Podcasts about Iraqi

The BOB & TOM Show – June 25, 2026 6:00 Hour6:08 Renting a movie theater is not bad financially – Tom6:12 Bunk bed talk6:16 Lean discussion6:25 Is it possible for you to speak without offending anyone, Tom? – Chick6:27 Pat's new T-shirt6:29 Letter: Things Kristi hates; Tom in general; marriage lasting6:32 BoBo Brazil discussion; Kristi dislikes him6:34 Josh tells someone to go play a penny whistle6:35 Letter: Name of kid from yesterday's letter and photo6:38 Letter: Listener gets excited about new dress socks, just like Tom6:41 Ace's car sounds like a lifeboat – Tom6:50 Letter: Watched Wild Bill Curry; not really in a cage6:53 Letter: Did you get the Christmas gift wrapped on Tom's desk Monday?6:54 Don't want anyone touching my stuff – Tom6:54 Letter: Stole a bag of ice like my hero Chick6:55 Letter: Rode with an elevator repairman in an elevator 7:00 Hour7:11 Tom's joke that no one got7:12 Chick got his girlfriend stolen by a camera guy7:14 Kristi found the perfect brownie with sea salt7:25 Store selling a box of ice for $4; ice cubes, not bags7:26 Tom hates crushed ice and curved ice cubes7:26 Explaining curved ice cubes – Tom7:31 Tom hates the movie Cocktail7:33 Sports7:47 Artist making custom cowboy hats for World Cup fans7:50 Tom has a hat wall7:53 My winter cowboy hat is made of beaver – Tom7:54 Woman at Kristi's grocery store wears Spock ears 8:00 Hour8:04 Chick discovers the Nextdoor app8:08 Cigarette butts in Tom's street; his dogs are eating them8:09 World record: Largest ballpoint pen, 21 feet 7 inches, created by an Iraqi man8:16 Ballpoint pens have to have a clicker8:30 Josh knocks the salt off his pretzels8:30 Soap in the anus discussion8:36 1,000 people invited to Taylor Swift's wedding8:38 Lean discussion8:49 Jess in studio8:49 Today in History8:52 You fill a room with people then get mad if they talk, Tom – Josh8:57 Tom dancing 9:00 Hour9:07 Al Jackson joins via Zoom9:09 Boarding planes – Al9:10 Tom not happy with jetways9:25 Missing giraffe in Texas9:33 Tom, could you eat a meal on the toilet while expelling? – Chick9:34 Bag stopper discussion – Al9:35 “Oh, calm down everyone” – Tom9:51 Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary, the Oak Anniversary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the weekend, the United States signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran to begin negotiations on a nuclear deal. To understand what a good deal would entail, it is important to assess the status of Iran's nuclear weapons program following Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury, as well as the timeline on which Tehran could produce a weapon despite these setbacks. David Albright argues that securing Tehran's admission of the program's existence and permitting on-the-ground IAEA inspections should be among the top priorities. A weak agreement lacking robust verification measures and proper extraction of nuclear materials could ultimately strengthen Iran, given the potential influx of fungible cash and the absence of sanctions that have allegedly circled discussions. In that case, is no deal better than a bad deal? What will it take to disarm the nuclear threat?David Albright is the founder and President of the non-profit Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C. He has written numerous assessments on secret nuclear weapons programs throughout the world has authored or co-authored nine books and briefed policymakers on non-proliferation policy making. Albright cooperated with the IAEA Action Team analyzing Iraqi documents and was the first non-governmental inspector of the Iraqi nuclear program. Previously, Albright was a member of the Health Advisory Panel in his capacity as a physicist and was appointed to the Department of Energy Openness Advisory Panel. He is currently an American Physical Society (APS) Fellow and the 2006 recipient of the APS's Joseph A. Burton Forum Award.Read the transcript here.Subscribe to our Substack here.

Marine Corps veteran Alex D'Hue served from 2002 to 2008 and was assigned to Third ANGLICO, where he worked in small fire control teams providing air support while attached to other units. In this episode of Urban Valor, Alex shares the story of his difficult childhood, growing up between America and Belgium, surviving an abusive household, and eventually joining the Marine Corps after 9/11.Alex opens up to Urban Valor about the chaos of Marine Corps boot camp, the moments that nearly broke him, and how getting assigned to Third ANGLICO changed the direction of his military career. He later deployed to Iraq, where his team supported missions outside the wire, worked alongside Iraqi forces and U.S. units, and experienced the reality of combat in a way he never forgot.One of the most intense moments of Alex's deployment happened during a mission when his best friend Jackson took a sniper round to the helmet. Alex describes hearing “sniper fire,” seeing Jackson on the ground, dragging him back under cover, checking for blood, and realizing the helmet had stopped the round from going through. He also reflects on how the team's movement afterward may have saved his own life.

For review:1. A B-52 on a routine test mission crashed shortly after takeoff Monday (15 June)  in Southern California, killing all eight crew members on board.2.  US Army aims to release proposal requests for its heavy variant of the ISV this fall, a senior service official told lawmakers, adding that the Army is attempting to field the capability as quickly as possible. The Army is seeking vehicles that can provide  60 kW of continuous high-voltage DC power, 15 kW of 28V DC power and 4.8 kW of 120V AC power. 3. After eight years as US Indo-Pacific Command, the Pentagon has announced it is restoring the original name to simply Pacific Command (PACOM).4. KNDS, the French-German maker of the Leopard tank and the Caesar truck-mounted gun, pitched a new howitzer with a barrel longer than any NATO production artillery, which the company said gives the weapon a range of up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) with standard high-explosive shells.The 155mm howitzer, named Loras for long-range artillery system, is equipped with a 58 caliber gun tube, about 12% longer than the 52 caliber barrels that equip most recent European cannons.5. President Trump on Friday unveiled the Boeing 747-8 that will serve as the new Air Force One, that the U.S. accepted as a gift from the Qatari government last year.6. US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is traveling to Switzerland for the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal, Axios reports, citing a US official.Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is already in Switzerland, it adds.7. Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Friday afternoon, a US official said, after another flare-up in southern Lebanon that saw four Israeli soldiers and dozens of Lebanese casualties.8. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has set up secretive new cells in Iraq to carry out attacks on Gulf countries that host American forces, bypassing established militia networks to avoid detection, eight Iraqi sources told Reuters. 

Sue and Rob head to the Iraqi town that's become a hotbed of smuggling and the starting point for many migrant journeys – Ranya.There, they unravel what's happened to scores of missing boys taken hostage and tortured as they try to reach the UK.A journalist and an ex-soldier search for the identity of a people smuggler believed to be responsible for thousands of illegal crossings to the UK by small boats and lorries.They start with a false name: Kardo Ranya. A man who has evaded arrest for several years by keeping his real identity a closely guarded secret. It makes it near impossible for law enforcement agencies to issue an international arrest warrant.They know what he looks like from social media posts advertising his crossings and lifestyle. Their search takes them across Europe and to the Middle East, where they discover a network of powerful smugglers operating from a town in northern Iraq.It's two years since Sue and Rob located a gang leader in their podcast Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion and the illegal business of migrant journeys is more dangerous and ruthless than before.Their investigation reveals the inner mechanics of the smuggling trade and shows in close focus the people who currently control it as they search for a kingpin behind dangerous crossings to the UK by boat and lorry.A secret meeting, a missing person and a worried family. Who is the man connecting them?The series is recorded and presented by Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie.It's produced by Joel Moors.Original music is by Mom Tudie and sound design and mix are by Tom Brignell.

In September 2012, a quiet forest road in the French Alps became the scene of one of Europe's most baffling unsolved murders. Three members of the British French al Hilli family and a local cyclist were shot dead near the village of Chevaline, close to Lake Annecy. Miraculously, the couple's two young daughters survived, one hidden beneath her mother's body for eight hours before being discovered.More than a decade later, the so called Chevaline massacre remains a mystery. Investigators explored possible links to Saad al Hilli's Iraqi background, his professional work, family disputes and the possibility of a random attack. Yet despite years of inquiries, arrests and international attention, no one has been charged and no clear motive has emerged.Geoffrey and Molly Wansell examine the evidence, the theories and the unanswered questions behind this chilling case.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sue and Rob head to the Iraqi town that's become a hotbed of smuggling and the starting point for many migrant journeys – Ranya.There, they unravel what's happened to scores of missing boys taken hostage and tortured as they try to reach the UK.A journalist and an ex-soldier search for the identity of a people smuggler believed to be responsible for thousands of illegal crossings to the UK by small boats and lorries.They start with a false name: Kardo Ranya. A man who has evaded arrest for several years by keeping his real identity a closely guarded secret. It makes it near impossible for law enforcement agencies to issue an international arrest warrant.They know what he looks like from social media posts advertising his crossings and lifestyle. Their search takes them across Europe and to the Middle East, where they discover a network of powerful smugglers operating from a town in northern Iraq.It's two years since Sue and Rob located a gang leader in their podcast Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion and the illegal business of migrant journeys is more dangerous and ruthless than before.Their investigation reveals the inner mechanics of the smuggling trade and shows in close focus the people who currently control it as they search for a kingpin behind dangerous crossings to the UK by boat and lorry.A secret meeting, a missing person and a worried family. Who is the man connecting them?The series is recorded and presented by Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie.It's produced by Joel Moors.Original music is by Mom Tudie and sound design and mix are by Tom Brignell.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 opened last week. The United States had, on paper, the greatest soft power opportunity in World Cup history: a 250th independence anniversary, three host nations, 48 competing teams, and the eyes of the world. Instead, hotel bookings in host cities are running 70 to 80 percent below expectations, a FIFA-certified Somali referee was turned away at the border, the Iraqi team had a striker detained for seven hours and their photographer denied entry, and the Iranian squad is permitted to enter only on match day and must leave the same day.We examine why the American capitalist model is structurally incapable of understanding what a World Cup is actually for. Dynamic pricing that pushed tickets to seven hundred euros and beyond, hotels charging a thousand euros a night, and an immigration policy that has made millions of people genuinely afraid to travel to the United States. Qatar, for all its problems, understood the point: soft power is not about short-term profit, it is about who the world associates you with in twenty years. The United States is using the world's attention to remind everyone why they do not want to come.The only country emerging from all of this with its reputation enhanced is Mexico, whose welcome of the Iranian and Iraqi delegations has generated more genuine goodwill than any marketing campaign could buy.This podcast is an individual project between us, Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. We are supported by our producer Stefani Obradovic from Western Bubble Insights & Strategy. If you would like to get in touch with us, write us an email at thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

Today's Headlines: Iran shot down a US Army helicopter yesterday, the US responded with strikes on Iranian air defense systems, both crew members are stable, and stock futures dropped immediately — so the ceasefire is going great. Meanwhile, the World Cup starts tomorrow and the Trump administration is already making it a disaster: the best male referee in Africa was denied entry despite a valid visa, the Iraqi team's vice captain was detained for seven hours at O'Hare, the team photographer was turned away entirely, and Trump is preemptively blaming Europe for any Ebola outbreaks despite zero confirmed cases there. Meanwhile, the House voted to give ICE and Border Patrol $70 billion more for immigration enforcement — $38 billion to ICE, $26 billion to Border Patrol, and a breezy $5 billion for "unforeseen costs." Anthropic's cofounder published a blog post asking leading AI labs to consider pausing frontier AI development, comparing it to nuclear nonproliferation — the response was a collective "no," with some calling it self-serving given everyone's upcoming IPOs — and this comes as Anthropic is reportedly preparing to release Claude Fable 5, a model it deemed too dangerous for public release just six months ago. Epstein assistant Lesley Groff testified before the House Oversight Committee claiming she "never saw anything improper" after two decades of keeping Epstein's entire schedule, which the committee found highly inconsistent. Tom Steyer conceded the California governor's race, Trump kept pushing election fraud conspiracies about California to the point that a congressman reported a friend canceling their voter registration over Spencer Pratt, and Ken Paxton's own former impeachment attorney endorsed Democrat James Talarico in the Texas Senate race, saying Paxton is too focused on appeasing Trump to be a good senator. And finally, NASA announced the Artemis III crew of four astronauts who will orbit Earth practicing lunar lander docking in preparation for a 2028 moon landing — assuming Blue Origin delivers its lander on time, which is uncertain after one of its rockets exploded during a test. Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: US and Iran launch airstrikes after Trump blamed Tehran for downing Army helicopter CNBC: Stock futures slip after U.S. launches ‘self-defense strikes' against Iran: Live updates NYT: U.S. Denies Entry to World Cup Referee From Somalia NYT: Iraq World Cup star Aymen Hussein questioned for ‘seven hours' by U.S. immigration officials Axios: Scoop: Trump admin pre-blames Europe for any World Cup Ebola AP News: House passes $70B bill to fund immigration enforcement for 3 years, sending to Trump MS Now: Longtime Epstein assistant denies knowledge of his crimes to House Oversight Committee Business Insider: What smart people are saying about Anthropic suggesting a global AI pause WSJ: Anthropic Releases Fable 5, a ‘Mythos-Class' AI Model With Guardrails WaPo: Maine Senate primary election live results: Graham Platner runs X: X | Ro Kanna  AP News: Ken Paxton's attorney in his impeachment trial endorses James Talarico in US Senate race AP News: NASA unveils Artemis III astronauts to test technology for a future moon landing Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the formation of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's government, a series of declarations by the Sadrist Movement, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, and Kata'ib Imam Ali have signaled a growing willingness to abandon armed wings and integrate more fully into the Iraqi state.But what do these declarations actually mean in practice? The hosts unpack the technical process of Hashd integration, examine Sadr's long history of pledges to disband armed formations, and explore the political calculations driving these latest announcements. They also discuss why different factions face varying incentives, and what the evolution of Iraq's armed movements reveals about the country's broader political trajectory.

GET HEIRLOOM SEEDS & NON GMO SURVIVAL FOOD HERE: https://heavensharvest.com/wam USE Code WAM to save 25% plus free shipping! USE Code WAM50 for 50% off on select items like the #10 cans & MRE packs! Pledge here! Just a dollar a month can help keep us alive! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2652072&ty=h&u=2652072 EXCLUSIVE replays of hour plus long live shows are available here at $5 a month or more! BUY GOLD HERE: https://firstnationalbullion.com/schedule-consult/ Avoid CBDCs! GET 10% OFF ON SHILAJIT FROM DR. KAUFMAN WHEN YOU USE CODE WAM10 HERE: https://medauthentica.com/discount/WAM10?redirect=/products/authentica-shilajit%3Fsca_ref=10867124.wrNV3jkYSaMg9 HELP SUPPORT US AS WE DOCUMENT HISTORY HERE: https://gogetfunding.com/help-keep-wam-alive/# Josh Sigurdson reports on the shooting down of a U.S. apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz following the continuation of bombings between the U.S., Israel and Iran. Israel struck Beirut, Lebanon with a massive attack on civilians. This led Iran to strike back. However, the claims are that Iran struck the Kuwait International Airport. This, according to Iran is false. In fact, Iran claims that the attack was a U.S. false flag. This can be used interchangeably with Israel considering they're coordinating with each other. This attack came on the eve of a so-called "ceasefire" which we all knew wasn't going to happen. Hours before Iran and the United States were set to "make a deal," they want us to believe that Iran decided to attack Kuwait. This is as silly as the claims that Assad gassed his own people 3 days after making a peace deal with the United States back in April of 2017. Everything points to this being a false flag. It's also interesting to consider that Ben Gvir has been calling for Israel to "stop an Iran peace deal" by any means. Following the attacks day ago, Ben Gvir responded by saying, "Tonight, Tehran must burn!" Oil is once again skyrocketing and the food supply continues to be in serious danger due to the Strait of Hormuz closure. The "7 Country Plan" has been in play for decades. It wasn't about to suddenly go away overnight because Trump "said so." Now, militias are facing off against the US in Northern Iraq around Kurdistan and the entire Middle East is on alert with Iraqi and Syrian airspace closed. But still... President Trump claims he "never said no new wars" during the campaign. This is something else we easily and thoroughly debunk with video clips. Stay tuned for more from WAM! GET YOUR WAV WATCH HERE: https://buy.wavwatch.com/WAM Use Code WAM to save $100 and purchase amazing healing frequency technology! Get Your SUPER-SUPPLIMENTS HERE: https://vni.life/wam Use Code WAM15 & Save 15%! Life changing formulas you can't find anywhere else! Get local, healthy, pasture raised meat delivered to your door here: https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life/bonus15?oid=6&affid=321 USE THE LINK & get 20% off for life and $15 off your first box! DITCH YOUR DOCTOR! https://www.livelongerformula.com/wam Get a natural health practitioner and work with Christian Yordanov! Mention WAM and get a FREE masterclass! You will ALSO get a FREE metabolic function assessment! GET YOUR APRICOT SEEDS at the life-saving Richardson Nutritional Center HERE: https://rncstore.com/r?id=bg8qc1 Use code JOSH to save money! PayPal: ancientwonderstelevision@gmail.com FIND OUR CoinTree page here: https://cointr.ee/joshsigurdson PURCHASE MERECHANDISE HERE: https://world-alternative-media.creator-spring.com/ JOIN US on SubscribeStar here: https://www.subscribestar.com/world-alternative-media For subscriber only content! BITCOIN ADDRESS: 18d1WEnYYhBRgZVbeyLr6UfiJhrQygcgNU World Alternative Media 2026

Today's guest is Anne Speckhard, Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. She's an expert in rehabilitation and repatriation of terrorists and their families, and has consulted with foreign governments on issues of terrorist prevention, interventions and repatriation; and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ISIS foreign fighters, wives and children. Her latest book, Homegrown Hate, examines the deepening threat of domestic violent extremism in the US through in-depth interviews with current and former members of domestic hate groups. In this episode, Alon and Anne discuss the psychosocial dimensions of violent extremism, what attracts people to these ideologies, how terrorists and violent extremists have been able to utilize social media to draw people in, and what can be done to try to prevent people from falling into extremist ideologies. Anne Speckhard, Ph.D., is Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE) and served for over 2 decades as Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine as well as an Affiliate in the Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University. She has interviewed over 800 terrorists, violent extremists, their family members and supporters around the world. Over the past 5 years, she has conducted in-depth psychological interviews with 275 ISIS defectors, returnees and prisoners, as well as 16 al Shabaab cadres, studying their trajectories into and out of terrorism, and their experiences inside ISIS and al Shabaab. Speckhard developed ICSVE's Breaking the ISIS Brand Counter Narrative Project from these interviews, which includes over 250 short counter narrative videos that mimic ISIS recruitment videos but contain actual terrorists strongly denouncing ISIS as un-Islamic, corrupt and brutal. Beginning in 2020, she launched the ICSVE Escape Hate Counter Narrative Project, interviewing 54 white supremacists and members of hate groups, developing counternarratives from their interviews, and creating anti-recruitment videos. She has also conducted rare interviews with five Antifa activists. Dr. Speckhard is also an expert in rehabilitation and repatriation of terrorists and their families. In 2007, she designed the psychological and Islamic aspects of the Detainee Rehabilitation Program in Iraq to be applied to 20,000+ detainees and 800 juveniles. This work led to consulting with foreign governments on issues of terrorist prevention, interventions and repatriation; and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ISIS foreign fighters, wives and children. She has also worked on these issues with NATO, OSCE, UN Women, UNCTED, UNODC, the EU Commission and EU Parliament, and to the US Senate & House, Departments of State, Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Health & Human Services, and the FBI. Dr. Speckhard actively trains key stakeholders in law enforcement, intelligence, elite hostage negotiation teams, educators, and other professionals in countering violent extremism, locally and internationally, focusing on the psychology of terrorism, the effective use of counter-narrative messaging materials produced by ICSVE, as well as studying the use of children as violent actors. Her consultations and trainings include US, Australian, German, Swiss, Belgian, Iraqi, Jordanian and Thai national police and security officials, among others. She also serves as an expert witness, testifying on a variety of topics pertaining to trauma, loss, dissociation, violent extremism and terrorism. Dr. Speckhard is the author of 5 books & has appeared on CNN, BBC, NPR, Fox News, CTV, CBC, and in the New York Times, London Times, TIME Magazine, Daily Beast and more. She regularly writes a column for Homeland Security Today. Her research has been published in Global Security: Health, Science and Policy, Journal of African Security, Journal of Strategic Security, Journal for Deradicalization, Perspectives on Terrorism & more.

Send us Fan MailThe Second Battle of Ramadi, fought in 2006 during the Iraq War, saw the US military and Iraqi Security Forces come together to drive insurgent groups out of the city of Ramadi. In a tense and difficult battle, coalition forces sought to capture key areas of the city, allowing them to take control. This 8-month conflict is considered one of the most decisive battles in the overarching Iraq War and many in the military believe it led to the formation of the Anbar Awakening, which saw Iraqi tribal groups reject al-Qaeda and cooperate with US forces. Join us for this documentary as we examine the Second Battle of Ramadi. Welcome to Wars of the World.Support the show

The Israeli military has carried out strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, a day after Iran called for attacks on Lebanon to stop. Thousands of people have fled the city. Also: medical sources say Taliban forces in western Afghanistan have killed two people demonstrating against the detention of women who'd ignored religious dress codes; Honduras approves a series of reforms to tackle the high rate of femicide in the country; rescuers in the Philippines are working to reach isolated areas after an earthquake struck Mindanao; a BBC investigation reveals hundreds of Iraqi migrants were kidnapped and threatened with forced organ removal in Libya; and Japanese wildlife officials have caught a bear that had been roaming a city, causing widespread school closures.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon Credit: Reuters

In today's episode of Trending Middle East, Iran and Israel halt attacks against each other after the heaviest exchange of strikes in weeks, but fighting continues in Lebanon. We also look at signs of a new phase in the regional conflict, as Yemen's Houthi rebels resume operations against Israel. An Iran-backed Iraqi militia warns it could attack US interests if Washington "intervenes in the war". In the Gulf, American forces fire on an oil tanker heading towards an Iranian port and a US military helicopter goes down near the Strait of Hormuz. Etihad Airways says it expects passenger numbers to recover to prewar levels this summer, despite higher fuel costs and disruption caused by the Iran war. And authorities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia announce the seizure of more than 267,000 amphetamine pills in a joint operation that also dismantles a drug trafficking network. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

Watch every episode ad-free & uncensored on Patreon: https://patreon.com/dannyjones Scott Horton (@scotthortonshow) is director of the Libertarian Institute, host of 'The Scott Horton Show', co-host of “Provoked” with Darryl Cooper, and author of several books. SPONSORS https://dupe.com - Check out their 100% free 'research for me' comparison shopping tool. https://shopify.com/dannyjones - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today. https://hexclad.com/dannyjones - Get 10% off your forever cookware today. https://quo.com/danny - Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months. https://whiterabbitenergy.com/?ref=DJP - Use code DJP for 20% off EPISODE LINKS Scott's YouTube Show:  @scotthortonshow https://scotthortonacademy.com https://x.com/scotthortonshow FOLLOW DANNY JONES https://www.instagram.com/dannyjones https://twitter.com/jonesdanny OUTLINE 00:00 - What Scott learned from 6,000 interviews 06:10 - Bush Sr.'s "New World Order" 09:24 - Oklahoma City Bombing cover-up 17:08 - Who's really pulling the strings 23:32 - Skull & bones society 28:36 - U.S. interest payments on national debt 31:34 - What's Israel going to do without America? 39:00 - Israel's end time prophecy 41:19 - Wolfowitz Doctrine 50:08 - Iraqi exile Ahmed Chalabi's scheme 59:34 - The idiotic thinking behind the 2nd Iraq war 01:10:03 - Mossad agents dancing during 9/11 01:14:13 - What Netanyahu said on September 11th 01:18:25 - Bin Laden's manifesto 01:25:42 - The timeline of Middle East interventions 01:27:39 - The U.S. is still funding the Taliban 01:30:17 - Why Scott never believed in Trump 01:37:58 - How the Iran conflict will end 01:45:52 - Trump's path out of Iran conflict 01:46:51 - Iran's nuclear program 02:02:08 - Iran's top nuclear target 02:09:00 - Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapons program 02:15:47 - Iran's best military advantage 02:21:03 - Why Trump might be innocent in Epstein scandal 02:26:04 - Trump's loyalty problem 02:33:28 - Palestine 02:44:54 - Israel's army of Palestinian slaves 02:52:41 - Adolf Hitler vs. Winston Churchill 02:54:26 - WW2 was Woodrow Wilson's fault 03:03:31 - The pact Hitler & Stalin made 03:09:19 - Why Hitler declared war on the United States 03:10:47 - How Trump's Iran attack is like Pearl Harbor 03:14:26 - "Trump is enslaved to Netanyahu" 03:18:32 - The FBI's secret Epstein files Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tonight on Gulf War Side Effects, Kevin and Wade welcome Desert Storm veteran Becci Hannigan to share her remarkable journey as an Army combat medic during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.Becci discusses basic training, becoming a medic, serving in Germany and Fort Hood, deploying to Saudi Arabia, treating wounded soldiers, caring for Iraqi prisoners of war, surviving chemical alarms, and witnessing the realities of war from the front lines.Get access to past and bonus content with exclusive guest. Please help support the podcast and veterans so we can keep making the show - patreon.com/GulfWarSideEffects▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Contact me with your questions, comments, or concerns at kevinsimon@gulfwarsideeffects.com

In this episode, Alex explores the intersection of soccer and politics through Iraq's remarkable return to the World Cup after a four-decade absence. Alex examines how Iraq's qualification journey reflects the country's broader recovery from decades of war, instability, and regional turmoil, while also discussing the recent detention of Iraqi team members upon arriving in the United States. 

In today's episode of Trending Middle East, a fragile regional ceasefire comes under renewed pressure after Israel launches strikes across Iran in response to overnight Iranian missile and drone attacks. Several neighbouring countries respond by tightening security measures, with Iraq closing its airspace, Syria suspending flights in parts of the country and Jordan activating air-raid sirens. US President Donald Trump urges both sides to avoid further escalation while acknowledging the challenges facing ongoing negotiations to end the conflict and reopen a path to diplomacy. As the Fifa World Cup begins in North America, concerns grow over immigration enforcement and security procedures after Iraqi and Iranian football officials report entry and visa issues. And in Abu Dhabi, more than 1,000 job opportunities for Emiratis are being offered through the Manufacturers 2026 exhibition as the UAE continues its push to increase private-sector employment among citizens. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In 2003, a single Iraqi refugee — codenamed Curveball — fabricated stories about Iraqi weapons. The U.S. intelligence community, desperate for sources after 9/11, laundered his claims into a National Intelligence Estimate produced in under three weeks. Bob Drogin, the award-winning journalist who broke the story and wrote the definitive book on it, joins John & Jerry to examine how political will, institutional groupthink, and bureaucratic cowardice allowed a con man’s tales to be treated as fact. But history repeats itself as now, in 2026, fuzzy claims about Iranian weapons undergirds another Middle East war. Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod

In this episode of Policy Chats, Former US Ambassador Barbara K. Bodine joins hosts Dori Pham and Ari Chung to discuss the inner workings of U.S. foreign policymaking, the value of diplomacy and local expertise, crisis management, counterterrorism, post-conflict governance, and the challenges of translating strategic goals into effective action. Through her experiences in the Middle East, she provides insight into how foreign policy decisions are made, how they unfold in practice, and why diplomacy remains a critical tool for advancing U.S. interests abroad.The conversation covers common challenges diplomats face, including uncertainty, incomplete information, cultural differences, and local resistance. Ambassador Bodine also discusses lessons learned from the USS Cole bombing and how foreign policy processes change during crises.The episode concludes reflecting on the practical realities of diplomacy and the lessons she hopes future policymakers and diplomats will carry forward.Topics CoveredHow foreign policy is formulated within the U.S. government and the key actors and influences involved in the decision-making process.The role of diplomats, embassy reporting, and regional expertiseThe importance of local political, social, and cultural knowledge when designing foreign policy.Foreign policy lessons from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and post-conflict reconstruction in Iraq.The relationship between military operations, political planning, governance, and diplomacy.The importance of relationship-building and preventive diplomacy before crises occur.Preparing and mentoring the next generation of diplomats and foreign policy professionals.

Our Midlands Correspondent Sinead Hussey spoke to Mr Pether's family.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Helen Benedict, “The Soldier's House,” Iraqi Refugees in the United States Helen Benedict, Columbia Profesysor of Journalism and author of the novel, “The Soldier's House,” about the lives of Iraqi refugees in America in 2010, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. “The Soldier's House” tells the story of a refugee from Baghdad, Naemi, who comes to America in 2010, sponsored by an American soldier whose translator was killed after the invasion. She, her young son Tariq and her mother in law have come to the United States, to the Albany area, after a time in Damascus, hoping to find a new life. A pediatrics physician over there, she can only gain the lowest levels of employment in America. Helen Benedict has focused her literary career on the plight of refugees in America and Europe as she teaches young journalists the ways to keep digging for the truth and for justice. In this interview, she discusses how Iraqi and Afghanistani refugees have fared in this country and talks in detail about the legacy press and the challenges young journalists face as they come into the profession.   Review of “The Lunchbox” at Berkeley Rep Roda Theatre through July 5, 2026.           The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – June 4, 2026: Helen Benedict, Journalism Professor & Novelist appeared first on KPFA.

(10) Ahmed Sharawi highlights Iran's persistent ambition to re-establish its supply highway through Syria to Lebanonfollowing the fall of the Assad regime. Sharawi reports that Iran continues to target Kurdish groups in Iraq, making Iraqi Kurdistan the second most targeted area by Iran after the UAE. In Syria, the government's recent local elections are described as a "selection" process aimed at showcasing a false political process to the West. This centralization of power under President Al-Shara is criticized for failing to represent the actual needs of the Syrian people and refugees.1914

When the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, Kamiran Yousif could be cheering for Iraq or Australia's Socceroos. But that's not his style. Known to friends as “Cameron van Oranje,” Kamiran lives and breathes Dutch football. He might even be the biggest Netherlands supporter in Australia. His devotion to "Oranje" goes far beyond match days. For the upcoming World Cup, his Sydney home is a sea of orange, inside and out, and his passion has even inspired the names of his three sons: Cruyff, Kluivert, and Basten, named after legendary Dutch football icons. We visited this one-of-a-kind superfan, to discover what caused his love for the Netherlands. - Kamiran Yousif zou deze FIFA World Cup 2026 kunnen gaan voor het Irakese team of de Socceroos, maar daar wil hij niets van weten. Zijn team is namelijk Nederland en Kamiran, beter bekend als Cameron van Oranje, is misschien wel de grootste Oranjefan van Australië. Zijn passie voor het Nederlands elftal gaat veel verder dan alleen supporteren tijdens wedstrijden. Zijn huis in Sydney is voor het WK van binnen én van buiten in het oranje versierd, en zijn drie zoons dragen de namen van Nederlandse voetbalhelden: Cruyff, Kluivert en Basten. Wij gingen langs bij deze bijzondere superfan.Mis niets van SBS Dutch! Abonneer je op onze feed in Spotify of Apple Podcast.

Helen Benedict, Columbia Profesysor of Journalism and author of the novel, “The Soldier's House,” about the lives of Iraqi refugees in America in 2010, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. “The Soldier's House” tells the story of a refugee from Baghdad, Naemi, who comes to America in 2010, sponsored by an American soldier whose translator was killed after the invasion. She, her young son Tariq and her mother in law have come to the United States, to the Albany area, after a time in Damascus, hoping to find a new life. A pediatrics physician over there, she can only gain the lowest levels of employment in America. Helen Benedict has focused her literary career on the plight of refugees in America and Europe as she teaches young journalists the ways to keep digging for the truth and for justice. In this interview, she discusses how Iraqi and Afghanistani refugees have fared in this country and talks in detail about the legacy press and the challenges young journalists face as they come into the profession. The post Helen Benedict, “The Soldier's House,” a novel about Iraqi refugees in America, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Improve your English vocabulary with this exciting B1 English lesson about real breaking news. Discover how to easily read and watch the news in English while practicing important new words!✅ Preview the advanced classes that will help you watch and read the news in English in just 30 days here: brent-watson-s-school.teachable.com/l/pdp/the-breaking-news-decoder

Donald Trump says the US is lifting its blockade of Iranian ports and boats in the Strait of Hormuz - does this mean a peace deal is imminent?Plus, Iran famously has two militaries: a regular army, and the IRGC. But Tehran also has a third force: its network of foreign militias in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. They played a key role in the recent war - and no outsider knows them better than Elizabeth Tsurkov. In 2023, while on a research trip to Iraq, the Russian-Israeli PhD student was kidnapped for nearly three years by Kataib Hezbollah, the most powerful of Iran's Iraqi proxy militias. Still recovering from the ordeal, she takes Sophia Yan and Roland Oliphant inside the group - and why she was surprised to learn that many of her kidnappers were “idiots”. Plus, she explains how they sustain Iran's shadow economy, dominate politics in their host counties, and double up as fronts for massive embezzlement schemes. HighlightsDonald Trump lifts US naval blockade on IranElizabeth Tsurkov on being kidnapped by “idiot” Iranian militias in IraqCONTRIBUTORS:Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent, @sophia_yan Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantElizabeth Tsurkov, fellow at the New Lines Institute @LizHurraCONTENT REFERENCED:Elizabeth Tsurkov: I Was Kidnapped by Idiotshttps://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/01/kidnapped-baghdad/685470/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode documentary photographer and photo editor Cengiz Yar takes on our ‘Proust Photo Quiz'. The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust. Proust answered the questionnaire in a confession album, a form of parlour game popular at the end of the 1890s. The album, titled An Album to Record Thoughts, Feelings, etc. was found in 1924 and published in the French literary journal Les Cahiers du Mois. Our ‘Proust Photo Quiz' is an adaption of the original text. Cengiz Yar Yar is a New Jersey born documentary photographer and editor now based in El Paso, Texas who has worked in visual journalism for over a decade. He currently works as a visuals editor at ProPublica, where he edits, photographs, and art-directs stories across the site focusing on the visual coverage of projects in the US Midwest, Southwest, and Texas. Before joining ProPublica, Yar edited for publications such as Rest of World, Roads & Kingdoms, and the Guardian. As a photographer his work has primarily focused on human migration and the conflicts in Iraq and Syria. He is the inaugural recipient of the James Foley Award for Conflict Reporting, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and a Dart Center Ochberg Fellow in Journalism and Trauma. His photography clients include Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, WIRED, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Instagram, Google, UNHCR, and The New York Times among others. He is a HEFAT, RISC, and FAA drone certified pilot and his first monograph, This Alabaster Grave, exploring the overwhelming destruction faced by the Iraqi city of Mosul was published in 2025. Dr.Grant Scott After fifteen years art directing photography books and magazines such as Elle and Tatler, Scott began to work as a photographer for a number of advertising and editorial clients in 2000. Alongside his photographic career Scott has art directed numerous advertising campaigns, worked as a creative director at Sotheby's, art directed foto8 magazine, founded his own photographic gallery, edited Professional Photographer magazine and launched his own title for photographers and filmmakers Hungry Eye. He founded the United Nations of Photography in 2012, and is now a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, and a BBC Radio contributor. Scott is the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019), and What Does Photography Mean To You? (Bluecoat Press 2020). His photography has been published in At Home With The Makers of Style (Thames & Hudson 2006), Crash Happy: A Night at The Bangers (Cafe Royal Books 2012) and Inside Vogue House: One building, seven magazines, sixty years of stories (Orphans Publishing 2024). His film Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay was premiered in 2018. © Grant Scott 2026

Chuck Todd opens with a brutal verdict on the emerging Iran "deal": it's just a worse version of the Obama agreement Trump once tore up, Iran has effectively avoided every stated goal Trump and Israel set out to achieve, and Tehran retains control of the Strait of Hormuz — meaning this is unambiguously a loss for the United States, no matter how the administration tries to spin it. He argues Trump bit off far more than he could chew, that Bibi Netanyahu put his faith into Donald Trump (which never ends well), and that America's standing has been diminished in ways that will reverberate for years. Iran's regime won't be able to repress its own people forever, He notes, but the window to actually topple it during the protests was missed — and Gulf state allies will now be dealing with the Iranians for much longer than they bargained for, having quietly hoped the U.S. and Israel would do their dirty work for them. The political damage at home is just as severe. He cites the Wall Street Journal christening the past seven days as "the week that broke Trump's hold on Congress," with the president now underwater on every single issue, consumer confidence unlikely to recover before the midterms, the Senate unable to fund DHS through reconciliation because Trump makes bipartisan solutions impossible, and his January 6th slush fund producing a backlash that won't go away — with Republican senators visibly wavering. Chuck's verdict on the lame duck arriving early: this is a failed first two years of the Trump presidency, and the stronger his grip on the party, the weaker that party becomes in general elections. He blasts Todd Blanche for turning the DOJ into Trump's personal legal team (Blanche should be impeached, Todd argues, and nothing coming out of this DOJ can be trusted), tears into the long-awaited DNC autopsy of the 2024 loss as paralyzed, tone-deaf, and poorly thought-out — naming Ken Martin as the wrong person to lead the DNC and noting that the simple truth Democrats can't bring themselves to face is that the party is perceived as too liberal in a country with more conservatives than progressives. He flags Mike Duggan dropping out of the Michigan governor's race after his hoped-for contentious Democratic primary never materialized, and Tulsi Gabbard's resignation as DNI proving that the position itself was never really necessary Then, former Marine sniper AJ Pasciuti — author of the new book Dark Horse and host of the Combat Story podcast — joins the Chuck Toddcast for one of the most riveting and clear-eyed conversations about military service, leadership, and the realities of modern war. Pasciuti was 16 years old on September 11th, enlisted at 17, and eventually became the Marine who led the team that killed "Juba" — the notorious Iraqi sniper who uploaded videos of his American kills to the internet to taunt the U.S. military. He walks listeners through the entire hunt: how Marines studied Juba's uploaded footage to identify his patterns, how the team set a trap, how Pasciuti spotted Juba in his hide by catching the glint off the lens of a Sony Handycam, and how he knew within minutes that they'd gotten him — while emphasizing that he may have pulled the trigger but it was an entire team that brought Juba down. Pasciuti reflects on the strange experience of fighting enemies who saw themselves as freedom fighters rather than terrorists, why attention to detail is the trait that weeds out most sniper candidates, and how snipers are ultimately meant to combat the enemy emotionally as much as physically. The conversation broadens into a sweeping meditation on what military service teaches you about America — and where Pasciuti worries the country is heading. He calls the military one of the last bastions of the American dream, where opportunity is real but has to be earned, and argues that a culture promoting service to the greater good over the accumulation of wealth would make America measurably healthier.. Pasciuti is openly worried about political leadership infecting the values of the military, makes the case that empathy must be viewed as a strength rather than a weakness in military leadership, and insists his book is political but not partisan — it's about values. He offers a vital warning that the Taliban proved asymmetrical warfare can defeat a stronger foe, that drone warfare is dangerously dehumanizing combat by reducing casualties to dollars and cents, and that the most important thing any soldier carries home is their soul intact — something he says becomes harder every year as the social contract between America and its veterans erodes. Pasciuti describes seeing fear rather than hatred in the eyes of a dying enemy combatant, a moment that has stayed with him, and explains why he can't support any politician who describes a political opponent as an enemy. He shares his experience running for city council and personally knocking on thousands of doors, his frustration with the financial barriers to entry in modern politics, and his belief that current discourse simply doesn't allow for real dialogue. He closes with the most powerful observation of the episode, made for Memorial Day: the holiday isn't about those who came home — it's about those who didn't — and anyone calling for war should be required to first sit down and have a conversation with a Gold Star family. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine for a thoughtful Memorial Day reflection on how countries honor their war dead — and how the rituals they choose reveal who they understand themselves to be. He traces Memorial Day back to its actual origins in the Civil War and its 600,000 American dead, including the powerful and often-forgotten story of formerly enslaved people who reburied Union soldiers from a mass grave to give them the dignified resting place their country had failed to provide. He explains that the date was chosen not because of a specific battle but because of when flowers bloom, that Southern states kept parallel remembrance traditions for the Confederacy, and that Memorial Day's secondary role as the unofficial start of summer has always made it a uniquely American hybrid of grief and gathering — which, Chuck argues, is actually one of its virtues, because coming together is how communities find common ground. He surveys how other nations approach the same task: WWI created a uniquely Canadian identity around remembrance, Russia centers its V-Day celebrations on WWII triumph as the foundation of national identity, Germany approaches its war dead cautiously and somberly with a deep awareness of historical responsibility, and Japan frames remembrance through loss, peace, and explicit anti-war reflection. His larger argument is that the story and tone of a country's remembrance day reveals exactly how it understands itself — what it celebrates, what it confronts, and what it would rather not look at. He closes with the smallest but most important reminder of the day: you don't say "Happy Memorial Day." He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Predict the action all the way through the finals. Sign up now for your twenty-five dollar bonus on https://fanduel.com/predicts Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 04:00 Pending Iran deal looks like a worse version of Obama’s deal 04:45 Iran looks to have avoided all of Trump + Israel’s stated goals 05:15 Iran retains control of Strait, that means this is a loss for Trump 06:15 Trump is capitulating, and this diminishes America’s standing 07:15 Administration hoping to sweep Iran under the rug in time for the midterms 08:00 Normally, America would be leading Ebola response. Trump destroyed USAID 08:45 Helping with disease outbreaks was about protecting us at home 10:00 Unlikely the Iranian regime will be able to repress their people forever 11:00 Trump bit off more than he could chew and needs an offramp 11:45 Bibi put his faith into Donald Trump, which never goes well 13:00 Trump hires flawed people that could only work for him. Makes them loyal 14:15 Politics infects every decision Trump makes 15:45 Gulf state allies will have to deal with Iran for much longer now 16:30 Missed the window to topple the regime during the protests 18:00 Gulf states were hoping U.S. and Israel would do their dirty work 18:30 Trump was worst possible commander in chief for this moment 19:30 It’s a big loss for Trump, but he had no choice but to end the war 22:00 New polling shows Trump approval tanking, huge generic Dem advantage 23:45 WSJ dubs the past week, “The week the broke Trump’s hold on Congress” 25:00 Trump is underwater on every issue 26:00 It’s highly unlikely consumer confidence will rise before the midterms 27:00 Trump is directly responsible for higher inflation and cost of living 28:00 Senate cannot find way to fund DHS through reconciliation 29:30 Trump makes any bipartisan solution impossible 30:15 Todd Banche is making DOJ Trump’s personal attorneys 31:45 Can’t trust anything this DOJ says. Blanche should be impeached* 33:15 Trump’s J6 slush fund is likely illegal and has GOP senators wavering 34:15 Backlash to slush fund isn’t going away 35:45 The stronger Trump grips the party, the weaker it is in general elections 36:30 The lame duck is here. This a failed first two years of Trump’s presidency 37:15 DNC finally releases autopsy of 2024 election loss 37:45 Ken Martin is the wrong person for the DNC chair. In over his head 38:15 The simple fact of the matter is the party is perceived as too liberal 40:45 There are more conservatives than progressives, need to win the moderates 42:00 Autopsy offering gubernatorial wins as a counterpoint is tone deaf 43:45 Trump’s electoral strength doesn’t translate when he isn’t on ballot 44:30 DNC was in a no-win situation with the autopsy 45:15 Seems like the autopsy was just going through motions, poorly thought out 46:30 DNC is paralyzed, in need of new leadership 48:30 Mike Duggan drops out as independent in MI governor’s race 50:00 Duggan counted on contentious primary & that didn’t happen 52:00 Duggan didn’t want a Republican elected and dropped out 52:30 Tulsi Gabbard resigns. DNI post shown to not be necessary 53:00 The CIA has won the “turf battle” amongst intel agencies 54:30 Gabbard isn’t the first DNI that’s been marginalized. 55:15 It’s easy to eye roll Don Jr & Hunter Biden… Their fathers screwed them up 1:03:30 AJ Pasciuti (Dark Horse) joins the Chuck ToddCast 1:05:30 If you wrote the book 10 years ago, how would it have been different? 1:07:00 You gain extra perspective about “why” when more time has passed 1:07:45 Leadership is currently in very short supply 1:09:45 The book is a love letter and thank you to people who shaped AJ’s life 1:11:45 The military is one of the last bastions of the American dream 1:12:45 Was 16 years old on 9/11 and the attack inspired AJ to enlist at 17 1:13:45 How did you identify that you had the skills to be a sniper? 1:15:15 Gunnery Sgt. Jackson helped set AJ on his trajectory 1:16:00 What is training for a sniper like? 1:17:00 Attention to details is the trait that weeds out most sniper candidates 1:17:45 Snipers have to be self-dependent, must rely on yourself for survival 1:19:00 Snipers are meant to combat the enemy emotionally, scare them 1:19:45 “Juba” may not have been just one enemy sniper & hunted Americans 1:20:15 Juba uploaded videos of sniper kills of Americans to the internet 1:21:00 Watching the videos allowed marines to understand Juba’s patterns 1:21:30 Set up a trap for Juba and Juba fell into it 1:22:30 AJ knew they had killed Juba within minutes 1:23:30 Caught a glint of the lens of a Sony handycam to spot Juba 1:24:45 AJ may have pulled the trigger, but it was an entire team that got him 1:26:15 Marines were shocked that people would fight for a tyrant like Saddam 1:27:00 We viewed the enemies as terrorists, they viewed themselves as freedom fighters 1:28:45 Does the message to the troops today seem different than when you served? 1:29:45 When we send Americans into conflict, it must be for a just cause 1:30:15 There’s a responsibility that comes with having the greatest military in history 1:31:15 Are you worried political leadership is infecting the values of the military? 1:32:15 Leadership needs to project values people are inspired to defend 1:34:00 Military leadership needs to view empathy as a strength, not a weakness 1:35:00 The book is political but not partisan. It’s about values 1:36:45 A culture that promotes services to the greater good is healthier 1:38:30 If the culture promotes service over wealth, we’d be better off 1:39:00 Mandatory service in Israel has helped to bond their society 1:41:30 Service strips away the illusion that we succeed alone 1:42:45 Veterans aren’t easily categorized in their politics 1:43:30 Military provides an opportunity, but you have to earn it 1:45:30 Competitive advantage for the military is to think, adapt & react quicker 1:46:45 Marine culture should create soldiers that are problem solvers 1:47:45 Taliban found that asymmetrical warfare could defeat a stronger foe 1:50:00 We have to better prepare for asymmetrical warfare 1:50:45 The American Revolution was fought with asymmetrical warfare 1:51:30 Drone warfare dehumanizes war. Casualties counted in dollars and cents 1:52:45 War is a chess game, and modern tech has leveled the playing field 1:54:45 Have to avoid being dehumanized by war 1:55:30 Saw an enemy combatant dying, saw fear in his eyes, not hatred 1:56:15 Wrote the book not to glorify war, but to tell the realities of it 1:57:45 The hardest part of coming home was doing so with your soul intact 1:59:00 The social contract with our soldiers must be protected 2:00:15 How are you able to publicly express your experience when many can’t? 2:02:30 Can’t support someone that says a political opponent is an enemy 2:03:30 Tell us about your podcast “Combat Story” 2:05:00 Ran for city council, personally knocked on thousands of doors 2:06:30 Our current politics doesn’t allow for dialogue 2:08:45 There’s a financial barrier to entry into politics 2:11:30 Memorial Day is tough, it’s about those who didn’t come home 2:12:00 Anyone calling for war should have a conversation with a gold star family 2:15:15 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with AJ Pasciuti 2:16:00 ToddCast Time Machine 2:16:30 Every country honors war dead, but don’t do it the same way 2:17:15 Memorial Day was borne out of the civil war and 600k Americans dead 2:18:00 Formally enslaved people reburied union soldiers from mass grave 2:18:45 Holiday is also about who gets remembered in our national story 2:19:15 Date was chosen due to flowers blooming & not a specific battle 2:20:30 Southern states kept remembrance traditions for the confederacy 2:21:15 Memorial Day also marks the unofficial start of summer 2:21:45 Gathering together is an important way to find common ground 2:22:45 Different memorial traditions & rituals in other countries 2:23:30 WW1 created a unique identity in Canada 2:24:00 Russia celebrates V-Day, triumph in WW2 central to identity 2:24:45 Germany remembers war cautiously and somberly 2:25:30 Japan remembers war through loss, peace and anti-war reflection 2:26:15 Other memorial rituals around the world 2:27:45 Story and tone of remembrance days are how countries view themselves 2:28:45 You don’t say “Happy Memorial Day” 2:30:00 Ask Chuck 2:30:15 Isn’t it odd that we know so little about attempted Trump assassins? 2:37:00 Why didn’t Dems lean into “Trump Lie Trackers” more in campaigns? 2:41:00 Does the “Epstein Class” framing feel stronger than the “1%”? 2:45:00 Did “No Child Left Behind” do real damage to civics education? 2:51:15 Does the 2.5 swing in presidential elections show most voters are locked in?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Marine sniper AJ Pasciuti — author of the new book Dark Horse and host of the Combat Story podcast — joins the Chuck Toddcast for one of the most riveting and clear-eyed conversations about military service, leadership, and the realities of modern war. Pasciuti was 16 years old on September 11th, enlisted at 17, and eventually became the Marine who led the team that killed "Juba" — the notorious Iraqi sniper who uploaded videos of his American kills to the internet to taunt the U.S. military. He walks listeners through the entire hunt: how Marines studied Juba's uploaded footage to identify his patterns, how the team set a trap, how Pasciuti spotted Juba in his hide by catching the glint off the lens of a Sony Handycam, and how he knew within minutes that they'd gotten him — while emphasizing that he may have pulled the trigger but it was an entire team that brought Juba down. Pasciuti reflects on the strange experience of fighting enemies who saw themselves as freedom fighters rather than terrorists, why attention to detail is the trait that weeds out most sniper candidates, and how snipers are ultimately meant to combat the enemy emotionally as much as physically. The conversation broadens into a sweeping meditation on what military service teaches you about America — and where Pasciuti worries the country is heading. He calls the military one of the last bastions of the American dream, where opportunity is real but has to be earned, and argues that a culture promoting service to the greater good over the accumulation of wealth would make America measurably healthier.. Pasciuti is openly worried about political leadership infecting the values of the military, makes the case that empathy must be viewed as a strength rather than a weakness in military leadership, and insists his book is political but not partisan — it's about values. He offers a vital warning that the Taliban proved asymmetrical warfare can defeat a stronger foe, that drone warfare is dangerously dehumanizing combat by reducing casualties to dollars and cents, and that the most important thing any soldier carries home is their soul intact — something he says becomes harder every year as the social contract between America and its veterans erodes. Pasciuti describes seeing fear rather than hatred in the eyes of a dying enemy combatant, a moment that has stayed with him, and explains why he can't support any politician who describes a political opponent as an enemy. He shares his experience running for city council and personally knocking on thousands of doors, his frustration with the financial barriers to entry in modern politics, and his belief that current discourse simply doesn't allow for real dialogue. He closes with the most powerful observation of the episode, made for Memorial Day: the holiday isn't about those who came home — it's about those who didn't — and anyone calling for war should be required to first sit down and have a conversation with a Gold Star family. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 AJ Pasciuti (Dark Horse) joins the Chuck ToddCast 02:00 If you wrote the book 10 years ago, how would it have been different? 03:30 You gain extra perspective about “why” when more time has passed 04:15 Leadership is currently in very short supply 06:15 The book is a love letter and thank you to people who shaped AJ’s life 08:15 The military is one of the last bastions of the American dream 09:15 Was 16 years old on 9/11 and the attack inspired AJ to enlist at 17 10:15 How did you identify that you had the skills to be a sniper? 11:45 Gunnery Sgt. Jackson helped set AJ on his trajectory 12:30 What is training for a sniper like? 13:30 Attention to details is the trait that weeds out most sniper candidates 14:15 Snipers have to be self-dependent, must rely on yourself for survival 15:30 Snipers are meant to combat the enemy emotionally, scare them 16:15 “Juba” may not have been just one enemy sniper & hunted Americans 16:45 Juba uploaded videos of sniper kills of Americans to the internet 17:30 Watching the videos allowed marines to understand Juba’s patterns 18:00 Set up a trap for Juba and Juba fell into it 19:00 AJ knew they had killed Juba within minutes 20:00 Caught a glint of the lens of a Sony handycam to spot Juba 21:15 AJ may have pulled the trigger, but it was an entire team that got him 22:45 Marines were shocked that people would fight for a tyrant like Saddam 23:30 We viewed the enemies as terrorists, they viewed themselves as freedom fighters 25:15 Does the message to the troops today seem different than when you served? 26:15 When we send Americans into conflict, it must be for a just cause 26:45 There’s a responsibility that comes with having the greatest military in history 27:45 Are you worried political leadership is infecting the values of the military? 28:45 Leadership needs to project values people are inspired to defend 30:30 Military leadership needs to view empathy as a strength, not a weakness 31:30 The book is political but not partisan. It’s about values 33:15 A culture that promotes services to the greater good is healthier 35:00 If the culture promotes service over wealth, we’d be better off 35:30 Mandatory service in Israel has helped to bond their society 38:00 Service strips away the illusion that we succeed alone 39:15 Veterans aren’t easily categorized in their politics 40:00 Military provides an opportunity, but you have to earn it 42:00 Competitive advantage for the military is to think, adapt & react quicker 43:15 Marine culture should create soldiers that are problem solvers 44:15 Taliban found that asymmetrical warfare could defeat a stronger foe 46:30 We have to better prepare for asymmetrical warfare 47:15 The American Revolution was fought with asymmetrical warfare 48:00 Drone warfare dehumanizes war. Casualties counted in dollars and cents 49:15 War is a chess game, and modern tech has leveled the playing field 51:15 Have to avoid being dehumanized by war 52:00 Saw an enemy combatant dying, saw fear in his eyes, not hatred 52:45 Wrote the book not to glorify war, but to tell the realities of it 54:15 The hardest part of coming home was doing so with your soul intact 55:30 The social contract with our soldiers must be protected 56:45 How are you able to publicly express your experience when many can’t? 59:00 Can’t support someone that says a political opponent is an enemy 1:00:00 Tell us about your podcast “Combat Story” 1:01:30 Ran for city council, personally knocked on thousands of doors 1:03:00 Our current politics doesn’t allow for dialogue 1:05:15 There’s a financial barrier to entry into politics 1:08:00 Memorial Day is tough, it’s about those who didn’t come home 1:08:30 Anyone calling for war should have a conversation with a gold star familySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Film School's GG Hawkins speaks with writer-director Hasan Hadi and producer Leah Chen Baker about the development, financing, production, and release journey behind The President's Cake. The conversation traces the film from NYU and COVID-era writing sessions through the Sundance Labs, the challenge of building an aggressively independent financing plan, shooting on location in Iraq with non-professional actors, and the impact of winning both the Caméra d'Or and the Audience Award at Cannes. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins, Hasan Hadi, and Leah Chen Baker discuss... How Hasan and Leah's collaboration began at NYU and grew through shorts, writing check-ins, and shared creative sensibilities Why film school was essential for Hasan as a filmmaker coming from a country with limited cinema infrastructure Developing The President's Cake before applying to the Sundance Labs How the Sundance Screenwriting, Directing, Producers Lab, and Catalyst Forum helped build confidence around the project Leading with the film's “risky” elements: a first feature, non-professional actors, no rehearsals, a period setting, and shooting in Iraq Building a financing plan through micro grants, institutional support, small stakeholders, and equity partners Why filming in Iraq was non-negotiable for the story's authenticity Creating an international crew while ensuring every department included Iraqi local crew The realities of shooting with limited infrastructure and a long production schedule What changed after the film won at Cannes How Iraqi and international audiences have responded to the film The importance of setting an end point for one project so the next one can begin Memorable Quotes: “But for me as a filmmaker who came from country that has almost no infrastructure in cinema. So my first film set when I was in film school almost, film school was necessary for me.” “There were a lot of do not do's on our pitch for our first feature.” “Even the failure sometimes was considered progress. It's not a success, it's a progress.” “Stories have DNAs and roots and they have, you know, fingerprints and this story has a very strong fingerprints that is in Iraq.” Guests: Hasan Hadi Leah Chen Baker Resources: The President's Cake on IMDb Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram

“I am haunted by history: the history of dictatorship, the history of empire, history as a whole,” declares the Iraqi novelist, poet, scholar, and literary translator Sinan Antoon near the start of this conversation about his most recent novel, Of Loss and Lavender. Sinan, speaking with Magalí and critic Michael Allan, goes on to say that “the novel allows for a more wholesome, in-depth confrontation with history.” That confrontation, in turn, requires narrative forms that are complex, sometimes fractured, and often non-linear in order to braid together a range of different perspectives on a particular moment or event. As Sinan observes in a discussion of the Arabic term nisyān—“forgetting” or “forgetfulness,” although its nuances in Arabic are not easily rendered in English—even memory itself is not static. And yet, shared histories of empire and imperialism make it possible to draw connections between far-flung locations, as Sinan does in Of Loss and Lavender by drawing together Iraq and Puerto Rico. From here, the conversation turns to the pleasures and challenges of translation, including some of Sinan's choices when translating his own work into English. This includes the effort to make legible the nuances of race, class, and other forms of difference across contexts; although, as Sinan notes, much of his younger readership in the Arab world today is often well-versed in US culture. The conversation concludes with a discussion of Sinan's frequent use of poems and songs in the novel, a device that points back to the multi-genre experiments of the premodern Arabic tradition, and a moving portrait of a teacher who transmitted to his students ideas about justice and equality despite the dictatorship under which he worked. Mentioned in this episode: About Baghdad The Baghdad Eucharist Mahmoud Darwish, In the Presence of Absence Darwish's “Memory for Forgetfulness” (on nisyān) The Book of Collateral Damage Elias Khoury and the use of dialect in contemporary Arabic fiction Quebecois literature Breaking Bad Um Kulthoum 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

“I am haunted by history: the history of dictatorship, the history of empire, history as a whole,” declares the Iraqi novelist, poet, scholar, and literary translator Sinan Antoon near the start of this conversation about his most recent novel, Of Loss and Lavender. Sinan, speaking with Magalí and critic Michael Allan, goes on to say that “the novel allows for a more wholesome, in-depth confrontation with history.” That confrontation, in turn, requires narrative forms that are complex, sometimes fractured, and often non-linear in order to braid together a range of different perspectives on a particular moment or event. As Sinan observes in a discussion of the Arabic term nisyān—“forgetting” or “forgetfulness,” although its nuances in Arabic are not easily rendered in English—even memory itself is not static. And yet, shared histories of empire and imperialism make it possible to draw connections between far-flung locations, as Sinan does in Of Loss and Lavender by drawing together Iraq and Puerto Rico. From here, the conversation turns to the pleasures and challenges of translation, including some of Sinan's choices when translating his own work into English. This includes the effort to make legible the nuances of race, class, and other forms of difference across contexts; although, as Sinan notes, much of his younger readership in the Arab world today is often well-versed in US culture. The conversation concludes with a discussion of Sinan's frequent use of poems and songs in the novel, a device that points back to the multi-genre experiments of the premodern Arabic tradition, and a moving portrait of a teacher who transmitted to his students ideas about justice and equality despite the dictatorship under which he worked. Mentioned in this episode: About Baghdad The Baghdad Eucharist Mahmoud Darwish, In the Presence of Absence Darwish's “Memory for Forgetfulness” (on nisyān) The Book of Collateral Damage Elias Khoury and the use of dialect in contemporary Arabic fiction Quebecois literature Breaking Bad Um Kulthoum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Iran has threatened to spread the war beyond the Middle East if Donald Trump starts bombing the country again. Is it an empty threat or should we be worried?Jonathan Hackett, a former US Marine Corps interrogator and special operations intelligence officer, joins the podcast again to discuss the state of Iran's military capabilities, their Mosaic Doctrine and what next for the war with Venetia Rainey, Sophia Yan and Roland Oliphant.They also discuss reports today that the US wanted to install former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Ali Khamenei's place, news of secret Israeli bases in the Iraqi desert, and the shady Iran-linked group known as HAYI behind a series of attacks on Jews in London. Plus, as Vladimir Putin visits Xi Jinping in China, Sophia looks at how the energy crisis caused by the war has boosted Moscow by forcing the UK and US to drop sanctions on Russian oil, and Venetia looks at JD Vance's latest comments on peace deal talks. HighlightsIran warns Trump: ‘We'll take war global if you bomb us again'A US Marine on Iran's terror war against the WestCONTRIBUTORS:Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiaraineyRoland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantSophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yanJonathan Hackett, former US Marine Corps @jonathanhackettCONTENT REFERENCED:Akhtar Makoii: Iran's plan to strike back in second round of warhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/19/iran-plan-strike-back-second-round-war/Badenoch: PM's sanctions U-turn will fund killing of Ukrainian soldiershttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/20/starmer-eases-sanctions-on-russian-oil/Producer: Peter ShevlinExecutive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: U.S. officials are sounding the alarm over a potential new drone threat emerging just 90 miles off America's southern coast, after intelligence reports revealed Cuba has reportedly been stockpiling military drones supplied by Russia and Iran. Iranian forces have reportedly boarded and seized a Chinese-operated vessel described as a “floating armoury” in the Gulf of Oman, raising fresh questions about maritime security in the region following the recent conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. Federal prosecutors have charged a senior Iraqi militia figure tied to Iran with allegedly plotting attacks on Jewish sites in major U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles. And in today's Back of the Brief—after President Trump's trip to Beijing, White House staffers and reporters aboard Air Force One were reportedly ordered to throw away Chinese-issued gifts, badges, pins, and burner phones over ongoing espionage and surveillance concerns. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.  YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Acre Gold: Turn your pocket change into physical 24-karat gold and enter to win a limited-edition Hot Wheels gold bar at https://GetAcreGold.com/PDB Hexclad: Find your forever cookware @hexclad and get 10% off at https://hexclad.com/PDB ! #hexcladpartner #sponsored Chapter: Compare every medicare plan call 915-671-5252 today! Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan's contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don't directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact https://Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this Monday Headline Brief of The Wright Report, Bryan opens with a major Iran-linked terror arrest in New York City, where an Iraqi national accused of working for the IRGC allegedly helped plan attacks against Jewish, Israeli, and American targets across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and beyond. He then breaks down the broader war picture, including new drone attacks on the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, President Trump's warning that Iran is running out of time for a peace deal, and a notable shift in the White House's position on Iran's enriched nuclear material. Bryan argues that Tehran is showing little interest in peace, while rising oil prices, market stress, and warnings about shortages of motor oil and lubricants show how the war is increasingly hitting Americans at home. Plus, Bryan covers China's tentative promises to buy more U.S. agricultural products, President Trump's successful move to oust Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, and AOC's growing push to rally Democrats around socialism, redistricting fights, and attacks on billionaires. He also highlights Texas Children's Hospital ending transgender procedures for minors, and closes with a look at America's 250th birthday, the Rededicate 250 event, and the renewed debate over faith, religion, and the future of the nation.   "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: IRGC terror plot New York Mohammad al Saadi 2026, Iran terror attacks Jewish schools US Europe Canada, Trump Iran peace deadline nuclear material shift, UAE nuclear plant drone attack Iran war update, Strait of Hormuz oil prices motor oil shortages 2026, China US agriculture deal beef purchases Trump Xi, Bill Cassidy primary loss Trump revenge Louisiana Senate, AOC socialism redistricting Alabama rally 2028 Democrats, Texas Children's Hospital puberty blockers settlement detransition clinic, Rededicate 250 America religion faith founding fathers, Bryan Dean Wright podcast, The Wright Report

Radio and podcast host Craig Collins is in for Jim today. Join Craig and Greg for the Monday 3 Martini Lunch as they discuss a convicted Minnesota fraudster implicating Rep. Ilhan Omar, some major wins on the national security front, a red state Democrat trying to fool voters on ICE, and the coming Texas Senate runoff.First, they react to a key figure convicted in the Minnesota fraud scandal saying that Rep. Ilhan Omar is very much a part of the scandal. Craig and Greg don't believe we should automatically believe the convicted criminal's allegations, but they have other reasons for suspecting Omar is likely involved.Next, they applaud three key wins on the national security front, including the elimination of a top ISIS figure in Nigeria, and the arrests of a top Tren de Aragua cartel leader, and an Iraqi national suspected of helping terrorists target American citizens and interests.Then, they get a good laugh out of former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who was voted out of office in 2024 and running for U.S. Senate again this year, claiming he doesn't know enough about the issues to say whether he supports abolishing ICE or cutting off military aid to Israel.Finally, in the wake of Louisiana Republican voters rejecting a third term for Sen. Bill Cassidy on Saturday, Craig reports on the intensity of the U.S. Senate runoff in his state of Texas with just a week to goPlease visit our great sponsors:Noble GoldDownload the free investor kit. No pressure. No obligation. Just the information.  https://noblegoldinvestments.com/3ml Better Help May is Mental Health Awareness Month- a reminder that whatever you're going through, you don't have to go through it alone. Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at https://betterhelp.com/3ML  Brooklyn BeddingGet 30% off site wide at https://brooklynbedding.com and use Promo Code 3MLNew episodes every weekday. 

It's the deadline to register to vote in the June primaries, but if you miss it, you can still cast a ballot. The feds arrest an Iraqi man accused of targeting LA Jewish institutions. Long Beach's LGBTQ community shows off its Pride, despite the cancelation of a beloved festival. Plus, more from Morning Edition. Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.comSupport the show: https://laist.com

THIS WEEK's BIRDS: new music from Lena Bloch, Andrew McKelvey, Dave Adewumi , & more; vintage West African  music from Bah Sadio, Cameyenne Sofa, Kassé Mady Diabaté; from Benin: Gnonnas Pedro w. His Dadjes Band; vintage song from Iraqi vocalist Sita (aka Seta Hagopian); ; oud player, singer, composer Natik Awayez; recent Iraqi pop from Sozan; raga on santur played by Pt. Bhajan Sopori; salsa from Celia Cruz w. Johnny Pacheco; Joe Arroyo from Colombia; Aniceto Molina from Colombia; Billie Harris (LA post-bop from Billie Harris; plus.... so much, much, much more... Catch the BIRDS live on Friday nights, 9:00pm-MIDNIGHT (EST), in Central New York on WRFI, 88.1 FM Ithaca/ 88.5 FM Odessa;. and WORLDWIDE online via our MUSIC PLAYER at WRFI.ORG. 24/7 via PODBEAN: https://conferenceofthebirds.podbean.com via iTUNES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conference-of-the-birds-podcast/id478688580 Also available at podomatic, Internet Archive, podtail, iheart Radio, and elsewhere. Always FREE of charge to listen to the radio program and free also to stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast online: PLAYLIST at SPINITRON: https://spinitron.com/WRFI/pl/22330233/Conference-of-the-Birds and via the Conference of the Birds page at www.WRFI.ORG https://www.wrfi.org/wrfiprograms/conferenceofthebirds/  Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/conferenceofthebirds/?ref=bookmarks Find WRFI on Radio Garden: http://radio.garden/visit/ithaca-ny/aqh8OGBR NEW MAILING ADDRESS:  Stephen Cope  @ Conference of the Birds, POBOX 428, Tivoli, NY, 12583, USA. 

"Not until those pictures came out... yeah, then the biggest rule was 'no fucking cameras.'"In January 2007, a user named Deathlyillington posted a video to YouTube. Roughly three minutes long, the video didn't feature any visually graphic content. It was just three guys - two in front of the camera, one behind it - chatting about one's experiences over in Iraq. Specifically, during his time stationed at Abu Ghraib, the notorious prison outside of Baghdad that had become synonymous with human rights abuses during the war.In this video, the young man details the casual dehumanization of Iraqis that had become routine to him, including the CIA's involvement in teaching interrogation techniques and physical torture. He also expresses a blanket contempt for all Iraqis, guilty and innocent alike. Then the cameraman asks him what the most fun thing he did over there was...To view the video on YouTube, check it out at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0jpU6a-toUIf you have any information about this video that you'd like to share, please reach through the following methods:Email: micheal@unresolved.meVoicemail or Text: +18312003550Learn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.meCheck out the podcast store at unresolved.dashery.comIf you would like to support this podcast, consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron or ProducerBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unresolved-a-true-crime-mystery-podcast--3266604/support.

