Roggio analyzes the ISIS allegiance of Australian shooters, distinguishing ISIS's immediate caliphate goals from Al-Qaeda's patient state-building. He warns that while Al-Qaeda focuses on consolidating control in places like Somalia (Al-Shabaab), they remain a potent global threat capable of launching external attacks when strategically advantageous. John Hardie discusses US pressure on Ukraine to withdraw from Donetsk and drop NATO bids for peace. He details Russian advances near Pokrovsk but doubts their ability to capture remaining fortress cities. Hardie notes Ukrainian resistance to territorial concessions despite Russian battlefield initiative and Western diplomatic maneuvering. David Daoud reports on Hezbollah's regeneration in Lebanon, aided by Iranian funding and weapons. He criticizes the Lebanese government's inaction and the international community's appeasement strategy. Daoudargues that failing to disarm Hezbollah to avoid civil war only guarantees Lebanon's slow deterioration into a failed state. Malcolm Hoenlein condemns the Bondi Beach terror attack as part of a global pattern of Islamist violence fueled by appeasement. He highlights the Australian government's failure to address warning signs, including anti-Semitic marches, and notes Iranian influence, warning that ignoring these threats invites further radicalization and violence. Malcolm Hoenlein expresses skepticism about Syria's leader, Al-Sharaa, calling him a "terrorist in a suit" despite Washington's support. He details Israel's concerns over weapons flowing into southern Syria and Hezbollah'srearmament, warning that Iran continues to build missile capabilities and destabilize the region despite economic ruin. Cleo Paskal critiques the UK's deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, endangering the strategic US base on Diego Garcia. She warns that China's influence in Mauritius could compromise the base. Paskal argues the deal ignores Chagossian rights and leaves the region vulnerable to Chinese expansionism. Akmed Sharawi reports on a "blue-on-green" attack in Syria where an infiltrated security officer killed Americans. He attributes this to the Syrian leadership's reckless integration of jihadist militias into security forces without vetting. Sharawi and Roggio argue this proves terrorists cannot be trusted to police other terrorists. Edmund Fitton-Brown warns that the West's premature "retirement" of counterterrorism efforts has allowed threats to incubate in conflict zones like Afghanistan. He argues that ignoring these regions inevitably leads to attacks in the West, as terrorists seek attention by striking "peaceful" environments, necessitating renewed forward engagement. Edmund Fitton-Brown argues the Muslim Brotherhood creates an environment for violent extremists like ISIS. He criticizes Western governments, specifically Australia, for appeasing Islamists and recognizing Palestine, which he claims fuels anti-Semitism and radicalization. He warns of "copycat" attacks spreading to the US and Europe due to this permissiveness. Alejandro Pena Esclusa and Ernesto Araujo celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize for Venezuela's Maria Corina Machado, viewing it as recognition of peaceful resistance against the Maduro regime. They discuss the regional struggle against a "project of power" linking Marxist socialism, drug trafficking, and authoritarian allies like Russiaand Iran. Ernesto Araujo and Alejandro Pena Esclusa analyze Latin America's rightward shift, citing Chile's rejection of a leftist constitution and election disputes in Honduras. They attribute leftist defeats to the failure of socialism and credit the "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine for encouraging democratic changes against regional narco-regimes. Professor Jonathan Healey details King Charles I's failed 1642 attempt to impeach and arrest five MPs, a move driven by Queen Henrietta Maria calling him a "poltroon." This "cinematic" blunder, betrayed by Lady Carlisle, unified Parliament against the King, marking a decisive step toward the English Civil War. Professor Jonathan Healey explains how the plague and volatile London crowds, including "Roundhead" apprentices, eroded King Charles I's authority in early 1642. The King's failed arrest attempt alienated moderates, shifting support to Parliamentarian John Pym, while the atmosphere of fear and disease accelerated the nation toward inevitable conflict. Professor Jonathan Healey describes the collapse of royal authority as King Charles I flees London after facing hostile crowds and biblical threats. While Queen Henrietta Maria seeks foreign aid, Charles establishes a court in York, accepting that armed conflict is necessary to subdue Parliament's radical legislative challenges. Professor Jonathan Healey recounts the humiliating refusal of Hull's governor to admit King Charles I, a key moment signaling open warfare. He discusses the irreconcilable ideological split over whether power derives from God or the people, illustrating the tragedy through figures like John Bankes who sought futile compromise.