Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:At a time when genocide is being broadcast live on TV and western democracies are cracking down on free speech in order to enable it, As'ad AbuKhalil, Lebanse-American Professor of Political Science at California State University Stanislaus, finds a silver lining:“The rest of the world is watching,” he says. “The west is being seen for what it really is: a racist, colonialist west that stands for war crimes.”And as the United States supplies the weapons that massacre civilians, uses the press to cover up the crimes, and arrests students who speak out against it, it becomes “a full participant in the genocide.”But will the Western governments that support Israel ever stop supporting it? “I don’t think that Israel can cross any threshold” for its supporters. He gives a history of Israel’s crimes. “Every crime of terrorism in our region has been pioneered by the Israelis: throwing bombs in buses and crowded markets, letter bombs against British embassies, booby-trapped cars, the incineration of the people of Jaffa in order to create the greater Tel Aviv region.”And he shares harrowing stories from his own life in Lebanon, where Israel “incinerated Palestinian refugee camps,” indiscriminately killing “20,000 Lebanese, Palestinians, and Syrians.”But instead of condemning any of that, the US is fighting its students who refuse to support a genocide. “In this country that prides itself on being the freest country in the world, members of Congress are summoning presidents of universities and holding them to account about which views are allowed on college campuses. They’re taking pride that they are clamping down on the freedom of speech of students of the United States. That is very significant. That is western democracy at work.”Subscribe for the full interview where we watch some of the most outrageous moments from Congress’ questioning of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, discuss why the Zionist lobby has “every reason to be worried,” and get Professor AbuKhalil’s take on the Biden-Trump rematch.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Meltdown Joe begs you to love the US militaryAnd order Karina Gonzalez’ new children’s book, “Churro Stand” here.Watch the full interview:

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After several connection issues, we were unfortunately unable to record our interview this week. Here is our brand new Food Groups plus the previously-paywalled section of our Jeffrey Sachs interview:“Biden’s frustrated, because someone told him he was president, and then he found out that it’s actually President Netanyahu who determines US policy.”This is how Jeffrey Sachs, University Professor of economics at Columbia University, sees the “pathetic” administration. “The truth is the Israel lobby is very powerful. Netanyahu has gotten his way on every single thing. If the US is actually going to try to have a US foreign policy, that would be something new.”But what about The Call, which the White House rushed to leak, where Biden supposedly urged Netanyahu to reach an immediate ceasefire? Well, once Netanyahu finishes “laughing off” anything said on this call, there’s not likely to be any change. Because the United States doesn’t have to convince Israel of anything.“All it has to do is stop providing munitions. Biden can say ‘the munitions stop, period.’ That’s what an immediate ceasefire is. We don’t have to convince the Israeli government, we have to stop arming the war. That’s all.”Biden is still pushing votes in Congress to arm Israel with fighter jets, weapons, and money. But while we at Useful Idiots have focused on Biden’s storied career of obsession with Israel, Sachs disagrees on what Biden’s true motive is. He says it’s not a deep, emotional attachment to Israel.“I think he’s got a deep, emotional attachment to becoming president. And he determined early on that never show light with the Israel lobby and someday you might grow up to be president. I don’t think Biden has too many deep attachments to public policy. This was the politics necessary to get him to the presidency.”But then he found out “being president isn’t as good as being prime minister of Israel. That’s the part that frustrates him. He found out it doesn’t have that much power for the same reason he towed the line for forty years.”Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Sam Harris thinks Nazis are better than HamasFor $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot and support independent media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“Biden’s frustrated, because someone told him he was president, and then he found out that it’s actually President Netanyahu who determines US policy.”This is how Jeffrey Sachs, University Professor of economics at Columbia University, sees the “pathetic” administration. “The truth is the Israel lobby is very powerful. Netanyahu has gotten his way on every single thing. If the US is actually going to try to have a US foreign policy, that would be something new.”But what about The Call, which the White House rushed to leak, where Biden supposedly urged Netanyahu to reach an immediate ceasefire? Well, once Netanyahu finishes “laughing off” anything said on this call, there’s not likely to be any change. Because the United States doesn’t have to convince Israel of anything.“All it has to do is stop providing munitions. Biden can say ‘the munitions stop, period.’ That’s what an immediate ceasefire is. We don’t have to convince the Israeli government, we have to stop arming the war. That’s all.”Biden is still pushing votes in Congress to arm Israel with fighter jets, weapons, and money. But while we at Useful Idiots have focused on Biden’s storied career of obsession with Israel, Sachs disagrees on what Biden’s true motive is. He says it’s not a deep, emotional attachment to Israel.“I think he’s got a deep, emotional attachment to becoming president. And he determined early on that never show light with the Israel lobby and someday you might grow up to be president. I don’t think Biden has too many deep attachments to public policy. This was the politics necessary to get him to the presidency.”But then he found out “being president isn’t as good as being prime minister of Israel. That’s the part that frustrates him. He found out it doesn’t have that much power for the same reason he towed the line for forty years.”Subscribe to hear the full interview with Jeffrey Sachs on the US’s disastrous wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the upcoming wars with Iran and China, and the recent mania around TikTok.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: CNN says Israel killed food workers because of workflow breakdownWatch the full interview here:

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Israel is confronting a legitimation crisis, political scientist and prolific author Norman Finkelstein observes, as international pressure on Israel grows from both global protesters and the UN.He flashes back to before the current war for context: “Another war was inevitable, senior Israeli officials observed in 2016. We cannot conduct a constant war of attrition. Therefore, the next conflict has to be the last conflict.”This conflict will be the last one. They’re not going to mow the lawn again, Norm explains. They’re going to extirpate every blade of grass from Gaza.“It’s not about Hamas,” he says, shedding light on Israel’s real plan to solve the Gaza question. “It’s about the refusal on the part of the people of Gaza to accept the fate that has been meted out to them by the state of Israel to languish and die in a concentration camp.”That’s the dark part, but Norm also gives his reason why we can’t give up.“During the Iraq War, many young people concluded in despair that here are the largest anti-war demonstrations in world history and nonetheless the Cheney-Rumsfeld administration goes ahead with the war in Iraq. That to me is a naive understanding of how formidable and concentrated the power we’re up against is. It’s a very long battle.”But though it’s hard to see, the protests are working: “The pressures on Biden gradually accumulate and accumulate until they reach the proverbial critical mass and have a real political impact.“You’re not going to see it. You’re not going to see the connection between your demonstration in your town square and the abstention in the UN Security Council, but it’s there. And so we should always remember not to despair.”Subscribe for the full interview with Norman Finkelstein where we discuss Bernie Sanders’ recent comments on Israel and Golda Meir, the history of Israel’s occupation of Gaza, and what comes next in this genocide.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: MSNBC's Hypocritical Meltdown Over Ronna McDaniel’s HireWatch the full interview here:

