MintCast

Award-winning journalist Aaron Maté joins Mnar Adley to expose the hidden interests behind Trump’s Gaza “peace” deal — a plan rooted not in diplomacy but in real estate and natural gas profits. As Israel’s ceasefire takes hold, Western media celebrate the return of Israeli captives while ignoring thousands of Palestinian prisoners and the empire’s economic motives beneath it all. In this episode of Behind the Headlines and MintCast, Maté and Adley break down: Israel’s offshore gas fieldsLarry Ellison CBS takeovercorporate press whitewashes empire’s crimes🎧 Watch the full video version on MintPress News’ YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/PcO2DTAqCaM Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

In this urgent episode of the Mint Press News podcast, host Mnar Adley speaks with Lebanese war correspondent Ghadi Francis about Israel’s relentless war on Lebanon and Washington’s renewed campaign to force Hezbollah to disarm. Ghadi, whose Instagram account with over 400,000 followers was recently suspended by Meta, returns to the show to share firsthand reporting from the frontlines of South Lebanon. Despite a so-called ceasefire, Israel continues daily attacks—bombing civilians, kidnapping fishermen and shepherds, expanding military positions on Lebanese soil, and flying drones over villages. Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed Lebanese government is pressuring Hezbollah to surrender its weapons without any guarantee that Israel won’t invade again. Ghadi explains why Hezbollah cannot and will not disarm while Israeli forces still occupy Lebanese land. She details the horrific aftermath of Israel’s pager and walkie-talkie attacks that blinded and maimed thousands, including children. She also reveals how Lebanon’s economic collapse is being weaponized to fracture national unity and intensify pressure on the resistance. This conversation exposes the complicity of Western media, the hypocrisy of U.S. foreign policy, and the terrifying reality that everyday devices could become weapons—thanks to Israeli-American technological warfare. Mint Press News is independent, fearless, and entirely reader-supported. If you believe in journalism that centers truth over power, please support our work. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mintpress-keeping-truth-alive-in-a-war-of-lies#/ Follow Ghadi Francis on her new Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ghadifranciss/ Subscribe to Mint Press News on YouTube and share this episode to keep watchdog journalism alive Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination dominated global headlines. Meanwhile, Israel killed Yemen’s prime minister and bombed journalists — stories Western media buried. Independent Yemeni journalist Abdellatif Al Washali joins MintPress to discuss the Red Sea blockade that has devastated Israel’s economy, the assassination of Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, and why only Yemen is paying the price for resisting genocide in Gaza. Support MintPress News: https://www.mintpressnews.com/mintpress-news-faces-shutdown-amid-unprecedented-attacks-on-truth/290423/ Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

The Trump administration is beating the drums of war in Latin America. Washington has placed a $50 million bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of running a cocaine empire called the Cartel of the Suns. But experts say the cartel barely registers on the DEA’s radar. Instead, the U.S. is inflating it into a narco-state menace — a pretext for regime change and invasion. MintCast hosts Mnar Adley and Alan MacLeod are joined by: Diego SequeraLeonardo FloresTogether, they expose how Washington is weaponizing myths about drug trafficking to justify intervention — and why Venezuela remains at the heart of Latin America’s anti-imperialist struggle. 👉 Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GWUn_rLomTs Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

When African Stream became one of the fastest-growing revolutionary media outlets on the planet, Washington took notice — and Silicon Valley pulled the plug. In this MintCast episode, hosts Mnar Adley and Alan MacLeod speak with Ahmed Kaballo, founder of African Stream, about the U.S.-led campaign that led to his platform being removed from the internet. Kaballo also breaks down the rise of Burkina Faso’s young leader Ibrahim Traoré, the grassroots movement driving the Sahel’s anti-imperialist wave, and the growing push to expel Western military forces from Africa. 🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EB-ydll1Kb0 📰 Read more: “Blinken Ordered the Hit. Big Tech Carried It Out. African Stream Is Dead.” on MintPress News 📰 Read more: “Why Washington is Worried About Burkina Faso’s Young Revolutionary Leader” on MintPress News Follow MintCast for more: 📺 YouTube – MintPress News 📱 Twitter – @MintPressNews 📷 Instagram – @MintPressNews 🌐 Website – https://www.mintpressnews.com Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

Israel’s Hasbara machine just got a 2,000% budget boost. In this MintPress exclusive, Alan MacLeod breaks down how the Israeli Foreign Ministry is funneling $150 million into Google and YouTube ads aimed squarely at European audiences—while Unit 8200 veterans quietly staff Silicon Valley giants. 🔍 What you’ll learn: • How YouTube served 45 million Europeans in weeks • Why Google terms-of-service violations are ignored • The Unit 8200–Google pipeline (99+ confirmed hires) • Starlink’s secret role in Iran ops • MAGA influencers on paid Israel junkets 📰 Full investigation: https://www.mintpressnews.com/israel-europe-youtube-ad-campaign/290163/ 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vvYbhlQQldA ✨ Support independent watchdog journalism: https://www.patreon.com/MintPressNews Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

Motaz Azaiza became a global icon for his fearless photojournalism during Israel’s assault on Gaza. In this exclusive MintCast interview, host Mnar Adley speaks with Azaiza about surviving the onslaught, becoming a voice for his people, and why documenting war crimes has never been more urgent. Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 200 journalists. Azaiza’s powerful images cut through the fog of war, inspiring millions and showing the world the human cost of Israel’s actions. He reflects on the emotional toll, the global response, and his mission to raise funds for UNRWA as Gaza starves under siege. Subscribe to MintCast for more frontline voices and hard-hitting interviews. Support Palestinian journalists by donating to UNRWA or sharing this episode. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

Israel thought it could strike Iran and walk away unscathed. It was wrong. In this explosive episode of MintCast, Tehran-based professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi joins Mnar Adley from the heart of a city under Israeli bombardment to deliver a stark message: Israel is not in control—and the tide is turning fast. Marandi says Israel’s attacks have only strengthened Iranian unity, while the Trump administration’s betrayal has shattered any future for diplomacy. “There is more solidarity now than at any point since Saddam’s invasion,” he explains. As the U.S. inches closer to full-scale war, public support at home is collapsing—60% of Americans oppose getting involved. Marandi exposes the West’s wishful thinking, the media’s imperial spin, and why Israel may be walking into the biggest strategic mistake in its history. 🔊 Hear it straight from Tehran—where the war is real, and Israel is losing. 🎧 Guest: Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi, University of Tehran 🎙 Host: Mnar Adley 📍 Recorded during active Israeli strikes on Iran ▶️ Watch the original video: https://youtu.be/UNrXxCqBFzo Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

On this week’s edition of The MintCast, host Mnar Adley speaks with British-Iraqi trauma surgeon Dr. Mohammed Tahir about his harrowing months working in Gaza’s hospitals, the trauma he witnessed, and the global awakening to Israel’s atrocities. Dr. Tahir describes operating on a “sea of mangled people” under nonstop Israeli bombardment, and shares how his experience forged unbreakable bonds with fellow medics resisting death with every operation. From Greta Thunberg’s “Freedom Flotilla” to Iraq’s steadfast solidarity with Palestine, Dr. Tahir explains why he believes the tide is turning against Zionist propaganda—and why Israel’s brutality has permanently changed how the world sees it. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

In part two of our exclusive interview, American ICU nurse Willy Massay reveals a disturbing pattern of Israeli attacks on Gaza’s medical system and children. He says Israeli soldiers deliberately shot boys in the penis to prevent them from having families. Massay recounts treating patients with no anesthesia, no gauze, and no electricity—forced to manually keep children alive as bombs shattered hospital walls. With over 1,400 healthcare workers killed and nearly every hospital damaged or destroyed, his testimony is one of the clearest indictments yet of Israel’s genocidal assault. Missed part one? Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/284746/episodes/17104827 Watch the YouTube version: WAR CRIMES IN GAZA: Unfiltered Hospital Testimony from ICU Nurse Willy Massay 🎙️ Truth Has Enemies. We Have You.🎙️ For over a decade, MintPress News has been at the forefront of exposing Israeli apartheid, occupation, and war crimes, when few dared to. We've been censored, smeared, and blacklisted for telling the truth. But we haven’t stopped. Independent journalism like this isn’t just important—it’s under attack. If you believe in reporting that defends the voiceless and challenges the powerful, we need your support. 👉 Support Us on Patreon 👉 Or make a One-Time Donation Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

In this powerful and deeply emotional episode, MintPress News Director Mnar Adley sits down with American ICU nurse Wally Massay, who has just returned from Gaza after volunteering on the front lines of Israel’s war on the civilian population. Having worked in some of Gaza’s most devastated medical facilities—including Al-Aqsa, Nasser, and Indonesia hospitals—Massay offers a chilling firsthand account of the deliberate targeting of health workers, the systematic destruction of hospitals, and the devastating toll on Palestinian children. Massay shares how Gaza’s hospitals function under siege: with no real shifts, medical professionals work 24/7 under the constant sound of crying children and explosions. According to Massay, the injuries he treated—many gunshot wounds to the head, chest, and groin of young boys—were too precise to be anything but intentional. “Their reproductive organs were completely dismantled and destroyed,” he tells Adley, calling it “ethnic cleansing at its worst.” The interview also addresses the Israeli military’s targeting and imprisonment of doctors, including the death of Dr. Adnan al-Bursh under alleged torture in Israeli custody. Since October 7, 2023, over 1,150 health workers in Gaza have been killed, among them 165 doctors and 260 nurses. According to the World Health Organization, Israel has damaged or destroyed 33 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals. Massay’s reflections are not just professional—they’re personal. He speaks with anguish about the U.S. government’s unwavering support for Israel’s actions, including billions in aid and military assistance. "Looking into the eyes of a Palestinian child," he says, "it is a terrible feeling to know that my money and my taxes just killed you." This exclusive interview is a rare and urgent testimony from someone who witnessed the atrocities firsthand. It challenges listeners to confront the human cost of political choices and the moral consequences of silence. Trigger warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence against civilians and children. 🎧 Don’t miss this searing account from Gaza’s medical front lines. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

While the destruction in the Middle East has been fierce, the media war surrounding who controls the narrative of events has been no less intense. And MintPress News has been caught up in it. Our investigations into Israeli attempts to manipulate public understanding of the genocide in Gaza have drawn the ire of The Jerusalem Post, who recently attempted to cancel us, labeling MintPress as part of a network of Iranian, Russian and Syrian-backed extremist websites pushing antisemitism. Alan MacLeod, senior staff writer and podcast producer at MintPress News, will join the MintCast host to discuss this. Alan’s investigations, which revealed a network of former Israeli spies and lobbyists working in newsrooms across America, went viral and were read by hundreds of thousands of people. His report, entitled: “Revealed: The Israeli Spies Writing America’s News,” discussed how former agents from Israeli spying group Unit 8200 have found a home in some of the corporate media’s most prominent outlets, including Axios and CNN. Unit 8200 is the centerpiece of Israel’s surveillance state and has been the source of many of the most controversial spying and hacking scandals of the last decade. Former Unit 8200 agents developed the Pegasus spyware, which was used to snoop on activists, journalists, world leaders and royals around the world. His second investigation cataloged hundreds of ex-Israel lobbyists who went on to work in newsrooms across the country. One example of this is the NBCUniversal network. CNBC’s lead work report was, until 2011, a commander in the Israeli Defense Forces before moving back to America to work for the Friends of the IDF. This group raises money for supplies and support for Israeli soldiers, as well as encouraging Americans to enlist in the Israeli military. This pro-Israel bias goes straight to the top. MSNBC’s executive producer, Moshe Arenstein, is a former IDF intelligence commander. The traction that these groundbreaking stories were receiving clearly put MintPress in the Jerusalem Post’s crosshairs, the Israeli newspaper publishing an attack against us. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

2025 is promising to be a crucial year in the history of West Asia. Just weeks have passed since the ouster of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and his replacement with pro-Western leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Syria was a key member of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” – a coalition of actors opposing Israel and its actions. What will Assad’s departure mean for the resistance against Israel, especially given Jolani’s overt friendliness with Tel Aviv? Given their new government, what is in store for Lebanon and Hezbollah now? And how about Iraq and Yemen? To discuss all of this and more is returning guest, Ghadi Francis. Ghadi is an author, journalist, and war correspondent who has covered the situations in Syria and Palestine in great detail. Born in Lebanon, she is the author of the book “My pen and pain: One hundred days in Syria” (2012). Last month, Ghadi joined The MintCast to discuss the fallout of Israel’s attack on its neighbors. During the interview, she set her sights on the Erdoğan administration in Ankara, stating that “Türkiye is as expansionist as Israel – and it is not new!” Francis recently returned from a trip to Iraq, where she was impressed by the rebirth of the country after decades of occupation. Unlike Yemen, she assessed, Iraq is not in a position to face down the might of either the U.S. or Israel. “If the Iraqis continue to resist on their own and they get attacked by the Israelis, nobody is going to protect them,” she said. “So if they refrain for a while from being in active resistance operations and, rather, being a good and strong community…this itself is a great achievement.” Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

It is the album the Israel lobby tried – and failed – to kill. “Soundtrack to the Struggle 3” by MintPress News’ Lowkey is released today. It is the rapper’s first album in five years and is already receiving critical acclaim. Today on “The MintCast,” Mnar Adley sits down with Lowkey to discuss his new offering, the attempts to shut him down, and why good music is often political. A tireless fighter for justice, Lowkey’s tracks have become anthems in the anti-war movement, particularly in the struggle for Palestine liberation. “Soundtrack to the Struggle 3” is no different and provides a political snapshot in time, taking on issues such as the genocide in Gaza, the persecution of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange, and the pervasive surveillance power of our smartphones. If the Israel lobby had its way, this album would never have seen the light of day. Last year, the pressure group, We Believe in Israel petitioned music giant Spotify to remove his songs from their platform, citing non-existent anti-Semitism concerns. We Believe in Israel works hand-in-hand with the Israeli government, which has been monitoring Lowkey closely for over a decade. The Jewish Chronicle newspaper once noted that the rapper’s skill and worldwide fan base constituted a “nightmare” for the government in Tel Aviv. “Pro-Israel groups had me no-platformed at different shows; I’ve been canceled in at least four countries so far, thanks to their maneuvers,” Lowkey told MintPress, adding: “They have recorded meetings I have been at, taken pictures of me in public, and I am sure there is a lot more we do not know about…I’m sure this album will make them very angry and unhappy… They certainly won’t want people to listen to this album.” “Soundtrack to the Struggle 3” is available to stream for free on major music platforms such as Spotify. You can also watch official music videos on YouTube. Lowkey is currently on tour in the United Kingdom and will be playing live shows in London, Birmingham and Manchester this November. The album is available in hard copy for purchase at his shows. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

The United States is socially, politically and economically in crisis. As an increasingly large number of people are priced out of the economy, fewer and fewer buy into the sham of electoral politics. On the world stage, too, the U.S. is suffering. Countries everywhere are beginning to drop the dollar as the standard unit of exchange, and Washington’s prestige has been severely shaken due to its relentless, unequivocal support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Ben Norton joins MintCast host Mnar Adley to discuss all this and more. Norton is an investigative journalist and founder of Geopolitical Economy Report, a news source dedicated to looking at the world and seeing the big picture. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Beijing, China. “The dollar is – even more than the military – the strongest weapon the United States has,” Norton told Adley, explaining that, because of the exorbitant privilege it enjoys in printing the world’s reserve currency, the U.S. can simply export many of its economic problems. It also means that Washington can print more money to pay for its military misadventures around the world. Thus, the dollar system has allowed the U.S. to preserve its global empire and avoid inflation despite running a massive global trade deficit for decades. “I hate when countries go off the dollar,” Donald Trump said recently, adding: “I would not allow countries to go off the dollar because when we lose that standard, that will be like losing a Revolutionary war. That would be a hit to our country, just like losing a war. And we can’t let that happen.” And yet that is precisely what is coming to pass, as even U.S. allies in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have taken steps in that direction. Previously, if any country defied Washington’s orders, it would be sanctioned into oblivion. Indeed, U.S. sanctions are powerful enough to destroy the economies of relatively small countries, such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cuba, or Venezuela. However, as Norton noted, Russia, and especially China, are simply “too big to sanction.” Join us for a fantastic conversation where Ben Norton stitches together the fabric of the world’s top political news stories, allowing us to see the big picture. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

It sometimes feels like the world is on the brink of war. Israel has just escalated the conflict in the Middle East with a massive attack on Lebanon, implanting bombs in hundreds of pagers and other electronic devices, killing many and injuring thousands. Around the world, the action has been condemned as an act of terror. Today’s guest, Scott Ritter, unequivocally denounced the move. “This is something that is unjustifiable under any circumstances. There is no element of the law of war that would allow this kind of indiscriminate attack,” he said. Ritter is a former United States Corps Intelligence Officer and UN Weapons Inspector in Iraq. He is an author and a geopolitical analyst, whose work you can find at ScottRitter.com. He has closely followed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The attack, he said, will have widespread implications, not least for Western corporations, who were caught unaware. “This is going to create a crisis of confidence among consumers that could end up costing Western companies billions of dollars,” he explained, adding: Anybody with any shred of common sense will immediately throw away their Western-made electronic device and source one from a country such as China, where Israel is not going to be able to infiltrate and corrupt the integrity of the electronic device to achieve either intelligence collection goals or assassination [goals].” While the Israeli military is vastly better armed and funded than Hamas, Ritter claimed that it was actually the Palestinian force that has come out on top after 12 months of fighting, stating: Not only that, but Israel is eating itself from within. Its military is seriously depleted; its economy has been shattered by rocket attacks, and by 12 months of war economy; and its society is beginning to fragment. Whatever happens, it is clear that October 7 fundamentally changed the situation for Israel and Palestine forever. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

No matter how bad the attack on Palestine gets, Israel seems to find a way to make it worse. With a series of high-profile assassinations that threaten to spark a regional war, Israel has raised the stakes once again. On July 30, it targeted Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr in Beirut. One day later, it killed Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ lead ceasefire negotiator, while he was in Tehran. The killings sent shockwaves throughout the world, and both Hezbollah and Iran have vowed to respond, the former declaring that the war had entered a “new phase.” Could we be hurtling towards a wider, regional conflict? To discuss this, MintCast host Mnar Adley is joined by Sharmine Narwani. Narwani is a Beirut-based journalist and political commentator. She is a columnist at The Cradle, a publication covering West Asia that seeks to represent millions of voices not heard in corporate Western media. Before joining The Cradle, she was a senior associate at St. Anthony’s College, Oxford. Quoting Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Narwani told Adley today that “Israel is crossing all kinds of red lines now,” and is acting in an increasingly “unhinged” manner, actions which fundamentally come from weakness and vulnerability. “Israel very clearly cannot fight its wars by itself. Facing just one adversary on one front, Israel required the active assistance of three Western nuclear powers and one regional Arab state (Jordan), to thwart the [recent] Iranian attack,” she said. If Israel is indeed reliant on foreign powers, then that raises the worrying question of increased Western involvement in the region and the war. Already, NATO nations launched Operation Prosperity Guardian – an attempt to secure Red Sea shipping lines from Ansar Allah attacks. This has largely failed, as Ansar Allah has held firm and managed to overcome incredible odds. “Yemen is the surprise of the Resistance Axis, and their unity of fronts,” Narwani said, adding: Narwani said that they have managed to do this because Yemenis do not read Western media and have, therefore, not been tamed into displaying “good behavior” toward the United States. Instead, they display an entirely different attitude. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

It is election season once again, and that means that the world’s eyes are drawn to our corrupt two-party duopoly. With a rapidly aging Biden decaying in front of us, Donald Trump is now a heavy favorite to become Commander-in-Chief of the US empire once more. Trump has chosen JD Vance as his running mate, a character made and financed by Silicon Valley and surveillance state billionaire Peter Thiel. It seems no matter whom you vote for, our national security state – and that of Israel – will be the winner. Peter Thiel’s CIA-tech empire “Palantir” helped Israel develop the AI lavender system, which has been used by the Israeli military to target civilian homes and children and completely decimate the world’s largest concentration camp with precision. However, this is not Peter Thiel's first ride in the Trump campaign as he helped bankroll Trump himself in the 2016 election and even worked in his cabinet to advance the surveillance state by collecting our data during COVID. Despite Trump campaigning as a populist anti-establishment draining the swamp, he is the swamp, and he’s planning on overfilling his swamp with figures like Peter Thiel, who will take our technocratic surveillance state and war machine to the next level – far worse than what we say during COVID. And who better to help us learn more about this than one of the most influential journalists of our time – Whitney Webb. She’s the contributing editor of Unlimited Hangout and the author of “One Nation Under Blackmail.” Whitney is also a former MintPress investigative journalist. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

It is clear to at least half the world, some four billion people, that the United States is not the power that it once was… Our reputation is in tatters in the world.” That is what retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson told MintCast host Mnar Adley today. “When you talk about history and the history of empire in particular, what you find are examples of precisely what is happening to us today,” Wilkerson added, noting, in particular, the fall of the Western Roman and Persian empires and how, after they began to teeter, their leadership started to reinforce failures in military operations, in diplomacy and foreign policy in general. “Look at Ukraine. We are reinforcing what is clearly a defeat for NATO, Washington and London (Washington’s poodle). And yet, we are reinforcing. We are sending billions more dollars,” he said, noting that U.S. policy in Gaza and Afghanistan were similar stories. Lawrence Wilkerson served in the Army for 31 years before joining the State Department, where he was Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Yet, in recent years, he has become one of the most vocal critics of American foreign policy. Today, he is a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. The military is facing a severe recruitment crisis. Public confidence in the armed forces is at a modern low. According to a November poll, one-third of Americans would actively discourage their friends and family from military service. In 2023, the Army, Navy and Air Force all fell well short of the recruitment goals—a common occurrence in recent years. It appears Generation Z simply does not want to fight. Wilkerson says this has led to a serious dilemma for war planners in Washington. “If the United States were to go to war with China or Russia today, we would lose badly,” he told Adley, stressing that America has neither the mobilization capacity nor the defense industrial base to defeat their largest foes, and certainly not both of them together. In today’s interview, Adley and Wilkerson touch on many of the key geopolitical hotspots of the day, including the Israeli assault on Gaza. Wilkerson is horrified by what he has seen there and suggests that U.S. support for Israel is costing Washington dearly on the world stage. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

Since 9/11, the United States has launched a series of attacks on sovereign nations, from Afghanistan and Iraq to Libya, Syria and beyond. These wars have left the region beleaguered and broken. But recently, as American power wanes, a new set of forces has emerged. An axis led by Iran, Syria and Yemen has emerged to counter U.S.-Israeli dominance and global giants, such as China and Russia, are increasingly being drawn into the region. Could this lead to a new and even brighter future for West Asia? Tim Anderson joins the show to discuss all things West Asia. Tim is a writer, academic, and director of the Center for Counter Hegemonic Studies. His latest book, “West Asia After Washington: Dismantling the Colonized Middle East,” explores this topic. “It is quite obvious that the U.S.’ influence in this region [West Asia] is in decline,” Anderson told MintCast host Alan MacLeod, laying out several factors in said decline, including the embarrassing American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the unanimous demands from Iraq that the U.S. leave the country, the growing importance of Russia and China in the region the increasing importance of the BRICS economic bloc, the successful Russian operation to keep Assad in power in Syria; the Yemeni blockade of the Red Sea; the failure of the U.S. in Syria and the nosedive in global public opinion of the United States. Anderson joined the show from Damascus, Syria – something that would have been nearly impossible until recently. He noted the tremendous destruction that the civil war had wrought upon the country, much of which is still occupied by the United States, Israel, and other actors. Nevertheless, despite American unilateral coercive measures (i.e., sanctions), life in the major cities is approaching normality again. Anderson identifies Iran as a critical player in the formation of a counter-hegemonic axis. It has found allies in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and, crucially, China and Russia. This grand alliance of powers opposing U.S. policy in the region was something that American planners in the 1990s considered their greatest fear. Nevertheless, a wounded animal is a dangerous one, and the U.S. is far from a spent force. And so, while American power wanes, the people of West Asia should still be on high alert. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.