Huge thanks to our friend and colleague Katie Halper for joining us for a very urgent conversation on the unfolding US-Israel war on Iran. As these “world powers” bomb hospitals and schools, kill civilians and fan the flames of violence, we’re making sense of what this particular instance of regime change-motivated violence will look like as the US pursues its own financial and political interests. Based upon what we learn from Katie and what we’ve learned as the situation escalates, we’ve got a lot to say about it. Listen below:

The “axis of Epstein” is our phrase for the US and Israel teaming up to wage this illegal, offensive war on Iran. A huge part of the strategy so far in terms of attacking Iran and undermining the very foundation of its government is evident through the US and Israel’s horrific bombing strategy, and that’s one of the many through-lines we draw between the attacks on Iran and the ongoing attacks on Gaza. As we noted, bombs on schools and hospitals target the most vulnerable members of society and stoke terror and despair among the survivors and the larger community. And another repeat strategy is the targeting of police stations, which also plays a role in sowing fear, social instability, and unrest. This all-out, horrifically violent offensive may already be slipping out of Trump’s control as he stands to lose even more support for another forever war the American people don’t want.

And the situation definitely has the potential to escalate to apocalyptic levels. We discuss the threat of nuclear weapons being used and stress the instability caused, on both sides of the conflict, by religious fanaticism. When the US wages war on the Middle East, too rarely do we actually turn the finger back on ourselves and think about how our country’s very real subjugation to super-religious leaders plays a massive role in US conflict-seeking. To that end, we turn our attention to the holy rollers in the Trump administration, including Lindsey Graham and Mike Johnson. Christian fanaticism in the US as a driving force of violence overseas (as well as at home!) needs more acknowledgment and we’re grateful to Katie for joining us for this necessary conversation.

Thanks for joining us (and for keeping us ad-free!). You can listen to this episode tomorrow on major audio streaming platforms, including Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.