Amanda Holmes reads Ibrahim Nasrallah’s “In Love You Rise” from Palestinian, translated from the Arabic by Huda J. Fakhereddine. Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.
This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.
Today we discuss conflicting statements regarding the end of the Iran war, the progress of the American and Israeli attacks, reports that the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has already been eliminated, fluctuating oil prices surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, and the debate around "boots on the ground." Plus, CNN's awful tweet on the attempted IED attack outside Gracie Mansion in NYC, and the Mamdanis hosting Mahmoud Khalil for Ramadan.
Will Sommer returns to the show to talk more about the Iran War, this time through the lens of a rapidly fragmenting Republican elite. We discuss the war between the Israel skeptics like Tucker Carlson and the hawks like Mark Levine, and how this ties into a hijacked shipment of nicotine pouches and the transvestigation of Laura Loomer. We also talk about Candace Owens’ docuseries on Erika Kirk, another leaked racist groupchat, and the emerging multiracial coalition of White Supremacy.
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Today we discuss the media's eagerness to declare the Iran war a failure a mere eight days into the conflict, the failed IED attack on protesters in New York City, and Zohran Mamdani's wife's online support for the October 7 attack. Plus, John recommends the film It Was Just An Accident by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
They're calling it "age verification" and touting it as a measure to protect children. But, as is the case with most moral panics, the children are a pretext. New laws are being implemented around the globe to require citizens to provide identification to use the internet, meaning anonymity is dying and the risk of being targeted for one's formerly-anonymous beliefs or "likes" are growing. This is a largely bipartisan effort that has the potential to lead to a Minority Report-style crackdown on "pre-crime" based on online expressions of belief. Tech journalist Taylor Lorenz is ringing the alarm bell. Will the public resist before it's too late?
It turns out healthcare in America CAN be cheaper. If your employer wants it to be. Today on the show, we speak with a Canadian-founded startup that has unusually generous benefits for their employees.
As California’s governor – and a topic of discussion among some as a possible 2028 presidential candidate – Gavin Newsom is an exceedingly public figure with a busy schedule to match. His new memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, provides a glimpse into Newsom’s rise to political prominence and his ongoing goal of self-discovery. In today’s episode, Newsom sits down with NPR’s Ailsa Chang to discuss his book, the question of his own relatability, and why he uses “playground insults”’ on social media to push back against the Trump administration.
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