Stephanie Ramos has the latest on the massive explosion and fire at a lumber company in Maine that killed a firefighter and injured at least 10 others, and is being described as a “mass casualty incident;” Aaron Katersky has details on the Iraqi national in U.S. custody accused of orchestrating terror attacks around the world taking aim at American and Jewish targets in retaliation for the war in Iran; Pierre Thomas reports on sources telling ABC News about the possibility of Pres. Trump settling his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a $1.7 billion fund for allies of the president who claim they were targeted by the "weaponized" Biden DOJ; and more on tonight's broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In our news wrap Friday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is commuting the prison sentence of 2020 election denier Tina Peters, the Justice Department announced the arrest of an Iraqi national accused of plotting at least 18 terror attacks in retaliation for the war in Iran and Africa's leading public health agency says an Ebola outbreak has killed at least 65 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Süreya is a London-based, internationally recognized Turkish belly dancer, choreographer, and instructor known for her dynamic stage presence, strong musicality, and versatility across multiple Middle Eastern dance styles. Deeply connected to her Turkish cultural roots, she has trained extensively in Turkish, Egyptian, Lebanese, Iraqi, and Khaleegy dance, as well as ballet and theatrical fusion. A multi-award-winning performer, Süreya has taught and competed in over 10 countries, including Turkey and Egypt, earning recognition at major international festivals and competitions such as Rakkas Istanbul, the International Belly Dance Battle, and Dum Tak Festival. Alongside performing at prestigious venues and events across the UK and internationally, she is also known for her passionate teaching style, commitment to continuous learning, and dedication to sharing authentic oriental dance with new generations of dancers.In this episode you will learn about:- Growing up loving belly dance in Turkish culture while feeling pressured to hide it- How burnout affects dancers mentally more than physically—and ways to recover from it- Why nutrition, fitness, and structure become essential for sustaining a dance career- The importance of lifelong learning and studying with many different teachers- Competing in nine categories while unknowingly dancing with pneumonia—and the reality behind pushing too hardShow Notes to this episode:Find Süreya on Instagram, FB and her website, or contect her directly at sureyabellydance@gmail.com. For Moyolo (Egyptian Dance and Cultural Tours) visit www.moyolotravel.co.uk Details the BDE shows and training programs are available at www.JoinBDE.comFollow Iana on Instagram, FB, and Youtube . Check out her online classes and intensives at the Iana Dance Club.Find information on how you can support Ukraine and Ukrainian belly dancers HERE.Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast

Israel built a top secret military base in the Iraqi desert near Saudi Arabia before Operation Roaring Lion and Epic Fury even began. Everything about this project has been top secret until Israel just began releasing details this week. Which begs the question, why did Israel build this base, and why are they releasing the information on it to the public now? And how will this change relations with Iraq, and the Middle East… Also, there is a very weird genocide happening in Gaza right now. Justin Hilton breaks it down for you.  More information on the fake famine in Gaza: https://youtu.be/p3W1Epf14Tc  Purchase an "Exist" T-shirt here: https://israelguys.link/shirt-86exhtne5 Sign up for The Israel Guys Show Notes: https://theisraelguys.com/subscribe/ Follow The Israel Guys on X: https://x.com/theisraelguys Join our Telegram channel: https://t.me/theisraelguys Source Links: Israel Built Secret Base in Iraq During Iran War, WSJ Reports https://ground.news/daily-briefing/israel-built-secret-iraq-base-to-support-iran-war-struck-forces-that-nearly-exposed-it-wsj  More on Israeli base in Iraq https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-895709 Why the reveal of the secret of the Iraq base was a strategic reveal https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/analysis-opinion/artc-why-the-wsj-iraq-base-scoop-was-a-deliberate-strategic-reveal Palestine Marathon in Gaza and the West Bank  https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/palestine-marathon-returns-to-west-bank-and-gaza-with-thousands-taking-part/  'NYT' photographer wins Pulitzer for photo of 'starving' Gaza child who had cerebral palsy https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/nyt-photographer-wins-pulitzer-for-photo-of-starving-gaza-child-who-had-cerebral-palsy  IDF hits 40-plus Hezbollah targets, kills 100 terrorists https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-hits-40-hezbollah-targets-kills-100-terrorists   

7/16: Hussein Abdul-Hussein introduces Ali al-Zaydi, a political newcomer nominated for Iraqi Prime Minister by the Shia coordination framework. Al-Zaydi, a wealthy contractor, follows a pattern where "no-ones" are chosen when powerful factions cannot agree. Iraqi voters are increasingly favoring patriots over pro-Iran candidates.1920 YOKOHOMA

SCHEDULE THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 5-5-2026.1920 HONG KONG1/16: Liz Peek discusses the strong American economy, noting low unemployment and an AI-driven boom despite oil price spikes from the Iran war. While concerns about plummeted savings exist, record stock market highs and a robust labor market sustain growth. Peek also addresses political resistance to AI development.2/16: Liz Peek reflects on the successful American visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, noting the public's rehabilitated view of the royal couple. Despite past controversies, their visit reaffirmed the special relationship, and American affection for the British monarchy remains strong, reflected in high television ratings.3/16: Grant Newsham explores Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's diplomatic mission to Vietnam and Australia to counter Chinese aggression. Takaichi is shifting Japan from purely economic influence toward a professional military posture. This approach is welcomed by Southeast Asian nations facing maritime bullying from China.4/16: Rich Goldberg outlines a "blockade plus" strategy to bankrupt the Iranian regime by cutting off oil and petrochemical revenues. This economic pressure aims to spark internal fractures and popular uprisings. Goldberg also advocates for expanding Middle Eastern pipeline infrastructure to bypass the Strait of Hormuz permanently.5/16: Ivana Stradner reports that Vladimir Putin is living in a bunker, fearing a coup as he loses on the battlefield. To maintain control, the Kremlin has implemented severe internet blackouts and banned Western social media. Stradnersuggests the West should provide Russians with more VPN systems.6/16: Ivana Stradner discusses how American jazz symbolizes freedom and individualism, making it a threat to repressive regimes. Historically used as a "non-nuclear weapon" during the Cold War, jazz's improvisational nature counters state propaganda. She argues the U.S. should revitalize this tool to reach those lacking freedom.7/16: Hussein Abdul-Hussein introduces Ali al-Zaydi, a political newcomer nominated for Iraqi Prime Minister by the Shia coordination framework. Al-Zaydi, a wealthy contractor, follows a pattern where "no-ones" are chosen when powerful factions cannot agree. Iraqi voters are increasingly favoring patriots over pro-Iran candidates.8/16: Hussein Abdul-Hussein explains that the United States remains the biggest player in Iraq, wielding significant influence over leadership choices and economic policy. Washington is currently pushing to move Iraq from a cash-based to a digital economy to prevent Iran from siphoning funds and to ensure financial transparency.9/16: Gregory Copley highlights a major defense contract between Japan and Australia, involving the sale of Mogami-class frigates. The two nations are cooperating to bypass China's monopoly on rare earth processing and energy supply chains. This partnership builds on a long history of strategic trade.10/16: Gregory Copley examines the instability of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso after their withdrawal from ECOWAS. The region faces increasing jihadist threats and government paranoia regarding French interference. Meanwhile, Chinese influence in Africa is weakening as Russia's African Corps remains active but limited.11/16: Gregory Copley reports that Iran is effectively under a military government led by General Vahidi, as Ayatollah Khamenei remains incapacitated. Simultaneously, China's Xi Jinping faces internal strife and energy shortages, while India maintains a strategic, non-aligned posture between the United States, Russia, and the People's Republic of China.12/16: King Charles III visited the United States and Bermuda, receiving bipartisan acclaim in Congress for his defense of constitutional checks and balances. Despite health concerns, the King successfully revitalized the special relationship and was lauded by a Bermuda rabbi for his family's historical protection of Jews. Gregory Copley reports.13/16: Thaddeus McCotter analyzes how high gasoline prices and economic disruptions from the Iran conflict influence midterm elections. He notes that while minority parties usually have messaging advantages, the lack of clear strategic military objectives and persistent inflation create significant uncertainty for American voters and global markets.14/16: Thaddeus McCotter argues that while Wall Street performs well, the average worker remains anxious about healthcare, interest rates, and student loans. He describes the current economy as fragile and warns that failing to address these underlying domestic anxieties could lead to political repercussions during the midterm elections.15/16: Jack Burnham details the rare extradition and indictment of a Chinese national, Mr. U, for state-sponsored hacking. Operating under "Silk Typhoon," the group targeted American COVID-19 research. This operation demonstrates China's strategy of using private actors to steal scientific excellence and prepare the digital battlefield.16/16: Jack Burnham discusses how Chinese commercial satellite firms provide the IRGC with high-resolution imagery to direct attacks against American assets. He differentiates this from the state-led surveillance of the Chinese balloon incident over U.S. missile silos, emphasizing China's broad campaign to disrupt American societal morale.

9/16: Bridget Toomey and Bill Roggio discuss Ali Al-Zadei, a businessman elevated to Iraqi Prime Minister with Iranian support. While endorsed by Trump, his background in illicit finance raises concerns about ongoing militia influence.1920 BUSHER

6. Headline: Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen and Iraqi Militia Aggression Guest: Bridget Toomey Summary: The UN has largely been pushed out of Houthi-controlled territory due to the illegal detention of 73 local staff members. Meanwhile, in Iraq, the U.S. has designated several militia commanders involved in attacks against energy infrastructure and American personnel in the region. 61958 YEMEN