Podcasts about Palestine

With geopolitical strife in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz and in Ukraine, how could President Trump's global posture impact the upcoming midterm elections? On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW; writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic, talks about the latest national political news. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, we're sharing two segments. Appalachians Against Uranium First up is a conversation with two activists of Appalachians Against Uranium in eastern Tennessee about the expansion of a nuclear weapons development in Jonesborough in the Tri-Cities near the border with North Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains. For the interview we speak about the legacy of the nuclear industry in the region, health impacts on locals, some of the companies (like BWXT) involved, concerns of pollution and building off the work of past and ongoing civic activism in the region. Find our guests online at their website or find them on bluesky for further information. If you missed our prior interview talking about other and related elements of the nuclear industries in the US, check out the chat with M.V. Ramana from our July 19th episode, found at our website. Eastern TN Nuclear Links Scott Perez article on "economic hostages" available thanks to Dine CARE Dr. Michael Ketterer's filings on behalf of ECAN (Erwin Citizens Awareness Network) with National Regulatory Commission related to, among other things, levels of radioactivity in the Nolichucky River: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2231/ML22319A251.pdf Eastern TN Community Coalition: ETNCC.org wise-uranium.org The Ulm 5 Case in Germany [00:50:00] After this, you'll hear a recording from May 14th, 2026 of journalist Roser Garí Pérez speaking in Freiberg, Germany, about the the case of the Ulm 5: five activists from various countries held in pre-trial detention since September of 2025 in Germany on charges of taking action against an Elbit Systems Deutschland factory in that country. Elbit Systems is an Israeli arms manufacturer whose products bring death to people in Palestine. The defendants have experienced long term isolation, extraordinarily long pre-trial detention without the option of bail. This segment appears in episode 104 of B(A)D News from the A-Radio Network, and was submitted and recorded by Radio Ausbruch from Freiberg As a note for US listeners, the use of the term protocol in this segment can be translated to mean taken notes. You can keep up on the case, find how to write letters or send support, at https://ulm5.info/ and find updated writings on the case by Roser Garí Pérez on their instagram or their author page at The Left Berlin Announcement Support Request by 2020 Uprising Prisoner Khalif Miller We received correspondence from Khalif Miller who was arrested in Philadelphia. Acording to his GoFundMe, "Khalif was held on pre-trial detention for 2 years and eventually sentenced to 5 years in Federal prison. As he was on probation at the time of his indictment he was additionally given a 1-10 year state sentence for probation violation." According to his page on UprisingSupport.org, Khalif had this to say: "I was working, I was trying to get my business up and running, I was going to school. I was doing things not just to help my family, I was trying to help communities. The day that I went to the protest… the night before when I was even making my signs. I spent 4 hours just making signs and writing down a bunch of people who were unfairly killed by police officers. This is something I really feel passionate about. People say all the time, you can do anything you want in America. You can be whatever you want to be. Growing up, I heard it but I never really believed it because I felt like my resources were limited. The world has so many possibilities. I would like to teach that. That's one of the things I would like to be able to pass along to the younger generations when I come home." Check the show notes for links to how you can write to Khalif and how you can offer him support during this long period of repression. Write letters: Smart Communications / PA DOC Khalif Miller / #QQ9287 SCI Forest PO Box 33028 St. Petersburg, FL 33733 Send books: Khalif Miller #QQ9287 268 Bricker Road Bellefonte, PA 16823 . … . .. Featured Track: TFSR by The Willows Whisper Certain Kind of Bounce by The Willows Whisper

**This episode is unedited due to time constraints. In one twenty-four hour period, this administration signed an executive order to install warning signs on the sidewalk outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, because it has no legal authority to touch anything inside the building. The Pentagon's public casualty count for the Iran war read eighteen dead on Wednesday and fourteen on Thursday, after four service members killed in Jordan and Iraq quietly came off the list. The Department of Energy told a federal judge in writing that 284 canceled grants worth roughly $7.5 billion were pulled for one reason and one reason only: the political identity of the recipient's state.That is the whole episode. Not a cover-up. A revision.Robin walks the receipts on all of it: the 162-page White House report that recommended posting a sign over every museum entrance accusing the curators of hating America, the two senior officials who told NBC News that US commanders are now letting some Iranian missiles through because the interceptor supply is running low, and the census rule sitting on a government website that would reclassify millions of legal residents as not living in this country at all.Plus: the worst measles year since 1991 with five months still on the board, a Texas midwife who won her case and lost everything anyway, Hunter Biden's closetocracy argument and why Robin thinks he is right, and the debut of a permanent new segment, the Mitch McConnell counter, currently sitting at forty-one days.Reality Check covers the settler attack on Tal in the occupied West Bank, and then three minutes on why political cartoons are dying at the exact moment a president started putting warning labels on history.Keywords: Smithsonian warning signs executive order, Trump Smithsonian content warnings, Pentagon casualty count Iran war, Operation Epic Fury deaths, Department of Energy grant terminations blue states, 2030 census immigrants apportionment, Cecilia Vega 60 Minutes fired, measles cases 2026 record, Mitch McConnell missingBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/we-saw-the-devil-unfiltered-political-analysis--4433638/support.Website: http://www.wesawthedevil.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/wesawthedevilRobin's Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/robin_wstdTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/WeSawtheDevilInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/wesawthedevilpodcast.TikTok: tiktok.com/@wesawthedevilpolitics

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, the head of Realign for Palestine, an Atlantic Council project that challenges entrenched narratives in the Israel and Palestine discourse. Alkhatib gives us an overview of the conditions on the ground right now in the Gaza Strip. We learn about an uptick in diseases such as chicken pox due to extreme unsanitary conditions and lack of vaccinations. There are new efforts to allow residents to open bank accounts -- but where is the money to be found even as paper bills are so worn they are disintegrating? Khalil al-Hayya has been elected to be the new leader of Hamas, the terror group announced Monday after months of speculation following a vote in the General Shura Council. We learn how, following the subjugation of protests in the Gaza Strip in late June, al-Hayya's annointing is another signal that the terror group is entrenching its ties with Iran and continuing consultations with Hezbollah. In the second half of the program, we discuss the intensity of support for Hamas in three population centers: the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan. Alkhatib's comment on the Palestinians living in the Hashemite Kingdom may surprise. Finally, Alkhatib describes his new short book, "Hamas and its Two Million Hostages." Part memoir, part explainer, the work is an attempt to offer an approachable take on the past almost three years of war and how Hamas's stranglehold is only tightening on the people in the Strip. And so this week, we ask Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, what matters now? What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“It's kind of in the DNA of American bourgeois capitalist politics: demonize your enemy, call them a communist, and that's the end of the story. But there's another element, which is the Republican Party, the MAGA project, Project 2025 — the Trump White House is failing.” The House Ways and Means Committee has sent a subpoena to BreakThrough News, demanding internal communications, financial records and more. We are not charged with any crime, because our only “crime” has been to tell the truth – about the Palestine solidarity movement, about ICE's terror in our streets, about Washington's crimes around the world, from Cuba to the Congo. This is a flagrant abuse of power, and a direct attack on our work as journalists and on the First Amendment.The State Department's dangerous “Cuba report” released Monday – blasting Havana as the global center of a sinister anti-American communist plot by Russia, China, Iran, North Korea– is just the latest step in the Trump administration's McCarthyist revival. But attacks on the left didn't start with Trump: Brian Becker, host of the Socialist Program, joins BT Live to discuss how this latest crackdown on free speech is rooted in US history: From the Palmer Raids to COINTELPRO, every time a mass movement for a more just world starts to gain real traction, the state reaches for the same playbook.DONATE / SIGN THE PETITION: https://breakthroughnews.org/bt-under-attack

Michael Angelo Zervos is a Guinness World Record holder — he visited all 195 UN-recognized countries in 499 days. Along the way he interviewed people in every country about the happiest moment of their life. That project became a book, published by Penguin Random House, out February 23rd. We talked about: how the record works and what actually counts as "visiting" a country; a year and a half of planning vs. the Brazilian who claimed he did it by accident; getting jailed overnight in Liberia for taking a photo of a building; being deported from Nicaragua because they thought he was a journalist; how he got into North Korea during a two-week window that's since closed permanently; what North Korea is actually like (his answer: Plato's allegory of the cave, in real life); Cuba on the ground vs. what the left says about it; traveling through Ukraine, Palestine, Syria, and Sudan; asking people about happiness in active conflict zones; and what his grandfather being forced to fight for communist guerrillas in the Greek Civil War has to do with any of it. Get the book → The Happiest Moment of Your Life: True Stories from a Journey to Every Country in the World https://amzn.to/4pHdYav Follow Michael on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/theprojectkosmos/ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — Intro — who is Michael Angelo Zervos? 0:34 — Greeks in America — diners, Coney Islands, and the varsity jacket problem 5:05 — Christopher Nolan's Odyssey — not a single Greek in the cast 6:25 — 195 countries in 499 days — how the Guinness World Record works 8:04 — A year and a half of planning — and the Brazilian who claimed he did it by accident 9:33 — What counts as "visiting" a country? The Guinness rules 11:08 — Project Cosmos — interviewing people about the happiest moment of their life 13:13 — Brand deals, sponsorships, and the reality of Guinness World Record celebrity 14:35 — Traveling as a man vs. a woman — the real differences 16:37 — Married with two kids — how he pulled this off 20:24 — The happiest moment of the trip — waking up in Ghana 21:33 — The Swiss man who came out as bisexual at a phone-free party in Zurich 23:45 — The worst moments: jailed in Liberia for photographing a building 26:57 — Deported from Nicaragua — they thought he was a journalist 27:41 — Left-wing dictatorships and the memory hole 29:50 — North Korea — getting in through a two-week window that's now closed 32:14 — North Korea as Plato's cave — the allegory of the cave in real life 33:44 — His grandfather forced to fight for communist guerrillas in the Greek Civil War 35:29 — Dennis Rodman's translator was a libertarian 36:44 — Cuba — what it's actually like on the ground 38:40 — Poverty porn, romanticizing socialism, and what Cubans actually think 43:42 — The Facebook argument: "Oh no, Starbucks is going to ruin Cuba" 45:38 — What's actually lost when wealth is generated — community and dependency 47:27 — Traveling through conflict zones: Ukraine, Palestine, Syria, Sudan 49:37 — Asking people about happiness in a war zone 50:27 — The book: published by Penguin Random House, out February 23rd 52:23 — Chicken soup for the soul meets Anthony Bourdain — what the book actually is 54:14 — Outro — follow Michael and get the book Watch full episodes on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Vb53s4I0A&list=PLb5trMQQvT077-L1roE0iZyAgT4dD4EtJ Listen on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lou-perez-podcast/id1535032081 Listen on Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/2KAtC7eFS3NHWMZp2UgMVU  Co-host of Happy Hour Econ → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happy-hour-econ/id1863476697  Lou's book — That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: https://amzn.to/3VhFa1r  TheLouPerez.com |  info@thelouperez.com  Newsletter: https://substack.com/@louperez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the nine months since a cease-fire ended full-on war in Gaza, the world's attention has in many ways moved on. That has been especially true since February, with the start of the war in Iran. But the situation in Gaza remains grim and unsettled, and the state of affairs in the West Bank has become increasingly fraught. Meanwhile, the way forward for Palestinian politics is murky, and the prospect of any durable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems more remote than ever. Salam Fayyad served as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority from 2007 to 2013, after a long career at the International Monetary Fund. In many capitals, including Washington, Fayyad is still considered one of the most effective Palestinian leaders of recent decades. Dan Kurtz-Phelan spoke with him on July 15, on the sidelines of the Aspen Security Forum, about his proposals for building a Palestinian state, delivering humane and effective governance in Gaza, and finding a viable way forward for the Palestinian cause. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. ⁠Click here for more details⁠⁠

JOIN US LIVE FOR AN EA POP-UP EVENT IN NYC!Sunday/Monday, August 9–10 | Williamsburg, BrooklynJoin me for two days of embodied astrology, creative practice, and collective care in Brooklyn, NY. Nine astrologers, mystics, movers, makers, and diviners will offer a series of 30–90 minute workshops designed to help us meet this moment together through the wisdom of our bodies, relationships, and imaginations. Click here for more details

Inside the growing U.S.–Israeli military partnership, AI surveillance technology, data centers, cybersecurity firms, and political lobbying are becoming increasingly connected. In this episode, investigative journalist and YouTube creator Tommy G discusses the proposed expansion of U.S.–Israel defense integration, the role of artificial intelligence and cyber warfare, Israeli settlements in the West Bank, surveillance companies such as Palantir and Flock Safety, and concerns about privacy, censorship, and government overreach. Tommy also explains why he expanded his reporting beyond crime and street documentaries to cover Gaza, Palestine, Israel, foreign influence in American politics, AIPAC campaign spending, AI-generated political propaganda, license-plate tracking, and the rapid growth of the surveillance state. Topics discussed include: • U.S.–Israel military and technology integration • AI surveillance and cyber warfare • Palantir, Flock Safety, and data privacy • Israeli cybersecurity companies and U.S. data centers • AIPAC lobbying and campaign spending • Gaza, Palestine, and West Bank settlements • Government surveillance and constitutional rights • Artificial intelligence in modern warfare • Free speech, censorship, and political influence • Whether public pressure can still change government policy This conversation contains strong opinions, allegations, and disputed claims from the participants. Viewers are encouraged to research the legislation, statistics, companies, and historical events discussed and reach their own conclusions. Go Support Tommy! YouTube: @TommyGMcGee Podcast: @thetommygshow IG: https://www.instagram.com/tommygmcgee/ Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow 00:00 Opening: Anti-Israel Sentiment & US-Israel Alliance 03:30 Concerns Over Merging US and Israeli Militaries 05:30 Spying, Surveillance Tech, and US Risks 08:00 Tommy G's Background: Hustle, Work Ethic, and YouTube 10:30 Why Talk About Politics and Current Events? 13:20 Facing Backlash and Threats for Speaking Out 15:30 Confronting Propaganda and Irreconcilable Bubbles 18:00 Defining Truth Amid the US-Israel Debate 21:30 Land Theft and Settlements in the West Bank 27:00 Historical Parallels: Land Theft and Modern Day Policies 30:00 Government Policies and Systemic Oppression 32:45 Why Americans Should Care About Palestine 35:00 Testing Surveillance State in Palestine & Its Spread 39:00 US Politics, Data Centers, & Israeli Tech Influence 43:30 Flock Cameras and Surveillance Concerns in the US 47:30 Government Overreach, Privacy, and Rights Erosion 51:00 Slippery Slope: Surveillance and Citizen Rights 54:00 Big Government, Corruption, and Propaganda 57:00 Hope, Pressure, and The Power of Social Change 59:00 Closing Remarks & Tommy G's Impact Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Leila Warah is a Palestinian American multimedia journalist currently based in Palestine. Born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, she holds a degree in Journalism and Media and has significant experience in reporting across digital platforms. Through her social media (@leila.shw on Instagram), Leila creates videos that stay true to the Palestinian question, breaking it down for an international audience to better understand what life under Israeli occupation in the West Bank looks like. Her content delivers on-the-ground visual storytelling, tailored for an international audience, that humanizes the headlines, shedding light on Palestinian identity, resistance, and the everyday realities of communities often overlooked by mainstream media. Zena Tahhan is a journalist with over ten years of experience in journalism and human rights organizations. She holds a BSc in Journalism from Northwestern University in Qatar and an MA in Middle East Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. As a writer and TV reporter, she focuses on exposing the realities of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, covering issues such as killings, settler attacks, land confiscation, military raids, political prisoners, and forced displacement. Alongside field reporting, she also produces political analysis and opinion pieces. Her expertise spans Palestine's political history, settler colonialism, and international human rights law, with a particular focus on how Israel's system of military occupation operates through laws, courts, and policies that undermine basic freedoms. They both joined me in the Shack. Thanks to Pau Garcés for his help in making this pod happen. The Whistleblower Special Series is here:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163145416

Last week, all eyes were on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department. Mary and Andrew begin with their takeaways: from Blanche's “evasive, hyper-technical non-responses” to why his close relationship with Donald Trump is problematic, noting a moment where Blanche referred to himself as “his lawyer” and then quickly corrected himself — which Mary called a Freudian slip. They then turn to Trump's Thursday night address, where he claimed that U.S. elections have been compromised for years. Separating fact from fiction, the co-hosts look at how Trump's undermining of public confidence may affect the upcoming midterms. Mary and Andrew also highlight reporting from the New York Times indicating a slew of cases brought by ICE against protesters and immigrants are failing the sniff test in court. Plus, an update on former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who recently filed a lawsuit alleging the government and others were part of an effort to suppress criticism of Israel from pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Further Reading:  This is the New York Times' reporting on ICE cases falling apart: They Were Charged With Assaulting ICE Agents. The Cases Are Crumbling. And here is their reporting on ICE related shootings: At Least 23 People Have Been Shot at by Federal Immigration Agents Since Last Year Andrew and Mary also wanted to note this new Compendium from Just Security: “Zero Evidence”: How Judges and Grand Juries Have Rejected the Trump Administration Efforts to Investigate and Prosecute Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

His detractors say he shouldn't be making pop music in times of war and destruction. His millions of fans say he has given them permission to celebrate their culture and their cause Written and read by Nesrine Malik. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

You can read the interview I did with Intel Lady, published in the Critic, November 2025 issue, below: I am speaking to my favourite satirist, Jenny Stanton, on Zoom, and she is trying to turn off her backdrop. Otherwise known as Intel Lady, Stanton's best known parody is of former deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, speaking to the nation from a bunker, filled with cans of lager, cigarette butts, and a framed photograph of smug, woke radio presenter James O'Brien. I point out to Stanton that she has captured the perfect image of O'Brien looking an absolute plonker. “I don't think he can look any other way, can he,” she replies, laughing. I got to know Stanton after messaging her on X to thank her for providing me with endless entertainment, and have followed her rise to internet fame ever since. Stanton was born into a happy, hardworking family in Leeds in 1979. She started to become interested in acting in her final year of secondary school, having accepted that her first love, music, was not going to be the career for her. “I was obsessed with music, played the guitar, wanted to be a rock star, and then I discovered that I could act. I was a bit of a shit guitarist, and not that great a singer either. It turned out that I was a better actor than I was musician”.Studying performing arts at college, she was advised to go to drama school. “But I thought, do I want to saddle myself with debt for the rest of my life?”Taking what she calls “the scenic route”, she subscribed to The Stage and (between cleaning jobs) applied for as many auditions as possible. She was 19 when she secured her first ever paid acting role, as a street theatre performer at a major theme park. “My favourite job was a cleaner at one of the big bank call centres in Harrogate. I loved that because I didn't have to bloody talk to anybody,” she says. “I could just be in my own little world, running audition pieces through my head whilst hoovering carpets.” In 2004, Stanton auditioned for a part she was desperate to get – a drama series about the building of the Titanic. “I'd never auditioned at TV studios before, it was an overwhelming experience,” she recalls. An agonizing week later her agent called to tell her she had been offered the part. Prior to this, Stanton had been a touring theatre actor, “which means I was poor,” she laughs. In true Titanic style, the shoot was an utter disaster. Filmed that summer, on location in Liverpool, it rained so heavily that some of the trailers floated away. The director decided to move to a studio. “But on that day, there was a heatwave,” she says, “and everyone was in their full-dress corsets and layers of clothing, sweating like mad.”Months later, Stanton heard the terrible news that her scene had been cut, because it looked so unnatural. “I ended up as nothing more than an extra,” she says. “All I wanted was my name in the Radio Times, because that means you've made it. I was gutted.”She stopped acting professionally when pregnant with her son, born in 2007. Five years later, she had a daughter. Both children were subsequently diagnosed with autism, and Stanton gave up acting to care for them.However, the lure of performing eventually drew her back, and in 2021, during lockdown, she introduced Intel Lady to the world. “The name was inspired by the QAnon grifters (far-right conspiracy theorists) I was covering. They all had ‘insiders' with ‘intel'. So I created a character who used to feed them complete claptrap. I would answer the phone with “MI5 paid asset helpline, how many I help you?”Stanton soon tired of these people, “because they're insane and they're not going to change”. Looking around at what else was going on, she landed on the Johnny Depp - Amber Heard trial, so parodied that. “And then I started looking at politicians”.Her first victims were American: former US Vice-President Kamala Harris and liberal commentator Rachel Maddow – but it wasn't long before she set her sights on British politicians Nadine Dorries and Liz Truss. Then she looked to the opposite side of the bench, and Angela Rayner caught her eye. “I started covering her in 2022, and, when Labour were elected, realised she was going to play a prominent role in government. So I worked really hard to get her right”.In 2024, Stanton released a video of her perfected parody. Set in a filthy hotel room in Ibiza littered with empty champagne bottles, it featured a swimsuit-clad Rayner, asking “Why is everyone getting upset, just because I was having a dance and enjoying myself?”It was a colleague, Rik, who came up with the idea of moving Rayner into Lord Ali's apartment, with the backdrop exactly as it had been when Starmer once did a speech from there. The idea was a keeper. “She would always allude to it as her ‘mate's apartment'. “All declared, all above board.”Stanton explains how the infamous backdrop came about: “One day a crumpled-up can of Tennents [Lager] appeared behind me, slightly hidden by one of the framed photographs of James O ‘Brien. And then the next time, a full ashtray appeared and then, a clothes horse with knickers on it and bras hanging off it.”She says that some comedians think the only things it is acceptable to laugh at are Trump, Farage or Brexit, but that she doesn't have a political agenda. “Anyone is fair game,” she says. “I find humour in pretty much everything, even the most horrifying situations. I think it's quite a British thing.”In her recent Big Brother parody, one contestant gets called into the Diary Room for the crimes of misgendering, homophobia, and disability discrimination. Another character is Carol, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainer for the NHS, who Stanton loves to play. “The jokes are ridiculous… because it's their world. It's their language. It's crazy to regular people.”People keep asking Stanton how she writes. She says, “It's all ad-libbed. I go into character, I press record, you're in character. It usually takes me between five and sometimes 15 attempts to get it right – or the doorbell rings”. She first became aware of her own rising popularity when Tracy-Anne Oberman started following her. Stanton was shocked, “I was checking that it was her real account”. But then a private message came, saying, “I love your No Brainer with Angela Rayner, it's bloody genius. Keep doing it”. Not long after that, she saw that “somebody called JK Rowling” had followed her on X. “I thought, let's see, they've got two followers or something, and I clicked on it, and I had to sit down because it actually is JK Rowling, she's actually following me!”When Comedy Unleashed asked her to do Rayner in a tiny Westminster pub called The Speaker, Stanton knew it would be a dream come true for her to perform there, and panicked. But then there she was, “stood on a crate on top of beer barrels”, wearing a hard hat, hi-vis, a really ugly pink dress and “the worst shoes you've ever seen” before an audience of bewildered journalists and politicians who had no idea who she was. Stanton describes that evening as the weirdest, weirdest night, but her Rayner triumphed: “I don't know why everyone's getting upset. It's not even a banter ban. I don't know why you're calling it a banter ban because it isn't that. It's about respecting people's boundaries and not saying offensive stuff, that's all.” Stanton says she's “very fond” of Marjorie and Gerald from Just Stop Oil. “I think it's hard not to love her because she's just ludicrous. And it's that cantankerous old lady vibe that people just are too frightened to argue with. And Gerald has become such a creep. He started out with a slight bladder weakness and now he's turned into a piss fetishist.”The minute Just Stop Oil popped up on the news, Stanton knew she had to cover them. “The activists are the most bonkers,” she says, and found it hilarious when she got a “barrage of abuse” from people unaware it was satire. “They told me they hoped I'd get run over and stuff. And I would just come back to them in character because it was just too good not to. I could spend hours a day just responding to them and laughing my socks off”. I ask about plans to develop new characters. “There's always room for more. I try and just keep my eye on what's going on in the news and the celebrity world. And if something catches my eye and I think they are worth the parody, then I will parody them,” she says. “If you're in power, I'm going to cover you, especially if you're ridiculous, even better.”Does she have plans for Reform and Farage? “Oh yes! When Reform get in, and I think it is more of a when, than [an] if, I will be keeping a very close eye on the ladies in the party.”With the world as crazy as it is right now, with Green Party activists shouting ‘Queers for Palestine' at its annual conference, and Emma Watson doing a reverse ferret on JK Rowling, Stanton will not be running out of material any time soon.I have one last question for her. How did she feel when she heard that Angela Rayner, one of her most famous caricatures, had resigned? “I was gutted, as I love playing her. But she will definitely be back! I have a theory that she'll do ‘I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here', in which case, I will be all over it.” So will I. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliebindel.substack.com/subscribe

On today's Palestine Post we look at Israel's genocidal assault on Palestine and the region, the complicity of the united states, the resistance of the people and the ripple effect across the globe. Samer Araabi is the Associate Director of Political Education and Research at the Center for Constitutional Rights.  He is also a member of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) and co-founder of AROC Action.   —- Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post Palestine Post w/ Samer Araabi appeared first on KPFA.

On today's Palestine Post we look at Israel's genocidal assault on Palestine and the region, the complicity of the united states, the resistance of the people and the ripple effect across the globe. Samer Araabi is the Associate Director of Political Education and Research at the Center for Constitutional Rights.  He is also a member of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) and co-founder of AROC Action.   —- Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post Palestine Post w/ Samer Araabi appeared first on KPFA.

Le beau temps vous fait sûrement rêver de vacances… Elles approchent à grands pas, et pour ceux qui ne les ont pas encore réservées, il est temps de se pencher sur le sujet. On entend constamment plusieurs sons de cloches sur les meilleures techniques pour partir en vacances à moindre coût. Pas de doute, il faut réserver ses vacances en avance. Selon le comparateur de vols Skyscanner, les billets les moins chers sont en moyenne ceux proposés 24 à 22 semaines avant le départ. Autant dire qu'il vaut mieux être bien organisé !  Est-ce qu'il faut privilégier les all-inclusives ? Comment trouver des billets d'avion pas chers ? Écoutez la suite de cet épisode de "Maintenant vous savez". Un podcast Bababam Originals, écrit et réalisé par Joanne Bourdin. Première diffusion : juillet 2024 À écouter aussi : ⁠Que changerait la reconnaissance de la Palestine ?⁠ ⁠Qu'est-ce que le gooning, cette technique de masturbation féminine ?⁠ ⁠Comment obtenir des billets de concerts pas chers ?⁠ Retrouvez tous les épisodes de "Maintenant vous savez". Suivez Bababam sur Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Scariff couple's journey to Palestine in 2022 has become the inspiration for a powerful documentary exploring the concept of Sumud – the steadfast resilience that shapes everyday life for many Palestinians.   The Art of Resistance: The Art of Sumud has already been screened in venues across Ireland and in Chicago, and it will now be shown as part of the Scariff Harbour Festival, followed by a discussion featuring the filmmakers and former Gaza school principal Fatma Abuawwad, who has rebuilt her life in Ireland after being displaced by war.   Alan Morrissey was joined by the film's creators, Bonnie Boyle and PJ McNamara.  Photo (c) Clare FM

Elle est l'une des voix les plus singulières de la gauche française. Députée communiste des Hauts-de-Seine depuis 2017, Elsa Faucillon porte des combats que beaucoup préfèrent éviter : l'antiracisme, la Palestine, la défense des exilés et des personnes étrangères. Des combats qu'elle assume frontalement et qu'elle inscrit dans une stratégie de radicalité dans la lutte contre l'extrême droite.Dans ce nouveau Fauteuil, elle revient sur son parcours : une enfance dans une famille cégétiste, une politisation précoce, un chemin loin des sentiers balisés de Sciences Po et de l'ENA, et la violence de classe qui va avec. Elle raconte sa première campagne législative, sa vie de députée, et son récent déplacement à Calais à la rencontre des exilés. On parle aussi de la stratégie pour 2027 : pourquoi la NUPES puis le NFP se sont fracturés sur la Palestine et les violences policières, ces sujets qui touchent d'abord les personnes racisées. Et surtout : comment reconstruire une gauche de rupture pour la présidentielle, et autour de quel projet ?

Here in the middle of summer (and, perhaps, one of our sparser crowds of the season) we have a very busy parable section in Matthew 13: five short parables packed into a dozen verses. That's a lot of focus to to try to hold in one sermon — so we likely have some choices to make heading into sermon prep this week.This is the third Sunday inside Matthew's parables chapter, and it is the busiest of them. The Gospel gives us five short parables — mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure, pearl, and net — each doing its own quick work. A single sermon can barely do justice to one of them. The preacher's honest choice this week is whether to preach one image well or gesture at all five superficially (and, most likely, ineffectively). This guide covers each parable but assumes the preacher will pick.The Old Testament tracks head in very different directions. * Track One continues with Jacob — now at his uncle Laban's house, working seven years for Rachel and being deceived at the wedding. It is a painful text, and its painfulness is part of what it has to say. * Track Two brings us to Solomon at Gibeon, offered anything in a dream and asking for wisdom to lead God's people well. * The Epistle continues in Romans 8 and gives us some of the most beloved verses Paul ever wrote — the Spirit interceding with sighs too deep for words, all things working together for good, nothing able to separate us from the love of God in Christ.For preachers continuing the series: this is week three of the parables arc. The Sower (Proper 10) named God's lavish scattering. The Wheat and the Weeds (Proper 11) named God's patient sorting. This week the parables come in a burst, each offering a different angle on what the kingdom of heaven is actually like.The ReadingsGenesis 29:15–28First Reading (Track One) — Jacob, Leah, and RachelSummaryJacob has fled his own family and arrived at his uncle Laban's household. He falls in love with his younger cousin Rachel and agrees to work seven years for her. Seven years pass; the wedding feast is held; and Jacob wakes in the morning to discover he has been given Leah, the older sister, instead. He confronts Laban. Laban answers, without apology, that the younger cannot be given before the elder in that country. Jacob agrees to serve another seven years for Rachel. The deceiver from earlier chapters has been deceived himself, and the family that will grow out of these two marriages will carry the weight of the wedding-night trick for generations.Key Ideas for Preaching* This is Jacob's first taste of being on the receiving end of the kind of scheming he has been practicing. In earlier chapters, he tricked his brother and his father; now his uncle tricks him. The narrator does not moralize — the pattern is simply allowed to sit there. What does it look like for your congregation to notice the patterns they have set in motion, without either shame or excuse?* Laban's “the younger cannot be given before the elder” is a pointed line. Jacob, the younger, took what belonged to Esau, the elder. Now he is told he cannot take the younger before the elder. The text is doing quiet, painful work. Where in your congregation might God be doing similarly quiet work — through consequences, not lectures?* The story does not pretend Leah is loved. It does not pretend Rachel is safe from her sister's grief. It refuses to give us the reassuring resolution we might want. What does it look like to preach honestly on a text that leaves this much untidy?Significant Cautions* Do not romanticize the line about seven years feeling like a few days. Read in context, it opens a story that will produce enormous grief for at least three of the four people involved.* The women in this story — Leah and Rachel — pay the highest price for the men's schemes. Be honest about that, without turning them into abstractions or setting one against the other.* Do not use this text to comment on modern marriage practices in ways it cannot bear. It is a story about deception and consequences, not a template for how marriages should work.Psalm 105:1–11, 45bThe Psalm (Track One, primary option) — Remember the CovenantSummaryA hymn of thanksgiving for God's faithfulness across the long history of Israel. The opening verses call the people to praise and to remember. The middle rehearses the covenant with Abraham — the promise of the land, the seed, the everlasting covenant — which the lectionary selects to keep the focus tight. The closing line is a single word of praise.Key Ideas for Preaching* The psalm is essentially a call to remember. What God did for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not distant history but the reason today's community has cause to sing. What does it mean for your people to keep the long memory of what God has done, in a culture that keeps them focused on the immediate?* Read alongside today's Genesis reading, the psalm's serene retelling sits in some tension with the messy reality Jacob is living through in Genesis 29. The psalm knows the story ends well; Jacob does not. Where in your people's lives is God's long faithfulness working through a story that does not yet feel serene?Significant Cautions* The “land I have promised” language has a long and painful history when misused to justify the taking of land from other people. Handle it with care.* The psalm's cheerfulness can mask real complexity in the underlying history. Do not erase Leah's grief with a hymn about Jacob's story.Psalm 128The Psalm (Track One, alternative option) — Blessed Is EveryoneSummaryA short psalm of blessing for the person who fears the Lord. Their labor is fruitful; their household flourishes; they live to see their children's children. The psalm assumes a stable, agricultural, patriarchal household and pronounces blessing over it.Key Ideas for Preaching* The psalm's picture of blessing is domestic, ordinary, and generational — not heroic, not dramatic. Just a table set, a family gathered, a life lived faithfully across time. Where in your congregation has the ordinary been undervalued, and how might this psalm give it its due?* Paired with the Genesis reading, this psalm offers a striking contrast — Jacob's marriage is not the picture of blessing this psalm describes. What might it look like to preach both — the ideal the psalm names and the reality the Jacob story exposes — without pretending they can be neatly resolved?Significant Cautions* The psalm's vision of a blessed household is culturally specific. Do not preach it in a way that suggests those without spouses or children are outside God's blessing.1 Kings 3:5–12First Reading (Track Two) — Solomon Asks for WisdomSummaryEarly in his reign, Solomon has a dream at Gibeon. God appears and asks him what he wants. Solomon does not ask for wealth, or long life, or victory over his enemies. He asks for an understanding heart — the wisdom to lead God's people well. He is a young king, he says, and does not know how to govern. God is pleased and gives him what he asked for, along with the things he did not ask for.Key Ideas for Preaching* Solomon's request is startling for its self-awareness. He knows he does not know. Where in your congregation has the honest admission of what we do not know been avoided in favor of confident-sounding leadership, and what might this text invite instead?* The wisdom Solomon asks for is specifically for the sake of others — to govern God's people well. This is not personal enlightenment; it is a request for the equipment to serve. How might your people hear this as a model for the kind of wisdom their vocations actually need?Significant Cautions* The wider story of Solomon complicates this scene. He will not, over the long run, live up to the wisdom he receives here. Do not preach the dream as if it were the whole of Solomon's reign.* “Ask for whatever you want” language can be misused. God is not a wish-granter; the text is showing us what a rightly ordered heart asks for, not licensing bargain-hunting prayer.Psalm 119:129–136The Psalm (Track Two) — The Unfolding of Your WordsSummaryAnother short section of the great acrostic psalm on God's word and law. The chosen verses celebrate God's decrees as wonderful, ask for God's face to shine on the psalmist, and end with a line of surprising grief: “my eyes shed streams of tears, because your law is not kept.”Key Ideas for Preaching* The psalmist's tears are the grief of someone who loves what God intended and sees the world falling short of it. What in your congregation's life would break their hearts if they let it — and what does the psalm suggest we do with that grief?* “The unfolding of your words gives light.” The word does not give light all at once; it unfolds. How might your sermon honor the slow way God's word actually opens itself to us?Significant Cautions* The psalmist's love for God's law can be misread as legalism. It is not. It is a love for what God has revealed as good.Romans 8:26–39The Epistle — Nothing Can Separate UsSummaryThe climax of Romans 8, and some of the most beloved verses Paul ever wrote. The Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. All things work together for good for those who love God. And then the closing crescendo, one of the great passages of the New Testament: nothing — not hardship, persecution, famine, sword, powers, principalities, or anything else in all creation — can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.Key Ideas for Preaching* The Spirit intercedes for us when we do not know how to pray. That is one of the most comforting sentences in the New Testament for people in seasons when prayer has stopped working. Where in your congregation are people quietly convinced they are failing at prayer, and how might Paul steady them?* “All things work together for good” has become a widely repeated line and is often misused. Paul is not saying every bad thing that happens is secretly good, or that suffering will always be visibly redeemed. He is naming something more specific — that God is at work within all things toward good. How might your sermon preserve the comfort of the verse while defending it from its worst uses?* The closing crescendo names actual sufferings by name — hardship, persecution, famine, sword. Paul is not offering an abstract promise. He is naming the very things his readers were facing and insisting that none of them can separate them from the love of God. Where in your congregation are people quietly assuming they might have been separated already, and what would it mean for them to hear this list read aloud with their own name in it?Significant Cautions* “All things work together for good” is one of the most misused verses in the Bible — especially at funerals and in hospital rooms, where it has been used to justify or minimize real suffering. Preach against that misuse plainly.* “Those God foreknew he also predestined” opens onto centuries of debate. Faithful readers come down differently. Do not preach as if the question has been settled.* The comfort of the closing verses is only meaningful when the sufferings named are taken seriously. Do not skip lightly over famine and sword; they are what Paul's hearers were living, and they are what many of ours are living too.Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52The Gospel — Five Parables of the KingdomSummaryFive short parables in quick succession. The kingdom is like a mustard seed — tiny at first but growing into something birds nest in. Like yeast a woman works into flour until the whole batch is leavened. Like treasure hidden in a field that someone finds and joyfully sells everything to buy. Like a merchant finding one pearl worth all he has. Like a net cast into the sea that catches everything and is only sorted after being pulled in. Jesus asks the disciples if they have understood, and closes with one more image: the scribe trained for the kingdom, bringing out of his storeroom what is new and what is old.Key Ideas for Preaching* The mustard seed is a strange choice. Mustard was considered an invasive weed in first-century Palestine, not a tree. Jesus is comparing the kingdom to what is often unwanted, wild, and hard to contain. Where in your congregation has the kingdom been imagined as tidy, and what would it look like to hear it named as invasive?* The yeast image is done by a woman — quiet, hidden, domestic work. The kingdom is often like that: invisible until the whole batch has risen. Where in your congregation has the visible been overvalued, and what would it mean to honor the yeast?* The hidden treasure parable turns on joy. The person sells everything not out of duty but out of gladness. When has your congregation known that kind of joy — a joy that made the giving up easy? How might your sermon call it forth again?* The pearl merchant is not a lucky farmer stumbling on treasure. He is searching. Some people come to the kingdom by accident; some by long looking. Which of your people are the seekers, and what might they need to hear this morning?* The net catches everything — good and bad — and is only sorted at the end. This is the wheat and weeds again, in miniature. What does it mean that the same kingdom-shape shows up in five different images? Where might your congregation be tempted to prefer one image and dismiss the others?* The closing line about the scribe bringing out what is new and what is old is one of the most graceful sentences in Matthew. What does it look like for your congregation to hold both — the ancient wisdom of the tradition and the new thing God is doing among them — without pitting one against the other?Significant Cautions* The mustard-seed-as-invasive-weed reading is worth naming, but do not turn the whole parable into a horticulture lecture. Let the image do its work.* The “sold all he had” imagery has been used to bless coercive giving. Jesus is describing joy, not running a stewardship campaign.* The net parable closes with fierce judgment language — furnace, weeping, gnashing of teeth. Handle it with the same care as last week's wheat and weeds. The point is that the sorting is not ours.A single sermon cannot honestly cover all five parables. Do not try. Pick one — or a pair — and let it breathe.Thematic ConnectionsThis is week three of the parables arc, and the pattern is coming into focus. Two weeks ago the Parable of the Sower named God's lavish scattering. Last week the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds named God's patient sorting. This week we get five different angles on what the kingdom is actually like. Small and invasive (the mustard seed). Hidden and pervasive (the yeast). Discovered by accident and worth everything (the treasure). Discovered by long searching and worth everything (the pearl). Mixed and eventually sorted (the net).Preachers have a real choice this week. The mustard seed and yeast pair naturally, both about small things producing outsized results. The treasure and pearl pair naturally, both about joyfully giving up everything for something worth more. The net stands alone and pulls the arc back toward last week's parable. Almost any one of these will preach; trying to do all five will not.On Track One, the Genesis reading offers a striking counterpoint to the Gospel's celebration of the kingdom. Jacob thinks he is buying joy for seven years of labor. He discovers he has bought Leah, and must labor seven more years for Rachel. The parables of the treasure and the pearl both assume that what is bought is truly worth what it costs. Jacob's story shows what happens when we buy the wrong thing. A preacher can hold both — the joy the parables assume and the ache the Genesis story exposes — without pretending they resolve neatly.On Track Two, Solomon at Gibeon asks for the very wisdom the parables describe. The scribe trained for the kingdom, the one Jesus names at the close of the Gospel, could just as well be Solomon at the dream — a young leader who knows he does not know, asking for what only God can give.Romans 8 sits under the day as the great steadying word. The Spirit intercedes for us in our confusion. All things are held together in God's purpose. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Whether we are seeking the kingdom or stumbling into it this week, God's love is prior to our finding it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

Conduire une voiture relève de la banalité de nombreux pays. C'est loin d'être le cas en Cisjordanie occupée. Ce territoire palestinien est désormais émaillé de 925 checkpoints israéliens, selon les derniers chiffres de l'ONU. Checkpoints qui peuvent ouvrir ou fermer à tout moment, incursions de l'armée, attaques de colons, tours de contrôle, routes pour les Palestiniens et d'autres pour les Israéliens... La conduite nécessite une attention de tous les instants. De notre correspondante à Ramallah, C'est un classique des matinées en Palestine. Dès l'aube, la situation aux checkpoints israéliens et l'état du trafic routier occupent une grande partie des programmes radio. Pour s'informer, Hamza, 24 ans, garde aussi un œil sur Facebook : « Toutes les dix minutes à peu près, il y a un nouveau post. Tel checkpoint est ouvert. Tel checkpoint est fermé. À n'importe quel moment, l'armée peut fermer les routes. À n'importe quel moment, les colons peuvent débarquer et vandaliser les voitures. Ils peuvent tirer à tout moment, ça ne les gêne pas. Et c'est arrivé à beaucoup de personnes de recevoir une balle alors qu'elles étaient dans leur voiture... » Hamza est un jeune diplômé d'une école de commerce. Face au manque d'opportunités professionnelles, il a choisi de devenir chauffeur de taxi. Entre deux courses, il retrouve son père, lui aussi chauffeur de taxi. Assis à son bureau dans son local du centre-ville de Ramallah, le vieil homme – 40 années de métier au compteur – confie son intranquillité grandissante : « Il y a quatre ou cinq jours, j'ai vu une vidéo sur Facebook sur laquelle on voyait une ambulance qui allait de Naplouse à Ramallah et qui ne pouvait pas circuler parce qu'un colon lui barrait la route avec sa voiture. Il y a beaucoup de femmes qui ont accouché dans les voitures ou aux checkpoints. » « Ici, on dit toujours que la vie doit continuer » Hamza interrompt son père et sort son téléphone. Il veut montrer une vidéo : « Regarde, c'est une mariée. Comme le checkpoint est fermé, elle part retrouver son mari à pied. Le marié l'a fait monter dans sa voiture qui attend de l'autre côté de la barrière. C'est le romantisme... à la palestinienne ! » « Ils peuvent mettre des checkpoints même dans Ramallah s'ils veulent, on continuera à se marier, à faire la fête et à chanter, ajoute le père. Ici, on dit toujours que la vie doit continuer. » Cet étranglement du territoire par la route, une photographe palestinienne a voulu le documenter. Elle s'appelle Rehab Nazzal. Elle vit à Bethléem, à une trentaine de kilomètres de Ramallah. Il faut parfois jusqu'à trois heures pour relier les deux villes : « Pour le livre Conduire en Palestine, j'ai pris des dizaines de milliers de photos. Je veux que ces clichés puissent être archivés. C'est aussi un acte de défiance. Quand je pointe mon appareil en direction d'un mirador et que des soldats me regardent avec leurs jumelles, quand je prends une photo d'eux, je les défie. Pas un jour ne passe sans qu'on suffoque. » Comme souvent en Palestine, la réalité de l'occupation fait irruption. En pleine interview, Rehab Nazzal reçoit un coup de fil. Le mari de sa sœur est mort. Celle-ci est à l'étranger. Une seule question désormais : les checkpoints lui permettront-ils d'arriver à temps aux funérailles de son propre époux ? À lire aussiCisjordanie: le football palestinien, échappatoire d'un quotidien sous occupation, en suspens

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg was built to educate Canadians about stories of global injustice. Yet in the more than 10 years since it opened, it has not meaningfully acknowledged the dispossession of Palestinians in 1948 that resulted from the founding of Israel. But now the CMHR has announced an exhibit titled Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present to launch next year. Jonah Corne is an associate professor in the department of English, Theatre, Film and Media at the University of Manitoba. He joined us in December 2025 to talk about the significance of this move.

Ralph welcomes back his old running mate, Native American activist, Winona LaDuke, who has devoted her life to advocating for Indigenous control of their homelands, natural resources, and cultural practices to talk about her latest incarnation: hemp farmer. Then, we'll speak to Hal Weitzman, from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, about how Elon Musk's feud with Delaware may transform corporate America. Plus, we tick off Robert Reich's ten policy prescriptions the Democratic Party should fight for to beat the GOP in the upcoming midterms.Winona LaDuke is an activist, economist, and author, who has devoted her life to advocating for Indigenous control of their homelands, natural resources, and cultural practices. She is also a two-time vice-presidential candidate with Ralph Nader. Ms. LaDuke lives and works on the White Earth Ojibwe reservation in northern Minnesota, where she runs Winona's Hemp & Heritage Farm. She is also a member of the Indigenous Hemp & Cannabis Farmer's Cooperative.I'm looking first at seed sovereignty. We're growing [European hemp] varieties and then we're growing these feral hemp varieties. They're called feral varieties (which of course, that's something that I love) which means that when they eradicated hemp in the 1930s with the Marijuana Prohibition Act—well, they missed some spots. And those guys kept growing. And so 80 years of being illegal—isn't that great? Something that's illegal for 80 years is still with us, rocking out. And so I figure if you grew illegally for 80 years, you are really a tough hemp plant…And so we are growing out these hemp varieties and built a cooperative because we want to own the seeds and we want to own the technology (the value-added processing), and we want to use this hemp as a part of our future as tribes.Winona LaDukeMy grandsons are farming. I don't know who else can say their grandchildren are farming—let me know. My grandchildren are farming. They're running the horses. They're running the farms. You know, that's a retirement plan. My 401k will be worth nothing, but my grandchildren will feed me. This is my strategy.Winona LaDukeHal Weitzman is Executive Director for Intellectual Capital at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, editor-in-chief of Chicago Booth Review, and host of The Chicago Booth Review podcast. A former Financial Times editor and foreign correspondent, he is the author of Latin Lessons: How South America Stopped Listening to the United States and Started Prospering and What's the Matter with Delaware?: How the First State Has Favored the Rich, Powerful, and Criminal—and How It Costs Us All.There is a race to the bottom. There's been a race to the bottom for many decades. That's not new. I think it's accelerated somewhat. Delaware has joined that race from having been something of a “premium product” in terms of incorporating companies—Delaware has become a bit more “cut-price” I would say, and in that sense has followed Texas and Nevada. So the conclusion that we have a race to the bottom and it may be worse than Delaware—actually I think Delaware's already there. So it's not that it's getting worse outside of Delaware, it's getting worse including Delaware.Hal WeitzmanThe trend I think we're seeing is the exclusion of small shareholders completely—regardless of the status of your shares, this is about how big you are. And if you're a small shareholder there is no corporate democracy for you… It was practice in the past for activist groups, campaigning groups, to buy one share of a company and then to go to the shareholder meeting so they could make the point that they wanted to make. Now that kind of shareholder democracy is being encroached on. And the extent now is to say: unless you have a large position (regardless of the size of the company and the cost of the shares), you will not be allowed to bring suits against the executives for the correct running of the company.Hal WeitzmanNews 7/17/26* Our top story this week is New York Governor Kathy Hochul's decision to impose a one-year “pause” on the construction of AI data centers across the state. ABC7 reports that this is the first such moratorium in the nation, despite similar attempts in several states, most notably Maine where Governor Janet Mills vetoed a bill to this effect. Hochul argues that the pause is necessary so lawmakers and regulators can formulate “Guardrails to reduce the risk to our energy grid, minimize land disruption, noise pollution, and protect our natural resources, especially our water supply.” Hochul's move comes amidst a broader push against AI data centers from the left. Semafor reports Senator Bernie Sanders proposed a nationwide ban in March and many progressives running for state and local office in the midterms have made this a cornerstone of their campaigns. According to this piece, “In February, polling from Marquette Law School found 70% of all Wisconsinites agreeing that ‘the costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits.' Among Democrats, the number was 85%.”* Another progressive Member of Congress quite literally stepped into another hot-button political issue this week. While visiting a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank Wednesday, Al Jazeera reports armed settlers stopped the van of Representative Ro Khanna and were “later joined by Israeli soldiers who continued to block the road.” In a video, Khanna points out, settlers can be seen “brandishing M4s [rifles], kicking the tyres of our van, laughing at us, mocking at us, videotaping us.” This continued for over an hour and was only resolved when he reached out to the American Embassy, according to Khanna. Israel has responded to this fiasco by blaming Khanna, accusing the congressman of failing to coordinate his trip with the Israeli government; Khanna retorted that “The [Israeli military] is lying” and called for the arrest of the violent settlers. Conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson excoriated U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, writing “An American member of congress is threatened by foreign terrorists carrying American rifles, backed by a foreign military paid for by American taxpayers, and the US ambassador to that country says not a word in defense of his own countryman…It's too much, too insulting and humiliating to America.”* Following his return from occupied Palestine, Khanna again teamed up with Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky to sponsor an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would have removed the “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative” from the must-pass legislation. Responsible Statecraft describes the initiative as “an unprecedented integration of the U.S. and Israeli military industrial complexes,” by creating “an executive agent within the Department of Defense whose sole responsibility is furthering U.S. and Israeli military tech integration across nearly every facet of the defense process.” This article also notes that “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described this shift in the U.S.-Israel relationship as ‘my plan.'” However, House leadership is not backing this commonsense, bipartisan amendment. In a letter, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he would vote against the amendment, calling it “overly broad” and claiming the amendment would “restrict our country's ability to confront Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations in the region who are sworn enemies of both the United States and Israel,” per the Times of Israel. However, Jeffries pledged not to whip votes against the amendment and indeed the House Minority Whip, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, voted for the amendment as did Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, despite the opposition of Jeffries and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar. The Congressional Progressive Caucus reportedly whipped votes in favor of the amendment.* In more Israel-related news, this week Marco Rubio – who serves as Secretary of State as well as the acting National Security Advisor – announced that the State Department will launch a “sweeping campaign to dismantle…the International Criminal Court.” CNN observes that “The administration's ire against the ICC goes back to President Donald Trump's first term, when it targeted the ICC for seeking to investigate alleged war crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan,” and that since taking office for the second time, the Trump administration has “imposed a slew of sanctions against ICC officials for their attempts to investigate the US and Israel.” CNN also quotes a State Department official who said that top officials, including Secretary Rubio and US ambassadors, “are calling countries as part of a campaign to diplomatically isolate the International Criminal Court.” It is worth noting that “all American presidents since the ICC's ratification have maintained that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Americans,” and that Congress even passed a law calling for an invasion and occupation of the Hague if any American serviceman was ever prosecuted by the ICC, implying that this crackdown on the court is not about American sovereignty at all but rather the prosecution of Israeli officials for their war crimes in Gaza.* In another stunning story starring Marco Rubio, the New York Times reports the Secretary of State is functionally “running Venezuela from afar.” The Times story characterizes Rubio's position as the “de facto viceroy of Venezuela,” effectively controlling the country's “finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government.” This story makes clear that while Delcy Rodríguez, the former Vice President of Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, nominally occupies the presidency, Rubio is the one really calling the shots, with Rubio setting the conditions on what Venezuela's export revenue “can be spent on, and by whom,” and having the authority to approve or deny key governmental appointments in the country, such as the minister of defense. In short, the United States has established a shocking explicitly neo-colonial regime in the country, fulfilling the gravest prognostications of anti-imperialist critics of American intervention in the Bolivarian Republic.* Closer to home, Bloomberg reports the federal government has officially launched a grand jury investigation into the United Auto Workers and the union's outspoken president, Shawn Fain. The investigation stems from accusations made by the union's Vice President, Rich Boyer, who alleged that Fain used his position to secure benefits for his fiancée and her sister – and when Boyer refused to approve the benefits, Fain retaliated by stripping Boyer of his duties as chief negotiator with Stellantis NV. Fain has called the allegations “false” and is accusing Boyer of seeking to influence the upcoming UAW leadership election. Fain also claims that Boyer is the one retaliating after Fain “refused the vice president's request to hire family members to positions in the union.” Fain has long maintained that the Justice Department, and specifically the DOJ-appointed monitor, Neil Barofsky, has a political grudge against him because “the UAW took an anti-war stance about what was happening in Gaza.” According to Bloomberg, “Both Fain and Boyer have slates running and each is accusing the other of attempting to abuse their positions to benefit family.”* This week, another victim of harassment by the federal government, student activist Mahmoud Khalil, filed a landmark civil rights suit alleging that the government conspired with a number of private groups – including the Heritage Foundation, Betar, and Canary Mission – to “suppress criticism of Israel through a coordinated campaign to dox, jail and ultimately deport student activists.” According to the lawsuit, said activists were “nearly automatically targeted by the Federal Defendants for arrest and removal.” Khalil's lawyers argue that this “public-private partnership” could violate the “Ku Klux Klan Act, a Reconstruction-era law that sought to restrict government coordination with vigilante groups.” The suit is led by the Center for Constitutional Rights. The AP reports “Soon after his arrest, both Canary Mission and Betar boasted of their role in flagging Khalil's noncitizen status to the government.” Since Khalil's arrest, Betar has agreed to “dissolve its nonprofit status,” following a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James accusing Betar's members of harassing Palestinians.* Turning to the state level, this week 12 state attorneys general, led by California's Rob Bonta, filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance, controlled by the Trump-aligned David Ellison. The proposed, $110 billion merger was approved by the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department last month, which reached the dubious conclusion that the merger is “not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.” In the filing, Bonta and the state AGs for Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington allege that the merger “would extinguish competition between Paramount and Warner Bros. and inflict substantial harm on movie theatres, basic cable distributors, and, ultimately, audiences nationwide.” This from Reason.* In the world of philanthropy, CNBC reports Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, has “excluded the Gates Foundation from his sizable annual charitable donations.” As this report notes, the Gates Foundation has been among the top recipients of his annual Berkshire donations, totaling $47 billion worth of Berkshire stock since 2006. The reason for the exclusion of the Gates Foundation has been much speculated upon, in particular, whether it was due to the recent revelations about Gates' relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Asked about this, Buffett said that he had “read a great deal…in terms of what happened, with Bill and Epstein,” calling their relationship “distasteful,” but also saying that he “found nothing in there that was beyond what [he] could picture [himself] doing.” Instead of the Gates Foundation, all of this year's donations will go to foundations linked to the Buffett family.* Finally, British multinational diamond conglomerate De Beers, famous for coining the “A Diamond is Forever” tagline in 1947, reported this week that they plan to halt work at their “flagship” Venetia mine in South Africa as demand for the stones wanes. The BBC highlights both slackening consumer demand as well as competition from lab-grown diamonds, particularly those produced in China. That said, the closing of the Venetia mine – the biggest in South Africa, accounting for over 40% of the country's diamond production – will send shockwaves through that country's already shaky economy. That mine alone employs more than 4,000 people, while the mining sector employs nearly half a million. De Beers said they plan to reopen the mine in two years; in the meantime, they are looking to expand copper mining to keep up with demand from AI data centers.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

The headlines change every day, but the spiritual battle behind them remains the same. When a culture begins redefining truth, calling good evil and evil good, the consequences don't stay confined to politics. They show up in families, communities, schools, churches, and every part of society. Scripture has never separated the condition of a nation from the condition of its people, and history repeatedly shows what happens when God's wisdom is exchanged for human philosophy. If you've been wondering how current events fit into a biblical worldview, or why so many cultural changes seem connected, this conversation offers Scripture, historical perspective, and encouragement to stand firm in faith while navigating the days ahead.Subscribe for more conversations that connect current events, Bible prophecy, and a biblical worldview.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Abed Abou Shhadeh, a community organizer based in Jaffa who served as a City Council representative of the Palestinian community in Jaffa-Tel Aviv from 2018 to 2024. The discussion centered on an essay Abed published June 18, 2026 at +972 Magazine: The Palestine movement must seek power over purity - https://www.972mag.com/palestine-bds-power-purity/

What does Gaza's healthcare system look like nine months after the ceasefire? According to Dr. Mohammad Abu Afash, the crisis is far from over. From destroyed hospitals and chronic medicine shortages to disease outbreaks in overcrowded displacement camps. This episode explores the ongoing challenges facing healthcare workers and patients amid continuing attacks, displacement, and blockade. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu     

Time is running out to save the life of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was abducted by Israel's military and has been held for over 18 months in Israeli detention without charge. Dr. Abu Safiya's lawyers report that he has suffered extreme torture and medical neglect and that his life is in mortal danger, but Israel has repeatedly ignored international calls to free him. We speak about the current condition of Dr. Abu Safiya and international efforts to free him with Dr. Nidal Jboor and Dr. Karameh Kuemmerle, cofounders of Doctors Against Genocide.Additional links/info:Doctors Against Genocide website and InstagramAmnesty International: “Emergency Leahy Appeal: Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya's Life at Imminent Risk in Israeli Detention”Credits:Producer: Rosette SewaliStudio Production / Post-Production: David HebdenBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Not long ago, Misan Harriman was working a job in recruitment that just didn't feel right. But when he picked up a camera and started sharing his photos online, they went viral. Misan is a British photographer and activist, whose photographs of both the Black Lives Matter and Palestine solidarity movements have been seen by millions. Now, there's a new documentary about his work called Shoot the People. Guest host Ali Hassan talks to Misan about the documentary and why capturing these social movements is so important to him.

Alan Skorski recently interviewed ordained Minister and Heritage Foundation Visiting Fellow, Luke Moon, who returned to Heritage following the Tucker Carlson fiasco last year, in which President Kevin Roberts initially refused to distance the think tank from Tucker Cralson, following his interview with Holocaust denier, racist groyper, Nick Fuentes. During the interview, Moon said that he had several conversations with Carlson, who sought his counsel on how to shed the “antisemitism” label. After advising Carlson on the necessary steps needed to redeem himself, “Tucker doubled down on his antisemitism,” according to Moon. Luke returned to Heritage as a Visiting fellow to combat antisemitism, from both the right and left. Moon spent last decade focusing his attention on raising awareness about persecuted Christians in the Middle East and encouraging Christian support for Israel and the Jewish people. During the interview, Moon spoke about the Marxist/Islamist alliance. While taking about Wisconsin Gubernatorial candidate and other DSA candidates, the frequent refrain is, " "None of us are free until Palestine is free." Moon asks, "Why is it important for the DSA activists and candidates to declare this idea? It is because the liberation of Palestine means the end of Israel. And Israel is a stand-in for God. To destroy Israel is to destroy God which would bring about liberation from God's commands and expectations." Israel is the living testimony that the God of the Bible makes promises and keeps them. You cannot look at a reconstituted Jewish state in the ancient homeland — after two thousand years of exile — and call it a coincidence. It is a provocation to every worldview that denies a sovereign God who acts in history. Karl Marx was once asked who he hated the most in Britain and his answer was a British preacher named Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was a revivalist preacher who was leading thousands of working-class people to faith and taking away Marx's army. Marx hated him for it. Similarly, the Islamists demand total submission to Allah. The God revealed in scripture, particularly through Israel and the Church, is a rival truth claim that must be suppressed. When Islamists come to power, the churches and synagogues are destroyed. The ones that aren't destroyed are turned into museums or government-controlled PR outlets. Back in 2014, when I started advocating for Christians in the Middle East, there were over 450,000 Christians in Iraq. Twelve years later, there are less than 185,000. There are more Christians in Israel than Iraq. Alan Skorski Reports 16JULY2026 - PODCAST

In this episode of FMEP's Occupied Thoughts podcast, FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with Anan Quzmar, a Palestinian researcher focused on the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists and the broader destruction of Gaza's documentation ecosystem; and  Zo Brown (an alias), the founder of Databases for Palestine about Israel's assault on Palestinian journalism – starting even before 10/7/23 – and the failures of international organizations ostensibly devoted to defend journalists, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). You can follow the work of Databases for Palestine on X at @databases4pal, and Anan at @QuzmarAnan. See the show notes on FMEP's website for resources related to this podcast -- https://fmep.org/resource/the-betrayal-of-gazas-journalists/.

Arab-Muslim discussion and interviews with hosts Samar Jarrah and Ahmed Bedier.

In this News Brief, we dissect the Orwellian phrase "right to exist," why it only applies to Israel, what purpose it serves, and why Palestinians are never said to have such a right.

Custom Maid Palestine for New World Disorder https://custommaidbooks.com/product/custom-maid-palestine-for-new-world-disorder/ Publish and ship date: August 1, 2026 The book proposes a two-state solution that will require Arab countries and Israel to redraw their borders to let a Palestinian state take shape with Jerusalem as its capital. Historical Palestine included the territory that Israel, Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon, southern Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt occupy today. The idea that Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank relocate to a new homeland has merit. However, rather than moving to Jordan, Egypt, South Sudan, or other countries in Africa, it could be a newly created state in what has always been part of the Territorial Province of Palestine. It is well known that the borders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Israel, were established by the British and French for their own political and economic interests. Therefore, there is no reason these borders cannot be redrawn to accommodate a Palestinian state. What is essential now is for Palestinians worldwide to unite and advocate for the establishment and global recognition of a Palestinian state that is independent of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. The proposed Palestinian state deserves serious consideration as it presents the best opportunity to create a viable modern nation that can peacefully coexist with Israel.

SCHEDULE JBS, 7-13-26.1914 PALESTINESamuel Ben-Ur — Israel controls 70% of Gaza, creating a buffer zone while Hamas remains on the coast; 98% of the population resides on the Hamas-controlled side, where the group exploits humanitarian aid for revenue, and the Board of Peace proposes a "pilot zone" in Tel Sultan for non-Hamas civilians. (1)Samuel Ben-Ur — The Board of Peace remains underfunded, with only $23 million confirmed of the $17 billion pledged; Hamas rejected an eight-month disarmament plan, its leadership has largely relocated from Qatar to Turkey, and Netanyahu's political standing depends on his hardline refusal to cede Gaza territory. (2)Bill Gertz and Gordon Chang — Rose Gottemoeller suggests Vladimir Putin nearly used tactical nuclear weapons in 2022 to stop a military rout, allegedly dissuaded by private pressure from the U.S., China, and India; reports indicate China is now providing covert military training to Russian forces. (3)Mark Simon and Gordon Chang — China released Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri following a request from Donald Trump, showing Xi Jinping can make concessions without losing face; however, billionaire publisher Jimmy Lai remains imprisoned for political crimes, viewed by the Chinese government as a significant threat and a "one-man wrecking crew." (4)Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter — Guests pay tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham, highlighting his role in the Abraham Accords and US-Israel relations; Israeli elections are set for October 27th, and regional tensions rise as the U.S. reimposes a naval blockade on Iran following renewed attacks on Gulf neighbors. (5)Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter — Anti-Semitism is surging in the UK, leading to a £250 million government allocation for protection; Iran continues to act as an "octopus" of instability across the Middle East, and guests argue that dealing with Iran is the only way to achieve regional peace and allow the area to bloom. (6)David Daoud — Hezbollah fighters are integrated into southern Lebanese villages, making evacuation north of the Litani River unfeasible; while Lebanese law requires disarmament, the government lacks the will to confront Hezbollahdue to its significant social support, turning Lebanon into a hollowed-out, failed state. (7)David Daoud — Prime Minister Netanyahu uses theatrical tours of the border to project strength ahead of the October elections; he faces criticism for being unable to say "no" to President Trump, and ultimately the fate of Israeli military deployments in Lebanon and Gaza depends more on Washington than Jerusalem. (8)Bridget Toomey — Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa airport to prevent Iran from establishing direct flights to Houthi-controlled territory; the Houthis have vowed retaliation, potentially targeting Saudi oil infrastructure or airports with drones and missiles, though they have avoided attacking U.S. vessels to prevent renewed air campaigns. (9)John Hardie — President Trump signaled he will grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missile systems, though standing up production will take years; meanwhile, Germany is financing 50,000 AI-guided drones for Ukraine, which use terminal guidance to strike targets despite electronic warfare interference. (10)Edmund Fitton-Brown — The U.S. is reimposing a naval blockade on Iran after the collapse of the poorly drafted memorandum of understanding; Iran's economy is "choking to death" under these measures, and guests argue the U.S.must prioritize controlling the Strait of Hormuz through international cooperation and naval power. (11)Edmund Fitton-Brown — The truce between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis may be over following strikes on Sanaaairport, with retaliatory attacks potentially targeting major Saudi international airports and oil facilities; despite Iranianinfluence, the new Iraqi prime minister appears to be drifting toward the United States for security and stability. (12)Ahmad Sharawi — President Trump has agreed to review lifting Syria's state sponsor of terror designation to aid its economic recovery; however, the country remains unstable, with rampant ISIS activity and foreign leaders facing security risks in Damascus, while Turkey and Saudi Arabia position themselves to invest heavily in Syria. (13)Jonathan Schanzer — The naval blockade on Iran represents the "maximum pressure" campaign, effectively dropping Iranian oil exports to zero; this economic strangulation poses an existential threat to the regime, which struggles to pay its personnel, and recent direct missile exchanges suggest diplomatic understandings between the U.S. and Iran have collapsed. (14)Bob Zimmerman — China successfully recovered a reusable rocket stage, joining SpaceX and Blue Origin in the race for cheaper launches; on the ISS, a private company successfully manufactured human kidney and liver tissues, and SpaceX continues to break records, with boosters flying up to 36 times, significantly reducing satellite launch costs. (15)Bob Zimmerman — SETI has tightened protocols for announcing alien life to prevent "clickbait" claims lacking evidence, with scientists encouraged to be more transparent about mistakes and maintain anonymity during discoveries; future missions include deploying helicopters to Mars and launching the Habitable Worlds Observatory in the 2040s. (16)Corrections: Samuel Bener → Samuel Ben-Ur; Bill Girtz → Bill Gertz; Pastor Jyn / Ezra Jin Mingu → Ezra Jin Mingri; Jimmy Lie → Jimmy Lai; Thaddius McCotter → Thaddeus McCotter; Bridget Tumeh → Bridget Toomey; John Hardy → John Hardie.One question: the batch ended with "1-8" — I've numbered the full run (1)–(16), but if you wanted this split as tails (1)–(8) across paired segments, or only the first eight numbered, say the word and I'll renumber.

Hall of Fame rock legend and dedicated political activist Roger Waters joins Jimmy to discuss his support for a UK Supreme Court case challenging the refusal to reopen an inquest into the 9/11 attacks, arguing that the official narrative is a cover-up and that the towers were intentionally demolished. He criticizes Zionist influence, Western imperialism, and the billionaire class, linking historical events like the Balfour Declaration to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.  Waters advocates for grassroots truth-seeking, mutual aid, and mass movements to hold the ruling class accountable, while promoting a fundraiser for Matt Campbell's legal fight. He also condemns media thought control, AI-generated music, and the erosion of human rights, urging viewers to support the crowdfunder at crowdfunder.co.uk/p-911. Plus segments on the newest holes emerging in the murder case against Tyler Robinson and a new online tool to evade social media censorship of Gaza devastation. Also featuring Keaton Weiss and Kurt Metzger!

# ☕ Scott Adams School## Monday, July 13, 2026Welcome back! It's Monday, and the Home Team is back together to kick off a brand-new week.Today's conversation is expected to include:* Remembering Senator Lindsey Graham and looking back at highlights from his long political career.* Islam and the cultural and political conversations surrounding it.* Flock cameras, privacy, surveillance, and what's really happening.* Rashida Tlaib's remarks at the People's Conference for Palestine.* New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani reportedly seeking a meeting with Iran while tensions remain high. Nothing weird about that...* News, current events, and wherever the conversation takes us.### ❓Question of the Day**Is it too late to get Islam out of our country, or can America still fight that battle and win?**We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Keep it thoughtful, respectful, and constructive.---### A Few Housekeeping Notes

In this episode, Tim Whitaker engages in an insightful interview with Rev. Rachel Kessler, aka the Nerdy Priest, shares her journey from evangelical roots to Anglican priesthood, her work advocating for Palestine, and insights into deconstruction, faith, and social justice. A compelling conversation for anyone exploring faith beyond traditional boundaries. Rachel's Book | Nerd Faith The Nerdy Priest Chapters 02:08 Rachel's Background and Deconstruction Journey 08:35 Why Stay in the House of Faith? 15:06 Memorization vs. Understanding the Fruits of the Spirit 28:11 Deconstructing End Times and Christian Nationalism 44:09 The 2016 Election and Faith Perspectives ____________________________________________________ TNE Podcast hosts thought-provoking conversations at the intersection of faith, politics, and justice. We're part of the New Evangelical's 501c3 nonprofit that rejects Christian Nationalism and builds a better path forward, rooted in Jesus and centered on justice.  If ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you'd like to support our work or get involved, visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thenewevangelicals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow Us On Instagram @thenewevangelicals  Subscribe On YouTube @thenewevangelicals This show is produced by Josh Gilbert Media | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joshgilbertmedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this explosive long‑form debate, Jillian Michaels hosts Nick Matau (pro‑Israel) and Ben Burgis (pro‑Palestine) for a no‑holds‑barred clash over the most controversial questions on earth: Who really owns the land? Is a one‑state solutionwith equal rights even possible, or is the two‑state solution dead forever? Are Palestinians permanent second‑class non‑citizens under Israeli rule, and does international law actually back the “occupation” claim – or is that all propaganda? Nick Matau argues that Israel is a besieged democracy fighting for survival, defending Jewish self‑determination, security, and the legitimacy of Israeli control over Judea and Samaria/West Bank, while rejecting claims that Israel is genocidal or racist. Ben Burgis counters that Israel has effectively built a single state “from the river to the sea” where millions of Palestinians live as subjects, not citizens, comparing the system to South African apartheid and challenging the morality and legality of occupation, settlement expansion, and ethnic discrimination. Together, they dig into the Oslo Accords, Camp David, the Green Line, settlement blocs, Gaza, Jerusalem, the Hamas charter, and whether “genocide in Gaza” is a legal reality or a weaponized slogan. They argue over whether Palestinians have truly been offered a viable state, if 1967 borders matter under international law, and if granting full citizenship to millions of Palestinians would destroy the Jewish character of Israel or finally deliver justice and peace. Watch this uncensored conversation if you're searching for: “Nick Matau Israel debate”, “Ben Burgis Palestine debate”, “Israel Palestine debate podcast”, “Israel Gaza war explained”, “Israel apartheid or self‑defense”, “one‑state vs two‑state solution”, “is it genocide in Gaza”, "Is Zionism colonization", "Is anti-zionism antisemitism”? Watch and decide for yourself! Is a one-state democratic solution the only way out, or is partition the only answer? Let's debate in the comments—keep it civil.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. Palestine in the World Cup What's Wrong with Human Rights What's Wrong with Human Rights, Pt. 2 A Report from the Great American State Fair Executive Disorder: Platner Allegations, Return of the Tariffs, ICE Shootings You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: Palestine in the World Cup https://jewishcurrents.org/de-normalizing-israeli-normalization-at-the-world-cup https://agsi.org/analysis/palestine-activism-in-the-world-cup/ https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/6/12/activists-form-human-palestine-flag-at-world-cup-opener-in-mexico-city https://www.nbcnewyork.com/world-cup/palestinian-head-soccer-says-denied-us-visa-attend-world-cup/6512472/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/trending/bosnia-advances-world-cup-free-palestine-chants-fans-go-viral-once-again https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/6/22/football-war-and-solidarity-why-gaza-fans-turned-to-spain-this-world-cup https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/12/palestine-football-chief-says-he-wasnt-granted-us-visa-to-attend-world-cup What's Wrong with Human Rights Human Rights as Moral Progress? A Critique by Jarett ZigonCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Vol. 28, Issue 4, pp. 716–736. ISSN 0886-7356, online ISSN 1548-1360. C 2013 by the American Anthropological Association. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1111/cuan.12034 Agamben, Arendt and Human Rights: Bearing Witness to the Human. 2012John Lechte & Saul NewmanState of Exception. 2005Giorgio Agamben, translated by Kevin Attell The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind Simone Weil. Routledge Classics 2002 Philosophize This! - Episode #191: The Modern Day Concentration Camp and the Failure of Human Rights by Stephen West Executive Disorder: Platner’s Allegations, Return of the Tariffs, ICE Shootings https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/7/3/iran-war-live-tehran-slams-us-ahead-of-huge-funeral-for-ali-khamenei?update=4731595 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5955865-mitch-mcconnell-senate-health-status/ https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/06/us/graham-platner-racicot-allegation-maine-invs https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737 https://x.com/akela_lacy/status/2074604814810415293?s=20 https://x.com/grace_panetta/status/2074266651244073227?s=20 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/us/politics/who-would-replace-graham-platner-maine.html https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/2074678417006420067 https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/08/politics/elections/maine-democrats-want-convention-replace-graham-platner/ https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2026/june/ustr-makes-findings-and-proposes-action-60-section-301-investigations-relating-failures-take-action https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/asean-and-trumps-section-301-tariffs/ https://www.reuters.com/business/latin-american-countries-some-steelmakers-argue-us-tariff-exemptions-2026-07-07/ https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF11346/IF11346.31.pdf https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/democratic-attorneys-general-oppose-latest-172500930.html https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/fresh-trump-tariff-threat-looms-what-is-india-s-strong-stand-on-us-section-301-probe-that-proposes-12-5-duties-explained/ar-AA27rLMq https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/general/canada-says-there-s-no-basis-for-trump-s-forced-labour-tariffs/ar-AA27sMJy https://www.reuters.com/world/french-lawmakers-back-police-shootings-law-dubbed-licence-kill-by-critics-2026-07-08/ https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/Complaint-in-IALDF-v.-Rubio.pdf https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/07/us/houston-ice-shooting-death https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/fatal-ice-shooting-houston-sparks-demands-transparency-independent-investigation-2026-07-08/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/houston-ice-shooting.html https://www.wgal.com/article/pa-harrisburg-ice-agent-shoots-video/71807714 https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/04/us/live-news/july-4-trump-speech-america-250?post-id=cmr792ght00053b6r6tl4lvzn https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/04/us/live-news/july-4-trump-speech-america-250?post-id=cmr78t2tf000e3b6rxm0jppbj https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/g-s1-132025/mount-rushmore-speech-trump-july-4-250See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ralph speaks to historian Omer Bartov about his new book “Israel: What Went Wrong?” with special guest, international law expert Bruce FeinBruce Fein is a Constitutional scholar and an expert on international law. Mr. Fein was Associate Deputy Attorney General under Ronald Reagan and he is the author of Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy, and American Empire: Before the Fall.Many of the things that you describe in Israel apply in spades in the United States. We also have an administration that says we're being invaded militarily by Venezuela gangs, so we have to go kidnap their president and annex Venezuela. We've stated that Iran is an existential threat to the United States because at some future time, it's conceivable they may get one nuclear weapon. We have 5,000, Israel probably has 300 or 400. Or make the argument that we are being invaded by defenseless immigrants across the southern border. And it does seem to me that all countries—I don't think it's unique anyway to the United States or Israel, but it's generally true those in power are there to manufacture fear, to inflate fleas into elephants and say “My gosh, tomorrow the sky is falling down. We need to have national emergencies, rule by decree.” Everything is “an imminent danger”, the Communist domino theory. It's a very challenging issue. I say what you've described in Israel is not unique to Israel. We confront it every day right in the United States. And it works.Bruce FeinOmer Bartov is the Dean's Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University. A historian, Professor Bartov was born on a kibbutz, grew up in Tel Aviv, and served in the Israel Defense Forces during the Yom Kippur War. He went on to become a leading scholar of the German army and the Holocaust, before turning his attention to his native country. His early research concerned the Nazi indoctrination of the Wehrmacht and the crimes it committed in World War II. He then turned to the links between total war and genocide and interethnic relations in the borderlands of Eastern Europe. His current interest is reflected in his recent books, Genocide, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine: First-Person History in Times of Crisis, Israel: What Went Wrong?, and the forthcoming The Broken Promise: A Personal Political History of Israel and Palestine. The whole idea of creating a Jewish state (and it says so in the Proclamation of the State from May 1948) is that it would be a state for Jews—that it would be both Jewish and democratic. And that has proven to be not possible. A Jewish state can be both Jewish and democratic only if the overwhelming majority (if not all) of its citizens are Jews.Omer Bartov[Zionist zealots] believe that history is on their side—so in that sense, they are similar to Communists they're similar to Fascists they're similar to Nazis in that they believe that they can see the way forward, they know the logic of history, and the logic of history as they see it is on their side.Omer BartovIn Israel, since the 1980s (really since after the War of 1973, with the rise of the right wing in Israel in particular) the Holocaust has come to serve a particular purpose. Instead of being commemorated as an event that happened in the past that we should remember and commemorate and research, it's become a kind of image of an imminent danger to Israel. And the farther Israel has moved from the actual event of the Holocaust, and the more the Israeli army has become the military hegemon in its region, the more this alleged threat of an “Auschwitz around the corner” has been used by Israeli governments. Why has it been used? Because Israel actually needs to explain to itself and to its citizens: Why is it bossing it over millions of Palestinians? Half of the population under Israeli control are Palestinians. Two million are citizens, but they don't have equal rights, and the others have no rights at all (they're simply under arbitrary military rule). So how do you explain that? You explain that by telling your population and the rest of the world that those Palestinians—who have no power, who can never pose a threat to you—are an existential threat. And in Israel, that has worked quite well.Omer BartovBecause of the focus on Hebrew—to create Hebrew as a mother tongue for children whose mothers didn't speak Hebrew—because of that, there was a great antagonism towards speaking any other language. And the notion of having bilingual schools (that is, of having schools in Palestine where people would learn both Hebrew and Arabic, the language of the place) is not entertained by the vast majority of educators. Now, if you think about what would have been the result of having bilingual schools already in the 1920s and 30s, that children could speak each other's language and recognize each other's culture—that could have had a huge effect on how Zionism developed and how the state would have developed. But in today's Israel, the only bilingual population are the Palestinians. Palestinian citizens of Israel speak Arabic and Hebrew. Most Israelis don't speak Arabic. And most Israelis who trace themselves (quite large numbers) not to Europe, but to North Africa and the Middle East, where their parents and grandparents spoke Arabic (this was their language) have forgotten that language and were ashamed of their parents speaking it because it associated them with the Arabs. So the loss in this kind of creation of a nation around one language was the ability to imagine yourself as sharing the space with another group.Omer Bartov * Our top story concerns a progressive insurgent running in a must-win Senate race – and not the one you're thinking of. Late last week, Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed won the endorsement of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The New York Times notes that this is AOC's first Senate endorsement of this cycle, coming just about a month ahead of the August 4th Michigan primary. El-Sayed is quoted saying that he is “honored for what her support says about what this campaign is building and what we're fighting for,” adding that he thinks that “too many establishment Democrats are…afraid that I will win.” He pointedly attacked Senator Chuck Schumer, charging that the Minority Leader “doesn't want to see me on the inside of the U.S. Senate,” because El-Sayed would “call out the kind of politics where we take money from corporations and AIPAC to run milquetoast campaigns and don't say anything about the problems that everyday people are facing.” El-Sayed has announced that he will campaign with AOC and Senator Bernie Sanders in Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids on July 18th and 19th, per MLive.* Another earthquake occurred in the Michigan Senate race on July 5th, when State Senator Mallory McMorrow announced that she would be withdrawing from the race – turning what was a competitive three-way race into a head-to-head between El-Sayed and the Democratic establishment pick, Congresswoman Haley Stevens. The Detroit Free Press notes that this announcement “comes after absentee ballots have already been mailed out to some voters and too late to remove her name from the primary ballot,” though voters are able to rescind their absentee votes and submit new ones up through Friday, July 24th. In a video statement, McMorrow maintained that “People are crying out for change and we need to listen.” McMorrow once led her opponents in this race but saw her support collapse and was trailing in a distant third place in recent polls. Rumor also had it that outgoing Senator Gary Peters was privately calling for her to exit the race so centrists could consolidate around Stevens. While many of her supporters are expected to go to Stevens, El-Sayed is energetically courting McMorrow's voters as well. The Detroit News reports McMorrow herself has announced that she will remain neutral in the remaining days of the primary, leaving her voters to vote their own consciences.* In more Michigan news, DSA-backed congressional candidate Donavan McKinney is running strong in his primary campaign against incumbent Congressman Shri Thanedar, whom McKinney has labeled “​​Detroit's own Elon Musk,” according to the New York Post. If McKinney pulls it off, he will join the growing group of DSA members in the House, along with Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier and AOC from New York, Chris Rabb and Melat Kiros from Pennsylvania and Colorado respectively, and Rashida Tlaib from Michigan. Another candidate endorsed by his local DSA chapter, Kyle Blomquist, is running for Congress in Michigan but even if he wins his primary he is not expected to flip the deep red 1st congressional district.* In Missouri, Cori Bush has also won the support of DSA for her comeback congressional run against Wesley Bell, who defeated her in the 2024 primary, Andrew Solender reports. Bush had already won the support of her local DSA chapter, along with many other progressive organizations, and has been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, and former Congressman Jamaal Bowman. This week though, she won the support of the national DSA. In a statement, Bush wrote “I am honored to be once again endorsed by the Democratic [Socialists] of America as I campaign to return to Congress and keep building our movement to fight for economic justice, Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and a world where everyday people have a real voice in our workplace's neighborhoods and society.” Bush also praised DSA for its “decades of organizing…[mobilizing] thousands of people across the country to demand an economy that works for all of us…[and] take on war profiteers, the for-profit healthcare industry, and the billionaire funded lobbies that subvert our democracy.” There has been little polling of this race, but what there has been appears to show the race in a statistical dead heat. One sign that Bush is being taken seriously is the new $865,000 ad buy taken out by the United Democracy Project, an AIPAC cutout.* Ironically, it would seem that American Jews have a more favorable view of the progressive left than Israel. According to the Forward, a new AP poll found that “44% of American Jews hold a favorable opinion of Zohran Mamdani, compared with 39% who view him unfavorably.” This is in contrast to the 32% of respondents who said they have a favorable opinion of Netanyahu and 59% who said they have a negative view of the Israeli PM. Perhaps more surprisingly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a “staunch supporter of Israel,” garnered only a 41% favorability rating, though far more respondents said they don't know enough about him to have an opinion than said they have a negative view.* Turning back to the Senate, the other major story this week of course is the fall of Graham Platner. Accusations of sexual assault, detailed in a POLITICO article, resulted in a deluge of opprobrium that cascaded upwards culminating in Platner's earliest and highest profile supporter, Senator Bernie Sanders, calling on him to drop out of the Senate race in Maine. In a video message released Wednesday, Platner stated that he would be suspending his campaign effective immediately, later telling staff that he plans to wait until Monday, the final possible day, to formally withdraw from the race, Axios reports. In the same video, Platner categorically denied the accusations calling them “all false,” and maintaining that the “things that have been claimed did not happen.” He implied that the scandal was orchestrated by “those in power“ who would “rather see Susan Collins win than have me be the next Senator from Maine.”* Platner's impending, late-stage withdrawal from the race has set off a chaotic blitz primary to replace him as the Democratic nominee. Numerous candidates have announced they are running including former Maine Senate president Troy Jackson, former Director of Maine's Center for Disease, Control and Prevention Nirav Shah, co-founder of Maine beer company Dan Kleban, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and state lawmaker Valli Geiger, along with Jordan Wood and Paige Loud, both of whom ran in the Maine second congressional district Democratic primary. The actual process for selecting a nominee has been the subject of debate – with many progressives arguing for caucuses – but POLITICO reports that by July 27th, “600 delegates must be selected,” including 500 from the state's 16 county parties, and these delegates will decide on a candidate to replace Platner via “an unprecedented nominating convention,” wherein all delegates come in unpledged to any candidate setting the stage for “what could be a raucous and unpredictable free-for-all.” It remains to be seen how this will all shake out, but it is notable that almost all of these candidates poll very strongly against Senator Susan Collins, with many polling higher than Platner ever did, while the Democratic Party's handpicked primary candidate, sitting Governor Janet Mills, still polls lower than Platner even since the scandal broke.* For our final Senate story, we turn to the senior Senator from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell. McConnell was recently found unconscious in his Washington, DC home and has been hospitalized since, and while Republican Senators and media figures like Scott Jennings claim to have spoken with him directly, his being sequestered away from the public has fueled rampant speculation about the severity of his condition and why it is being kept so secretive. Forbes reports that some figures on the right, including Steve Bannon, are “suggesting the Republican establishment is shielding the state of McConnell's health from the public to allow him to remain in office long enough to avoid [Kentucky Congressman Thomas] Massie running for his seat.” Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene told TMZ, “Thomas Massie would make a great senator.” The Hill reports that Andy Beshear, the Democratic Governor of Kentucky, sent a letter to McConnell's Senate office strongly requesting an update on the Senator's health, noting that “Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the health and well-being of Sen. McConnell,” and that “Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians, and my hope is that this provides him the opportunity to share the information in a transparent manner, direct from the source.”* In more positive news, AP reports former Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan, who helped an immigrant escape ICE by ushering him through her jury room door was spared prison time in her sentencing this week. After the incident in her court room, Dugan was convicted of felony obstruction in what was widely seen as a political trial designed to exact retribution on behalf of the Trump administration. Dugan resigned her circuit judgeship under this assault; in her resignation letter, she warned that this prosecution threatened “the independence of our judiciary.” Dugan was fined $5,000.* Finally, in spiritual news, a story in the National Catholic Reporter recounts how Pope Leo XIV excommunicated thousands of clergy and followers of the far right, schismatic group, the Society of St. Pius X. While bishops and priests are judged prima facie schismatic for their consecration in the Society, lay followers of the sect will be judged schismatic if they consciously choose “adherence to the society over obedience to the pope,” and “exclusive participation in Lefebvrian ‘ecclesial' acts, without taking part in the acts of the Catholic Church,” a reference to the group's founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The proximate cause of this excommunication was the Society creating four new bishops in open defiance of Pope Leo, essentially daring the Church to act. This piece notes that the Society “has long been a thorn in the side of Rome,” and notes that the new papal decree rolls back privileges granted to the sect under Pope Francis, including administering the sacrament of penance and solemnizing marriages.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe