Mehdi Unfiltered – Details, episodes & analysis

On this week’s ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ Mehdi unpacks Israel’s “violent and reckless” assault on Lebanon and the false propaganda behind it. 

“The Israeli government wants you to believe that this is all about security, about protecting ordinary Israelis at the Northern border. And that this war isn’t against Lebanon or the people of Lebanon, but only against Hezbollah,” Mehdi explains. “The problem is that, like with Gaza, their ministers can’t stop sounding genocidal in public when they talk about Lebanon.”

American University of Beirut professor Karim Makdisi joins the show to discuss Israel’s latest attacks on Lebanon – including Israel’s explosive pager attacks – and how Israel’s offensive is only increasing Lebanese support for Hezbollah. 

“It is a pure act of terrorism,” Makdisi tells Mehdi. “They didn't even want to kill. They wanted to maim and blind people, you know, several thousand people… and these are the kinds of things, ironically, where those that deeply oppose Hezbollah in Lebanon become a lot more sympathetic.” 

Watch the monologue and panel interview – which also features the Center for International Policy’s Matt Duss, former Bernie Sanders foreign policy advisor – to hear more about the humanitarian toll in Lebanon, how likely it is that Iran will get involved, and how another war could impact the US presidential election. 

Also on the show, Mehdi is joined by renowned author and historian William Dalrymple to discuss his latest book, ‘The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World’. The book makes the case that, for over a millennia, India was an international powerhouse that shaped civilizations around it – it was ‘the heart of ancient Eurasia’ – and that its advances and influence have been erased. The two also discuss Israel’s war in Gaza and why William has been so outspoken while other authors and historians have remained silent. 

“I have the freedom to speak out,” he tells Mehdi. “If, as an author, you know something to be untrue and you know a great injustice is going on, it's your duty to do this.”

Be sure to watch this week’s episode above and tell us what you think about Mehdi’s monologue, the discussion on Lebanon and William Dalrymple. We love hearing from you!

Bomb threats to schools in Ohio attended by immigrants, an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate, and an increase in threats to federal judges are just a few examples of the heightened level of political violence in the United States. 

Much has been written about Donald Trump’s hateful rhetoric and incendiary language but what will happen if he loses the election? A study last year showed that violence is gaining mainstream acceptance, with one-third of Republicans saying that violence may be the answer to saving the US. 

As the election approaches, can we totally discount the idea of a ‘civil war’ in the US? 

Some say that this has all been a long-time coming. Jack Goldstone, an expert on Civil Unrest, practically predicted January 6th, writing alongside Peter Turchin less than two months before the 2020 election: “Is the US likely headed for still greater protests and violence? In a word, yes.”

In fact, Goldstone had already predicted over 25 years ago that in the 21st century, the US would elect a populist America-first leader who would inflict division and chaos onto the country.

Jack Goldstone, Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University joins this episode of ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ together with one of the top experts on fascism, New York University’s History Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the author of ‘Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present.’ 

“What it would mean is an end to the lawful processes that we believe in. Revolutions have changed, they're more peaceful than they used to be, and we could have civil strife that changes our institutions,” said Goldstone.

Ben-Ghiat cautioned that as “we saw on January 6th, [for them] violence is the way you change history. And that goes back to fascism, and it's also part of communism… This is what demagogues do, they have to condition people to see violence differently.”

Watch the important, and at times disturbing, discussion above to hear the analysis of this particular political moment, what role language and rhetoric play in setting the stage for upheaval, and even whether a coup may be in the cards.

Twenty years, trillions of dollars, and the longest war in US history failed to eradicate the Taliban. Now, with the Taliban having taken back the country – and having implemented some of the most troubling restrictions on women we’ve seen from them – what’s next for Afghanistan and its people? And what’s been happening since the mainstream media mostly stopped covering the story? 

The head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) Ali Maisam Nazary joins Mehdi Unfiltered in Washington, D.C. to talk about his coalition group’s efforts to force out the Taliban and take back the country. 

But how effective have they been so far – including in their efforts at getting foreign help? Are they even popular in the country? And what was their record when their members were part of the last government? 

Watch the interview above, including Nazary explaining the dire state of women in Afghanistan at this very moment (he calls it gender apartheid). And for paid subscribers, join the conversation in the comments and let us know what other countries you want to see us covering!

Donald Trump has a seriously abusive relationship with the media. He bashes them as “enemies of the people,” tries to discredit them as “fake news,” and even calls for reporters and anchors to be jailed, yet much of the so-called ‘liberal’ US media seem to give him a pass on so much of the shocking stuff that he says or does.

No lessons seem to have been learned from the 2016 debacle, and our media is now bent on trying to find some sort of ridiculous equivalence between the ordinary exaggerations and misstatements of the Democrats and the brazen gaslighting and fabulism of Trump and the GOP. By trying to look ‘neutral’ and ‘unbiased,’ the press has effectively assumed the role of Trump normalizers, at best, and Trump apologists, at worst. 

So what’s wrong with our ‘liberal’ media? And how do we fix it before it’s too late? 

To answer these questions and more, Mehdi was joined in the studio this week on ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ by two of the US media’s most eloquent critics. Journalist and author Wajahat Ali, who publishes the Left Hook Substack newsletter, and veteran reporter and author James Fallows, who was chief speechwriter to President Jimmy Carter, and publishes the Breaking the News Substack newsletter. 

“I think it's time for fact checkers to retire for this election cycle.” 

“There's a bias towards normalizing things that are objectively crazy and being afraid to say, this is crazy.”

Watch the panel discussion above to hear the full conversation about how the media lost their way, why truth is no longer prioritized in today’s mainstream media landscape, and listen out for at least one very dark, but very funny joke, from Wajahat!

If you’re a paid subscriber, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments, and who you would like to see Mehdi talk to next! And if you’re not a paid subscriber, what are you waiting for? We want to hear from you too!

In an exclusive interview with ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, speaks to Mehdi on the threats that face both Palestinians in Gaza and his own organization. 

“I don't know how much worse it can become, I have to say, we are losing and we are lacking words to describe the situation,” says Lazzarini. UNRWA is currently fighting a polio outbreak in Gaza, but a successful vaccination campaign there is nearly impossible given Israel’s bombardment. “This is a communicable disease which doesn't know any border and could also spread in the entire region, including Israel,” Lazzarini tells Mehdi. 

In addition to disease, UNRWA faces repeated Israeli attempts at dismantling their entire organization. From accusations that staffers took part in the Oct. 7 attack, to allegations that Hamas builds tunnels under UNRWA schools.

“I do not have the military expertise to look at what's underneath the entire Gaza Strip… All these allegations need to be investigated. First, we need to investigate the killing of the UN staff,” says Lazzarini. 

Watch the full conversation above to hear what the Commissioner-General also has to say about war crimes in Gaza.

Also on the show: why can’t U.S. news organizations get their coverage of Donald Trump right? Mehdi is joined by journalist and author Wajahat Ali as well as former chief speechwriter to President Jimmy Carter, James Fallows, to talk about it. 

The conversation includes Ali calling for “fact checkers to retire for this election cycle,” Fallows on the “failure of imagination” among liberal white journalists, and a dark joke about detention camps from one of the two that we’ll leave for them to tell. 

Then there is Afghanistan, where the situation for women and minorities gets worse by the day, under Taliban rule, but which is being ignored by much of our mainstream media.

“What we see today in Afghanistan is gender apartheid. Women have been erased from public life. Their basic rights have been taken away from them,” Ali Maisam Nazary, Head of Foreign Relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), tells Mehdi on this week’s show.

Watch the full interview to hear more on the status of women in Afghanistan. Mehdi also challenges Nazary on the fighting in the Panjshir Valley, the NRF’s record in the last government, and the difficulties that lie ahead. 

If you’re a paid subscriber, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments, and who you would like to see Mehdi talk to next! And if you’re not a paid subscriber, what are you waiting for? We want to hear from you too!

CHICAGO – In this special episode of ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’, we’re at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, around the corner from the United Center, at the Palestinian-American owned OUD Coffee and Cafe. Mehdi is joined in this exclusive interview with prominent voices from the Uncommitted Movement – and just moments after it was revealed that the DNC would not be allowing a Palestinian to speak at the convention.

Joining ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ are co-chair of the Uncommitted Movement Layla Elabed, who briefly spoke with Vice President Harris recently; former U.S. Representative from Michigan Andy Levin, a progressive, Jewish critic of Israel; and Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman, the first Muslim-American woman, and first Palestinian-American to be elected to the state’s House of Representatives.

Just minutes before this recording began, the panel got word that the DNC officially confirmed a Palestinian speaker would not be brought to speak on stage at the convention on Thursday, despite officials suggesting to the movement earlier that it could happen. The DNC had gone so far as shortlisting potential speakers, according to unnamed members of the movement who spoke to Zeteo.

“I really thought I could take something back after this week,” Romman said. “And now I don’t know what I’m going to say to [my community].” Romman was the Palestinian-American who most likely would have been the speaker on stage Thursday evening.

The Uncommitted Movement has been a prominent anti-war, pro-Palestinian coalition that’s secured more than 700,000 votes during the Democratic Party primaries, including more than 100,000 in the swing state of Michigan alone. It has thirty delegates from 8 states here at the DNC. 

So, how does the movement feel after the DNC denied a Palestinian voice a spot on the convention stage, especially after they featured the parents of an Israeli-American hostage in Gaza on stage Wednesday night? Do members believe they’ve made headway with the Democratic party in recent months, what’s been happening behind-the-scenes? And, the big questions, what happens next – and what’s the plan for November? 

Watch the full conversation above and join the conversation in the comments below!

Throughout the course of Israel’s brutal 10-month assault on Gaza, Ami Ayalon – the former head of Israel’s Security Service, Shin-Bet, and the ex-commander of the Israeli Navy – has emerged as one of the Netanyahu government’s chief critics, along with several other former Israeli military officials. 

In this wide-ranging interview for ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ Ayalon tells Mehdi why he believes Benjamin Netanyahu and Itamar Ben-Gvir are a threat to Israeli democracy, why it is time to “stop the occupation,” and why he would fight against Israel if he were a Palestinian.

“[Netanyahu] did everything in order to increase the power of Hamas and to make sure that Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority will not be able to create a unified government,” Ayalon says. “I think that too many Israelis do not understand that we shall not have security unless we shall stop the occupation. And we shall not have democracy unless we shall end the occupation.”

As reports of Israeli torture and rape against detained Palestinians continue to emerge, Mehdi also confronts Ayalon over allegations of torture against Shin Bet on his watch - and the former security chief admits to Mehdi that he has “many regrets.”

Watch the full interview, above, to see Mehdi debate Ayalon on whether or not Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza by bombing civilian targets. Please note that free subscribers can only watch the first ten minutes as a preview.

If you’re a paid subscriber, join the conversation below - we love hearing what you think!

In this week’s episode of Mehdi Unfiltered, Mehdi speaks to British Member of Parliament Zarah Sultana, who blames politicians and the press for the shocking far-right riots in the UK

Plus, Mehdi speaks to YouTube star Bryan Tyler Cohen about his new book on the "shameless" GOP.

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Mehdi speaks to 18-year-old conscientious objector Tal Mitnick, who chose to go to prison rather than serve with the Israeli army in occupied Gaza, and calls on the U.S. to stop arming his country.

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Watch Mehdi break down all 30 chapters of Project 2025’s dystopian manifesto in just two minutes flat. (He speaks very fast!)

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