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Our full, unpaywalled interview with John Mearsheimer from 02.23.24:Professor John Mearsheimer, whose political analysis predicted today’s horrors in Ukraine and Palestine, joins Useful Idiots to give his take on what’s next in the world’s biggest wars.And since he’s been largely excluded from corporate media for his dissenting views, it’s more important than ever to get his word out.“What you have here is a real disjuncture between what the elites think and what the publics think,” he says of the two conflicts, in what is already a clear affront to the narratives of elitist western media. “There are recent polls produced by the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Quincy Institute that show that only 10% of Europeans and 12% of Americans think that Ukraine can win the war.”And when it comes to Israel, Mearsheimer explains that US policy is even further from what the people want. It’s not the voters who have a say, and even Congress (as pro-Israel as they are) isn’t in control: “I believe that 90% of it is accounted for by the [Israel] lobby.”Professor Mearsheimer deep dives into each war: he explains why the US tanked Ukraine’s peace talks to further instigate Russia and what he would do now if he was in Biden’s or Putin’s position. He also delves into the influence of the Israel lobby and how Biden has given impunity to Israel’s killing Gaza killing spree.Plus, catch our ridiculous Thursday Throwdown: US politicians ban TikTok to save free speechFor $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot and support independent media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

Watch the full, unpaywalled interview with Ali Abunimah here:“This propaganda is a weapon to kill Palestinians.”The New York Times, the US government’s most prestigious arm of state media, has continued to churn out headlines accusing Hamas of a systematic and deliberate campaign of sexual violence as a weapon of war. An independent UN investigation, as well as countless journalists and primary sources, has shown these claims to be completely evidence-free. Even factions within the Times have refused to go along with the story.This has not stopped the paper of record.Throughout history, rape accusations have been a tool of dehumanization. Claims of sexual violence have been used to justify colonialism, slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings, and the West’s violent regime change in Libya.“The bottom line,” explains guest Ali Abunimah, editor of the Electronic Intifada, “is we are now well into the sixth month of this genocide which is partly justified on the basis of these allegations and other claims of atrocities that have turned out to be false. To this day, not a single specific victim, living or dead, has been identified. We keep hearing the refrain ‘believe Israeli women;’ to this date there is not a single Israeli woman who has come forward to say that she was a victim of this kind of assault.”So where are these rumors coming from? After the lies were debunked by journalists, a UN report was published though as it admits it was not “investigative in nature.” Ali explains, “What the UN report did was simply to compile allegations from the Israeli military.”Even this biased non-investigation debunks specific claims of violence and proves that sexual violence was not systemic, and yet you’d never know that from the way legacy media is covering the report. But while journalists like Ali Abunimah are kept busy debunking these dehumanizing lies, Israel’s assault on Gaza continues. And the independent journalists who are busy covering that are putting themselves in serious danger to shed light on the genocide. Ali reports that four journalists from the Electronic Intifada have been killed and many more are in daily danger.“People do not know from hour to hour if they will live or die.”Hear and share the important voice of Ali Abunimah and the reporting of the brave journalists at the Electronic Intifada. Your support of independent media makes a difference.Plus, catch this week’s ridiculous Thursday Throwdown: US politicians ban TikTok to save free speechFor $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot and support independent media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“This is for Gaza!” announced the veteran British politician George Galloway in his victory speech, shocking the UK establishment with his win in Rochdale to rejoin the country’s parliament nearly forty years after his first election. He addressed his words to Kier Starmer, the leader of the UK Labour Party: “You will pay a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging, and covering for the catastrophe in occupied Palestine.”Galloway explains that the parties in the UK aren’t much different than the Democrats and Republicans: you have Rishi Sunak and his Conservative Party, who send weapons to Israel and prolong the proxy war in Ukraine, and then you have Starmer and the Labour Party, who are in complete lockstep. After Biden waited until the very end of his State of the Union address to even mention the crisis in Gaza and Trump recently called for Israel to finish the job, the Uniparty is alive and well in both our countries.And like everyone brave enough to speak out against the War Party and its genocide in Gaza, Galloway gets accused by good narrative-following Twitter users of spreading hate speech. However they, and the entire UK media, were largely silent when George was viciously assaulted by a pro-Israel supporter. He describes the harrowing attack and shares the origin story of how it led to his iconic hat.Subscribe to hear the full interview with MP George Galloway on his relationship with former Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn, the immediate goals of the Workers Party, and the smears and lies that he most wants to debunk.Thank you for supporting independent media.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: “F you!” Morning Joe gets desperateWatch the full interview here:

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“Our foreign policy is diplomacy free.”As he watches the escalating crises in our world today, this is the main takeaway for Chas Freeman, who, as the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War, knows a thing about diplomacy.“It’s a lot cheaper and more effective to sit down and talk to someone than to pull a gun on them and shoot them,” he says. “But that’s what we seem to have substituted for our normal course of diplomatic interaction.”Freeman explains the leading cause of forever wars: “There's nobody quite as bloodthirsty as a civilian with no experience of war.” As shown in the episode thumbnail above (side note: you know it’s a bad crew if the most likable character in the picture is Matthew Miller), the warmongers in charge of foreign policy are all civilians. When the top US general Mark Milley called for peace talks in Ukraine, it was these bad actors who shut it down.“The military know that they can die in a war, that their comrades will die,” says Freeman. “They know that you should never enter a war without figuring out first how you're going to end it, on what terms, and with whom.” But the ‘leaders’ we do have never had to fight. “Civilians typically define no end state, have no war termination strategy, which is why we get forever wars.”And the future only looks bleaker.“Here we have an election which is between someone who is widely regarded as a senile war monger and somebody who has been correctly diagnosed as a malignant narcissist.”Subscribe to hear the full interview with Chas Freeman on why the protest vote against Biden in Michigan was “very significant,” how the New York Times has been complicit in the information war, the main similarity between the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza (bet you can guess it), and the main difference between the genocide in Israel and the one in South Africa:“South Africa was on the verge of having a race war but it never had one. Israel is having a race war.”Freeman’s important voice makes this an episode of Useful Idiots you’re not going to want to miss. Subscribe now to hear the full interview and support independent media.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: CNN Melts Down Over Uncommitted VotersWatch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Professor John Mearsheimer, whose political analysis predicted today’s horrors in Ukraine and Palestine, joins Useful Idiots to give his take on what’s next in the world’s biggest wars.And since he’s been largely excluded from corporate media for his dissenting views, it’s more important than ever to get his word out.“What you have here is a real disjuncture between what the elites think and what the publics think,” he says of the two conflicts, in what is already a clear affront to the narratives of elitist western media. “There are recent polls produced by the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Quincy Institute that show that only 10% of Europeans and 12% of Americans think that Ukraine can win the war.”And when it comes to Israel, Mearsheimer explains that US policy is even further from what the people want. It’s not the voters who have a say, and even Congress (as pro-Israel as they are) isn’t in control: “I believe that 90% of it is accounted for by the [Israel] lobby.”Professor Mearsheimer deep dives into each war: he explains why the US tanked Ukraine’s peace talks to further instigate Russia and what he would do now if he was in Biden’s or Putin’s position. He also delves into the influence of the Israel lobby and how Biden has given impunity to Israel’s killing Gaza killing spree.Subscribe for the full interview for his full analysis and predictions on Israel’s assault on Gaza.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Nancy Pelosi needs Russiagate DetoxWatch the full interview here:

Watch the full, unpaywalled episode here:For 30 years, Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert has risked his life to give medical care to Palestinians, performing surgeries, training medical students, and supporting their renowned healthcare system. But in their most recent assault, Israel banned Dr. Gilbert from entering Gaza.“This is the politics of elimination,” Dr. Gilbert tells us. “Israel is the only nation on Earth who has a military strategy to attack, to kill, and to dismantle civilian hospitals.”Forced to watch the unfolding tragedy from afar, Gilbert struggles to believe the horrors he’s seeing. “It is such an avalanche of human suffering that it is almost incomprehensible. And it’s all done with full will, planning, dedication. It is a 100% man-made disaster, designed to achieve exactly the goals that they have achieved: to maim and destroy Palestinian society.”What should have led to a huge uproar has instead been tolerated and even encouraged by Western politicians and media outlets, who have laundered false claims about militant hideouts at Palestinian hospitals.But while the genocide of Palestinians has only just broken through to mainstream consciousness, Dr. Gilbert explains that none of this is new.“Israel is going against absolutely every international law aimed at protecting civilian hospitals. This is unprecedented, but I’d like to add that for us who have been working with the Palestinians and their healthcare for many years, it’s not a new feature. The Israelis have always been attacking healthcare. In last year’s report from WHO, they reported 600 attacks on healthcare in the last two years.”And in the latest assault on Gaza, there have been “hundreds and hundreds” more. “We’ve seen attacks in the West Bank where they even dress up as doctors and kill patients in their beds.”Gilbert gives his scathing post-mortem: “This is a historical low point in human history. This enormous collapse of western morality and principles. We’re back to the jungle.”Hear the full, unpaywalled interview with Mads Gilbert, and listen to the end for his message on how to help. “We can all do our part: write a poem, sing a song, participate in a demonstration, write a letter to your politician. Take part in history because we need to change history now.”He finishes, solemnly: “What you are doing now, or what you are not doing now, is what you would have done, or not done, during the Holocaust.”Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: AOC calls Genocide Joe “the most successful US president”For $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot and support independent mediaShare this episode to spread Dr. Gilbert’s message This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Mayor, Congressman, and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is making his triumphant return to Useful Idiots. Oh, and also to Congress.After serving as an Ohio Representative for more than 15 years until 2013, Kucinich has been out of politics for over a decade. And after watching his country decline both internationally and domestically, the veteran lawmaker and peace advocate realized that his service is needed once again.“We have to consciously evolve in our politics as a nation to recognize that human unity is the underlying truth of our existence,” he says. “It’s about time that we called for a ceasefire, we gotta make sure that people aren’t paying another $97,000 out of their pockets for the next war.”Homelessness rates are at an all time high and half of Americans can’t afford their rent, but instead of fixing anything, Congress is sending all of our money to the military.“The sons and daughters of America are being sacrificed in unnecessary wars,” Kucinich says. “Their service is honorable. But the people who sent them there? Not honorable.”Which is why he’s running against Rep. Max Miller (just wait until you hear this war monger boast about turning Gaza into a parking lot) to rejoin Congress as an Independent.“People are horrified about the direction the world’s going in, and I’m stepping forward as a voice of sanity, common sense, and a willingness to say the obvious: war is stupid!”Subscribe to hear our full discussion with Dennis Kucinich, and if you want to help kick a psychopath out of Congress and replace him with someone fighting for peace, you can support Dennis’ campaign here.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Tucker Carlson’s Putin interview enrages MSNBCWatch the full interview here:

Watch the full, unpaywalled episode here:In early January, a former Israeli Foreign Ministry official said “It will be impossible to win the war if we do not destroy UNRWA. This destruction must begin immediately.”A few weeks later, UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, had its funding cut after Israel accused 12 of its more than 30,000 employees of involvement in Oct. 7th (its since reduced the number of alleged offenders to six — half the original amount). Their purported evidence came mostly from “interrogations” of Palestinian prisoners — aka, most likely torture. The Biden administration admitted that it hadn’t corroborated Israel’s claims, but nonetheless announced a suspension of US funding for UNRWA. Other countries, including Germany and Canada, have followed suit.Former UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness joins the show to refute Israel’s claims. “Just as UNRWA is being held up to be accountable,” he says. “I think we have to hold the donors up to accountability and ask: ‘What did Israel give you?’ and ‘Did you independently verify it?’”Antony Blinken himself told the press: “We have not independently verified this evidence but we think it’s very credible.”Chris asks: “How would you know it’s credible if you haven’t independently investigated?”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also called for ending the agency in yet another sign that the move was political. “UNRWA’s mission has to end,” he said. “UNRWA is self-perpetuating in its desire to keep alive the Palestinian refugee issue.”So the state which is lobbying thousands of munitions every day, including 2,000-pound bombs, is accusing an unarmed refugee agency of perpetuating the conflict?Chris argues that the opposite is true. “UNRWA wants nothing more than to go out of business. And UNRWA goes out of business when the refugees are granted full dignity, human development, prosperity, justice, and accountability in the context of a just and durable solution.Someone who is working hard to achieve this goal is the founder of HEAL and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund Steve Sosebee. He shares stories of the many heroes and losses he has encountered in his thirty years working in Palestine.He also shares a way to help.“Just to see their entire lives destroyed is very, very saddening and I think all of us have a responsibility to help rebuild and show them love and compassion and give them opportunities to heal. That’s what my goal is for the rest of my life.”Hear these important voices share their messages in this unpaywalled Useful Idiots double header.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Morning Joe wants to play Battleship with IranSupport independent media and become a Useful Idiot for only $6 a month This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“I see the government of Israel as accountable for October 7th.”Israeli peace activist Maoz Inon lost both of his parents on October 7th. And while many Israelis who didn’t lose anyone want increased bloodshed, Maoz’s calls for peace show compassion and bravery.“It’s very difficult in Israeli society to speak out right now, and he’s one of the few people doing it. He’s not letting his tragedy become weaponized to create even more tragedies.”While it’s still unclear which side ultimately killed his parents, Maoz says it doesn’t matter:“Maybe you’re right, maybe they were killed in Israeli crossfire. But what does it matter? What does it matter? My parents died because of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And I decided to commit my life to making peace. What does it matter who killed them. They were killed because of the conflict, and I’m going to make peace from the river to the sea.”And though Israeli police make it dangerous, Maoz is protesting in Israel “with a very direct call and message that the government is accountable and the government must go.”As information comes out about the events of October 7th, Israel’s role in the death count of its own civilians continues to increase. So we also interviewed Asa Winstanley, a journalist with the Electronic Intifada, whose reporting shows more and more evidence that Israeli forces killed their own people on October 7th.He explains that even today, with Israeli hostages still in Gaza, the Israeli government shows no signs of letting up their deadly assault.“It’s starting to seem like the political leaders of Israel do not want those captives to come home alive.”Subscribe for the full interview with Asa Winstanley where he uncovers more Israeli military fabrications and we discuss an article in the Washington Post that smeared Asa, the Electronic Intifada, and the Grayzone.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Adam Schiff Mourns the Genocide He’s SupportingWatch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Andrew Feinstein, a Jewish South African son of a Holocaust survivor, who was an ANC Member of Parliament under Nelson Mandela, joins the show to shed light on South Africa’s genocide case of against Israel at the International Court of Justice.He explains Israel’s history as an occupier, an international arms dealer, and a friend to apartheid-era South Africa itself.“Israel and apartheid South Africa had an incredibly close relationship,” he says. “Israel really assisted South Africa to remain a brutal apartheid state in that they provided huge amounts of weaponry, significant amounts of military training in the horrific techniques that they had used and continue to use in the occupied territories, but most important of all enabled South Africa to become a nuclear power.”Israel, he believes, will become a pariah state just like South Africa did. But it isn’t just the occupiers that tie the countries together.“The South African struggle for liberation was always fraternal with the Palestinian struggle for liberation,” he explains, which explains why South Africa is taking huge political, financial, and security risks by bringing the US’s client state to court.“When Nelson Mandela emerged after 27 years in imprisonment, he didn’t dance and shout and say yay I’m free, but instead he said: ‘Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinian people.’“The struggle of the Palestinian people is really at the forefront of South African politics.”Subscribe for the full interview with Andrew Feinstein where he explains the extent to which South Africa is taking a risk by challenging Israel and the US, the fight for Palestinian freedom in the International Court of Justice, and the shadow world of international arms trade.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: “Butcher Biden” Loses Irish CitizenshipWatch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Palestinian analyst and Middle East expert Mouin Rabbani joined Useful Idiots this week ahead of the International Court of Justice’s genocide trial against Israel. And though the ICJ’s verdict is not actionable (only the Security Council can punish countries, and we already know where who's boss there), Rabbani explains why the case still has huge ramifications.“This same state that has hid behind the extermination of Europe’s Jews for every one of its actions,” he tells us. “Now itself stands accused of genocide. I think after this case, irrespective of its outcome, Israel will forever be tainted by what it is doing in the Gaza strip, and people will begin to recognize that Israel is not the Jewish state, but rather it is a Zionist state.”Meanwhile, as the case begins its first days in court, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in the region, trying to convince other Middle East countries to support Israel, bombing those that don’t, and condemning the ICJ case, calling it meritless and galling.And he should be upset, says Mouin. “Antony Blinken should be outraged because if Israel is guilty of genocide, then not only the United States, but Blinken personally is complicit in genocide and would be hauled before a court and convicted of his role in perpetrating this genocide as well.”If Israel is convicted, it won’t be hard to show the secretary’s influence: “Blinken’s not only implicated, he’s been giving it a standing ovation since the moment it started.”Subscribe for the full interview where Mouin Rabbani lays out Israel’s history of ethnic cleansing, exposes the New York Times’ faked claim that Hamas used the Al Shifa hospital as a command center, and explains Biden’s plans to ramp up his support for Israel even further.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Jamie Raskin defends democracy by removing peace activistWatch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“When I say it’s Hell on Earth, it is Hell on Earth. I don’t know if there are levels to Hell, but this is horrifying.”After Christmas was canceled in Bethlehem, Reverend Munther Isaac gave a liturgy to his church. He stood in front of a nativity scene in which the baby Jesus lay on a pile of rubble.“If you fail to call this genocide, it is on you,” he said in a biting and now viral speech. “Words of regret won’t suffice. We will not accept your apology after the genocide.”Rev. Isaac recently visited Washington to speak to US senators in an attempt to educate and change their minds on US policy. While some listened, he told us, most wouldn’t speak with him, and the rest who did told him that they planned to help Israel keep the Gaza massacre going. So while Washington ignores him and corporate media continues its propaganda cycle, we spoke with the pastor, who called us from his church in Bethlehem.“Israel is destroying everything,” he said. “Churches, cultural centers, schools, universities. If you get sick right now in Gaza, the chances are that you will not survive.”He explains the frustration with the lack of coverage of Palestinian voices. “If people just walk in our shoes for one day and understand what it means to live under occupation and apartheid, you will understand why people are leaving and why it’s so hard for anybody to build a future here or survive.”But instead of listening to voices on the ground like his, people in the US are overrun with the corporate and government narratives about Christians in Palestine. “Israel’s main point is to say ‘We’re fighting Hamas and Hamas fights Christians, and they’re come to you next in America.’“The idea is to demonize all Palestinians and promote the narrative that Christians are persecuted in the Middle East and in Palestine. If people really cared, they would listen to us. We will tell you how we’re doing.”Subscribe to hear the full interview with Munther Isaac, where he shares horrifying stories of life in Palestine under siege, what it’s like to live in constant fear that your life could end at any moment, and why he’s tired with calls for peace.“I’m tired of the language of peace and praying for reconciliation because it gives the impression that there are two men fighting. We don’t have two men fighting, we have one man literally stepping on the throat of the other and you lecturing the person who’s on the ground about peace.”Listen to and share our interview with Reverend Munther Isaac.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Israeli psychotherapist wants 30,000 Palestinians killedWatch the full interview here:

Award-winning Israeli journalist Gideon Levy is such a scathing critic of Israel’s policies and outspoken defender of Palestinian human rights that he’s only narrowly escaped physical attacks, even needing to have a bodyguard. But the Haaretz columnist and author wasn’t always like this.He describes his former self as “a full member of the nationalistic religious orgy [of Israel]. We were all under the feeling that the whole project of Israel is in existential danger. We all felt that another Holocaust is around the corner.”So when Israel won its 1967 war on Palestine, he didn’t think of killed Palestinians and Israel’s occupation: “We felt that victory in 1967 was like a messianic miracle, and we were so grateful for this. We didn’t ask any questions. We didn’t see any Palestinians.”Levy was 14 at the time. And, as he realized years later, “totally brainwashed.”He is now one of a very small number of prominent Israeli voices speaking out against Israel’s assault on Gaza and its brutal occupation. Joining Useful Idiots from Tel Aviv, Israel, he shares what he sees happening in his country.“There are three things that let Israelis live in peace with the occupation,” he says. “The belief that they’re the chosen people. The belief that they’re victims. And the dehumanization of Palestinians.”He discusses how Israeli media spreads these three beliefs, and how Netanyahu and his far-right government exploit them to bomb hospitals and humiliate Palestinians on a daily basis without pushback.Levy sees the two state occupation as no longer possible. A one state of apartheid is the status quo and a one state with equal rights as the ideal, but an unlikely one for now: “I don’t see any hope from any direction. Israelis will not wake up one morning and say ‘oh this occupation, this apartheid, we don’t like it so much. Let’s put an end to it.’ This will never happen. It will only happen when Israel is punished for it. And this is not going to happen because the international community basically supports the occupation. The United States supports the occupation.”Subscribe for the full interview with Gideon Levy where he explains how young people in both the US and Israel view the war, the horrors he’s witnessed in the West Bank, Israel’s “Nazi proposals” and why the two-state solution is dead.Become a Useful Idiot. Support independent media. Subscribe for $6 a month. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

Watch our full episode with Anan Quzmar here:“They’re targeting journalists,” says Anan Quzmar, a volunteer with the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate. “But it’s maybe a wider segment of the Palestinian society. The target is the foundations of Palestinian society.”Anan speaks to us from the West Bank city of Tulkarm, reporting on the estimated 97 journalists who have been killed by Israel.“These people represent a portal for hope for the people of Gaza. They deliver their voices to people around the world. And targeting them is basically killing hope.” Anan shares the stories of his journalist friends and heroes who have been hunted, killed, or forced to flee by Israel.He goes on to explain that it isn’t just Israel, but the US, President Biden, and our corporate media who are inciting this genocide: “They are complicit in justifying, facilitating, and covering up for an ongoing genocide.”Just this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that it is the Palestinians who are the aggressors and Israel who is the victim. This comes after Biden doubled down on his false claims of seeing photos of beheaded babies and state-media propagandists like Jake Tapper and Dana Bash pushed unverified claims of mass rape. These tactics contribute to the US strategy of dehumanizing Palestinians and selling a genocide.Subscribe to hear the full interview with Anan Quzmar where he debunks claims that Hamas is using human shields (and proves that Israel does use them), calls out Israeli journalists who are cheering on the murder of Palestinian journalists, and what he’s witnessing living in the West Bank.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Ted Cruz on Liberal Women’s Sex LivesUseful Idiots is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

Gazan writers Muhammad Shehada and Yousef M. Aljamal, both students of Refaat Alareer, join us to remember their teacher. Refaat, who was a guest on Useful Idiots in October at the beginning of Israel's assault on Gaza, was killed this week in a targeted attack by Israel. Watch the full October interview with Refaat here:Useful Idiots is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:International human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber served as the director for the New York office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, but resigned over the UN’s failure to stop what he, and others, calls a "textbook case of genocide" in Gaza.He describes the politicalization of the organization and the West’s refusal to follow international law.“If you have a message coming from the United States and their western allies that says these rules do not apply to us or to our western friends, or in short-hand, they do not apply to white people, but they do apply to the rest of the world, that is maybe the last nail in the coffin of these international laws.”“The security council belongs in a Cold War museum,” he says. “It is an entity that empowers five permanent members with a veto that is usually used to prevent any action to the benefit of normal human beings. The US in this case used its veto to prevent ceasefire, and after each veto, thousands of more Palestinians are being massacred in Gaza. It’s an act of complicity.”So when Israel commits war crimes that are empowered by the US, it is no longer only their crime: “Just to put it simply, this assault on Gaza is being perpetrated by Israel and the United States. The US is a party to this.”And given that Biden has repeatedly claimed that he saw photos of beheaded babies (even after his staff urged him not to and the White House walked it back), we asked Craig: Can the argument be made that Joe Biden is inciting genocide?His response: “Absolutely.”Subscribe to watch the full interview with Craig Mokhiber on the fear used to silence UN officials, and Israel’s allegations of rape on October 7.Plus catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Biden tells Jews they’re not safe in AmericaWatch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:This week, Useful Idiots guest Refaat Alareer was killed by Israel. We interviewed him on October 11 when Israel had just begun its assault on Gaza, and he shared important on-the-ground information all while sheltering 15 children in his Gaza apartment. Bombs could be heard falling in the background of the interview, but still Refaat bravely spoke out. We are heartbroken and angry by this devastating loss.Which means it is more important than ever to continue to expose the crimes of Israel.Ilan Pappé, an Israeli historian, joins Useful Idiots from Haifa, Israel to give historical context to both Hamas’ attack and the assault committed by Israel, which he deems a genocide under international law.And he also gives his outlook on the future of the tragedy: “The near future doesn’t look good,” he tells us. “It looks bleak.”“But there is some light at the end of the tunnel. That light is being radiated by the younger Palestinian generation. It’s a far more assertive generation, a far more united generation.”“I draw a lot of inspiration and courage from them,” Pappé continues, “and also hope that together with the amazing solidarity movement, they have the potential to challenge this powerful coalition of multinational corporations, security companies, military industries, and governments that support global Israel. I’ve never seen such a solidarity movement in history as we see now across the globe.”Subscribe for the full interview with Ilan Pappé on the alleged spread of antisemitism in the US and college campuses, the historical difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, his analysis of Hamas, and what needs to happen to end the occupation.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: CNN Declares Palestinian Civilian Death Ratio 'Tremendous'Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Award-winning Israeli journalist Gideon Levy is such a scathing critic of Israel’s policies and outspoken defender of Palestinian human rights that he’s only narrowly escaped physical attacks, even needing to have a bodyguard. But the Haaretz columnist and author wasn’t always like this.He describes his former self as “a full member of the nationalistic religious orgy [of Israel]. We were all under the feeling that the whole project of Israel is in existential danger. We all felt that another Holocaust is around the corner.”So when Israel won its 1967 war on Palestine, he didn’t think of killed Palestinians and Israel’s occupation: “We felt that victory in 1967 was like a messianic miracle, and we were so grateful for this. We didn’t ask any questions. We didn’t see any Palestinians.”Levy was 14 at the time. And, as he realized years later, “totally brainwashed.”He is now one of a very small number of prominent Israeli voices speaking out against Israel’s assault on Gaza and its brutal occupation. Joining Useful Idiots from Tel Aviv, Israel, he shares what he sees happening in his country.“There are three things that let Israelis live in peace with the occupation,” he says. “The belief that they’re the chosen people. The belief that they’re victims. And the dehumanization of Palestinians.”He discusses how Israeli media spreads these three beliefs, and how Netanyahu and his far-right government exploit them to bomb hospitals and humiliate Palestinians on a daily basis without pushback.Levy sees the two state occupation as no longer possible. A one state of apartheid is the status quo and a one state with equal rights as the ideal, but an unlikely one for now: “I don’t see any hope from any direction. Israelis will not wake up one morning and say ‘oh this occupation, this apartheid, we don’t like it so much. Let’s put an end to it.’ This will never happen. It will only happen when Israel is punished for it. And this is not going to happen because the international community basically supports the occupation. The United States supports the occupation.”Subscribe for the full interview with Gideon Levy where he explains how young people in both the US and Israel view the war, the horrors he’s witnessed in the West Bank, Israel’s “Nazi proposals” and why the two-state solution is dead.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Democrat claims that voters LOVE GENOCIDEAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

Presidential candidate Cornel West and author Gabor Maté met for the first time this week to discuss the horrors of Israel’s war on Gaza.“I don’t know about you,” Dr. Maté says to Dr. West, “but for me, what’s going on is one of the heaviest things, if not the heaviest thing, I’ve witnessed in my whole life. I don’t know how to compare tragedies, but there’s something about what’s going on right now that seems heavier and darker.”West responds: “When you watch precious human beings being literally killed, crushed, demeaned, degraded, day after day, it makes you think that this particular historical moment has a certain grimness and darkness that others don’t.”The two men use their complex histories with tragedy and suffering to analyze the horror of the current moment.“I’ve always felt that no evil would surprise me and no despair would paralyze me,” West continues, “because you and I know the history of the species.”But the conversation that stems from this is a much more hopeful one, where the scholars’ vast study of philosophy and history intertwine to create a message not of helplessness but of possibility.Hear the full conversation on how oppressed people create music of rebellion, their favorite philosophers, and a final message to take from the conversation: “Never again is not a tribal slogan. It’s a universal slogan. It applies to everybody.”This week’s special episode is free to everyone. We hope you have a happy Thanksgiving and we thank you for supporting Useful Idiots.Plus, catch this week’s Thanksgiving Throwdown: White House Triggered by “Genocide Joe” nicknameBecome a Useful Idiot for only $6 a month. Get extended episodes, Thursday Throwdowns, and support independent media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:When Rahma Zein, host of the podcast The Arab Narrative, confronted CNN’s Clarissa Ward on camera at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt over CNN’s biased neglect of Palestinians, the video went viral. More importantly, it exposed Western media’s complicity in Israel’s crimes against Gaza.“The Zionist movement has” influence “not only in major industries but with thought leaders, major politicians, and media outlets,” Zein says. “So who’s left to speak up for the Palestinians?”But can you really blame Clarissa Ward, Zein asks. “I shouldn’t really reprimand her, because the United States president came out and said that he saw beheaded children. So why should I reprimand a mediocre news anchor who is just a puppet of that?”Following the confrontation, Zein went on Piers Morgan to call out the US’s “sick relationship” with Israel. She breaks down the entire story here.Subscribe to watch the full interview with Rahma Zein where she debunks Israel’s malicious claims that the Al-Shifa hospital housed a Hamas command center, shares how it feels to be erased by western media for being an Arab woman, exposes the DNC police for attacking peaceful protesters, and sheds light on Israel’s covered-up history of attacking Jews: “I believe that Israel is one of the most antisemitic entities there ever was.”Important voices like Rahma’s are rarely heard on corporate media. Listen here for a new perspective on Israel’s assault on Gaza.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Sen. Chris Coons Throws Aaron Maté Off a Train And join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“The United States fully endorses Israel’s war crimes,” says Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. “Because that’s what it is. When you switch off the water to two and a half million people, by the Geneva Convention that’s a war crime.”The economist, who shares a European perspective on the war, says that “the West has conspired to ensure a generalized massacre.”And the real question is “how much Palestinian blood is required to cleanse the hands of Europe?”As a European, Varoufakis tells us how his continent’s mix of guilt and cowardice are keeping the war fueled. “You have a situation where the European Union simply doesn’t exist anymore as a geopolitical entity, and therefore it simply mimics whatever is coming from Washington DC.”This wasn’t the case even twenty years ago, but today governments are too afraid to have their own positions. “Even if they secretly oppose what the United States is doing, European presidents and prime ministers are too scared to actually express these disagreements. And that is a major defeat of European democracy.”So for now, without faith in any government to do what’s right, Yanis Varoufakis encourages the people to take the streets.“I try to make the point that the protests in favor of Palestinians are also protests of solidarity with our Israeli and Jewish comrades who are suffering immensely under the apartheid regime of Netanyahu.”Subscribe for the full interview where Varoufakis shares his deep disappointment in Bernie Sanders, the nefarious reasons for NATO’s existence, the disaster that is the war in Ukraine, and a look at his new book Technofeudalism, which posits that capitalism actually ended over a decade ago.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: John Kirby has no tears and no red lines for Gaza, and Norm Finkelstein destroys his debate partner.And join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“Have you been surprised at all at how extreme Biden has been in supporting Israel,” we asked Professor Rashid Khalidi, author of The Hundred Years' War on Palestine, “refusing to call for a ceasefire and downplaying the death toll?”“Short answer,” he responds. “No.”“I think that what the president said about the Palestinian death toll is absolutely despicable and unforgivable, and requires a public apology by the president himself. When you have, day after day after day after day, the administration harping on Israeli civilian casualties, and you have nine times the number of Palestinian civilian casualties, with the president of the United States disparaging the numbers, it is insulting, demeaning, and repugnant.”Khalidi continues on to explain that Biden’s actions are not just morally untenable, but politically as well.“He will lose the support of vast numbers of people. This administration has been beyond Trumpian in its furtherance of every position put forward by the Trump administration, without exception.” Khalidi predicts that if Biden stays on this track, he’ll not only lose the presidency, but also cost the Democrats the House.“So, was I surprised? No.”Subscribe to hear the full episode with Professor Khalidi where he responds to a recent Atlantic article claiming that Israel is not a settler colonial project, an important update on the occupied West Bank, and his final answer to the question:“What should we be fighting for right now?”Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Israel stuns former Israel lobbyist Wolf BlitzerAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“I am not anti-Israeli,” explains Israeli Knesset member Ofer Cassif, who was suspended from the legislature for 45 days after criticizing Israel’s “fascist assault” on Gaza. “The government is anti-Israeli. The government undermines the security and the well-being of the state and its citizens.”Cassif, who is Jewish and served in Israel’s military, goes on: “Because I stand with Israel, I stand against the government of Israel. Because I stand with Israel, I stand with the Palestinians.”Rational, empathetic voices like Ofer’s have become not only controversial in today’s political culture, but illegal.“There is now persecution of every and any voice which is in opposition to the war, to the assault on Gaza, or even expresses any sympathy for the children of Gaza. People who try to demonstrate are violently beaten by police.”And after the interview concluded, Ofer called us back to share an ominous breaking update: “Netanyahu and his thugs use the smokescreen of the war to impose a martial law on Israeli citizens, predominantly Palestinian ones: PROTESTS ARE PROHIBITED AND CAN NOW BE ANSWERED WITH LIVE AMMUNITION, workers and students are suspended and dissidents are persecuted for posts on the social network.“I plea to the world - supporting the Israeli government is not supporting Israeli people - it is supporting fascism, death and dictatorship. If you wish to help Israeli people in this dire time - support the peace movement, not the warmongers who waged a war against their own people!”Subscribe for the full interview with Ofer Cassif where he responds to Bernie Sanders’ refusal to call for a ceasefire, the only way to find a solution to this war, and his dire warning if we continue on this path:“We are on the verge of an international or even world war, and everyone is going to pay the price.”And after listening to the extended interview, we challenge you to find any US politician with half as much journalistic knowledge or bravery to criticize their own government as Ofer Cassif.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Fox News Guy is SO Over PalestineAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“Israeli society has always been held together by scotch tape. The scotch tape is falling apart,” says Miko Peled. And he would know. Miko is the son of one of Israel's highest ranking generals and the grandson of a signatory to Israeli independence. He was raised in Israel and served in its army. And he condemns Israel's "savage" attacks on Palestinians.He answers several questions: How was Hamas able to do what it did? Where was the Israeli army? Is the IDF prioritizing keeping the hostages alive or killing Hamas? And explains the history of Israel’s control over Gaza, how it led to the brutal massacre we’re witnessing today, and the way to end this war.“That really is the conversation: how we bring this to an end, for real. Not a ceasefire, but a complete end to the blockade, a complete release of Palestinian prisoners, immediate aid to Palestinians. And all this with no conditions.”He’s not stopping at just a reprieve from the bombings: “To the point that at the end of the day we bring the unconditional surrender of the apartheid state. That should be the main goal.”Subscribe for the full episode to hear Miko’s logical plan for achieving this, and the harsh reality Palestinians face until we do.“Between now and then, we can be certain that Palestinians are going to continue to pay a heavy price. And the world is silent.”The world is silent, for the Palestinians at least. In the US, the president, Congress, and media brazenly cheerlead the genocide, lamenting the deaths of only Israeli citizens, understanding that referring to Palestinians as “civilians” will get you in trouble.“One party explicitly rejects talking about Palestinian civilians and explicitly blames Hamas for whatever happens to them. The other party pays some lip service but doesn’t do anything. And that is American democracy.”Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Senator Chris Murphy (D–CT) believes anything Israel saysAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

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This week’s interview with Refaat Alareer, Yumna Patel, and Muhammad Shehada:After Hamas’s attack in Israel on Saturday, the Israeli massacres of Palestinians in Gaza have skyrocketed. This genocidal ethnic cleansing has scarcely been reported by mainstream media at any time in its 50 year history, let alone at a time when western media and politicians openly support a religious war against Palestine. So we’re giving a platform to three Palestinian voices to share their story.We speak with Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian academic currently sheltering 15 children in his Gaza apartment, Yumna Patel, the Palestine news director for Mondoweiss, and Muhammad Shehada, a Palestinian writer from Gaza.Their stories of bombings, murder, cruelty, and lies from the Israeli government and malicious rumors from US media and politicians are difficult to hear, but so important when they’re being silenced everywhere else.“The American public and the general public around the world is being sold a genocide,” they tell us. “We are being convinced through the rhetoric of Israeli politicians, the US president, and US state department spokespeople that Palestinians, specifically Gazans, are not human. They are trying to wipe Gaza off the map.”And while the deaths of Israelis must be covered and mourned, the West’s hypocrisy and double standard on the value of life is clear.“I have never seen the amount of profiles and interviews with the families of victims than I’ve seen of mainstream media interviewing these Israeli families. I have never seen this level of attention paid to one singular Palestinian.”Israeli children matter. Why don’t Palestinian children matter? “No attention is being paid to the killing of 270 children just in the span of three or four days.”Refaat, Yumna, and Muhammad share their frustration and disgust with “the fact that our government and the President of the United States is repeating dehumanizing genocidal language, repeating these unsubstantiated claims.”And sadly, we may not be able to hear their voices for long. Refaat, calling from Gaza with the sounds of bombs exploding in the background during the interview, warns that resources are running low. “But in a couple of days, maximum a week or two, if things don’t change, we’re looking at a total blackout, no coverage, no media, no internet. Not that Israel cares, and mainstream media is complicit.”Hear them speak, and share the interview to spread their message. At a dangerous time, we thank you for continuing to support Useful Idiots and our guests.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: US politicians call for religious war against PalestineAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.For $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot and support independent media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Analyst Gordon Hahn has been covering the Ukraine conflict since long before Russia invaded, focusing on the West’s strategic efforts to use Ukraine as a proxy under the guise of defending its sovereignty.“You have to lie about everything,” Hahn explains, detailing how self-serving Western narratives became so successful. “You have to maintain that Putin is Hitler II.”But the real goal of the west, as independent journalists tirelessly report and US/NATO officials endlessly prove, has nothing to do with the Ukrainians. “The goal is eternal NATO expansion.”“It’s all got to do with the inability to make some kind of a compromise,” Hahn says. “It’s all or nothing. And it’s leading to a disaster. And the greatest sufferers are the Ukrainians.”Subscribe for the full interview with Gordon Hahn where he explains the western sabotage of the Ukrainian-Russian peace deal (and the tens of billions of dollars made from its collapse), the struggle to reach the people who believe the US really does care about Ukrainians, and how to end the war.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Speaker Trump to the Rescue?And join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Norman Finkelstein, whose latest book is I’ll Burn that Bridge When I Get to It, returns to Useful Idiots with as much heretical bravado as ever: he’s coming out swinging.First, he’s dissecting the embarrassing Nazi celebration in Canada: the Orwellian push to have it erased from history, Trudeau’s fake apology, and the despicable claims that Zelensky, who speaks English and understands Ukrainian history, didn’t know that he was saluting a Nazi soldier.“When he [Zelensky] raised his hand,” Norman explains, “this Jew as we’re constantly told, he was lending himself to the Nazi cause.”Next, Norman’s talking about presidential candidate and celebrated leftist Cornel West. Norm explains he hadn’t read any of West’s books until this month when he prepped for an interview with the candidate. “I was dazzled,” Norm says. “He’s better than me!” The interview, which drops soon on Norman Finkelstein’s Podcast, will be a three-hour wide-ranging intellectual conversation. Norm gives us a preview.Subscribe (before prices rise on Oct 1!) to hear our full 90-minute interview where Norm shares his take on Cornel West’s candidacy, and we get into a long debate about Norm’s favorite pseudo-intellectual millionaire Ibram X Kendi.You’re not going to want to miss it.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: US Govt Shutdown threatens workers' salaries – but not Ukraine'sAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Katie’s award-winning documentary Commie Camp, about the legendary Camp Kinderland, is screening at the historic DCTV Firehouse Cinema at 87 Lafayette Street on October 4th at 6:30PM, followed by a Q&A with Katie, Kinderlander Judee Rosenbaum, and more surprise guests! You can buy tickets here.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:In the old world of journalism, reporters forced themselves through rounds of fact checks, dug through sources, interviewed every witness and expert they could find, and even then wouldn’t publish a story until they were absolutely sure of its veracity. And if all that failed and their story was wrong, they swallowed hard and published a correction. An embarrassing yet humbling check on the press that only added points to their credibility.That was the old world. The old world is dead.“Russian missile attack hits market in Ukraine, kills 16,” read headlines from every major news outlet. Weeks later, once the story had spread into the public consciousness, the New York Times quietly posted an update to the story: “Evidence suggests Ukrainian missile caused market tragedy.”The same happened with the evil Chinese spy balloon (later revealed to be a spy balloon that did no spying), the Nord Stream pipeline, and countless other stories in which the US media shaped the war instead of report on it.Journalist Bryce Greene joins Useful Idiots to shed light on the truth, break down the lies, debunk the corporate media. Subscribe to watch the full episode where Bryce explains the US path to peace (and the lies used to sabotage it), the extent of the corporate lies used to blame the missile strike on Russia, the terrifyingly weird English-speaking Ukrainian spokesperson who wants to “hunt down” Russian propagandists (which is extra scary when we’re constantly labeled as Putin puppets…), and how western media is shaping the Ukraine proxy war against Russia as a proxy for the larger proxy war against China.There’s a lot of lies, so let Bryce Greene be your tour guide through the truth.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Nikki Haley's Unhinged China RantAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Katie’s award-winning documentary Commie Camp, about the legendary Camp Kinderland, is screening at the historic DCTV Firehouse Cinema at 87 Lafayette Street on October 4th at 6:30PM, followed by a Q&A with Katie, Kinderlander Judee Rosenbaum, and more surprise guests! You can buy tickets here.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Journalist Amanda Yee of Liberation News joins the show to break up some hardened American propaganda about the “forgotten” war in Korea and what’s actually going on behind the travel ban in North Korea, which Trump started and Biden has renewed each year since. This proves, once again, that despite running as the opposite of Trump, the one campaign promise that Biden has actually kept is the one he made behind closed doors to donors: "Nothing would fundamentally change." Even some of the most jaded skeptics of US propaganda still believe the misrepresentations about North Korea, and the travel ban makes it that much harder to see reality for ourselves. Luckily, Amanda Yee is sharing some first-hand accounts to shed light.She explains the painful family separations caused by Biden’s draconian ban and the untold horrors of the war the US wants us to forget. A war which never ended.Amanda also discusses the national security state’s selective, unprincipled and hypocritical war on independent organizations who dare to criticize U.S. foreign policy.Subscribe now (while the price is still low!) for the full interview with Amanda where we discuss the New York Times disinformation campaign to fuel fear of our “enemies” and the New Cold War with China.Plus, watch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: NATO Chief Spreads “Pro-Putin Talking Points.” Find out why Rachel Maddow is so mad at Elon Musk, and hear Victoria Nuland say the quiet part out loud.And join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Did you ever wonder what Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman would sound like if she was played by director and actor Werner Herzog? Or what Chris Christie would do if Trump ordered food for him that he was allergic to? Have you wondered what the German word is for a Brazilian spider bite that causes painful, hours-long erections? Do you know the world-record time for drinking 2-liters of soda? Can you guess how many buffalo wings Matt Taibbi has eaten in one hour? Or how many hugs two erotically-charged men can do in one minute? Did you ever wonder if hugs could be counted? Or if an act of love such as a hug can’t be quantified as there is so much more to a hug than a physical entanglement of arms, and that in the same way a competition for who can fall in love more times is a fleeting grasp at ordering the confusing nature of life, it is ultimately an impossible feat, and maybe the point of life isn’t to count but to live, so when you finally allow yourself the freedom of falling out of control instead of waiting indefinitely behind the curtains of a stage that only exists in your own mind, preparing to say the lines you wrote for yourself but know deep down you’ll never perform, when you finally let all that go and “embrace” the lack of control you realize you aren’t falling but flying?Did you ever wonder those things?If so, you’re in luck! Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper have all the answers while they celebrate three and a half years of Useful Idiots with a reunion episode, throwing it back to the four food groups, terrible media clips, a scary new censor, and as always, a whole lotta nonsense.Subscribe to watch the full episode where Matt and Katie do shrooms with Trump in a bowling alley and discuss the dystopian future of government censorship where the word transparency no longer means we get to see what they’re doing, but where they get to always keep an eye on us.Plus, watch the latest Thursday Throwdown: NATO Pinky Swears that it's a "Defensive Alliance."And join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“The constitution is just a sideshow at this point.”Censorship, no longer just a threat from the government but now from private tech corporations as well, has snowballed into dystopian size. And the scariest part about censorship? It hides itself. So it’s hard to know just how huge it really is.Which makes this an issue on a scale so large that the only team possibly fit to crack into its titanium shroud is the original Useful Idiots: Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper. That’s right, Matt’s joining us for a two-week special. Buckle up.This week, we’re interviewing two journalists recently trampled by the wheels of big tech. First is Max Blumenthal, editor and founder of the Grayzone, which had a recent fundraiser frozen and withheld by GoFundMe “due to some external concerns.” GoFundMe, along with corporations like PayPal, has buried other independent news sites for speaking out against US war. But none as big as the Grayzone. Which means they can speak up and fight back. Tune in and join the fight.The second guest is Matt Orfalea, video editor and Racket News contributor, whose videos on Youtube have been deleted and demonetized for being “potentially harmful,” or for spreading election lies. The main video in question was simply a mashup of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump claiming that the 2016 and 2020 elections were stolen from them. No opinion, just documentation. Check out the video, it’s back up on Youtube but demonetized. You wouldn’t want such a dangerous video to make any money for its creator.Subscribe for the full interviews with Max and Orf where they explain the digital de-democratization of the world under the guise of a NATO proxy war, the terrifying new DIIA app which is creating a new digital passport, and Max Blumenthal’s grim prediction:As the power of corporations takes hold, “the only kind of activism that’s going to be allowed is activism that supports the state’s objectives.” It’s a new world model where transparency no longer means we get to see what they’re doing, but where they get to always keep an eye on us.Subscribe to watch the full episode below and support independent media at a dangerous time.Plus, watch the latest Thursday Throwdown: NATO Pinky Swears that it's a "Defensive Alliance."And join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:After claims of fraud in the 2020 election and the rise of Trump’s pseudo-populist wing of the GOP, Sohrab Ahmari wrote Tyranny, Inc. In the book, the journalist and founding editor of Compact magazine gives a tour of our political economy from the point of view of ordinary people who faced private tyranny and paid the price for it.Private being the key word.Ahmari, even as a conservative columnist for the NY Post, can sometimes sound more leftist than some Congressional progressives.“Conservatives are quite used to thinking of government as the only potential source of coercion,” Ahmari tells us, “so the fact that a segment of the right was suddenly alert to what big tech could do to you, seemed to me an opening to say, ‘Hey, let me show you other kinds of private coercion which are less visible, but all the more insidious.’”Sohrab Ahmari’s in-depth reporting and bipartisan critiques emerge as some mix of conservative populism and Marxist theory. It’s a fascinating perspective that, in a world ruled by tech censorship and private coercion, is increasingly rare to hear anywhere other else than on Useful Idiots.Watch the full interview to hear his response to Jacobin excluding him from a left-right coalition because of his cultural views, Oliver Anthony’s controversial country song, the actual difference between his critique of capitalism and the leftist one, and the unprecedented support by the US so-called left of the military industrial complex and the Ukraine proxy war.Plus, watch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: NATO Pinky Swears that it's a "Defensive Alliance."And join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Professor Junaid Ahmad, director for the Center for Global Dialogue, joins Useful Idiots to shed light on a bombshell story that you may not have heard about. And you have western corporate media to thank for that.The Intercept released a secret Pakistan cable which documents US pressure to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan from power. That was achieved in April 2022, when Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote. Since then, the Pakistani government has arrested Khan and banned him from the next election. Ahmad explains the consequences of the findings in the classified documents and shares one of the craziest quotes reported in the Intercept article: “All will be forgiven,” said a U.S. diplomat, “if the no-confidence vote against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan succeeds.”So why did the US want Khan out? Because he didn’t follow the rules of western imperialism.In a speech, Khan responded directly to Western demands that Pakistan rally behind Ukraine. “What do you think of us? That we are your slaves and that we will do whatever you ask of us? We are friends of Russia, and we are also friends of the United States. We are friends of China and Europe. We are not part of any alliance.”Of course, such a statement is blasphemy under US rule, so Imran Khan was swiftly taken care of.Watch the full interview with Junaid Ahmad where he explains in depth what Khan believed as leader of Pakistan, how the regime change happened, and the next steps for the imprisoned prime minister to walk free.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: Hillary Clinton and Rachel Maddow Save DemocracyAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Trump Indictment Season is officially in full swing, and corporate news, in their best attempt to give Trump as much free campaign coverage as possible, is covering it nearly 24/7. Whichever network you tune into, whether Fox News or MSNBC (and we sincerely hope you never tune into either), you’ll find panels with talking-head lawyers professing to know the exact legal implications of the indictment.As is our mission at Useful Idiots, we aim to be fundamentally opposite of corporate media in all ways. So accordingly, we admit to not mastering the legal implications of anything. Which is why Useful Idiots is hosting a proxy debate on the criminality of Trump’s actions around January 6.Congressional Dish host Jennifer Briney argues that Trump did in fact break the law, while writer and substacker Michael Tracey claims this indictment, like the others, is merely political.It’s a debate you could only get from independent media: respectful, evenly-matched, and honestly hard to choose a winning side. So cut the cable, tune into Useful Idiots, and let us know in the comments who wins you over. Did Trump break the law, or are we watching Russiagate 2.0?Subscribe to support independent media and watch the full debate below.Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: "Livin' on a Prayer (for endless war)"And join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:“The likely outcome of the Vilnius summit,” Anatol Lieven, Director of the Eurasia program at the Quincy Institute, explains, “will be once again to dangle a never ending timetable for Kyiv’s admittance into the alliance.”As we progress further and further into the proxy war against Russia, Ukraine’s roadmap for joining NATO grows foggier and foggier. In 2008, Ukraine was given an explicit list of steps to complete in order to gain acceptance. Today, they’re told something else:“Ukraine can join NATO when allies agree and when certain conditions are met.”This purposefully vague promise seems to be the West’s way of pushing off Ukraine indefinitely while still making sure that they fight to the last Ukrainian. As Lieven says: “At the very least I’d say Ukraine is just as far away as it was in 2008. The case for Ukraine’s NATO membership is the zombie that won’t die.”At Responsible Statecraft, he writes of the danger NATO faces if they ever actually followed through on their promise: “The West will be committed to an endless strategy of arming and financing Ukraine against Russia, while praying that the United States remains fully committed to this and is not drawn away by more important domestic and international threats.”He adds: “For if America ever does pull back, NATO’s European members may find that the only thing more stupid than pulling a bear’s tail and running away is pulling its tail when you can’t run away.”Watch the full interview with Anatol Lieven where he explains how journalists have become part of the elite system they once reported on, the danger of Russophobia, and his fear that we’re heading towards World War III.Plus, check out this week’s Thursday Throwdown: MSNBC Celebrates Trump Indictment with 24/7 Campaign PromotionAnd join the Absurd Arena live discussion board with Katie and Wilson every Tuesday at 12pm est in the Substack app.Watch the full interview here: