Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté

Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war: Their Blood, Our Bullets https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.comCheck out TruDiagnostic and use our code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comCheck out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTSCheck out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support our work and get the ad-free interview with Professor Richard Sakwa: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/subscriber-only-ad-free-cias-secret?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webWatch the Friday Free-For-All: “Your parents will die young like mine!” Lindsey Graham’s Sister Unveils New Senate Campaign Promise https://usefulidiotspodcast.comJoin us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.This week, a big development for the proxy war in Ukraine: CIA Chief John Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow, and depending on which corporate outlet you read, the reason for the trip is confusing.The Wall Street Journal says Ratcliffe went to issue a warning to the Russians, (‘Don’t you dare attack NATO.’) But the New York Times reported that Racliffe was merely sharing some friendly advice that the war isn’t going well for Russia and they should end it before it widens further. Either way, the CIA in Moscow, nearly five years into the war, surely means something is about to happen.To help sort out the confusion, we are joined by Richard Sakwa, author and Professor Emeritus at the University of Kent, who specializes in Russian and European Politics. He explains that, while Russia has dominated the war so far, time is actually not on their side.Useful Idiots: This war has been going on for a long time, and the longer it drags on, the bigger the risk that it widens beyond Russia and Ukraine.Richard Sakwa: That’s precisely the argument of the hardliners, the hawks in Russia, who basically say that time is not on Russia’s side in the sense that the West is in a vanguard of crossing all of Russia’s red lines.Putin himself also added to the warnings that Ukraine and the West are opening a Pandora’s box. It wasn’t quite clear yet what is in that box.In response, [UK Prime Minister] Burnham himself then said, ‘Well, you started the fire.’ Now that shows an extraordinary intellectual and conceptual myopia that the West has been locked into since the beginning of this conflict. They simply cannot understand the underlying logic of this conflict, as if Putin woke up one fine morning in February and attacked Ukraine in his mad zeal to re-establish the Soviet Empire if not the Russian EmpireSo it’s just an entrenched a position. And of course, this raises, as you suggest, that if Russia does not respond, then it is a sign of weakness.00:00 Intro01:47 Dana Bash MELTS DOWN over Hasan Piker comments06:24 Caught on tape: showing when Dana Bash said that EXACT THING to Netanyahu07:41 Professor Richard Sakwa interview08:22 Why is the CIA in Moscow?15:31 Who really wants the war to expand?25:31 The West is crossing Russia's Red Lines30:43 Boris Johnson admits it again39:10 Zelensky knew ALL ALONGOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war: Their Blood, Our Bullets https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.comCheck out TruDiagnostic and use our code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comCheck out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTSCheck out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support our work and get the extended, ad-free interview with Sharmine Narwani: https://open.substack.com/pub/usefulidiots/p/extended-interview-trump-afraid-after?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=webWatch the Friday Free-For-All: Democrats ADMIT plans to sabotage progressives in general elections against Republicans https://usefulidiotspodcast.comJoin us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.On this week’s show we find out that when you launch an unprovoked regime-change war against a big country like Iran, it turns out that not only is it a bad idea militarily, but it might also tank your economy.The US debt just hit a record-setting $40 trillion, rising $3.6 trillion in the last twelve months alone. That high mark being more than double what it was in 2016. Check out the graph:More damning evidence for the 1971 theoryWith a ballooning military budget for Pete Hegseth’s flailing Department of War and a strangled oil market from Iran’s continued control over the Strait of Hormuz, the US and global economies have been sent reeling.Our guest, Middle East analyst Sharmine Narwani, explains why Iran’s surprise military strength has shocked both US commanders and economists, and gives her prediction that comes out quite bleak for the future of American interests on a global scale:“Major financial institutions around the world are talking about the US potentially losing its position, and the dollar losing its position as a global reserve currency. When that happens, the house of cards falls apart.You cannot finance wars. Nobody wants the dollar. Nobody’s stocking it.You can’t hold other countries to anything if they’re trading in other currencies. If it doesn’t go through New York, you don’t have eyes on things anymore. You lose control.”00:00 Intro00:53 Three questions about Hasan Piker5:00 MS Now tries to get Angie Nixon to ditch the DSA07:03 Bakari Sellers ADMITS Dems will help Republicans over progressives07:35 Sharmine Narwani interview08:27 Refuting Stephen Miller20:12 US debt hits $40 trillion23:55 Is Iran a theocracy?45:08 American power is about to take a huge hitOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.Follow our guests' work:https://sinatoossi.com/https://www.michaellange.nyc/Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war: Their Blood, Our Bullets https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.comCheck out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTSCheck out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support our work and get the extended, ad-free interview with Michael Lange: https://open.substack.com/pub/usefulidiots/p/extended-episode-irans-new-red-line?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=webWatch the Friday Free-For-All: New Yorker's David Remnick Gets SCHOOLED By DSA Chair Over Ukraine https://usefulidiotspodcast.comJoin us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.This week, returning guest Sina Toossi joins us to check in on Trump’s regime change war on Iran: Trump is pausing the bombing campaign in an attempt to walk away from the war after realizing the total disaster it is for the US, falsely claiming that he controls the Strait of Hormuz, hoping that will let him save face and hide back home.Now, he’s reverting to traditional neocon policy of suffocating Iran from afar, crippling Iran’s economy through murderous sanctions and hoping it submits.Sina Toossi: It’s a strategic catastrophe for America as the global empire. This war has shown America to be weaker than countries around the world thought. And this is very significant in geopolitical calculations and alliance building and countries that depend on the US to provide for their security or to be in the US block.The US war machine is not necessarily all it was made out to be despite the trillion dollar military budget. Iran was a mid-tier power that held its own and was able to inflict all these costs and destroyed a lot of US bases in the region.Hear Sina Toossi’s full analysis of the US strategy in Iran and subscribe to hear our full interview with Michael Lange on Abdul El-Sayed, Zohran Mamdani, Francesca Hong, and the battle between liberal Democrats and progressives. 00:00 Intro01:12 Bill O'Reilly wants bombs so bad03:50 Oracle admits their "scary tech" kills Palestinians06:34 Sina Toossi interview12:42 Iran is closing in on the US24:51 Iran's OTHER negotiations35:27 US shows weakness on the global stage40:38 Michael Lange interview46:34 What Francesca Hong's loss means for progressives57:16 Dems and Progressives go to WAROur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Pre-order Eli's new book: Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power https://bookshop.org/p/books/israel-s-lobby-america-in-the-grip-of-a-foreign-power-eli-clifton/16ed5a856e6a2af0?ean=9781668210840&next=t&next=t&affiliate=124839Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war: Their Blood, Our Bullets https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.comCheck out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTSCheck out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support our work and get the extended interview with Eli Clifton: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/extended-interview-aipac-lashes-outWatch the Friday Free-For-All: Laura Ingraham Wants to Rip Abdul El-Sayed's Tight, Communist Shirt Off and Yell At Him All Over https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/laura-ingraham-wants-to-rip-abdul?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webJoin us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI), the cartoonish caricature of a Zionist liberal who once claimed that “Israel comes to me in my dreams,” was thrust into the national spotlight when AIPAC pumped $32 million into her senate campaign, the largest single donation from any PAC or donor for any Democratic in this election cycle.This week, that proved to be poison when Abdul El-Sayed narrowly beat her for the Democratic nomination.El-Sayed, who joins the growing train of progressives toppling the Democratic establishment in places like New York City and Colorado, used this Big Money donation (which amounted to about $62 million, creating a 12-1 donation advantage over El-Sayed) against her in debates, speeches, and campaign ads.AIPAC’s main response to El-Sayed’s attacks was that Stevens would fare better come November against “evil” Republican Mike Rogers. But one day after El-Sayed’s victory, Israel’s hypocrisy shines as always as AIPAC begins donations to Rogers’ campaign.Our guest, investigative journalist Eli Clifton, whose new book with Ian Lustick Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power is now available for pre-order, explains why he expects AIPAC to well outspend its $32 million primary efforts in November, as well as why the campaign is about to get “much uglier.”00:00 Intro02:16 Stephen Miller can't cope with Abdul El-Sayed06:12 Ted Cruz also has a meltdown08:23 But Laura Ingraham thinks El-Sayed is hot11:11 Eli Clifton interview13:29 People in Michigan HATE AIPAC16:52 Van Jones gets WRECKED25:07 How AIPAC stole the presidency from Jimmy Carter34:18 How AIPAC has responded to Eli's reporting on themOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war "Their Blood, Our Bullets": https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.comCheck out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTSCheck out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support our work and get the ad-free interview with Lt. Col. Daniel Davis: https://open.substack.com/pub/usefulidiots/p/ad-free-lt-col-daniel-davis-warns?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=webWatch the Friday Free-For-All: Rahm Emanual Stands Up to Zohran Mamdani in a Fake Story He Made Up About His Own Terrorist Dad https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/rahm-emanual-stands-up-to-zohran?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webJoin us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.Returning to Useful Idiots this week is 4-time combat veteran and host of Daniel Davis Deep Dive on YouTube: Lt. Col. Daniel Davis!In the early stages of the second Trump administration, Davis was considered for a top job under the now-former Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. He almost got the job until Laura Loomer intervened.That’s right. The Islamophobic, arch-Zionist bigot who’s currently visiting Ukraine and extolling the virtues of arming Zelensky’s government got Daniel Davis’s nomination quashed because Davis has been critical of Israel. So of course that’s a no-go in the so-called America First administration.This week, we tap into his military expertise to discuss the growing conflicts under Trump’s watch, from the Ukraine proxy war to the regime-change war against Iran.Subscribe to support our work and get the ad-free version of the interview.00:00 Intro00:54 Trump mocks Lindsey Graham at his own funeral03:25 Lindsey Graham EXPOSED collaborating with Netanyahu against ICC07:44 Rahm Emanuel tells FAKE story about confronting Zohran Mamdani08:14 Lt. Col. Daniel Davis interview13:51 Davis SHREDS "ignorant" pro-war general26:20 Trump fakes death count of US soldiers28:57 More making fun of Lindsey Graham40:14 Ukraine joins the Iran WarOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Follow Rania's reporting at https://breakthroughnews.org/ and sign the petition to stop the government's attack on their free speech: https://breakthroughnews.org/2026/07/22/breakthrough-news-is-under-attack/Pre-order Aaron's new book on the Ukraine war "Their Blood, Our Bullets": https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/Go to https://groundnews.com/useful to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.Check out Quince and use our code https://quince.com/useful for a great deal: https://www.quince.comCheck out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/IDIOTSCheck out Chilipad and use my code sleep.me/USEFUL for a great deal: https://sleep.me/useful------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support our work and get the full interview with Rania Khalek: https://open.substack.com/pub/usefulidiots/p/full-interview-trump-censors-iran?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=webWatch the Friday Free-For-All: Arrest Zohran? Israeli Ambassador Embarrasses Himself when Confronted on Latest Threat https://usefulidiotspodcast.comJoin us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.This week, the Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee issued a subpoena to the independent online news outlet Breakthrough News, demanding all of the organization’s internal communications, financial records, and more.This comes on the heels of Marco Rubio’s State Department issuing a near-100 page report on communism in Cuba and its left-wing international supporters, describing Breakthrough News as being “intimately linked to the Cuban regime.”To discuss this, we spoke with journalist and host at Breakthrough News, friend-of-show Rania Khalek.00:00 Intro02:37 Why's the Washington Post this excited about killing Iranians?08:48 A blatant and definitional call for US war crimes10:38 Rania Khalek interview27:05 Is Israel blackmailing Lebanon's president?36:51 Rania DESTROYS Israeli Emily Schrader44:02 Hezbollah is blocking an army of rapists from invadingOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code USEFUL for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy