Podcasts about Lebanese

Special guest Maureen Carrott recalls the impression the book The Hiding Place had on her as a 13-year-old girl. Corrie Ten Boom, the author, was imprisoned in a concentration camp alongside her sister Betsie. Betsie suggested they give thanks to God for the fleas that nipped painfully at their skin. Other stories, like the biblical story of Joseph, also instilled within Maureen that gratitude should transcend circumstances. As this episode is airing, wife, mother, grandmother, friend to many around the world, and missionary Maureen went home to be with the Lord on December 16, 2025. She began Crown of Beauty ministry with Sue Corl in 2005 in East Asia. They served together for seven years, and then several mission trips afterward. From the beginning, Maureen insisted that we offer one-on-one or small group prayer counseling at each conference. Most say that this is the highlight of each conference. Her honest, Christ-centered, vulnerable, joyful spirit and love for everyone we served brought healing to women wherever she went. Sue could not have pioneered this ministry without her. As Sue's best friend, their ministry to the Chinese, Thai Karen, Lebanese, English, and Ugandan women was truly one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of their lives. Though Maureen left us earlier than any of us would have wanted, we know that her infectious laughter, deep worship and love of God, and deep connection with people is blessing those who have gone before us! Ephesians 5:20: "Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ". This episode is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Carrott. SUPPORT His Heartbeat through Crown of Beauty Internationalhttps://www.crownofbeautyinternational.com/donateCONNECT with His Heartbeat and Crown of Beauty InternationalWebsite// Facebook//InstagramEmail: crownofbeautyinternational@gmail.comConnect with Sue Corl's Instagram//Facebook// WebsitePurchase Sue's Transformational Bible Studies and Devotionals on Amazon!Sue Corl's best-selling books: Crown of Beauty Bible Study, Broken But UndefeatedCrown of Beauty International: EMPOWERING WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD WITH GOD'S TRUTH!

When we first met Mike, we found out that he had a dream to compete for Team Lebanon at the Cross Country World Championships. After some challenges and missed opportunities, we got word that Mike had moved closer to his dream. So, we caught up with him to go for a run and learn what exactly has been happening over the last couple months. On today's show Mike shares his journey of qualifying for and competing with the Lebanese national team at the World Cross Country Championships. He recounts the intense physical and mental preparation required to earn his spot, including a pivotal 10K qualifying race where he significantly improved his personal best. Despite facing challenges like illness and travel fatigue, he describes the profound experience of racing against elite global athletes on a grueling course in Tallahassee, Florida. While his performance was hampered by heat and obstacles, he emphasizes that the personal growth and the honour of representing Lebanon outweighed the final race time. We finished off by discussing how this experience will influence his coaching philosophy and his future goals in marathon runningFollow Mike on Instagram @thedaraziFind the full transcript hereSupport the showSubscribe to Running Scared Media wherever you get your podcasts for more episodes! RunningScaredMedia.comVisit our shop to purchase our jogcasts and other merchEmail us at: therunningscaredpodcast@gmail.comFollow us:Instagram @runningscaredmediaJoin our FB Running Group

Send us a textIn this conversation, Ricardo Karam sits down with Michel Helou in a discussion that moves beyond politics as slogans and delves into the core of the Lebanese experience as a daily test of conscience and responsibility. Michel returned from Europe to Beirut, learned Arabic until it became part of his everyday life, worked in the media within a long-established institution, and then chose to move from observation to direct political engagement.The conversation addresses questions of identity without romanticism, presenting Lebanon as it truly is: pain, a complex administrative reality, and a system that continues to resist change. From everyday scenes that revealed the collapse of the idea of the state to his first shocks within public administration, Michel explores the meaning of genuine reform, and addresses money and political financing, along with the ethical boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable in public life.In a direct discussion about youth and the National Bloc, Michel Helou reflects on how success criteria that go beyond parliamentary seats to include changing behavior and enforcing respect for the rule of law.Join Ricardo Karam and Michel Helou in a profound conversation about identity, the state we aspire to, and the possibility of change in Lebanon today.في هذا الحوار الصريح، يجلس ريكاردو كرم مع ميشال حلو، في لقاء يتجاوز السياسة كشعارات ليدخل إلى جوهر التجربة اللبنانية بوصفها اختباراً يومياً للضمير والمسؤولية. عاد ميشال من أوروبا إلى بيروت، تعلّم العربية حتى أصبحت جزءاً من حياته اليومية، عمل في الإعلام داخل مؤسسة عريقة، ثم اختار الانتقال من موقع المراقبة إلى موقع الفعل السياسي.يتناول الحوار مسألة الهوية بعيداً عن الرومانسية، ويطرح لبنان كما هو: وجعاً، واقعاً إدارياً معقّداً، ونظاماً يقاوم التغييرويناقش مفهوم الإصلاح الحقيقي كما يتوقف عند المال والتمويل السياسي، وحدود المقبول والمرفوض أخلاقياً في العمل العام.وفي حديث مباشر عن الشباب والكتلة الوطنية، يتناول ميشال حلو كيفية تحويل الخطاب السياسي النظيف إلى تنظيم فعلي على الأرض، ومعايير النجاح التي لا تُقاس فقط بالمقاعد، بل بتغيير السلوك وفرض احترام القانون.انضموا إلى ريكاردو كرم وميشال حلو في لقاء عميق عن الهوية، الدولة التي نريدها، وإمكانية التغيير في لبنان اليوم.

This week, Iranian historian and returning guest Navid Zarrinnal calls in to the show from Tehran via telephone amid Iran's continued internet shutdown to elaborate on his recent dispatch for BreakThrough News, "Iran's Protests Explained: A Diary from Tehran." Navid is professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, host of The Colony Archive, and working on his first monograph, "Secularisation, Mass Literacy and Education in Modern Iran." Navid gives us a timeline of events and shares his analysis, discussing key differences with previous waves of protest, the evidence and extent of foreign infiltration, the nature of the government's response, and what Iranians think about "regime change". Check out Navid's amazing work on The Colony Archive on YouTube. If you want to support the show and receive access to tons of bonus content, including the new and improved "Last Week in Lebanon" column and video blog by Roqayah and Lebanese war correspondent and our new third cohost Hadi Hoteit, you can subscribe on our Patreon for as little as $5 a month. Also, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts. We can't do this show without your support!!!

Jason Burke's The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s (Knopf, 2026) is an epic, authoritative, gripping account of the years when a new wave of revolutionaries seized the skies and the streets to hold the world for ransom In the 1970s, an unprecedented wave of international terrorism broke out around the world. More ambitious, networked and far-reaching than ever before, new armed groups terrorized the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage missions, leaving governments scrambling to cope. Their motives were as diverse as their methods. Some sought to champion Palestinian liberation, others to topple Western imperialism or battle capitalism; a few simply sought adventure or power. Among them were the unflappable young Leila Khaled, sporting jewelry made from AK-47 ammunition; the maverick Carlos the Jackal with his taste for cigars, fine dining, and designer suits; and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang or the Japanese Red Army. Their attacks forged a lawless new battlefield thirty thousand feet in the air, evading the reach of security agencies, policymakers, and spies alike. Their operations rallied activist and networks in places where few had suspected their existence, leaving a trail of chaos from Bangkok to Paris to London to Washington, D.C. Veteran foreign correspondent Jason Burke provides a thrilling account of this era of spectacular violence. Drawing on decades of research, recently declassified government files, still secret documents, and original interviews with hijackers, double agents, and victims still grieving their loved ones, The Revolutionists provides an unprecedented account of a period which definitively shaped today's world and probes the complex relationship between violence, terrorism, and revolution. From the deserts of Jordan and the Munich Olympics to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke invites us into the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents and top officials who sought to foil them. Charting, too, such shattering events as the Iranian Revolution and the Lebanese civil war, he shows how, by the early 1980s, a campaign for radical change led by secular, leftist revolutionaries had given way to a far more lethal movement of conservative religious fanaticism that would dominate the decades to come. Driven by an indelible cast of characters moving at a breakneck pace, full of detail and drama, The Revolutionists is the definitive account of a dark and seismic decade. 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

Jason Burke's The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s (Knopf, 2026) is an epic, authoritative, gripping account of the years when a new wave of revolutionaries seized the skies and the streets to hold the world for ransom In the 1970s, an unprecedented wave of international terrorism broke out around the world. More ambitious, networked and far-reaching than ever before, new armed groups terrorized the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage missions, leaving governments scrambling to cope. Their motives were as diverse as their methods. Some sought to champion Palestinian liberation, others to topple Western imperialism or battle capitalism; a few simply sought adventure or power. Among them were the unflappable young Leila Khaled, sporting jewelry made from AK-47 ammunition; the maverick Carlos the Jackal with his taste for cigars, fine dining, and designer suits; and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang or the Japanese Red Army. Their attacks forged a lawless new battlefield thirty thousand feet in the air, evading the reach of security agencies, policymakers, and spies alike. Their operations rallied activist and networks in places where few had suspected their existence, leaving a trail of chaos from Bangkok to Paris to London to Washington, D.C. Veteran foreign correspondent Jason Burke provides a thrilling account of this era of spectacular violence. Drawing on decades of research, recently declassified government files, still secret documents, and original interviews with hijackers, double agents, and victims still grieving their loved ones, The Revolutionists provides an unprecedented account of a period which definitively shaped today's world and probes the complex relationship between violence, terrorism, and revolution. From the deserts of Jordan and the Munich Olympics to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke invites us into the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents and top officials who sought to foil them. Charting, too, such shattering events as the Iranian Revolution and the Lebanese civil war, he shows how, by the early 1980s, a campaign for radical change led by secular, leftist revolutionaries had given way to a far more lethal movement of conservative religious fanaticism that would dominate the decades to come. Driven by an indelible cast of characters moving at a breakneck pace, full of detail and drama, The Revolutionists is the definitive account of a dark and seismic decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Jason Burke's The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s (Knopf, 2026) is an epic, authoritative, gripping account of the years when a new wave of revolutionaries seized the skies and the streets to hold the world for ransom In the 1970s, an unprecedented wave of international terrorism broke out around the world. More ambitious, networked and far-reaching than ever before, new armed groups terrorized the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage missions, leaving governments scrambling to cope. Their motives were as diverse as their methods. Some sought to champion Palestinian liberation, others to topple Western imperialism or battle capitalism; a few simply sought adventure or power. Among them were the unflappable young Leila Khaled, sporting jewelry made from AK-47 ammunition; the maverick Carlos the Jackal with his taste for cigars, fine dining, and designer suits; and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang or the Japanese Red Army. Their attacks forged a lawless new battlefield thirty thousand feet in the air, evading the reach of security agencies, policymakers, and spies alike. Their operations rallied activist and networks in places where few had suspected their existence, leaving a trail of chaos from Bangkok to Paris to London to Washington, D.C. Veteran foreign correspondent Jason Burke provides a thrilling account of this era of spectacular violence. Drawing on decades of research, recently declassified government files, still secret documents, and original interviews with hijackers, double agents, and victims still grieving their loved ones, The Revolutionists provides an unprecedented account of a period which definitively shaped today's world and probes the complex relationship between violence, terrorism, and revolution. From the deserts of Jordan and the Munich Olympics to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke invites us into the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents and top officials who sought to foil them. Charting, too, such shattering events as the Iranian Revolution and the Lebanese civil war, he shows how, by the early 1980s, a campaign for radical change led by secular, leftist revolutionaries had given way to a far more lethal movement of conservative religious fanaticism that would dominate the decades to come. Driven by an indelible cast of characters moving at a breakneck pace, full of detail and drama, The Revolutionists is the definitive account of a dark and seismic decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

In Episode 518, Patrick, Jeffrey and Craig chat about QR codes Lebanese cinema and then discuss five mostly baseball topics.  1. Because We Are a Mets Podcast: Turns out the offseason didn't end for the Mets after Pete Alonso signed elsewhere.2. There is No Such Thing as a Free Agency: It kept going for a lot of other teams too.3. The Politics of Glory: We have two new Hall of Famers, and some notable names take a big jump. 4. Around the Horn: A three-team trade you may have already forgotten about (yes it involves the Rays), and Atlanta once more is down a shortstop.5. Craig gets mad about Walt Weiss.Five and Dive is listener-supported, you can join our Patreon at patreon.com/fiveanddive. If you want to get in contact with the show, the e-mail address is fiveanddive@baseballprospectus.com.                                           Our theme tune is by Andy Matthews, who you can follow on Bluesky @andymatthewsmusic. You can listen to him on Spotify and Apple Music. It was produced by Barrie Maguire and Tim Ferguson.

Jason Burke's The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s (Knopf, 2026) is an epic, authoritative, gripping account of the years when a new wave of revolutionaries seized the skies and the streets to hold the world for ransom In the 1970s, an unprecedented wave of international terrorism broke out around the world. More ambitious, networked and far-reaching than ever before, new armed groups terrorized the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage missions, leaving governments scrambling to cope. Their motives were as diverse as their methods. Some sought to champion Palestinian liberation, others to topple Western imperialism or battle capitalism; a few simply sought adventure or power. Among them were the unflappable young Leila Khaled, sporting jewelry made from AK-47 ammunition; the maverick Carlos the Jackal with his taste for cigars, fine dining, and designer suits; and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang or the Japanese Red Army. Their attacks forged a lawless new battlefield thirty thousand feet in the air, evading the reach of security agencies, policymakers, and spies alike. Their operations rallied activist and networks in places where few had suspected their existence, leaving a trail of chaos from Bangkok to Paris to London to Washington, D.C. Veteran foreign correspondent Jason Burke provides a thrilling account of this era of spectacular violence. Drawing on decades of research, recently declassified government files, still secret documents, and original interviews with hijackers, double agents, and victims still grieving their loved ones, The Revolutionists provides an unprecedented account of a period which definitively shaped today's world and probes the complex relationship between violence, terrorism, and revolution. From the deserts of Jordan and the Munich Olympics to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke invites us into the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents and top officials who sought to foil them. Charting, too, such shattering events as the Iranian Revolution and the Lebanese civil war, he shows how, by the early 1980s, a campaign for radical change led by secular, leftist revolutionaries had given way to a far more lethal movement of conservative religious fanaticism that would dominate the decades to come. Driven by an indelible cast of characters moving at a breakneck pace, full of detail and drama, The Revolutionists is the definitive account of a dark and seismic decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/national-security

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Following Iran's foreign minister's direct threat against the US, Fabian reports on the buildup of potential US offensive and defensive firepower in the region, including an aircraft carrier and fighter jet squadrons. As the IDF continues its nearly daily strikes against Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, Fabian discusses Israel's tacit agreement with the US that allows it to act against anything it considers an immediate threat, and the Lebanese government's ongoing efforts to disarm Hezbollah. The IDF reported a 27% rise in settler violence in the West Bank in 2025, says Fabian, who breaks down elements of the report, including the rise in the severity of the settler attacks alongside the decrease in Palestinian terrorism, attributed to the army's sustained offensive activity against terror cells. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: US Central Command announces arrival of F-15 squadron in Mideast amid tensions with Iran IDF: Settler violence rose by 27% in 2025, severe attacks spiked by over 50% IDF targets Hezbollah tunnels, rocket launch sites in Lebanon Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: In this Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, photo made available by U.S. Navy, a helicopter lifts off of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as it transits the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln sent to the Mideast in May over tensions with Iran transited the narrow Strait of Hormuz for the first time on Tuesday. The ship previously had been in the Arabian Sea outside of the Persian Gulf. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Stephanie Contreras/U.S. Navy via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clatter Tongue by K.A Ren Wild You’ll hear a live reading of a short story written by Ren Wyld and performed by Katie Becket for Story Saloon – a live storytelling show and podcast. The story itself comes from the First Nation Anthology of speculative fiction, titled This All Come Back Now, edited by Koori and Lebanese writer Dr Mykaela Saunders. This interplay between voice and voicelessness. The juxtaposition of the fantastic with the real world. Tackles the larger question of empowerment and disempowerment. Written by K.A Ren Wyld, Read by Katie Beckett. It was performed at the Vanguard in 2025 for StorySALOON, a live storytelling show and podcast that combines Australia’s best written storytelling with electrifying live reads. StorySALOON’s executive producer is Jane Messer, audio recording by Martin Gallagher at Echidna Audio. Find out more by heading to storysaloon.com.au Also, a link to the last time we featured a StorySALOON live reading. All The Best Credits Program Manager & Host: Kwame Slusher Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to our volunteers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The unifying youth culture across the Arab region is characterized by a proud new Arab identity and the changing standards of beauty with the rise of "Arab beauty" (A beauty), which celebrates Arab features and aesthetics. The founder of Mille World and Mille Creative, Sofia Guellaty, talks about her journey launching the first Arab youth platform in the Arab world, the role of media professionals as "editors of conversations," and the emergence of a new, proud Arab identity among both Gen Z and millennials. She discusses how she uses fashion and pop culture as a tool for "soft power" to talk about liberation, representation, and diversity, moving away from superficial content. She reflects on her early career, her shift from being fascinated by the West to "unbashedly proud to be Arab," and the challenges faced by Arab talent, including visa issues and the lack of an Arab-centric market. The conversation also delves into how her platform, Mille World, aims to address the lack of authentic Arab youth representation by giving a voice to young creatives who want to define their own stories, not be perceived through a "western gaze". Explore Mille World

George Wardini sits down with Ronnie Chatah for a special conversation—one shaped by years of friendship and a shared curiosity about politics, both local and global. With Ronnie Chatah's grasp of international affairs and his sharp reading of Lebanese politics, the discussion asks: What is next for the region? How does the United States view Lebanon and the Middle East? How does Iran view Lebanon—its people, its politics, and its internal balance? George Wardini — Co-founder and Director of Polyblog. Ronnie Chatah — Host of The Beirut Banyan podcast, writer, and political analyst.

Send us a textA roasty Lebanese single malt takes center stage as we trade Kentucky comfort for global curiosity, tracing a bottle discovered in Chicago back to an eight-generation family distillery. We score it live, debate the finish, and explain why it belongs on a bourbon lover's shelf.• origins of Middle East single malt and Riachi family legacy• why imperial dark malt tastes like coffee and chocolate• proof, legs, and how viscosity shapes perception• tasting notes from toasted coconut to burnt graham• finish debate and the campfire echo• price-to-value case and dessert-pour pairings• upcoming lineup: Starward and other world malts• how the barrel bottle breakdown scoring works• community chat highlights and live feedback• platforms, merch, and where to leave reviewsPlease go do that if you haven't. And then also you can always super chat us on YouTube. And then also you can always super chat us on YouTube. And then make sure that you know we also are on Patreon. So go check out the Patreon levels, those are pretty cool. And you can subscribe to us or become members.Ever tasted a Lebanese single malt that smells like a coffee shop at closing time and sips like dessert by a campfire? We tracked down Levant Dark Malt after a Chicago trip with our friend Martin Duffy, then brought it home for a full barrel bottle breakdown. What we found was a roasty, chocolate-forward whiskey from an eight-generation family distillery that refuses to copy Scotland or Kentucky and instead speaks in its own voice.We start with the story: a Lebanese producer blending winery heritage and distilling tradition since 1839. From there, we dig into the grain choice—imperial dark malt roasted deep—why that matters for aroma, and how the 86-proof bottling changes the mouthfeel. On the nose, we call out toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and espresso; on the palate, it swings from burnt graham cracker to chocolate Malt-O-Meal with a nutty toast. The finish is a gentle ember—more glow than smoke—medium length with a soft char that keeps the roasted profile alive.If your bar leans bourbon, this is an easy gateway into world malts. If you collect globally, it's a distinctive regional expression worth a dedicated spot on the shelf. We tally scores live, argue body versus finish, share pairing ideas (dark chocolate, biscotti, mild cigars), and land on a verdict that balances flavor, price, and approachability. Stick around to hear what's next as we line up Australia's Starward and other bottles for “Whiskey Without Borders.”Liked the ride across regions? Follow the show, drop a review with five stars, and share this episode with a friend who thinks whiskey has to come from one place. Your support helps us bring more bottles—and more stories—into the glass.voice over Whiskey Thief Add for SOFLSupport the showhttps://www.scotchybourbonboys.com The Scotchy bourbon Boys are #3 in Feedspots Top 60 whiskey podcasts in the world https://podcast.feedspot.com/whiskey_podcasts/

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureConspiracy no more, the D’s in Mass want to limit miles people can drive because of climate change. Biden/Obama forces electrical prices higher, Trump is now bringing the prices down and AI datacenters will be powered separately. The [CB] awakening has begun. Sometime you need to show the people the truth. The world is changing, Trump has shutdown the money supply around the world, the [DS] is in a deep panic and soon the people of Iran will take back their own country. As the [DS] criminal syndicate falls apart are they planning an armed civil war? Trump admin designates the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, other chapters to follow. In the end the Patriots have full control, once the chaos begins the partios will round them all up, it will be clean and swift. Economy https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2010831605430976627?s=20  Telecommunications, Utilities, & Energy and now heads to the Senate Ways and Means Committee (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");    major changes beginning this week to ensure that Americans don't “pick up the tab” for their POWER consumption, in the form of paying higher Utility bills. We are the “HOTTEST” Country in the World, and Number One in AI. Data Centers are key to that boom, and keeping Americans FREE and SECURE but, the big Technology Companies who build them must “pay their own way.” Thank you, and congratulations to Microsoft. More to come soon! President DJT Trump Will Request to Limit Credit Card Interest Rates to 10% for One Year to Combat the Scams of the Big Financial Companies   Trump Administration. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP This initiative is a great for reversing the damage caused by leftist policies that prioritized uncontrolled spending and galloping inflation over the well-being of the working people. Under the Biden administration, credit card interest rates skyrocketed, reaching an average of 21.5 % in 2024, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank, exacerbated by inflation that reached peaks of 9 % in 2022. This escalation was not an accident, but the direct result of Democratic policies that injected trillions in unnecessary stimuli, increasing the national debt and forcing the Fed to raise base rates to contain the crisis. Source:  gatewayhispanic.com  https://twitter.com/truflation/status/2011071380175860037?s=20   price data has been showing  https://twitter.com/julie_kelly2/status/2010924086981984640?s=20 https://twitter.com/DrJStrategy/status/2011032604313518251?s=20  a hoax. What Powell actually did •Powell chose to go public with a dramatic video statement saying DOJ subpoenas “threatened a criminal indictment” over his testimony on the Fed's multibillion‑dollar building renovations. •He explicitly framed the subpoenas as “pretexts” and cast them as retaliation for the Fed setting rates independently of the president, elevating a renovation/cost‑overrun inquiry into an existential attack on central bank independence. The framing of criminal indictment came from Powell! In what look liked a scripted response, all of the Fed acolytes on Wall St cried foul, they bought in hook line and sinker!!! What the U.S. Attorney is saying •The U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. has stated they contacted the Fed “on multiple occasions” about cost overruns and Powell's congressional testimony, were ignored, and therefore resorted to formal legal process, which they stress “is not a threat.” •Jeanine Pirro has been explicit that “the word ‘indictment' has come out of Mr. Powell's mouth, no one else's,” and that “none of this would have happened if they had just responded to our outreach.” “Above the law” behaviour. •Powell now publicly insists “no one is above the law,” even as the record shows the Fed disregarded informal outreach and only engaged once grand jury subpoenas landed, which is the opposite of transparent cooperation. Recall Choke Point 2.0 and the unbanking of individuals. •By recasting a straightforward question of cost overruns and possible misstatements to Congress as an illegitimate “criminal indictment threat,” Powell is effectively demanding a special zone of immunity wrapped in the rhetoric of independence. Why central bankers are “charging the hill” •Former Fed chairs and global monetary grandees have rushed out statements condemning the probe as an attack on Fed independence, treating any prosecutorial look at a central banker as inherently out of bounds. The former Fed officials' statement is doing exactly what the “51 intel officials” letter did on the Hunter Biden laptop: using elite signatures to launder a political narrative into institutional dogma and declare scrutiny itself illegitimate. Powell and his allies are recasting a narrow DOJ inquiry into cost overruns and testimony accuracy as an existential assault on “independence,” and an all‑too‑willing media is once again treating the letter as revealed truth instead of asking hard questions This closes ranks around the idea that central banks sit on a higher plane than normal agencies, immune not only from political pressure on rates, which is legitimate, but also from standard legal and fiscal oversight, which is not. MSM and the death of the 4th estate •Much of legacy media has adopted Powell's framing almost verbatim: “unprecedented attack on independence,” “monetary policy under assault,” while relegating the core factual dispute,ignored outreach, cost overruns, accuracy of testimony, to secondary status. Powell and the central banking crowd are behaving in a way that is frankly odd: they stonewall basic oversight, scream “independence” the moment anyone reaches for legal tools, and act as though they stand above the law—while a compliant MSM gladly carries their narrative, proof the fourth estate has checked out. All of this does not meet the smell test. Is the Fed above the US Constitution? Why did Powell go public and choose the framing that he did? Why did MSM and so called objective pundits not do any objective analysis. Smells like elements of a Russia Russia Russia hoax strategy to me. https://twitter.com/MetaLawMan/status/2010816276508082343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2010816276508082343%7Ctwgr%5E6585e9ff019ea8191354a3bf06c918cdfd10f00c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fjoehoft.com%2Fcorrupt-fed-head-jerome-powell-added-trillions-in-unnecessary-us-debt%2F   service of a subpoena on the Fed is not a threat to indict him. Subpoenas are investigative tools. It's possible that the government separately advised Powell that he was a “target” of the investigation, but he didn't say that. 3. Nowhere in the statement does Powell say his testimony to Congress about the Fed construction project was truthful and accurate. https://twitter.com/USAttyPirro/status/2010886969518170452?s=20  Powell's mouth, no one else's. None of this would have happened if they had just responded to our outreach. This office makes decisions based on the merits, nothing more and nothing less. We agree with the chairman of the Federal Reserve that no one is above the law, and that is why we expect his full cooperation. Political/Rights https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/2011107269585616922?s=20 https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2011108530842108290?s=20 https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2010742739562901678?s=20   Procedure is same used in any location, such as hospital etc. https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2011067479603257616?s=20 https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2011085032606102012?s=20  American law and the accompanying reduction in crime. However, there are a few certain locations where law enforcement refuses to assist in law enforcement, and the local politicians and a base of Marxist-organized civilians actively oppose (sometimes violently) ICE’s lawful operations. It’s those latter locations, few in number but outsized in media reporting–all run by Democrats–that give a false impression as to how much Americans appreciate getting what they voted for. https://twitter.com/KCPayTreeIt/status/2010475982038147336?s=20 DOGE Geopolitical https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/2010965644867485898?s=20   Tehran, according to the Wall Street Journal https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2011029585161568307?s=20 lowballing. In 2019 they said 230 died, Reuters reported 1,500. Iran International estimated 2,000+ last week based on hospital reports and morgue footage. Now the regime’s confirming it. But they’re framing it as “terrorists killed these people” not “we shot 2,000 protesters.” That’s the setup for mass trials and executions. 2,000 dead in 2 weeks. That’s 140+ per day. During a communications blackout. In a country claiming it has “total control.” Source: Reuters, Iranian official https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/2011018647255322754?s=20   a coordinated blackout aimed not only at security control but at concealing the truth, reflected in internet cuts, crippled communications, media shutdowns, and the intimidation of journalists and witnesses. Publication was delayed until the evidence converged. The assessment is based on a multi-stage review of information from a source close to the Supreme National Security Council; two sources in the presidential office; accounts from several sources within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Mashhad, Kermanshah and Isfahan; testimonies from eyewitnesses and families of those killed; field reports; data linked to medical centers; and information provided by doctors and nurses in multiple cities.  Trump administration designates 3 Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations   The Trump administration labeled three Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations on Tuesday, imposing sanctions on them and their members. The Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood pose a risk to the United States and American interests, according to the Treasury and State departments. “These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters' violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. “The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.” The Jordanian and Egyptian branches were designated by the Treasury as specifically designated global terrorists for providing support to Hamas. The Lebanese branch was labeled a foreign terrorist organization, which is the most severe, meaning it is a criminal offense to provide material support to the group. Source;  wsbt.com  Rubio Designates Egyptian, Jordanian and Lebanese Chapters of Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations Keep in mind the Muslim Brotherhood is the fabric on the umbrella of political Islam. Each faction represents and individual spline on the umbrella construct, but the Muslim Brotherhood overall is a political extremist system for various levels of authentic Islam. The regional chapters that really matter, the difficult ones to navigate will be in Qatar, Syria and especially the Turkish factions. These are more politically connected to the home government interests. Source: theconservativetreehouse.com 1237 Apr 22, 2018 1:31:31 AM EDT Q !xowAT4Z3VQ ID: 3e4934 No. 1141069  “The process of settlement is a ‘Civilization-Jihadist Process' with all the word means. The Ikhwan [MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers…” https://clarionproject.org/muslim_brotherhood_explanatory_memorandum/ Q 3881 Q !!Hs1Jq13jV6 ID: b03e04 No.8238822 Feb 24 2020 20:36:43 (EST) EMHyS2xXkAA8JrB.png https://twitter.com/cain_nate/status/1231066589996318720 Listen carefully. Think: re: why [no] arrests (justice) yet? What if (almost) every critical position [sr] within the US GOV apparatus was infiltrated? WHAT MUST BE DONE FIRST? THE SWAMP RUNS DEEP. +Sleepers Backgrounds are important. Muslim Brotherhood List of ‘in the news now [names]‘ w/ known ties to Islam? THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 4-YEAR ELECTION. [assumptions correct – package well rec [known]] Q https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2010902536757162398?s=20 765 Feb 15, 2018 1:08:41 AM EST Q !UW.yye1fxo ID: 276796 No. 382161  WATCH THE WATER. Q War/Peace Medical/False Flags [DS] Agenda https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/2010746570853990773?s=20 https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2010419447987937370?s=20 Antifa TikTok Agitator Urges Armed Leftist Militias to ‘Fight' ICE Agents Radical TikTok agitator Danesh Noshirvan has crossed a dangerous line. The Antifa-aligned mega influencer is now openly calling for organized, armed left-wing militias to confront ICE agents and federal law enforcement in America's largest cities. Danesh Noshirvan is directly linked to Scott Dworkin, founder of the Democratic Coalition Against Donald Trump. According to reports, Dworkin and even foreign interests bankroll Noshirvan's activities. Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2010988104853659986?s=20 https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2010833162151346316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2010833162151346316%7Ctwgr%5Ec535903544267d9392f4466181097498d09593a1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fnew-minnesota-ag-keith-ellison-minneapolis-mayor-jacob%2F   should be in JAIL. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Says There Are “DISTURBING TAPES” of Minnesota AG Keith Ellison Taking Money to Stop Investigations Into Somali Fraud   the U.S. Treasury Secretary confirmed that federal authorities are aggressively “following the money” amid explosive fraud investigations tied to Minnesota's sprawling Somali-linked financial networks. According to Bessent, the Treasury Department has launched multiple enforcement actions focused on suspicious financial flows between Minnesota residents and businesses and overseas destinations, including East Africa, as the federal government intensifies its immigration and fraud crackdown in the state. But the real bombshell dropped during an interview with Blaze: Scott Bessent:“It's hard to follow the money. There are evidently some disturbing tapes of AG Ellison in meetings with people who donated to him—calling for political favors to stop the investigations. We'll see. I don't want to get out ahead of the investigation. It's going to be very methodical. But I can guarantee you—when the bear trap snaps, we're going to get these folks. We're going to follow the money, whether it's here in Minneapolis and St. Paul or over in East Africa. There are tons of luxury properties and cars that have been bought over there.” WATCH: Source: thegatewaypundit.com    Countries who illegally entered the USA though Sleepy Joe Biden's HORRIBLE Open Border's Policy. Every place we go, crime comes down. In Chicago, despite a weak and incompetent Governor and Mayor fighting us all the way, a big improvement was made. Thousands of Criminals were removed! Minnesota Democrats love the unrest that anarchists and professional agitators are causing because it gets the spotlight off of the 19 Billion Dollars that was stolen by really bad and deranged people. FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING! Minnesota’s total population as of July 1, 2024, is estimated at 5,793,151.  Approximately 8% of the state’s population is foreign-born, meaning about 463,452 individuals, while 92% (around 5,329,699) are native-born (U.S.-born). Minnesota is home to the largest Somali-American population in the United States, with people of Somali descent making up a notable ethnic group.  Recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) for 2024 put the number of individuals of Somali descent in Minnesota at around 107,000 to 108,000, representing about 1.85% of the state’s total population.  (Note: Some sources provide slightly varying figures, such as 76,000 as a lower estimate, but the ACS data consistently points to the higher range. )Breakdown Within the Somali Population in MinnesotaThe Somali community in Minnesota includes both U.S.-born individuals and foreign-born immigrants or refugees. Here’s a detailed split based on nativity and citizenship status:  https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/1919002207896174765?s=20  or his NGOs appeared in the Journal of Democracy. It’s the flagship journal of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the same organization featured prominently in that widely circulated “Uniparty NGO” network diagrams below. NED is a U.S. government-funded outfit. It includes currently sitting members of Congress on its board… from both parties, not just former officials. Soros's involvement is deep. He has co-chaired NED conferences abroad and his Open Society NGOs regularly partner with NED operations, especially in countries undergoing “transitions” (read: regime change or soft power penetration). Together, Soros and US-backed NGOs have shaped funding pipelines, media narratives, and even foreign electoral strategies. So when people ask, “Why isn't Soros banned?” … they need to understand: he’s not an outsider. He’s part of our government. The Uniparty protects and partners with him, because he helps carry out a shared foreign policy vision… the same one that labels President Trump as a threat to democracy. NED members include:    Victoria Nuland – Director of the National Endowment for Democracy; Acting United States Deputy Secretary of State under Biden (served in both parties).   Karen Bass – Vice Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy; former U.S. Representative and current Mayor of Los Angeles (Democrat).    Todd Young – Honorary at the National Endowment for Democracy; U.S. Senator from Indiana (Republican).    Elise Stefanik – Director at the National Endowment for Democracy; U.S. Representative from New York and House GOP Conference Chair (Republican).   Mel Martinez – Director at the National Endowment for Democracy; former U.S. Senator from Florida (Republican).   Steve Biegun – Director at the National Endowment for Democracy; former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (Republican).    Todd Young – Honorary at the National Endowment for Democracy; US Senator from Indiana (Republican). https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2011165232815882294?s=20 Just In: Bill and Hillary Clinton Refuse To Testify in Front of House Oversight Committee, Daring Chairman Comer To Hold Them in Contempt of Congress After months of dispute against House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Bill and Hillary Clinton have today (13) REFUSED to testify in the House's Jeffrey Epstein investigation. This escalates the battle with Comer, Republican of Kentucky, and the former U.S. President and Secretary of State are effectively daring him to hold them in contempt of Congress. The New York Times reported: Source: thegatewaypundit.com President Trump's Plan Lefty DOJ Lawyers Rage-Quit After Harmeet Dhillon Blocks ICE Witch Hunt A group of lawyers in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have reportedly resigned after Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon declined to investigate the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in last week’s shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group had apparently pushed Dhillon to let a DOJ delegation fly to Minneapolis to investigate the January 7 shooting death of far-left agitator Renee Nicole Good, who was shot after she used her two-ton Honda Pilot as a weapon against the officer. Despite pressure from the lefty lawyers – described as “career prosecutors” – to initiate a witch hunt against the officer, Dhillon put a kibosh on their plans. They were apparently informed of the decision not to move forward with an investigation of the ICE agent last Friday.  After being told “no,” a group of “top leaders” in the criminal section of the Civil Rights Division “have left their jobs to register their frustration with the department.” Shock, horror. Sounds like the DOJ is well rid of this cabal, and these departures could be part of a trend of mass resignations amongst the old guard. This, of course, also saves Dhillon the trouble of having to draw up their pink slips.  Source: redstate.com  https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2010791586980933826?s=20   later. This is a system built for abuse by design https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2010886531838595278?s=20 https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2010777023673999531?s=20 https://twitter.com/USDOL/status/2010771852696617401?s=20 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

Send us a textIn this unique conversation, Ricardo Karam meets Serge Brunst, the Lebanese designer who transformed his passion for art and beauty into an extraordinary journey between East and West. Born in Aleppo to a family of diverse roots Russian, Italian, and Levantine his experience has been shaped by the balance between belonging and identity, medicine and art, Beirut and Paris.Serge recounts his journey from medicine to design, reflecting on the pivotal moment that led him to step into the world of creativity. He shares memories of 1960s Beirut, a city of light and life, where he redefined Lebanese aesthetics through the design of palaces and iconic interiors, collaborating with leading architects and designers.He also speaks about his passion for collecting antiques and Orientalist art, his design philosophy that blends memory, beauty, and meaning, and offers advice to the new generation of designers, providing deep insights into the artistic and human legacy he leaves behind.Join Ricardo Karam and Serge Brunst in this conversation that chronicles the journey of a man who merged art, history, and identity, carving out a unique place for himself in both Lebanese and global design.في هذا الحوار الفريد بالتفاصيل، يلتقي ريكاردو كرم بـ سيرج برونست المصمم اللبناني الذي حوّل شغفه بالفن والجمال إلى رحلة استثنائية بين الشرق والغرب. وُلد في حلب لعائلة متعددة الجذور، روسية وإيطالية ومشرقية، وتجسدت تجربته بين الانتماء والهوية، بين الطب والفن، بين بيروت وباريس.يستعرض سيرج رحلته من الطب إلى التصميم، مستذكراً لحظة التحوّل التي قادته لترك الاختصاص والانطلاق إلى عالم الإبداع، وكيف كانت بيروت في الستينات مسرحاً للضوء والحياة، حيث أعاد تعريف الجمال اللبناني من خلال تصميم القصور والديكورات البارزة، ومشاركته مع كبار المعماريين والمصممين.كما يتحدث عن شغفه بجمع التحف والفن الاستشراقي، وعن فلسفته في التصميم التي تمزج بين الذكريات والجمال والمعنى، ويشارك نصائحه لجيل المصممين الشباب، مقدماً رؤية ثاقبة عن الإرث الفني والإنساني الذي يتركه وراءه.انضموا إلى ريكاردو كرم وسيرج برونست في هذا اللقاء الذي يوثّق رحلة رجل جمع بين الفن، التاريخ، والهوية، وصنع لنفسه مكاناً فريداً في عالم التصميم اللبناني والعالمي.

What happens when a filmmaker abandons a studio career on Saving Private Ryan and a PhD in history to create a film so challenging it is rejected by both Israeli and Arab film festivals? Michael Moshe Dahan joins the podcast to discuss Yes, Repeat, No, a meta-fictional deep dive into the life of actor-activist Juliano Mer-Khamis. By casting Palestinian, Israeli, and Lebanese actors to play different facets of the same man within a "rehearsal as performance" framework, Dahan explores the fluidity of identity and the tragedy of hardened political stances. This episode navigates the delicate "middle ground" of the Middle East conflict, focusing on the human friction that exists before ideologies take hold. Technically, Dahan breaks down the "weird and technical" mechanics of the shoot, including a four-camera multi-cam setup on a rotating stage where the cameras never stopped rolling. The discussion covers the sonic syncopation of sharp heels and metronomes, the influence of Freud's screen memories, and the philosophy of teaching the "history of the future" rather than the past. We also explore the future of independent cinema in an algorithm-driven world and Dahan's "AI curiosity," as he looks toward new tools to recapture the audience's imagination and bypass traditional studio gatekeepers. Yes Repeat No official website > Where to watch Yes Repeat No > Michael Dahan on IMDB > Synecdoche, New York (2008) Trailer > The Little Drummer Girl (1984) Trailer >   This episode is sponsored by: Center Grid Virtual Studio Kitbash 3D (Use promocode "cggarage" for 10% off)

The Lebanese military says it has completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, but Israel has warned far more needs to be done. The army in Lebanon says the south of the country is now free of non- state weapons. The area had long been dominated by Hezbollah. Also: President Trump has signed a memorandum ordering the withdrawal of the United States from sixty-six international organizations -- nearly half of them UN bodies. Cambodia says it has extradited a billionaire businessman from China, who is accused of masterminding a vast cryptocurrency scam. And human like robots - aptly named humanoids - take centre stage at the annual consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas. 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

Hundreds of people have attended a vigil in the US city of Minneapolis to protest against the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration agent. The woman, identified in the media as 37-year-old US citizen Renee Good, was shot at close range as she drove her car. The mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey has bluntly rejected the Trump administration's assertion that the agent had shot her in self-defence. Also in the programme: the Lebanese military says it has completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, and the most exciting new species of plants and fungi identified last year, including a spider-eating fungus. (Photo: People protest against the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. US, 8 January, 2026. Credit: Tim Evans/Reuters)

The Lebanese say they have concluded the disarmament of Hezbullah in south Lebanon. But Jerusalem is skeptical. Prof. Uzi Rabi, a senior researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East affairs at Tel Aviv University, says a clash with Hezbullah appears inevitable as Israel is not willing to entrust its security to anyone but itself. (photo: Bilal Hussein/AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a day after U.S. Delta Forces captured wanted narco-terrorist and Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah will no longer be operating in the South American country. The U.S.-designated Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah lashed out at the U.S. after Maduro was captured. Besides giving a terror group a new home, trading weapons and oil, how else has Iran and Hezbollah helped years of dictatorships in Venezuela? FOX's Eben Brown speaks with Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, who takes a deep dive into the relationship between Venezuela and the leading sponsor of terror around the world, Iran. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just a day after U.S. Delta Forces captured wanted narco-terrorist and Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah will no longer be operating in the South American country. The U.S.-designated Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah lashed out at the U.S. after Maduro was captured. Besides giving a terror group a new home, trading weapons and oil, how else has Iran and Hezbollah helped years of dictatorships in Venezuela? FOX's Eben Brown speaks with Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, who takes a deep dive into the relationship between Venezuela and the leading sponsor of terror around the world, Iran. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To take us inside this evocative and visually arresting work, Amy MacIver is joined by Maya Zbib — Lebanese actress, director and writer, and co-founder of Zoukak Theatre Company — whose work has been staged across the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host’s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists. A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30pm. CapeTalk fans call in, to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called “Plan B”. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LEBANESE ARMY COLLUSION Colleague David Daoud. Daoud highlights the compromised nature of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), citing a recent incident where an LAF soldier killed alongside Hezbollah members received a joint funeral. He argues this collusion makes the LAF an untrustworthy partner for Israel, as sectarian loyalties often supersede national duty, leading to dangerous intelligence leaks. NUMBER 8 1895 BEIRUT RR

This week, Roqayah and Kumars are joined by historian and returning guest Alexander Aviña for an emergency update on the US attack against Venezuela, including the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and what could happen next. Alex is Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University, contributor to the newsletter Foreign Exchanges on Substack, author of Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside, and a founding member of the Anti-Imperial Scholars Collective (AISC).  Alex, Roqayah, and Kumars break down the latest escalation by the Trump administration, the response from US media and Democrats, the outpouring of international solidarity with Venezuela from Cuba to Palestine, acting president Delcy Rodriguez's commitment to the Bolivarian Revolution, and why Trump is right about Maria Corina Machado. Follow Alex on Twitter @Alexander_Avina (not @Alex_Avina, who is someone else).  If you want to support the show and receive access to tons of bonus content, including the new and improved "Last Week in Lebanon" column and video blog courtesy of Lebanese war correspondent and our new third cohost Hadi Hoteit, you can subscribe on our Patreon for as little as $5 a month. Also, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts. We can't do this show without your support!!!

In this landmark episode, we sit down with Dr. Ramy Bou Khalil and Dr. Joseph El Khoury to explore the vision, urgency, and meaning behind the launch of the Lebanese Journal of Mental Health (LJMH). Drawing on journeys that span academia, clinical care, leadership, and the diaspora, our guests reflect on how Lebanese psychiatry has endured war, economic collapse, political instability, and mass physician emigration yet continues to produce rigorous, compassionate, and globally relevant work. From the formative academic environments of American University of Beirut and Université Saint-Joseph, to leadership within the Lebanese Psychiatric Society, this conversation traces how institutional memory, resilience, and responsibility converged to make LJMH not just aspirational—but necessary. We discuss: Why now is the right moment for a national mental health journal How LJMH supports clinicians and researchers working in resource-limited settings The importance of honoring pioneers while mentoring the next generation Turning brain drain into brain circulation through meaningful diaspora engagement Redefining “impact” beyond metrics—toward relevance, voice, and continuity This episode is a reflection on legacy and a blueprint for the future of mental health scholarship in Lebanon and the region.

Toni Garner is the daughter of a Cherokee educator and a first-generation Lebanese homemaker. Having grown up with flower shops on both sides of the family, she learned the ins and outs of the trade from her grandmother and her aunt.Toni graduated from Northeastern State University and opened Toni's Flowers & Gifts in Tulsa in 1983 when she was 26 years old.Toni was one of a hundred floral designers invited to do the inaugural flowers for George W. Bush's second term. Locally, she has given her time and resources to many community organizations, non-profits, museums, and universities. She and her good friend, Charles Faudree,  published a book titled Country French Florals and Interiors. Listen to Toni talk about the challenges of Valentine's Day, her friendship with Charles Faudree and Pat Gordon, and the story behind “Merry Christmas Anyway” on the podcast and website of VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Finally, some good news on The Daily Briefing: Former hostage Matan Zangauker and his girlfriend, former hostage Ilana Gritzewsky, have become engaged, according to a photo posted by Matan’s mother Einav. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Florida, where he is set to meet with US President Donald Trump for an unprecedented sixth time in less than a year. We hear what’s on the schedule for today, who else may be in the room and what's on the table. Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own money, passports and army. But it has been diplomatically isolated since its unilateral declaration of independence. On Friday, Netanyahu made headlines by announcing Israel's recognition of the country. Why has Israel basically put Somaliland on the map now and what has been the backlash so far? Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Former hostages Matan Zangauker and Ilana Gritzewsky become engaged In the US, Netanyahu aims to convince Trump that only threat of war can bring peace Hezbollah leader says Lebanese efforts to disarm group ‘not in country’s interest’ Iran’s president says country in midst of ‘total war’ with US, Israel and Europe UN Security Council to convene emergency meeting on Israel’s Somaliland recognition Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're wrapping the year with someone we've been looking forward to speaking with since the very beginning of it. We're so honored to have shared a conversation with the inimitable and visionary Wafa Ghnaim—an art and dress historian, fashion researcher, embroiderer, curator, archivist, educator, and author specializing in Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian, and Lebanese dress history, embroidery, and adornment. We met Wafa when she attended a talk we gave about nameplate jewelry the Brooklyn Museum in February, and were immediately captivated both by her presence and her incredible book “Tatreez & Tea.” Through writing, teaching, and the Tatreez Institute, which she founded in 2016, Wafa has made it her life's work to pay homage to and preserve Palestinian fashion history in particular—both its deep past and its continued innovation and evolution. We spoke with her about material culture and oral tradition, the intricacies of provenance and appropriation, and how people make critical meaning through the art of dress.

In 1946 Joseph Geha moved with his family from Lebanon to Toledo, Ohio. He grew up on his family's stories and delicious Lebanese food, and brings them together in the book 'Kitchen Arabic.' On the Talk of Iowa book club, Geha discusses the book with host Charity Nebbe and expert readers.

Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Lebanese illustrator Hanane Kai who shares her journey from studying and working as a graphic designer to the moment she decided to concentrate on illustration work. They discuss her illustration career that began with sketching in the park, to online blogs and social media, eventually leading to award-winning commissioned work. They unpack issues related to her response to upsetting events, through personal political posters, some in collaboration with type designer Kristyan Sarkis. They also discuss her passion for children's books that she collects, diving into her work for children and young adults books. Hanane speaks about the challenges of illustrating children's books especially those addressing difficult social topics and mental health issues. Through the conversation they talk about the Bologna Children's Book Fair and the impact of a visit to this fair on her work as an illustrator, inspiring one of her most experimental and playful illustrated children's book. Hanane explains her process and the importance of research, as well as letting the content dictate the media and style of image-making. Hanane also talks about her latest project, an Arabic erotic dictionary, where she combines the human hand with Arabic letters, collaborating with dancers to capture the right gestures. She concludes this conversation by talking about her need for her projects to be challenging—projects that give her "something to push against" and make her "brain hurt a little." Hanane is one the visual artists and graphic women featured in the book "Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa" (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024). FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.

A2 THE SHOW #593Join us as we welcome Cyril Aris, Lebanese director, screenwriter, and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®, whose feature A Sad and Beautiful World (2025) premiered at Venice and became Lebanon's Oscar® submission. Cyril opens up about choosing filmmaking over consulting, capturing Beirut's most challenging moments, and using cinema as a political and social tool. He reflects on navigating censorship, working with first-time actors, and crafting deeply human stories of love, loss, and resilience. Along the way, he shares how life experiences shape meaningful cinema and the importance of challenging global stereotypes about Beirut and Lebanese identity.IG: @cyrilarisWEBSITE: https://www.cyrilaris.com/

Iran is conducting large-scale ballistic missile tests, and Israeli officials fear these launches may be cover for a potential attack. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered war simulations, issued direct warnings to Tehran, and placed Israel's defense establishment on high alert. At the same time, new reports from Lebanon suggest a former Lebanese security officer may have been kidnapped by Israel's intelligence services—possibly connected to the decades-old mystery of missing Israeli airman Ron Arad. Meanwhile, Egypt and Turkey are quietly strengthening military and security cooperation, raising serious concerns in Jerusalem as these two regional powers deepen ties along Israel's borders.

6. Failure to Disarm: Hezbollah's Persistence and UNIFIL's Inefficacy. David Daoud reports that the Lebanesegovernment is failing to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani River, merely evicting them from abandoned sites. He argues UNIFIL is an ineffective tripwire, as Hezbollah continues to rebuild infrastructure and receive funding right under international observers' noses. 1969 BEIRUT

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

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

Discover the interconnectedness of peddling and factory work, the surprising origins of the Aloha shirt, and the key role Syrian workers played in major labor actions like the 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Associate Professor of History at the University of California and author of "Unmentionables: Textiles, Garment Work, and the Syrian American Working Class" Dr. Stacy D. Fahrenthold discusses her work which offers a class-conscious history of the Syrian-American diaspora, a community of about half a million people in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. While the "peddler" is often the central figure and icon of this diaspora's economic history for over a century, Fahrenthold shifts the focus to the new immigrants who came to the U.S. and found work in the textile industries. The conversation explores the hidden role of Syrian-American garment workers, particularly young women, who produced goods like "kimonos", undergarments, stockings, and household textiles. 0:00 Introducing Unmentionables & Shifting the Icon from Peddler to Laborer0:40 Lawrence, Massachusetts: The Second Largest Arab-American Community1:48 Who Was The Syrian American Working Class?2:41 The Gap in Arab-American Diaspora History3:14 Textiles and Garment Work4:50 The Peddler: Icon vs Reality7:12 Labor Experience In The U.S. vs Greater Syria8:50 Skilled Silk Weavers and First-Time Proletarians10:14 Syrian Workers and Global Labor Movements11:27 The Bread and Roses Strike of 191215:09 Dynamite, Arrests and Militarization of the Syrian Neighborhood19:16 Scale of Syrian Immigration Compared to Other Groups22:14 The Majority of Textile Workers Were Women24:43 The Connection to the Silk Industry in Mount Lebanon27:28 A Look Inside a Syrian-American Garment Factory29:04 The Kimono: Branding and Orientalism31:50 The Effacement of Origins in the Marketplace35:36 Economic and Social Mobility For Syrian-American Families39:03 The Legacy of Syrian-American Textile Companies40:01 The Lebanese Origins of The Aloha Shirt43:14 Marghab Linen and Racial Stereotyping44:22 Geographic Dispersion of Syrian Communities47:09 Illicit Activity and Contraband in the Diaspora49:22 Recommended Readings In Arab-American History Stacy Fahrenthold is a historian of the modern Middle East specializing in labor migration; displacement/refugees; border studies; and diasporas within and from the region. Her new book "Unmentionables: Textiles, Garment Work, and the Syrian American Working Class" examines how Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian immigrant workers navigated processes of racialization, immigration restriction, and labor contestation in the textile industries of the Atlantic world. It recently received the Middle East Studies Association's 2025 Nikki Keddie Award for "outstanding scholarly work in religion, revolution, and/or society." Her award-winning first book, "Between the Ottomans and the Entente: The First World War in the Syrian and Lebanese Diaspora" examines the politics of Syrian and Lebanese migration to the Americas during the First World War, the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and the rise of European Mandates in the Middle East. Fahrenthold is Associate Editor of Mashriq & Mahjar: Journal of Middle Eastern and North African Migration Studies. Connect with Stacy D. Fahrenthold

Erika Kirk implodes on stage at AmFest without her script, proving she's a scripted Zionist plant grifting millions off Charlie's blood. The fireworks and rock star act can't hide her family's Israeli ties to the Fort Huachuca plot. Trump spewed garbage on national TV claiming he ended wars from Gaza to Thailand and brought eternal Middle East peace, but Israel keeps slaughtering Lebanese civilians and US forces choke Venezuela's oil for foreign interests. Former VA nurse Laura Hartman joins Stew to expose how the corrupt VA death machine poisoned her own veteran father with a contaminated bioweapon shot, exploding his cancer to stage four while they left him to die in backlog hell.  

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

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

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Senior officials from the US, France and Saudi Arabia are set to meet in Paris today amid fears that Israel could embark on a new military operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon after a December 31 deadline to disarm the Iran-backed terror group passes, a diplomatic official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday. We have seen an uptick in tensions over the past few weeks. Fabian takes us back to early October to give context for what is currently happening on the ground. In one of his first moves, new Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir decided today to close a criminal case against a senior reserves officer who was facing charges over his involvement in the circumstances that led to the deaths of a soldier and a civilian researcher in southern Lebanon in November 2024. Fabian was in the area when this occurred and fills us in. Israeli settlers torched a vehicle and sprayed graffiti in a West Bank village near Ramallah overnight, according to Palestinian media. The suspected crime took place in Ein Yabrud. The conflict in the West Bank, always at a low boil, but are appearances deceiving in that it seems to be on a higher flame in the past several weeks? After Palestinian media reported a series of Israeli airstrikes in eastern Gaza City, the IDF said it is conducting routine activity to demolish Hamas infrastructure in the Israeli-controlled area. In addition to the tunnel demolitions, there are almost daily incidents in which Gazans attempt to cross the Yellow Line from the Hamas-ruled side. Fabian gives several scenarios for the attempted crossings. Earlier in the month, Fabian visited Hamas’s “most complex” tunnel network in the Gaza Strip, where, eventually, the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin were recovered. He was killed and abducted by the terror group in 2014, and it transpires that he was held some two kilometers from the Israeli border. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: US, French, Saudi officials to meet in Paris about preventing renewed war in Lebanon IDF postpones planned strike on alleged Hezbollah site as Lebanese army searches it IDF drops charges against reserve officer over deadly Lebanon incident last year Settlers said to torch vehicle, spray graffiti in attack on West Bank village Scouring massive labyrinth under Rafah, IDF just missed finding Hadar Goldin’s body Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: An officer with the elite Yahalom unit is seen inside a tunnel in the Rafah area of the southern Gaza Strip, where the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin was held, December 8, 2025. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

David Daoud reports on Hezbollah's regeneration in Lebanon, aided by Iranian funding and weapons. He criticizes the Lebanese government's inaction and the international community's appeasement strategy. Daoud argues that failing to disarm Hezbollah to avoid civil war only guarantees Lebanon's slow deterioration into a failed state. 1950

The Lebanese army is on a tight deadline to comply with an American demand to dismantle the military infrastructure of Hezbollah. Special correspondent Simona Foltyn and videographer Adrian Hartrick were given exclusive access to Hezbollah’s seized military installations and the army's efforts to retake territory long held by the militants. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Lebanon's Failure to Disarm Hezbollah Amid Regeneration — John Batchelor, Bill Roggio, David Daoud — Roggio documents that the Lebanese government continues to systematically refuse enforcement of Hezbollahdisarmament provisions negotiated in the ceasefire agreement one year prior, instead employing rhetorical frameworks of "dialogue and consensus." Daoud reports that the Trump administration is growing impatient with this intransigence, explicitly setting deadlines for Lebanese compliance and action. Batchelor emphasizes that Hezbollah is regenerating with unprecedented speed, focusing on easily manufactured assets including drone swarms, rendering the Lebanesestrategic concept of "containment" operationally meaningless and strategically ineffective in limiting Hezbollahcapabilities. 1902 CARACAS

It's Casual Friday on the Majority Report. Today's episode features two pre-taped interviews. Sam interviews American Prospect writer Maureen Tkacik about her piece "The Obamacare Boiler Room," exploring Florida's long-standing tradition of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid. Majority Report team member Gino Raidy, proprietor of Gino's Blog, speaks with Dean Fuleihan, Zohran Mamdani's pick for Deputy Mayor. The two Lebanese immigrants share their love for their home country's cuisine and discuss the challenges ahead for the incoming Mamdani administration. All that and more. The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors:   SUNSET LAKE:  Head to SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the code FRIDAY25 to save 30% on all their wellness products for people and pets. This sale ends December 1st at 11:59 ᴾᴹ Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech On Instagram: @MrBryanVokey Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com  

Escalating Conflict: Hezbollah Strike, Turkish Influence, and Fragile Ceasefires — Jonathan Schanzer — Schanzer discusses the chaotic status of regional ceasefires, highlighting Israel's major strike against Hezbollah's de facto military commander in Beirut. Iran and Turkey are actively exploiting smuggling routes into Lebanon via Syriato sustain Hezbollah operations. Schanzer addresses the dysfunction of the Lebanese government, the fragility of the Gaza truce agreement, and the complex geopolitical competition involving Russia, Turkey, and external actors competing for influence over the nascent Syrian state. 1898

