@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
US congressional candidate Oliver Larkin was faced with genocide denial during an interview with WPLG Local 10 reporter Glenna Milberg.
Larkin raised the topic of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, pointing to statements and findings from institutions such as the United Nations, Amnesty International and Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem.
Milberg refused the characterisation, repeatedly claiming that his statements were “factually incorrect.”
She also claimed that genocide is a specific legal term and opposed Larkin’s references to UN findings concerning Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.
Larkin outlined Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilians, restrictions on humanitarian aid and attacks on churches, schools and other places of worship, before Milberg again interrupted and said his account was “factually not correct.”
The exchange was cut short when Milberg said she was being told they had to wrap up the interview.
The encounter has made waves on social media, with many lashing out at Milberg for ignoring the countless videos, evidence and reports documenting Israel’s genocidal atrocities.
"[lslamophobia] is used cynically by Republicans... to distract from failing economic policies and a disastrous war."
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.
“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
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
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.
"I can't say this often enough. Killing every single person is NOT actually the definition of genocide."
Part 2:
If Mehdi Hasan were boss of the BBC... Plus: why left-wing media fails | Media Confidential
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
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
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