Podcasts about us iranian

Subscribe now to listen to the entire 16-minute episode (or preview 5 minutes). President Trump seems helpless. All the bombs and missiles he flings at Iran cannot solve his problems — problems he created by attacking Iran on the magical belief that the Islamic regime would crumble and be replaced by people whom Trump could control. It was a fantasy, and now, as the war enters its sixth month, Iran maintains a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is in limbo, floating somewhere between war and peace — with little hope that a new nuclear accord with Iran is possible. Trita Parsi is co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East.

Oil prices head back towards $US80 a barrel as the US-Iranian ceasefire breaks down, Telstra's CEO Vicky Brady has cut her vacation short. Plus, rent prices may not be rising as fast as many reports suggest they are.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The drums of war are beating again in Yemen. A series of recent incidents suggests that both Iran and Saudi Arabia are more assertively supporting their Yemeni allies at the risk of shattering an informal four-year ceasefire in the kingdom's war against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The recent incidents stand in stark contrast to the kingdom's tacit outreach to Iran. Saudi Arabia sent a delegation to this week's funeral proceedings for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's assassinated supreme leader, enabled the indirect sale of five aging Boeing 777-200ERs to an Iranian airline, and proposed a post-war regional security architecture that would include Iran. Moreover, Saudi Arabia, which intervened in Yemen in 2015 to counter Houthi military advances, has not closed the door on a negotiated resolution of the conflict. “The political solution remains on the table; power-sharing, which could save (the Houthis) from destruction. The Houthis remain a Yemeni player with the right to be a partner in power, not to dominate it,” said Abdulrahman al-Rashed, a Saudi columnist who often reflects official Saudi thinking. Fuelling the rising tensions are rival perceptions of windows of opportunity created by the failure of the US-Iranian memorandum that extended the Iran war ceasefire and created the basis for negotiations to end the war to address Iran's support for its Arab partners, including the Houthis.

Lebanon looms large as a grey swan that could run roughshod over US-Iranian negotiations to end the Iran war.

Lebanon looms large as a grey swan that could run roughshod over US-Iranian negotiations to end the Iran war.

Widely diverging US and Iranian attitudes towards Iran's nuclear programme are not just about preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. It's also about perceptions of sovereignty and efforts by non-nuclear states, like Iran and Saudi Arabia, to level the playing field with the world's core nuclear powers, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France, and perceived double standards built into the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) when it comes to haves and have-nots. In contrast to Iran, Saudi Arabia, insisting on its right to enrich uranium, this year successfully negotiated a nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States that allows the kingdom to enrich without intrusive supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), despite evidence over the years that it is creating some of the building blocks for a nuclear weapons programme. Saudi Arabia's nuclear focus serves various goals: diversifying its economy, reducing its dependence on fossil fuels, countering a potential future Iranian nuclear capability, and enhancing efforts to ensure that Saudi Arabia, rather than Iran, emerges as the Middle East's long-term dominant power. None of this is to ignore the fact that the Islamic Republic, at times, has worked to become a nuclear threshold state, if not to develop a nuclear weapon.

The Quincy Institute and Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) co-hosted this webinar that examined how the war on Iran — which was conducted by the Americans and Israelis with an unprecedented degree of coordination — may accelerate the divergence of American and Israeli policy conduct in the Middle East. As the costs continue to accumulate for the Americans, and the Israelis continue to dig in, the question of whether a policy break which corresponds to each state's different interests has gained new importance. And if that break ultimately develops, how will the process of extricating Israeli policy-making from Washington unfold? This webinar/podcast features Trita Parsi (Quincy Institute), Barbara Slavin (Stimson Center), Lara Friedman (FMEP), and was moderated by FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor.  Trita Parsi is co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute. He is an award-winning author and the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has authored four books on US foreign policy in the Middle East. Barbara Slavin is a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center and a lecturer in international affairs at GWU. Prior to joining Stimson, she founded and directed the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council and led a bi-partisan task force on Iran. She is the author of Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the US and the Twisted Path to Confrontation (2007) Lara Friedman is the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Previously, she was the Director of Policy and Government Relations at Americans for Peace Now, and before that she was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, serving in Jerusalem, Washington, Tunis, and Beirut. Lara is a leading authority on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.  Ahmed Moor is a writer and fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He is an advisory board member of the US Campaign for Palestinian rights, co-editor of “After Zionism: One State for Israel and Palestine” (2012, Saqi Books) and is currently writing a book about Palestine. He also currently serves on the board of the Independence Media Foundation. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

General Secretary Xi Jinping of the CPC Central Committee has called on Party members to carry forward revolutionary traditions and strive for new accomplishments (01:08). The presidents of Iran and the US have digitally signed the memorandum of understanding on ending the war, which includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the extension of a ceasefire (13:01). The annual G7 summit has concluded without issuing a final communique for the second year in a row (24:22).

The text released by Iranian media shows that Washington will withdraw troops, launch reconstruction efforts, lift sanctions and unfreeze all restricted Iranian funds. US government officials also unveiled a 14-point full text, which sets out expectations for addressing Iran's nuclear program during future technical talks.

US President Donald Trump has insisted the Strait of Hormuz will open "toll-free" under the US's deal with Iran to end the war. The text of which is due to be published in advance of its signature on Friday. Speaking to Anton with more on this was Gregg Carlstrom Middle East correspondent for The Economist.

US President Donald Trump has insisted the Strait of Hormuz will open "toll-free" under the US's deal with Iran to end the war. The text of which is due to be published in advance of its signature on Friday. Speaking to Anton with more on this was Gregg Carlstrom Middle East correspondent for The Economist.

James discusses the Iranian-Israeli tit-for-tat, the Lebanon war, and US-Iranian negotiations to end the Iran war on CNA938.

Tim Conway Jr Show Hour 3 (6.3) Pasadena PD is doing training tonight, so if you live in northeast Pasadena, expect lots of booms, bangs, choppers and controlled explosions. Isn’t that right near Altadena? Haven’t those people suffered enough? Meanwhile, Tom Steyer has blown nearly a billion dollars on politics and still can’t get people to like him. Rough business. In better news, 133 bottles of century-old wine was found hidden in a Czech castle since World War II. And this morning feds raided a $35 million mansion in Newport Coast and arrested a US-Iranian guy for selling secrets to Iran. At that price, how much is the property tax?! Then to wrap it up, Timmy read a really touching letter from a woman whose retired LA County firefighter husband lost their beloved dog Pierre, a 13-year-old Human Remains Detection K9 who just crossed the rainbow bridge. Got a little dusty in the studio on that one. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A US-Iranian tit-for-tat in the Strait of Hormuz amounts to a game of chicken that risks spinning out of control. US President Donald Trump's impatience with the grinding process of indirect negotiations to reopen the strategic Strait and end the Iran war, and the president's insistence, amplified by senior administration officials, that the United States could revert to military action, enhances the risk. “It's time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You've been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!” Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social platform, addressing Iran. The tit-for-tat is as much a calibrated effort by both the United States and Iran to frame the exchanges as not rising to the level of a breach of the fragile ceasefire as they are a window on what a revival of hostilities might look like.

James argues on TRT World that for Iran and the US a Lebanon ceasefire is not just about Hezbollah. It's also about leverage in US-Iranian negotiations to end the Iran war.

US-Iranian negotiations to end the Iran war have evolved into a performative tug-of-war over who has the longer breath rather than an all-out effort to resolve differences, given that neither US President Donald Trump nor Iran wants a full resumption of hostilities. Mr. Trump admitted as much during this week's public Cabinet meeting that resembled a sycophantic choir praising the conductor. The meeting enabled Mr. Trump to showcase his perceived achievements and shore up support for his desperate search for an off-ramp that would allow him to declare victory in the war credibly and would justify his 2018 abrogation of the 2015 international agreement that curbed Iran's nuclear programme. The abrogation put the United States on a slippery slope, facilitated by President Joe Biden during his interregnum between the two Trump administrations, that ended up in the February 28 US-Israeli assault on Iran.

The Iran crisis is in its 80th day. Right now, roughly 1,500 vessels laden with oil, natural gas, fertilizers, and oil products sit trapped in the Persian Gulf by a dual US-Iranian blockade. One thing is certain: prolonging this standoff for another 80 days risks triggering profound global economic consequences. Global oil inventories are depleting fast and are projected to hit critical levels by the end of June.  For the Trump administration—caught between accepting Iranian power over the Strait of Hormuz or risking a major military escalation—the path of least resistance may be to keep maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian oil sales to China. The stakes escalated further this month when Washington sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical—China's second-largest independent refiner—prompting Beijing to retaliate with unprecedented blocking rules against US sanctions. How will this high-stakes standoff play out in the coming weeks? And how will the worsening US-China rivalry reshape the Middle East conflict? Today, host Daniel Sternoff sits down with Cory Combs, Head of Supply Chain and Critical Minerals Research at Trivium China. Cory leads Trivium's cross-cutting research on climate, energy, and industrial policy, advising both governments and multinational corporations. He joins us to break down the volatile triangular relationship between Washington, Beijing, and Tehran, and what it means for global energy security and the Strait of Hormuz.  Credits: Hosted by Daniel Sternoff. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Gregory Vilfranc.  

At the outset of the war in Iran, US President Donald Trump suggested that regime change was one of its goals. He later said it had been had achieved, a claim that is disputed by critics who point out that the same repressive forces in Iran still hold power. American attempts at regime change in Iran have a long history. In 1953 the CIA, assisted by British intelligence, led a deadly coup that toppled Iran's last democratically elected leader. It's a moment in history that poisoned US-Iranian relations, and helped launch the theocratic revolution to come. But the immediate success of ‘Operation Ajax' would convince the CIA to carry out a wave of similar plots around the world. We get the full story from Scott Anderson, author of King of Kings: The Fall of the Shah and the Revolution That Forged Modern Iran.The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.Producers: Viv Jones and Valerio Esposito Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Supporters of the Shah of Iran in Tehran, 1953. Credit: Getty/Bettmann

David Osman of IRF is joined by Paul Cavey, the Founder of East Asia Econ. ----more---- In this podcast, Paul Cavey of East Asia Econ explains that there are two terms of trades shocks playing through in East Asia at present, one positive, one negative. He points out that the A.I. boom and the strength of the global semiconductor sector have helped the stock markets of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to reach new record highs recently, despite the Gulf war and the oil price shock. With respect to China, Paul discusses the evidence that suggests the Chinese economy is stabilising and should pick up once there's a US-Iranian peace agreement and the oil market starts to normalise. In Japan, Paul says there are expectations that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates to combat the rise in inflationary pressures, thereby helping to support a stronger yen exchange rate, but this is not a done deal. In South Korea and Taiwan, Paul highlights how the growth-inflation trade off is influencing monetary policy and could result in a strengthening of the Korean won and the Taiwanese dollar versus the US dollar.   Paul Cavey has been living in East Asia for over twenty years – in Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Paul is currently living in Taiwan and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. He has been analysing the Economies of the East Asian region, with a particular focus on China, for over 25 years. Previously, Paul has been the Chief Regional Economist at several leading firms, notably the Economist Intelligence Unit, Macquarie Securities and Wellington Management. East Asia Econ provides high-quality research and thematic analysis of Macroeconomic and Market Issues in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.”

At the outset of the war in Iran, US President Donald Trump suggested that regime change was one of its goals. He later said it had been had achieved, a claim that is disputed by critics who point out that the same repressive forces in Iran still hold power.American attempts at regime change in Iran have a long history. In 1953 the CIA, assisted by British intelligence, led a deadly coup that toppled Iran's last democratically elected leader. It's a moment in history that poisoned US-Iranian relations, and helped launch the theocratic revolution to come. But the immediate success of ‘Operation Ajax' would convince the CIA to carry out a wave of similar plots around the world. We get the full story from Scott Anderson, author of King of Kings: The Fall of the Shah and the Revolution That Forged Modern Iran.Producers: Viv Jones and Valerio Esposito Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Supporters of the Shah of Iran in Tehran, 1953. Credit (Getty/Bettmann)

Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. Beirut 1980 CIA map US, Iranian strikes continue as US awaits response to proposed peace plan; Renewed Israeli strikes in Beirut hit hospital, kill civilians including children, as displacements continue; Anger in Memphis as Tennessee eliminates only Black majority congressional redistrict, creating another potential Republican seat; Kamala Harris discusses Iran war, other issues, doesn't say whether will run for president; Question of the day: Trump says Pentagon release of UFO files lets people decide for themselves “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” The post US awaits response to peace proposal as US, Iranian strikes continue; Renewed Israeli strikes in Beirut kill civilians including children – May 8, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

No sign yet of US/ Iranian accord; millions of domestic workers gain legal recognition in Indonesia; three men jailed for pulling off insurance scam in California. Adam Gilchrist shares details on these stories with Lester Kiewit. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is a podcast of the CapeTalk breakfast show. This programme is your authentic Cape Town wake-up call. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is informative, enlightening and accessible. The team’s ability to spot & share relevant and unusual stories make the programme inclusive and thought-provoking. Don’t miss the popular World View feature at 7:45am daily. Listen out for #LesterInYourLounge which is an outside broadcast – from the home of a listener in a different part of Cape Town - on the first Wednesday of every month. This show introduces you to interesting Capetonians as well as their favourite communities, habits, local personalities and neighbourhood news. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Good Morning CapeTalk with Lester Kiewit broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/xGkqLbT or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/f9Eeb7i Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's going to take more than a knife-edge game of bluff poker to get US-Iranian talks back on track. To successfully pull back from the brink, both the United States and Iran would have to fundamentally alter the assumptions underlying their negotiation strategy and what they hope to achieve in talks. That may be a tall order, particularly for President Donald Trump, who clings to the fiction of already having achieved total victory in Iran, an inflated perception of his negotiating skills and ability to dictate terms, and an overestimation of the powers of his office and country, and of what military superiority can achieve. Mr. Trump's belief that the US-Israeli air campaign has rendered Iran militarily impotent, inflicted incalculable infrastructural damage, and that Iran is a one-man dictatorship rather than a multi-layered governance system reinforces his flawed perception of reality. On the bright side, Mr. Trump, like Iran, would prefer a negotiated resolution rather than escalation of hostilities once the current ceasefire expires on April 22. The problem is that neither the president nor Iran, both convinced that they have the upper hand, wants a resolution at any price.

We begin today with the ticking clock on the US-Iranian ceasefire. With less than 48 hours to go until the deal expires, VP JD Vance is preparing to leave for Pakistan tomorrow for another round of peace talks with Iran. One problem: An Iranian spokesperson says there's no plan for more talks. President Trump acknowledged this morning he's not sure whether the Iranians will show up.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1987 Iran-Iraq Tanker War offers important lessons for today's US-Iranian stand-off in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The war erupted as a subset of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war after Iraq's navy attacked Iranian tankers and oil facilities. The similarities between the Tanker War and the battle for the Strait are significant.

After the first round of US-Iranian peace talks in Pakistan collapsed last weekend, Vermont Democratic Senator Peter Welch joins Mehdi to discuss Trump's illegal war in Iran, the Democratic Party's shift away from Israel, and the Justice for Hind Rajab Act.    SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribe   WATCH 'MEHDI UNFILTERED' ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/mehdi-unfiltered   FIND ZETEO: Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews   FIND MEHDI: Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan   To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/Zeteo

Several factors doomed US-Iranian negotiations in Islamabad to end the Iran war from the outset. Even so, the failure did not immediately spell doomsday, that is until US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform, his first response to the failure, announcing that the United States and other unidentified countries would blockade the strategic Strait of Hormuz. “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz. At some point, we will reach an “ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT…. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” Mr. Trump said in one of two postings. “At an appropriate moment, we are fully “LOCKED AND LOADED,” and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!” Mr. Trump added. In many ways, Mr. Trump's escalation of the Iran conflict may have been inevitable, given that breaking the stalemate in Islamabad would have required fundamental changes in the US and Iranian approaches to negotiations.

In anticipation of Pakistan-mediated US-Iranian talks In Islamabad on ending the Iran war, James discusses the prospect for a permanent halt to hostilities on Radio Islam.

Paris Marx is joined by Sam Biddle to discuss what it means for data centers to become targets in a war, and how Silicon Valley is aiding the US war against Iran. Sam Biddle is a technology journalist at The Intercept. Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code SAVEUS at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/saveus The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Send your questions to mailbag [at] techwontsave [dot] us! Sam wrote about Iran's attacks on data centers and its legality. Here is Sam's most recent piece about Palantir and NYC public hospitals. The Intercept is also covering the role of social media in the US-Iranian war.

This is a rebroadcast of one of my earliest podcasts (apologies for the rough audio) because I think the content is more important than ever. Namely, the historical context of US-Iran relations pre- and post-1979 revolution has largely been ignored in conversations and debates surrounding Operation Epic Fury. As readers of my newsletter know, I truly believe that chronology and context are critical for understanding global events and why they unfold the way they do. This episode is my attempt to (re)introduce some chronology and context into our understanding of the conflict with Iran.In its own way, it's an interesting artifact in itself. When I first aired this episode, it was at the tail end of the first Trump administration. Six years have passed since then that saw a global pandemic, the exit and return of Donald Trump to the Presidency, and, of course, Operation Midnight Hammer. Incredibly, the basic dynamics of the US-Iranian relationship have remained largely unchanged as breakdown throughout this episode.Subscribe to Tim Talks Politics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the full show notes (30% off for podcast listeners)!

As the U.S.-Israel war in Iran intensifies, it's hard to imagine Iran was once an important U.S. ally. In this special episode, we lay out key inflection points in the history of US-Iranian relations and how they continue to shape the ongoing conflict today. Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, joins The Excerpt to share his insights and analysis.Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to podcasts@usatoday.com. Episode transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and for your continued support. This week, we welcome Editor-in-Chief of Leatherneck and Gazette magazines, Col Chris Woodbridge, to the scuttlebutt to talk about the US's military operation in Iran. We recorded this episode on day 10 of the war, knowing that by the time you listen, things may have changed dramatically. But we didn't want to release an episode early in the conflict, given that much of the information, including the actual strategic objectives, was still not publicly known. Now that the campaign is in its second week, we figured we would jump into the fray. Col Woodbridge talks to us about the history of US-Iranian relations and the US's previous involvement in Iran to give us a better idea of how we got here and what the stated objectives of the conflict are. We also touch on what may be next. Hope is not a course of action, but hopefully you take something away from this that helps shape your impressions of what is going on and at least make some sense of the ever-churning new cycle. Enjoy! The post #233: Observation Post – Iran Conflict first appeared on Marine Corps Association.

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and for your continued support. This week, we welcome Editor-in-Chief of Leatherneck and Gazette magazines, Col Chris Woodbridge, to the scuttlebutt to talk about the US's military operation in Iran. We recorded this episode on day 10 of the war, knowing that by the time you listen, things may have changed dramatically. But we didn't want to release an episode early in the conflict, given that much of the information, including the actual strategic objectives, was still not publicly known. Now that the campaign is in its second week, we figured we would jump into the fray. Col Woodbridge talks to us about the history of US-Iranian relations and the US's previous involvement in Iran to give us a better idea of how we got here and what the stated objectives of the conflict are. We also touch on what may be next. Hope is not a course of action, but hopefully you take something away from this that helps shape your impressions of what is going on and at least make some sense of the ever-churning new cycle. Enjoy! The post #233: Observation Post – Iran Conflict first appeared on Marine Corps Association.

SummaryClayton Cuteri traces the full chain of events that led to the current U.S. war with Iran, starting with Britain's control of Iranian oil in 1901 through Operation Ajax in 1953, the hostage crisis, the Iran-Iraq war, Clinton-era sanctions, and the JCPOA nuclear deal that was working until Trump withdrew in 2018. Clayton lays out exactly how this single decision triggered Iran's nuclear escalation, Israel's Operation Rising Lion, the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei, and a war that has killed over 1,300 Iranians and 165 schoolgirls in a precision airstrike. Clayton exposes the real motivations behind the war: the petrodollar system and Iran's financial independence from the IMF and Western banking. He reveals the pattern connecting Iraq, Libya, Venezuela, and now Iran as countries targeted after abandoning the U.S. dollar for oil trade. The episode closes with a powerful spiritual framework connecting Israel's past-based thinking, Trump's future-based fear, and the only real solution: present-moment consciousness.BONUS: Clayton discusses some Indigo Education knowledge.Clayton's NewsletterJoin HereClayton's Social Media LinkTree | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube | Rumble | FaceBookTimecodes 00:00 - Intro 01:53 - How Britain Stole Iran's Oil06:00 - The Original Sin: Operation Ajax11:00 - The Hostage Crisis and Reagan18:00 - The JCPOA Deal That Was Working24:00 - Operation Rising Lion and the War30:00 - 165 Schoolgirls Killed in a Precision Strike37:00 - The Petrodollar Pattern They Hide43:00 - Iran vs. the IMF and World Bank53:00 - The Spiritual Framework: Past, Future & PresentIntro/Outro Music Producer: Don Kin Instagram | Spotify Super grateful for this guy ^Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/traveling-to-consciousness-with-clayton-cuteri--6765271/support.Listen to the Podcast AD-FREE HERE for $4.95/monSign Up for my Newsletter HEREALL Indigo Education Podcasts HEREMy Book: The Secret Teachings of Jesus HEREOfficial Traveling to Consciousness Website HERE

Could Canada end up involved in the US/Iranian conflict? So many stories coming out of the US right now... Kash Patel gutted the FBI counterintelligence team tasked with tracking Iranian threats days before US strikes. We unpack that along with other US stories with our Washington correspondent Reggie Cecchini. Why are people STILL distracted driving? A recent distracted driving blitz in North and West Vancouver marked the start of distracted driving awareness month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Urged on by Israel and neocon war hawks, President Trump has brought the US to the verge of a war with Iran, amassing more American military forces in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In this episode of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, about the disastrous ramifications such a war would have—and what options remain to avoid it. Guests:Trita Parsi is an Iranian-born Swedish writer and policy analyst and the co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He is an award-winning author and the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has authored four books on US foreign policy in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran and Israel. Additional links/info:Trita Parsi, Common Dreams, “How does this end? Even a ‘small' US strike on Iran by Trump would be disastrous”Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, “Jeremy Scahill: Prospects for avoiding US-Iran war ‘remain fragile'”Credits:Producer: Rosette SewaliStudio Production: David HebdenAudio Post-Production: Stephen FrankFollow The Marc Steiner Show on Spotify and Apple PodcastsBecome 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!

Urged on by Israel and neocon war hawks, President Trump has brought the US to the verge of a war with Iran, amassing more American military forces in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In this episode of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, about the disastrous ramifications such a war would have—and what options remain to avoid it. Guests:Trita Parsi is an Iranian-born Swedish writer and policy analyst and the co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He is an award-winning author and the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has authored four books on US foreign policy in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran and Israel. Additional links/info:Trita Parsi, Common Dreams, “How does this end? Even a ‘small' US strike on Iran by Trump would be disastrous”Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, “Jeremy Scahill: Prospects for avoiding US-Iran war ‘remain fragile'”Credits:Producer: Rosette SewaliStudio Production: David HebdenAudio Post-Production: Stephen FrankBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-marc-steiner-show--4661751/support.Follow The Marc Steiner Show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Help us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterFollow us on BlueskyLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

James discusses on BFM 89.9 the prospects for a diplomatic path to prevent US-Iranian tensions from boiling over.

How does the former US Special Representative for Iran think US-Iranian relations will improve? Is there a method to Trump's madness when it comes to foreign policy? Why does Robert believe the “two-state solution” for Israel and Palestine is dead?Alastair and Rory are joined by Robert Malley, architect of the 2015 Iran Nuclear deal, to answer all this and more. Join The Rest Is Politics Plus: Start your free trial at ⁠therestispolitics.com⁠ to unlock exclusive bonus content – including Rory and Alastair's miniseries – plus ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, an exclusive members' newsletter, discounted book prices, and a private chatroom on Discord. Social Producer: Celine Charles Video Editor: James Clayden Producer: Alice Horrell Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen Head of Politics: Tom Whiter Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Leila Afshari's brother went missing in January when he joined protestors filling the streets of Iran. They were calling for regime change but instead were met with bullets. Thousands were killed and many more arrested. The internet was shut down and Iranian Canadians were left in the dark, not knowing what had happened to their loved ones. This documentary traces their efforts to search for the truth of what is going on in Iran.

Efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to the US-Iranian standoff over Tehran's nuclear program are continuing apace. However, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains implacably opposed to any concessions.Iranian historian Arash Azizi discusses the suffering of ordinary Iranians and outlines the scenarios that could unfold as the regime faces its gravest threat since the 1979 Revolution.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. We begin the program by speaking about Matti Caspi, a beloved composer, singer, and lyricist who produced some 1,000 songs, who died overnight between Saturday and Sunday. He was 76 and had suffered from cancer in recent years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss Iran, his office announced Saturday night, a day after US-Iranian talks were held in Oman. Netanyahu will depart for Washington on Tuesday and depart the US on Thursday, landing back in Israel on Friday morning local time. Berman weighs in on the Oman talks and what is likely on the agenda for DC. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Matti Caspi, singer and composer who helped mold Israeli culture, dead at 76 PM to meet Trump in DC this week, says Iran talks must deal with missiles, proxies Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: The presidential seal is seen in the newly renovated Rose Garden of the White House, August 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James discusses the US-Iranian talks, the Saudi-United Arab Emirates conflict, and the killing in Libya of Seif al-Islam on Radio Islam.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has some advice for US negotiators in advance of Friday's US-Iranian talks in Oman aimed at avoiding a military conflagration that could spark a regional war in the Middle East. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mr. Fidan suggested that the US tackle one contentious issue at a time rather than seek a package deal that addresses all US demands, starting with curbs on Iran's nuclear programme. “My advice to our American friends is, close the files one by one. Start with nuclear. Close it. Then the other, then the other, then the other. If you put them as a package, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest and really process it,” Mr. Fidan said days after talks with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. Turkey, together with Qatar, has played a key role in attempts to avert a military conflagration as US President Donald Trump, threatening to attack Iran if the talks fail, amasses an armada in the Middle East.

NVIDIA (NVDA) AI chip sales to China are reportedly stalled by a US security review, and Chinese customers are, meanwhile, not placing H200 chip orders.European bourses are broadly firmer, US equity futures are mixed with mild underperformance in the NQ.DXY trades flat ahead of US data, JPY underperforms as focus turns to a landslide LDP victory.Fixed income benchmarks are mixed; USTs are flat whilst Bunds are firmer.Crude-specific newsflow remains light, benchmarks retrace bid following US-Iranian tensions; Precious metals continue to rebound with spot XAU returning above USD 5k/oz.Looking ahead, highlights include US Final Composite/Services PMIs (Jan), US ADP (Jan), ISM Services (Jan), Treasury Refunding Announcement, NBP Policy Announcement, Comments from Fed's Cook, Supply from the US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Today we're trying something new on the show –  it's a different kind of book review, where we have a healthy disagreement around the core arguments made in a recently released book. The book is The Case for American Power by Shadi Hamid, a columnist for the Washington Post and host of the Wisdom of Crowds podcast. It's a fascinating read – Shadi makes a case that you don't hear very often: that America should be using its power for moral and humanitarian ends. It's a broad-based appeal but also a specific appeal to those on the left who have become deeply skeptical and disillusioned with American power. So to offer a critique we have brought on someone who is deeply skeptical of American power. Trita Parsi is an Iranian-Swedish-American political scientist, author, and foreign policy expert and is currently the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. It's a thought-provoking conversation and serves as an excellent follow-up to Shadi's previous appearance on our show in April 2024, when he discussed American Power and the role that the United States should be playing on the global stage. The Questions: Does the world need America to use its power to decrease global strife? To what extent and in which circumstances? How do we reconcile past American foreign policy failures with a continued interventionist stance? What are the alternatives to American Power and what gives us reason to believe? The Guests Shadi Hamid is the host of the Wisdom of Crowds podcast, a columnist at The Washington Post, and a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Previously, he was a longtime senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Hamid is the author of several books, including The Problem of Democracy and Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam is Reshaping the World. Trita Parsi is the co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute. He is an award-winning author and the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has authored four books on US foreign policy in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran and Israel. He has been named by the Washingtonian Magazine as one of the 25 most influential voices on foreign policy in Washington DC for five years in a row since 2021. Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/

This September marks eight years since Donald Trump cozied up to pariah dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt on the sidelines of the United Nations—a secret meeting that reportedly triggered a highly secretive Mueller investigation into whether Trump accepted a $10 million bribe from el-Sisi when his 2016 campaign was desperate for cash. Last summer, Gaslit Nation ran a special episode unpacking this sweeping corruption scandal; you can read a summary here and listen to the episode here. Fast forward to Trump's Middle East tour this past spring, where he once again explicitly told the world that American foreign policy under his influence isn't about democracy or the rule of law: it's about making deals that just so happen to enrich him and his family.  Joining Gaslit Nation to explain what Trump's fire sale of influence to the highest bidder means for the Middle East and us here at home is Ahmed Gatnash, co-founder and Executive Director of the Kawaakibi Foundation, a powerhouse MENA human rights organization, and co-author of The Middle East Crisis Factory. Gatnash brings a razor-sharp analysis of Russia's expanding grip on the Middle East, the unbreakable spirit of the Syrian people fighting for freedom, and the surprising ways bitcoin is being used as a lifeline for human rights activists who know how to navigate its pitfalls. He also tears into the so-called “two-state solution”—overwhelmingly voted on by the United Nations last week—as nothing more than political theater, and shares his vision of what Palestinians and Israelis truly need to secure real, lasting peace. This week's bonus show dives into MAGA's latest wave of threats against the opposition and what a full-scale crackdown could look like–what's likely, what's unlikely, and what's already happening that we need to pay attention to. Catch the full discussion this Friday morning by joining our Patreon community. Thank you to everyone who makes Gaslit Nation possible–we could not make our show without you!  EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: September 29 4pm ET – Join the Gaslit Nation Book Club for a discussion of Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People by Sarah Bradford.  Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join here.  Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join here. Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available here. Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available here. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available here. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon for our community Show Notes: Qatar, Russia sign agreement to jointly invest 2 billion euros into sovereign wealth funds https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250423-qatar-russia-sign-agreement-to-jointly-invest-2-billion-euros-into-sovereign-wealth-funds/ Michael Flynn, Russia and a Grand Scheme to Build Nuclear Power Plants in Saudi Arabia and the Arab World https://www.newsweek.com/2017/06/23/flynn-russia-nuclear-energy-middle-east-iran-saudi-arabia-qatar-israel-donald-623396.html Why Qatar is Bribing Trump https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/why-qatar-is-bribing-trump?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2mrjsl House Democrats ask Trump for proof he did not take $10 million 'cash bribe' from Egypt https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/03/trump-egypt-democrats-letter.html Trump touts Saudi relationship as "bedrock of security and prosperity" amid $600 billion investment deal https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-speaking-us-saudi-investment-summit-riyadh/ 2 Trump-aligned GOP operatives face foreign agent charges for helping Qatar https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/02/trump-gop-qatar-00133567 Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/19/us/politics/trump-jr-saudi-uae-nader-prince-zamel.html?unlocked_article_code=1.G08.dUBd.YVKXSVfgqo8i&smid=url-share The Qatar bribery allegations featuring Trump, Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn, and the Steele dossier, explained https://theweek.com/speedreads/773479/qatar-bribery-allegations-featuring-trump-michael-cohen-michael-flynn-steele-dossier-explained Qatar pursues US-Iranian nuclear steps after detainee swap https://www.reuters.com/world/qatar-pursues-us-iranian-nuclear-steps-after-detainee-swap-2023-09-20/ Exclusive: Qatar held separate talks with US, Iran touching on nuclear, drones https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-held-separate-talks-with-us-iran-touching-nuclear-drones-2023-09-20/ Iran seeks Russia's support for its nuclear talks with US https://apnews.com/article/iran-russia-us-nuclear-negotiations-2bae3b073bcac464ad9b44a8d5a4c581

Reza Olangian, a dual US-Iranian citizen, left behind his life in Silicon Valley to spy for Iran in the capital. And by the time DEA special agent Jeffrey James Higgins found out about him in 2011, Olangian was trying to acquire hundreds of surface-to-air missiles. That kicked off an elaborate, multi-country sting operation… and a 25-year prison sentence. Jeffrey believes the Iranians are using more surrogates to acquire weapons today.  Prefer to watch your podcasts? Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts.  Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/  And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org.  This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the aftermath of the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, we welcome back Theodore Postol, Professor of Science, Technology and National Security Policy Emeritus at MIT to give his expert technical assessment on where that assault leaves the Iranian nuclear program. Then, Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, gives us his analysis of the political side of the issue.Theodore Postol is Professor of Science, Technology and National Security Policy Emeritus in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT. His expertise is in nuclear weapon systems, including submarine warfare, applications of nuclear weapons, ballistic missile defense, and ballistic missiles more generally.No one at that point after the attack could have known whether or not there was success of any kind, even if there was success. And I doubt there was any success.Theodore PostolThe Israelis have done everything in their power to create an internal argument among the political leadership in Iran to proceed to build a nuclear weapon so that this kind of thing won't happen again. So the Israeli grand strategy, if you want to call it that, shows no intelligence or thought of any kind.Theodore PostolTrita Parsi is the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and the co-founder and former President of the National Iranian American Council. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has authored three books on US foreign policy in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran and Israel— Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States, A Single Roll of the Dice – Obama's Diplomacy with Iran, and Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy.Israel is not enhancing American power in the Middle East. Israel is consuming it.Trita Parsi, Executive VP of the Quincy Institute for Responsible StatecraftIf the (Iranian regime) were to collapse it would most likely be because there would be an internal coup. And the next regime would be coming from the very same regime. It would just be a much more aggressive and hardline.Trita Parsi20 Worst Recent Trump Headlines1. Trump Administration Abruptly Cuts Billions From State Health Services (Apoorva Mandavilli, Margot Sanger-Katz and Jan Hoffman, New York Times, March 26, 2025)2. The EPA is canceling almost 800 environmental justice grants, court filing reveals (Maxine Joselow and Amudalat Ajasa, Washington Post, April 29, 2025)3. Trump's attack on federal unions a ‘test case' for broader assault, warn lawyers (Michael Sainato, The Guardian, 5/1/25)4. Trump fires all 3 Democrats on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 5/9/25)5. Federal employee unions fight for survival as Trump tries to eviscerate them (Andrea Hsu, NPR, 5/11/25)6. Trump's DOJ agrees to let Boeing escape guilty plea. It was a deal victims' families didn't want. (Alexis Keenan, Yahoo Finance, 5/23/25)7. Trump made a promise not to touch Medicare. His megabill just broke it. (Alan L. Cohen, NBC, 5/23/25)8. Trump's safety research cuts heighten workplace risks, federal workers warn (Michael Sainato, The Guardian, 5/27/25)9. Provision in GOP budget bill puts millions at risk of losing SNAP benefits (Lisa Desjardins and Jackson Hudgins, PBS, 5/29/25)10. White House proposes shutting down chemical safety agency (Maxine Joselow Washington Post, 6/3/25)11. Trump tax bill would add $550 billion in interest payments to national debt (Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 6/5/25)12. RFK Jr. boots all members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee (Will Stone, NPR, 6/9/25)13. Vance, Rubio peddle fiction that 88 percent of foreign aid doesn't go overseas (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, 6/11/25)14. Trump's EPA plans to repeal climate pollution limits on fossil fuel power plants (Jeff Brady, NPR, 6/11/25)15. How Trump's assault on science is blinding America to climate change (Scott Waldman, E&E News, 6/16/2025)16. ‘Censorship:' See the National Park visitor responses after Trump requested help deleting ‘negative' signage (Government Executive Magazine, 6/18/25)17. Government drops cases against ‘predatory' financial firms (Peter Whoriskey, Washington Post, 6/20/25)18. 'Hell no, insane': A proposal for millions of acres of land under Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill sparks outrage (No Byline, Economic Times, 6/23/25)19. Under Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill' child poverty will rise again (Arturo Baiocchi, Sacramento Bee, 6/23/25)20. Trump loves saying 'You're fired.' Now he's making it easier to fire federal workers (Andrea Hsu, NPR, 6/23/25)News 6/27/251. After a brutal initial barrage by the United States, followed by tit-for-tat exchanges between Israel and Iran, the U.S. is seeking to broker a ceasefire between the two states. On Truth Social, Trump posted “ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” Just hours after this however, Israel did in fact bomb targets in Tehran, per Reuters. Israel also claims to have intercepted missiles fired from Iran following the ceasefire agreement. In the wake of the initial attacks, journalist Séamus Malekafzali reported that the “Iranian communist party Tudeh and the Communist Party of Israel [Hadash] release[d] a joint statement condemning the Israeli war on Iran, saying Israel's intent is to make the region ‘bow down to [US] imperialism' and that the only solution is full nuclear disarmament in the Middle East.” Israel's nuclear capabilities are an open secret in Washington, with estimates that the country possess between 90 and 400 nuclear warheads.2. In Congress, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia has put forth a War Powers resolution in an attempt to check Trump's unilateral escalation in Iran. According to Newsweek, he expects to get Republican votes in the Senate. In the House, the effort is led by Reps. Ro Khanna and maverick Republican Thomas Massie, whom Trump has become so enraged with that he recently launched a PAC to oust him from his seat, per Axios. Meanwhile, AOC issued a statement reading, “The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, asked about AOC's impeachment comments, replied “No, no, that's a big threshold to cross,” per David Weigel.3. The escalation in Iran has exposed fissures in Trump's orbit. PBS reports major MAGA figures like Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor-Greene are openly opposed, while Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has reportedly drawn Trump's ire for a string of comments out of step with the administration's messaging, starting with a video earlier this month in which she accused “political elites and warmongers [of] carelessly fomenting fear and tension between nuclear powers,” per the Independent. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been iced out completely, according to the Washington Post.4. In more news concerning the administration, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) has published a new report, finding that “Stephen Miller…Trump's powerful deputy chief of staff and homeland security advisor…has a personal financial stake…[of] up to a quarter million dollars of stock in Palantir.” POGO describes Palantir, the shadowy tech company founded by rightwing tech oligarch Peter Thiel, as “woven into the operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and used by other federal agencies such as the Pentagon.” POGO and other experts see this as a glaring potential conflict of interest. In an almost darkly comedic twist, “Democratic lawmakers have recently sought information from Palantir, [but] they are in the minority and cannot compel the company to produce records. A person who could is Representative James Comer (R-KY), the chairman of the [House] oversight committee...However, Comer bought…Palantir stock the day after Trump's inauguration…his only stock trade that day.” Palantir is the second-best-performing S&P 500 stock in 2025, with shares up 74% year-to-date, per Business Insider.5. In a rare case of corruption actually being prosecuted, the New York Times reports former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez reported for his eleven-year prison sentence on June 17th. “After a nine-week trial in Manhattan, Mr. Menendez…became the only U.S. senator ever to be convicted of acting as an agent of a foreign government,” after taking part in a “yearslong bribery conspiracy” that included payoffs in the form of “kilo bars of gold, a Mercedes-Benz convertible and more than $480,000 in cash.” Menendez is now incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, a medium-security federal prison in Minersville, Pennsylvania. He has been assigned the prisoner number 67277-050.6. In other news, POLITICO reports, “FICO plans to launch a suite of credit scores later this year that incorporate [Buy Now Pay Later or BNPL] data, providing lenders a window into…consumers' repayment behavior on these increasingly popular installment loans.” As BNPL data has not been included in credit reporting before, this has become known as “phantom debt…a gigantic black box…[and] largely unregulated.” This story notes that the Trump administration CFPB has “dropped planned enforcement of a Biden administration rule that would have treated BNPL providers like credit card companies,” subjecting this industry to daylight and financial regulation. The administration's abandonment of this rule mirrors their declassification of cryptocurrency as securities in order to skirt SEC oversight. Many questions remain over how exactly BNPL data will factor into consumers' credit scores, but many are bracing for this data to reveal a growing chasm of consumer debt underpinning the already shaky economic picture.7. Meanwhile Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student and activist abducted by ICE on the eve of his son's birth – despite being a legal permanent resident – has finally been freed. Khalil was held in federal immigration detention in Louisiana for 104 days, per AP. Following his release, Khalil said “Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue.” Khalil's legal battle will continue. Khalil stated in an interview with NPR, “My release is just the first step. The legal fight is still very, very long. The administration appealed the decision about my release, but we will prove our case – that what happened…was textbook retaliation against the First Amendment, that I was targeted because of speech the government did not like, and that there was nothing wrong with the speech I was engaged in. I want to make sure that everyone who contributed to my arrest will be held accountable.”8. Backlash to Trump's immigration policies is not confined to the political and legal realms either. Newsweek reports that the new Pope, Leo XIV, has “called for priests, deacons and parish leaders to accompany migrants to court and stand in solidarity with them.” This is an encouraging sign for those who hoped Leo would follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis. It also puts the new Pope at odds with more conservative American Catholics, such as Vice-President JD Vance who converted in adulthood. In May, Leo's brother John Prevost told New York Times that the new Pope, “has great, great desire to help the downtrodden and the disenfranchised, the people who are ignored.”9. In another immigration flashpoint, “A gang of masked federal agents swarmed, manhandled, and detained New York City Comptroller Brad Lander…as he sought to assist a defendant out of immigration court,” according to the American Prospect. The Prospect notes this arrest is “the latest instance of political violence against opposition party members, which has included the arrests of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver…the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan…and the brief detention of Sen. Alex Padilla.” Lander was released several hours after he was detained, when New York Governor Kathy Hochul showed up in person to demand his release. She called his arrest “b******t.” Later, in an interview with Joe Gallina, Lander said, “Courts tell undocumented immigrants their cases are ‘dismissed.' But what they really dismiss… is their asylum status. Then ICE grabs them. No lawyer. No warning.”10. Finally, 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani trounced disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday, winning by a completely unforeseen seven-point landslide. Polls up to election day showed Cuomo winning, some by as much as 24 points. Mamdani, a state legislator since 2021, ran on a platform of affordability, including making city buses free, establishing city-owned grocery stores and freezing the rent for all stabilized tenants. This platform – paired with cogent messaging, an extraordinary grassroots organizing campaign and shrewd alliances with other progressive candidates like Brad Lander – won the day for Zohran. However, an air of uncertainty about November remains. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams still plans to run for reelection as an independent and Cuomo hasn't ruled out doing the same, per the Hill. While many who endorsed or donated to Cuomo in the primary – some now openly admitting they merely did so out of fear of reprisal – have switched their allegiance to Mamdani, some are maintaining a hostile posture towards the presumptive Democratic nominee. There is no doubt this story will proceed in dramatic fashion.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

Welcome to the jetstream, where elite criminal impunity flies above laws and accountability. Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman joins Gaslit Nation to connect the global dots on oligarchy in the White House.  We start with Qatar, a small but powerful gas station dictatorship, and a leading financier of terrorists. Once diplomatically isolated for its links to fellow terror-state Iran as well as groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, Qatar has been back in business, brokering nuclear talks with Russia and Iran, investing billions with the Kremlin, propping up Hamas, and gifting Trump a $400,000 luxury jet, dubbed a “flying palace.” National security risk? Absolutely. Surveillance threat? Almost certainly. Bribery? Looks like it. But what is Qatar getting in return? Qatar, the second-largest buyer of U.S. weapons, after its nemesis Saudi Arabia, recently secured a $2B U.S. arms deal, thanks to Trump. It also invested $10 billion in a Texas-based natural gas venture that requires federal oversight, under Trump. Andrea and Olga go through all the ways Trump and Qatar enjoy kleptocratic quid-pro-quo, and years of Trump's Middle East-linked corruption that illegally helped him come to power in 2016, enriching him and his family, Kremlin-style.  This week's bonus show, available for subscribers at the Truth-teller level ($5/month) and higher, looks at ways to stay grounded and fight back in the deliberately engineered chaos of oligarchy and its firehose of corruption. Be sure to sign up for a discounted annual subscription to get bonus shows, all shows ad-free, and more. To our subscribers at the Democracy Defender level ($10/month), look out for our Q&A call for questions soon to help shape the show. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation–we could not make the show without you. Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes: Qatar, Russia sign agreement to jointly invest 2 billion euros into sovereign wealth funds https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250423-qatar-russia-sign-agreement-to-jointly-invest-2-billion-euros-into-sovereign-wealth-funds/ Michael Flynn, Russia and a Grand Scheme to Build Nuclear Power Plants in Saudi Arabia and the Arab World https://www.newsweek.com/2017/06/23/flynn-russia-nuclear-energy-middle-east-iran-saudi-arabia-qatar-israel-donald-623396.html Why Qatar is Bribing Trump https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/why-qatar-is-bribing-trump?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2mrjsl House Democrats ask Trump for proof he did not take $10 million 'cash bribe' from Egypt https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/03/trump-egypt-democrats-letter.html Trump touts Saudi relationship as "bedrock of security and prosperity" amid $600 billion investment deal https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-speaking-us-saudi-investment-summit-riyadh/ 2 Trump-aligned GOP operatives face foreign agent charges for helping Qatar https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/02/trump-gop-qatar-00133567 Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/19/us/politics/trump-jr-saudi-uae-nader-prince-zamel.html?unlocked_article_code=1.G08.dUBd.YVKXSVfgqo8i&smid=url-share The Qatar bribery allegations featuring Trump, Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn, and the Steele dossier, explained https://theweek.com/speedreads/773479/qatar-bribery-allegations-featuring-trump-michael-cohen-michael-flynn-steele-dossier-explained Qatar pursues US-Iranian nuclear steps after detainee swap https://www.reuters.com/world/qatar-pursues-us-iranian-nuclear-steps-after-detainee-swap-2023-09-20/ Exclusive: Qatar held separate talks with US, Iran touching on nuclear, drones https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-held-separate-talks-with-us-iran-touching-nuclear-drones-2023-09-20/ Iran seeks Russia's support for its nuclear talks with US https://apnews.com/article/iran-russia-us-nuclear-negotiations-2bae3b073bcac464ad9b44a8d5a4c581 EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: May 26 4pm ET – Book club discussion of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Stride Toward Freeom: The Montgomery Story Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community