SHOW -25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR 1942 THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT the peace plan. FIRST HOUR 9-915 Economy, Fed Rates, and the AI Productivity Boom — Liz Peek — Peek examines the U.S. economy, noting mixed retail sales data alongside recent strength in credit card spending. She anticipates the Federal Reserve will likely reduce interest rates in December due to softening labor market conditions, despite traditional employment reporting lags. Peekemphasizes that the Fed fails to account adequately for AI's significant, though currently unmeasured, impact on productivity gains, employment displacement, and escalating electricity consumption, even as AI demonstrates substantial benefits in diagnostics and medical analysis. 915-930 930-945 Ireland's Exposed Western Flank and Europe's Ukraine Stance — Judy Dempsey — Dempsey examines how Ireland's steadfast neutrality and limited defense capabilities leave its critical undersea communication cables vulnerable to Russian eavesdropping and potential sabotage. Despite maintaining budget surpluses, Ireland prioritizes social issues, including housing, over defense investments. Dempsey notes that European powers view the U.S.-Russia peace proposal for Ukraine with skepticism, characterizing it as a "Russian wish list," while German leadership remains publicly committed to sustained Ukrainian military support. 945-1000 SECOND HOUR 10-1015 Unorthodox Ukraine Diplomacy and Geopolitical Realism — Mary Kissel — Kissel analyzes the "exceedingly odd" U.S. approach to Ukraine peace negotiations, wherein businesspeople framed initial proposals while bypassing traditional State Department channels. This transactional negotiating style concerns European allies because it appears to reward Russia and establishes an unfavorable initial bargaining position. Kissel suggests the conflict will likely persist while diplomatic discussions protract. She commends Marco Rubio for prioritizing economic growth and countering Chineseand Iranian influence throughout the Western Hemisphere. 1015-1030 1030-1045 Escalating Conflict: Hezbollah Strike, Turkish Influence, and Fragile Ceasefires — Jonathan Schanzer — Schanzer discusses the chaotic status of regional ceasefires, highlighting Israel's major strike against Hezbollah's de facto military commander in Beirut. Iran and Turkey are actively exploiting smuggling routes into Lebanon via Syriato sustain Hezbollah operations. Schanzer addresses the dysfunction of the Lebanese government, the fragility of the Gaza truce agreement, and the complex geopolitical competition involving Russia, Turkey, and external actors competing for influence over the nascent Syrian state. 1045-1100 THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 China's Debt Dilemma and Keir Starmer's Political Trouble — Joseph Sternberg — Sternberg analyzes China'scritical economic vulnerabilities, noting that its $2.2 trillion in global lending—partly channeled through the Belt and Road Initiative—faces mounting pressure from defaults and political resistance to Chinese asset ownership. Domestically, China restricts capital inflows to manage inflation and stabilize exchange rates. Sternberg also examines UK politics, noting that Labour leader Keir Starmer faces mounting political difficulties ahead of a challenging budget that lacks an articulated economic growth strategy. 1115-1130 1130-1145 AI Regulation: The Danger of Fear and the Need for a National Framework — Kevin Fraaser — Fraser critiques the regulatory rush surrounding AI, faulting the EU's approach to establishing guardrails based on "speculative fears" rather than documented harms. He warns against allowing "robophobia"—unfounded fear of artificial intelligence—to drive policy, advocating instead for regulatory focus on beneficial applications including healthcare diagnostics and educational access. Fraaser advocates for a unified U.S. regulatory framework to prevent a fragmented patchwork of state laws and excessive litigation that stifles technological innovation. 1145-1200 FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 Ukraine Diplomacy, NATO Defense Gaps, and Baltic War Games — Gregory Copley — Copley analyzes the opaque U.S.-Russia Ukraine peace talks, which initially involved non-traditional negotiators rather than career diplomats. European powers are seeking inclusion in discussions but maintain conflicting strategic objectives. The discussion covers NATO's eroding relevance, particularly regarding Ireland's vulnerability to Russian surveillance and potential sabotage of critical undersea communication cables. Copley assesses a war game scenario in which Russia directly challenges NATO's Article 5 collective defense commitment in the Baltics. 1215-1230 1230-1245 1245-100 AM

Hezbollah Regeneration Efforts and the Fallout from a Targeted Beirut Strike — David Daoud, Bill Roggio — David Daoud reports that Israel killed Hezbollah's top military commander, Hashem Safieddine, in Beirut, marking an expansion of Israeli operations into the Lebanese capital. This escalation reflects Hezbollah's comprehensive regeneration efforts—including receiving billions in funding from Iran and developing domestic drone production capabilities—which are outpacing Israeli degradation operations. Hezbollah and Hamas view Russia's success in Ukraine as strategically beneficial because it diminishes American global hegemony.

SHOW 11-24-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR 1852 THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT THE PEACE PLANS.  FIRST HOUR 9-915 Ukraine Peace Plans, Concessions, and the Impact on US Alliances — Bill Roggio, Husain Haqqani — Bill Roggiosuggests Ukraine is losing militarily and must accept difficult territorial and military concessions to ensure state survival, predicting that proposed peace deals will ultimately collapse. Ambassador Haqqani emphasizes that U.S. abandonment of allies, exemplified in Afghanistan and Iraq, creates an international perception that America cannot be relied upon. Russia's prevailing would constitute a victory for the "axis of aggressors," including China, Iran, and North Korea, fundamentally weakening U.S. global influence. 915-930 930-945 945-1000 China's Floating Island, Metamaterials, and Polar Ambitions — Brandon Weichert, Gordon Chang — Brandon Weichert discusses China developing an artificial floating island, potentially engineered to withstand nuclear detonation. He characterizes the platform as a next-generation man-made island designed for anti-access and area-denial capabilities. Weichert emphasizes that the core technology—metamaterials—holds critical applications for infrastructure in extreme polar environments, including the Arctic and Antarctic. Gordon Chang notes widespread pessimism in China regarding the prohibitive cost of such massive engineering projects. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 Targeting Terror: Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, and Iran's Crises — Malcolm Hoenlein — Malcolm Hoenlein reports the U.S. is moving to designate the Muslim Brotherhood—Hamas progenitors—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. He details Iran's severe internal crises, including critical water shortages and power blackouts caused by illegal cryptocurrency mining, alongside its continued drive to rebuild nuclear and conventional arsenals. Israel eliminated Hezbollah's second-in-command, Hashem Safieddine, in Beirut, directly countering Hezbollah's regeneration efforts in Lebanon. The U.S. is actively courting Saudi Arabia to counter China and Russia and encourage participation in the Abraham Accords. Share 1015-1030 1030-1045 Geopolitical Realignment: Venezuelan Cartel and Latin America's Rightward Shift — Ernesto Araujo, Alejandro Peña Esclusa — Alejandro Peña Esclusa discusses the U.S. designating Venezuela's Cartel of the Suns as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, noting they weaponize drug trafficking and maintain alliances with groups including Hezbollah. Ernesto Araujo addresses former Brazilian President Bolsonaro's recent detention and notes that indigenous protests undermined the Lula administration's narrative at COP 30. The upcoming Honduras election reflects a continental trend away from the corrupt "pink tide" regimes. 1045-1100 THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 The Unacceptable Price of Peace: Ukraine's Sticking Points — John Hardie — John Hardie details the Russian-drafted 28-point peace plan, which demanded Ukraine's withdrawal from Donbass, prohibition of NATO accession, and limitations on military force size. Ukraine, approaching negotiations strategically, refuses to surrender fortified Donbass territory essential for defense against future Russian aggression. Russia's maximalist demands render an acceptable settlement nearly impossible, though Ukrainians would accept a military freeze in place coupled with robust Western security guarantees. 1115-1130 1130-1145 Russia's Ambitions in Southern Syria and Israel's Strategic Calculus — Akmed Sharawari — FDD's Akmed Sharawari discusses Russian officers touring southern Syria, potentially returning to staff deconfliction checkpoints between Israel and Syria. Israel reportedly prefers a Russian presence, including bases in western Syria, as a counterbalance to Turkey's growing influence over Damascus. Sharawari argues Israel should not trust Russia given its history of enabling Iranian-backed actors like Hezbollah. Despite ongoing Israeli operations, Hezbollah's smuggling routes remain operational. 1145-1200 Prime Minister Carney's Early Highwire Act in Canadian Politics — Conrad Black — Conrad Black analyzes the early tenure of Canadian Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland (referred to as Carney in this segment), who narrowly secured passage of his budget. Carney campaigned partly on opposition to Donald Trump, demonstrating political agility by balancing competing party factions—advancing a new pipeline for Alberta while offering environmental concessions. Black notes that Canada remains conflicted regarding China, attempting to maintain trade relations while publicly condemning election interference. FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 Iran's Strategic Gains from the War in Ukraine — Jonathan Sayeh — Jonathan Sayeh states that Iran is celebrating Russia's advantageous position in Ukraine as a geopolitical win because it enabled Iran to export military weaponry and demonstrate combat capabilities internationally. Iran expects Russia to reciprocate this military assistance, potentially through air defense system modernization or advancement of Iran's nuclear program, despite profound mutual mistrust between the strategic partners. Iran benefits globally by selling weapons and leveraging instability to argue the U.S. has become an unreliable superpower. 1215-1230 1230-1245 Hezbollah Regeneration Efforts and the Fallout from a Targeted Beirut Strike — David Daoud, Bill Roggio — David Daoud reports that Israel killed Hezbollah's top military commander, Hashem Safieddine, in Beirut, marking an expansion of Israeli operations into the Lebanese capital. This escalation reflects Hezbollah's comprehensive regeneration efforts—including receiving billions in funding from Iran and developing domestic drone production capabilities—which are outpacing Israeli degradation operations. Hezbollah and Hamas view Russia's success in Ukraine as strategically beneficial because it diminishes American global hegemony. 1245-100 AM