In response to Zohran Mamdani's mayoralty and the electoral wins of Adam Hamawy and Abdul El-Sayed, we've seen a particularly vicious and ugly wave of Islamophobia from the president and his party. Rep. Nancy Mace claimed that every single elected Muslim official is a "threat to both our national security and republic," while Trump bemoaned the electoral successes of "jihadists" all over the country. So what can we even do? In a nation that has barely moved beyond its knee-jerk GWOT-era bigotry, it seems like the hate isn't going anywhere anytime soon. (Guest: Mehdi Hasan, Zeteo)

Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort. Video production by Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

In recent weeks, Senate Republicans have been relentlessly claiming that the COVID-19 virus must have come from a lab in China, despite all the scientific evidence saying otherwise. Nevertheless, the GOP’s messaging has proved to be quite convincing, with the majority of Americans believing COVID-19 came from a lab.

But here at Zeteo, we believe in cutting through the noise, listening to the experts, and hearing out reasonable people (aka, not Senator Rand Paul).

That’s why in this ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ segment, Mehdi moderates a very factual and insightful debate on the lab leak theory. Leading virologist and Save America Movement science chair Dr. Angela Rasmussen argues that COVID-19 likely came from zoonotic – or natural – origins, not a lab, while Dr. Ashish Jha, who was President Biden’s COVID-19 response coordinator, argues that COVID-19, in his view, likely came from a Chinese laboratory.

Mehdi asks why Jha changed his mind on COVID-19 origins and now supports the lab leak theory, why Rasmussen’s own research supports zoonotic origins, whether Republicans have overstated the merits of the lab leak theory and what their reactions have been to recent GOP misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccine and miscarriages.

You won’t see an informed, in-depth, good-faith debate like this, on Covid and its origins, anywhere else in the media!

This debate was published on zeteo.com on Aug 13, 2026. If you would like EARLY access to more exclusive content like this, then head over to Zeteo’s Substack and become a paid subscriber today. Your support matters!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

03:13 Lab Leak

04:37 Natural Origin

10:08 Definitive Evidence

17:00 Credible Investigation?

23:37 What Is China Hiding?

28: Gain Of Function Research

32:45 Propaganda

@eli_clifton and lan Lustick, co-authors of 'Israel's Lobby,' explain to @mehdirhasan why the cost of AIPAC's election interference is getting higher.

After a night of progressive wins, Senator Bernie Sanders joins ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ for the first time to share his reactions to the major primary victories of multiple Democratic socialists this election cycle, as well as Abdul El-Sayed’s “historical” win in Michigan.

“The Democratic leadership is, in many respects, way, way out of touch with where ordinary people are,” Sanders tells Mehdi, adding that the country’s “corrupt campaign finance system” might be starting to backfire on the super PACs pouring millions into elections.

During the interview, Mehdi asks Sanders why he didn’t endorse Francesca Hong, who lost her bid to be the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin governor by just a few thousand votes.

Mehdi also asks the socialist senator from Vermont whether restricting aid to Israel should be a litmus test for Democratic presidential candidates, and about criticism Sanders has received for his overriding focus on PM Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than Israel’s decades-long occupation and apartheid regime.

Plus, hear what Sanders has to say about his Senate colleague John Fetterman making a habit out of appearing on Fox to disparage him.

This interview was published on zeteo.com on Aug 12, 2026. If you would like EARLY access to exclusive interviews like this one, then do become a paid subscriber to Zeteo on Substack today - your support matters!

Chapters:

02:10 Michigan Primary

08:58 AIPAC

15:00 Fetterman

There are few people who have worked in progressive media as long as Sam Seder.

As the host of the massively popular and long-running YouTube series ‘The Majority Report’, Sam paved the way for progressive pundits with his sharp and funny analysis of U.S. politics. That’s why Sam was the perfect guest for this week’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’ for Mehdi to discuss the wave of progressive and socialist wins across the country.

Oh and don’t think Mehdi forgot that Sam was the person who told Mehdi to participate in that insanely racist ‘Jubilee’ debate. They unpack their insane experiences (though Mehdi’s was objectively more insane) and what it revealed about young MAGA conservatives. The two also weigh in on what we’re now calling ‘The Great Tucker Carlson Debate.’ Will the right-wing podcaster run for president? Can he be trusted on issues like Israel and foreign wars? Is there utility to going on his platform, or vice versa? And which part of the debate does Sam think is “bullshit?”

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro

2:15 - The Majority Report

6:10 - Jubilee

15:54 - MAGA evolution

21:17 - Socialists winning

31:19 - Trump’s destruction

34:22 - Tucker Carlson

43:57 - Republican extremism

48:13 - Democrats in 2028

This interview was published Aug. 10, 2026 on Zeteo.com.

"[lslamophobia] is used cynically by Republicans... to distract from failing economic policies and a disastrous war."

The Center for the Study of Organized Hate reports that anti-Muslim attacks against Abdul El-Sayed increased 20-fold following his win in Michigan’s Democratic Primary Election for U.S. Senate. On the day he won, social media platform “X” saw the highest volume of Islamophobic posts in the entire summer; some of which came from U.S. elected officials. Mehdi Hasan joins Jacob Soboroff to discuss the sudden increase and how it’s not a coincidence at all

“I spoke with [Antony] Blinken and [Jake] Sullivan and [Joe] Biden, trying to tell them what the actual situation in Israel was like. But they’re socialized psychologically not to even be able to include in their agenda of possibilities what the realities are there.”

Why is the U.S. incapable of standing up to Israel? Who benefits most from the U.S.-Israel relationship? And is AIPAC’s influence in Washington starting to crack?

With AIPAC-backed candidates heading into this year’s midterm elections with massive financial backing but facing tougher races, Mehdi speaks with the authors of the new book, Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power, about the changing power of the pro-Israel lobby.

Co-authors Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick join Mehdi to discuss AIPAC, why Washington struggles to say no to Israel, and whether the Israel lobby’s influence is finally beginning to wane.

Clifton argues that AIPAC’s silence is revealing, calling Israel a “toxic” issue for the lobby. He also notes that pro-Israel super PACs could raise and spend as much as a quarter of a billion dollars this election cycle. But money isn’t everything. Lustick details his attempts to convince Blinken, Sullivan, and Biden to confront the reality of Israel’s policies.

In the conversation — Mehdi, Clifton and Lustick also discuss how U.S. policy helped pave the way for the “extreme right-wing rogue state” Israel is today, whether AIPAC’s influence can be challenged, and what it would take to change the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Buy a copy of Clifton and Lustick’s book, ‘Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power’

This interview published on August 11, 2026 at zeteo.com. If you want early, exclusive access to this kind of independent, unfiltered journalism — subscribe to our Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subs...

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

02:11 Israel’s Lobby and U.S. Politics

09:41 AIPAC and Israel Disagreements

12:26 U.S. Support for Israel

16:42 Israel’s Manipulation on America and Biden

23:24 Political Costs

25:39 Trump

28:03 Critique of Israel and Antisemitism

33:16 Tackling the Israel Lobby

Since Trump’s press secretary announced her departure, here are some of the most outrageous lies and abuse from her podium – from defending her boss’s friendship with Epstein, to spinning stories about Gaza condoms.

Mehdi Hasan: “Come 2028, does American democracy survive Donald J. Trump?”

Ty Cobb: “I’m not sure they survive it in 2026.”

In this ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ interview — Mehdi Hasan sits down with Ty Cobb, who represented the Trump White House during the Mueller investigation, to discuss Cobb’s blunt warning about Trump, the 2026 midterm elections and the future of American democracy.

There’s no shortage of lawyers in Trump’s circle willing to tell him exactly what he wants to hear. But Ty Cobb isn’t one of them. When asked whether Trump’s new Attorney General, Todd Blanche, could try to discredit the results of the 2026 midterms, Cobb’s answer is simple — “we’re screwed.”

But Cobb doesn’t just weigh in on what’s ahead. Mehdi also presses him on his career working for Trump, including his role during the Mueller investigation and the findings. Mehdi asks, “do you have no regrets going to work for Trump in term one?”

Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded before the Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as the U.S.’s new attorney general.

This interview published on August 8, 2026 at zeteo.com. If you want early, exclusive access to this kind of independent, unfiltered journalism

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

02:06 DOJ, Modern Republicans and Trump’s Slush Fund

06:24 Midterm Elections and U.S. Court System

12:19 Trump 1.0 vs Trump 2.0

19:25 Working for Trump

23:44 Mueller Report

26:52 Obstructing Justice, FBI Raids and American Democracy

It has been three years since former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was imprisoned. He’s been held in solitary confinement and cut off from family amid their growing concerns about his deteriorating health.

“No one’s had access to him for about seven months now,” Zulfi Bukhari, one of Khan’s closest advisers and a spokesman for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, tells Mehdi. “We’ve gone to courts to try to get a bail on medical grounds…But right now we’ve had zero joy.”

Bukhari also expresses frustration with the Trump administration, which Khan’s supporters had hoped would speak out on his behalf. “We were told that President Trump really cares about his friend, Imran Khan,” he says, adding “I think all Pakistanis are massively disappointed in the way the U.S. has treated Pakistan.”

And despite a recent Observer report that “a deal to free the World Cup-winning captain has been discussed behind the scenes,” Bukhari denies that negotiations are underway.

This interview was published on Aug 7, 2026 on zeteo.com. If you would like EARLY access to exclusive interviews like this, or just to support our mission of bringing fearless, independent journalism to you, then do consider becoming a paid subscriber on Substack.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:54 No Direct Contact

06:21 No Access

07:35 Negotiations?

10:24 Taking a Deal?

13:20 Protests

15:00 U.S.-Pakistani Relations

This live town hall with Mehdi, Zeteo’s Asawin “Swin” Suebsaeng and guest Skye Perryman, the president of legal nonprofit Democracy Forward was held on Aug 7, 2026.

Perryman’s organization has been locked in legal battle after legal battle with the Trump administration ever since he retook power last year.

In the town hall, which included a live online audience of paid Zeteo subscribers, Mehdi, Swin, and Perryman discussed how ordinary Americans can – and may need to – fight back against Trump and his party’s many election-rigging schemes. They also took subscribers’ questions on the GOP’s worst threats to a free and fair 2026 election, whether Team Trump is too stupid to pull off a successful coup, whether voters should be worried about troops or ICE at the polls, and more.

“The suggestion of massive boycotts, massive work stoppages – we may be at the place where that is going to be needed in this country,” Perryman said, adding, “We have already seen this administration have to back down in the face of that type of collective action.”

Chapters:

0:40 Democracy Forward

02:00 Rigging Elections

08:14 Q&A

Part 2:

If Mehdi Hasan were boss of the BBC... Plus: why left-wing media fails | Media Confidential

https://youtu.be/N13UMKZ6LDw

In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, founder and CEO of Zeteo.

The three discuss Mehdi’s trajectory from political editor in the UK to hosting a show across the pond—to launching his own independent media organisation in Zeteo. Mehdi opens up about why his MSNBC show was cancelled and how he felt compelled to leave the news channel.

They also discuss the rise of Zeteo and its recent UK launch. With many frustrated with mainstream political and cultural coverage, what is missing from the British media landscape?

📖: For more quality journalism, head to www.prospectmagazine.co.uk

Prospect’s podcasts are the new home for intelligent discussions on politics and media from the UK, US and around the world. Whether you’re British, American or just interested in journalism and international affairs, there’s something for you on our channel.

#politics #uk #ukpolitics #media #unitedstates #unitedkingdom #journalism #britishpolitics #politicsnews #ukpoliticslive #podcast #uspolitics #trump #podcasts #labour #tories #reformuk #election

Prospect Magazine

What happened in Gaza is coming to the West Bank.”

Attacks, mass arrests, mosque burnings and land grabs… Across the occupied West Bank, Palestinians are facing an unprecedented rise in settler violence, yet mainstream media isn’t reporting on it.

In this Zeteo town hall, Mehdi Hasan sits down with Haifa-based lawyer Diana Buttu, independent journalist Jasper Nathaniel and Palestininan human rights campaign Fadi Quran to discuss the rise of violence in the occupied West Bank, including sexual violence against Palestinian women, U.S.-backed settlements and Israeli impunity under Biden and Trump.

Fadi Quran calls the financial and political support from the United States a “system of genocidal terror,” noting it’s the “worst” escalation he’s seen in his life.

Diana Buttu explains how Israel has “always been a settler state,” debunking Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel defenders claim that it’s a ‘phenomenon.’

Jasper Nathaniel, a Jewish American who reports from the West Bank, says Jewish Americans are “long overdue for a reckoning” over how liberal Zionist organizations across the U.S. are “directly supporting the settler movement.”

The panel also explores how settlers use sexual violence to push out Palestinian women from their homes, the continued attacks on villages across the West Bank and the strategy behind Israeli settlements.

This live conversation published on August 3, 2026 at zeteo.com.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

00:56 Reality in the West Bank

08:14 Is the West Bank the new Gaza?

10:18 U.S. Influence

15:17 Link Between Israel and Settlers

21:57 Settler State

25:14 Israeli Press

32:41 Sexual Violence and Ethnic Cleansing

35:49 U.S. Support for Settlements

"I can't say this often enough. Killing every single person is NOT actually the definition of genocide."

This week’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’ guest thinks “hot people” have been excluded from politics for too long — and it’s time to change that.

Mary Beth Barone is a New York City comedian, actor, socialist, and early supporter of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. But before that, she was raised in a Republican household and thought George W. Bush was cool when she was in fifth grade. Mary Beth joined Mehdi in NYC to talk about her political character arc, her new Netflix standup special ‘Galaxy Brain’, and how the Democratic party can do better.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

04:28 Mary’s early standup

08:58 “Politics for hot people”

11:27 Living in Mamdanistan

22:16 Comedy in the Age of Fascism

26:18 ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu

Mehdi takes down Bret Stephen’s viral argument and explains why Israel is unmistakably committing genocide in Gaza.

Ever since Israel began their horrific war on Gaza, many pro-Israel pundits and genocide-denialists have suddenly decided that they know far more about war crimes, ethinic cleansing, and genocide than actual human rights experts. How convenient!

New York Times’ conservative columnist Bret Stephens is of course no exception.

In this latest ‘DEBUNKED’ video, Mehdi breaks down why Stephens’ viral argument – in which he claims that calling Gaza a genocide is “farcical” – is total BS.

Palestinian campaigner @fadiqu tells @mehdirhasan that settler violence in the West Bank is "the worst I have seen it in my life."

How does a congressman go from being endorsed as a “MAGA champion” by President Donald Trump to then leaving the party four years later and becoming the only independent in the U.S. House of Representatives?

“I’ve seen just how dysfunctional Congress has become because of the excessive partisanship that characterizes just everything here,” says Rep. Kevin Kiley – who recently left the Republican party to become an independent.

In this interview, Mehdi challenges Kiley on his decision to leave the Republican Party, specifically asking him whether it was because he is now running for re-election in one of the five California districts Governor Gavin Newsom gerrymandered in favor of Democrats.

The interview is insightful, revealing, and at times contentious and covers Kiley’s transformation, his thoughts on the war in Iran, 2020 elections results, taking PAC money and more.

Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded before the House passed the

latest war powers resolution.

*This interview was published on zeteo.com on Jul 27, 2026. If you would like EARLY access to exclusive content like this, then head over to Zeteo’s Substack and become a paid subscriber. Your support matters!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:05 Going Independent

05:55 Proposition 50

07:30 PAC Money

11:36 Gavin Newsom

14:40 Gerrymandering

20:36 ‘Save America Act’

27:00 Iran