Zeteo: Mehdi Unfiltered

'I Saw Terrorization of the Palestinians': U.S. Congressman Detained by Settlers

Mehdi Hasan — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:12:41 GMT

After being detained by Israeli settlers and soldiers during a Palestinian-led visit to the occupied West Bank, California Congressman Ro Khanna is having to fend off attacks from U.S. and Israeli officials alike. Democrats, Republicans, and pundits are all racing to discredit the sitting congressman’s visit to the occupied West Bank for the sake of defending Israel.

Subscribe now

“You have these two young hoodlums, one with an M4 rifle, marching around our van, kicking the tires, wiping the windshields, telling us that we can’t leave,” says Khanna of his encounter with the Israeli settlers. “It’s very upsetting to me that the American ambassador [Mike Huckabee] isn’t looking out for American citizens.”

Khanna tells Mehdi his critics don’t want his Palestinian-led trip to set a precedent for others who might follow his lead and see what he saw, “the terrorization of the Palestinians.” Their conversation, which begins with Khanna’s retelling of the story around his detention, also includes:

The discrimination he experienced during his trip to the occupied West Bank
What shifted his formerly pro-Israel views to where they are today
Why he won’t criticize Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said he will vote against Khanna’s bill seeking to stop the fusion of Israel’s military with the U.S.
Mehdi’s pressing of the congressman on his refusal to call for a full arms embargo to Israel
Elon Musk’s threat to sue Khanna

Paid subscribers can watch the full video above. Free subscribers can watch a 2-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to unlock content like this and a lot more from Zeteo.

Check out more from Zeteo:

Does Trump Compare To Hitler? Mehdi Asks This Fascism Expert

Mehdi Hasan — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:02:03 GMT

In his new book, ‘Shadows of the Republic: The Rebirth of Fascism in America and How to Defeat It for Good,’ lawyer and author Omer Aziz documents the resurgence of fascism in the United States and lays out a playbook to fight back against it.

Now, in a timely interview on ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ Aziz, who most recently served as speechwriter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, warns Mehdi that “the much more dangerous part of fascism is the fascists in suits.”

Subscribe now

“It is using the machinery of constitutional government in a partisan way to make it subservient to the political party and then to turn it against ordinary citizens, dissidents, free thinkers, journalists,” Aziz says.

Mehdi also asks Aziz about:

Antifascist protesters being deemed a domestic terrorism threat by the Trump administration
If he agrees with comparisons between Trump and Hitler
Elon Musk’s role in the global fascist project
The three most important points in his antifascist playbook
His former boss calling Trump’s war in Iran “worth it.”

Paid subscribers can watch the full video interview above, while free subscribers can access a 2-minute preview. Consider upgrading your subscription to never hit a Zeteo paywall again.

Click here to buy a copy of Aziz’s book, Shadows of the Republic: The Rebirth of Fascism in America and How to Defeat It for Good,’ And if you’ve already read it, feel free to share your review of the book in the comments below!

Looking for more book recommendations? Visit the Zeteo book club here for inspiration!

Check out more from Zeteo:

‘Death’ and ‘Mass Murder’: Abby Martin on U.S. Policy Toward Cuba

Mehdi Hasan — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:01:10 GMT

Donald Trump is not just threatening war against Cuba, but his sanctions against the island nation are having severe and deadly consequences. Its power grid is collapsing and Cuba’s most vulnerable are dying. After a visit from CIA Director John Ratcliffe in May, it is making sweeping economic changes that journalist Abby Martin says could raise inequality. In the midst of this crisis, Martin became the first U.S. journalist to interview Cuba’s president Miguel Díaz-Canel, as part of a provocative documentary entitled ‘Cuba After Castro.’

Subscribe now

“All we hear are the people fleeing from Cuba. We don’t understand why,” Martin tells Mehdi. “We have no idea what these countries would look like if the U.S. lifted its boot on the neck of the Cuban people.”

Martin’s documentary tells the untold story of the Cuban people. “Death is the policy. Mass murder is the policy that has been stated for decades to make the Cuban people suffer and overthrow their government.”

This in-depth conversation on the consequences of U.S. foreign policy goes beyond Cuba, as Mehdi and Martin also discuss her previous documentaries, centered around Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. Mehdi asks Martin about:

Her reaction to the situation in occupied Gaza today, where she says “the world has just sat idly by and watched genocide become the norm”
How speaking to Israelis on the ground made her feel like “reality was flipped on its head”
Why she believes Gaza is the “connective tissue” for so many people around the world
How she views Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s approach as “just like the Zionists’ wing of the foreign policy establishment.”

Paid subscribers can watch the full 25-minute video above. Free subscribers can watch a 3-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to unlock content like this and a lot more from Zeteo.

Check out more from Zeteo:

Celebrating Nationalism Is ‘Very Dangerous,’ Warns UCLA Historian

Mehdi Hasan — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:01:47 GMT

What does the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration really mean today, in this political climate? What lessons has the country learned – and failed to learn? What does the second Trump administration, which has been catastrophic to American democracy in so many ways as we’ve documented at Zeteo, mean for the country’s future as it steps into its next quarter of a century?

Mehdi spoke with renowned American historian Robin D. G. Kelley about all this in an enlightening, sobering, and at times empowering conversation that is unlike much else you’ll see out there.

Subscribe now

“For me, to go back to the Declaration of Independence is to go to seeing how African-Americans, Indigenous people, actually saw this document,” Kelley tells Mehdi. “When you say all men are created equal, we mean all human beings, irrespective of where they’re from.”

If you’re bored of all the surface-level conversations about the semi-quincentennial, be sure to watch the full interview above as it dives deep into topics like:

What nationalism is and if we need to be “post-nationalists”
How Trump’s war against birthright citizenship is a step towards his dream of a white republic
Who independence was meant for in the Declaration of Independence
Whether the founding fathers left Britain for freedom or to keep slavery and prevent abolition sentiments
How the rise of fascism in the U.S. is tied to the nationwide oppression of Palestinian voices.

This video is being shared without a paywall. If you believe in the work we do and want to see more of it, do consider becoming a paid subscriber. And if you’re not ready for the commitment, then a donation would still go a long way.

Check out more from Zeteo:

Could This Outspoken Arizona Senator Be the Dems’ Presidential Nominee in 2028?

Mehdi Hasan — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 01:00:17 GMT

Ever since his election to the Senate in 2024, Ruben Gallego, the junior senator from Arizona, has been widely viewed as a major Democratic presidential contender for 2028.

But can Gallego keep that momentum going, as President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice investigates him for alleged campaign finance violations? And after facing scrutiny for his relationship with disgraced Congressman Eric Swalwell?

In this exclusive and wide-ranging ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ interview, the senator discusses it all with Mehdi, and says the Trump administration is targeting him because they are “afraid” of him. Gallego also lays out his populist vision for taxing the rich, warning that the U.S is fast becoming a country “that is largely led by, really, oligarch families.”

Here are the other major topics Mehdi and Gallego discuss in the interview:

Gallego’s insistence on limiting all billionaires’ influence over politics, including the Soros family
Whether the senator would vote to cut aid to Israel
The senator’s record on immigration, including voting for the controversial and draconian Laken Riley Act
Gallego’s plan to ‘tear down’ ICE while also opposing the slogan ‘Abolish ICE’
What the victory of democratic socialists in Democratic primary races in New York and Colorado mean for the party
Whether he will consider running for president in 2028.
Share

Paid subscribers can watch the full interview for free, with no paywall. Free subscribers can watch a 4-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Zeteo to watch the full interview and get access to all of Zeteo’s premium content.

Meet the Author Whose Stunning New Book on Trump Has Made the President Super Mad

Mehdi Hasan — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 20:02:22 GMT

Imagine the scene: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu sitting face to face with President Donald Trump and a small group of trusted advisors, giving a slideshow presentation making the case to go to war in Iran. And all of this taking place inside the White House Situation Room.

That’s what happened according to a new book, Regime Change, by New York Times Journalists Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman.

Subscribe now

Swan joined Mehdi Unfiltered to discuss many of the shocking revelations in his book, giving an inside look at Trump and Netanyahu’s love-hate relationship.

“Are they best pals?” Mehdi asks. “No, the relationship’s very bad right now,” replies Swan.

Swan says in the course of writing, it became clear to him and his co-author that “the second term Trump administration was almost unrecognizable from the first,” particularly in the way Trump is wielding his presidential power. “We were covering a form of regime change in our own country.”

The two also discuss:

Who is Natalie Harp and why her ‘love’ letters to Trump put her on Secret Service’s radar
The crisis control meeting inside the Situation Room about the Epstein files
Marco Rubio’s lifelong wish to free Cuba
Stephen Miller as a driving force of domestic policy: “He has his hands in everything”
The secrecy around President Trump’s health.

Paid subscribers can watch the full interview for free, with no paywall. Free subscribers can watch a 3-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Zeteo to watch the full interview and the rest of Zeteo’s content.

Click here to buy a copy of Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman’s book, ‘Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.’ And if you’ve already read it, feel free to share your review of the book in the comments below!

Looking for more book recommendations? Visit the Zeteo book club here for inspiration!

Check out more from Zeteo:

Could This Be America's First Muslim Senator?

Mehdi Hasan — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 23:13:20 GMT

After left-wing candidates won big in the New York City primary elections last week, all eyes are now on Michigan as one of the latest tests for the progressive left.

As voters head to the polls in just a few weeks’ time, progressive doctor and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed will face off in a heated primary against Democratic establishment favorite Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow.

Subscribe now

“We tend to center the party, we tend to center the politicians in rooms like this, but we miss the opportunity to center the public, and our campaign has been about centering the people of the state of Michigan from the very beginning,” he tells Mehdi.

And while El-Sayed is currently leading in the polls, his job is far from over. “People want a politics that really is about getting money out, putting money in their pockets, and passing Medicare for All,” he explains, outlining his plans to deliver that agenda if he defeats Republican Mike Rogers in the November election.

In this wide-ranging interview, Mehdi also presses him on the following:

Whether he can actually defeat AIPAC-backed contender Haley Stevens
Why he’s a threat to the Democratic establishment
Whether he defines himself as a Democratic Socialist
Whether he regrets calling himself a physician despite not having a medical license
Why he hasn’t yet released his financial disclosures
Whether he disputes both Israel and Egypt’s right to exist
Who he’ll back as Senate majority leader
And if he’ll consider a presidential run.

Paid subscribers can watch the full video interview above, while free subscribers can access a two-minute preview. Consider upgrading your subscription to never hit a Zeteo paywall again.

Catch up on some of Zeteo’s latest stories:

‘We Need To Be the Anti-War Party,' Says Iranian-American House Democrat

Mehdi Hasan — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:11:37 GMT

U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace deal with Iran is hanging on by a thread, after the U.S. and Iran traded strikes against each other over the weekend. This comes as the old-guard, hawkish Democrats – including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer – have been voicing opposition to Trump’s peace deal, despite the mounting toll of the war.

So will this war ever end? Are the old-guard, hawkish Democrats dragging their feet now when it comes to stopping the war on Iran? And what do actual Iranian-Americans think of the deal?

Subscribe now

In this video, Mehdi interviews Yassamin Ansari – the first and only Iranian-American Democrat in Congress – who explains why she “hopes” this deal will mark the end of this war. She also discusses why some Democrats are trying to rally against the peace deal.

“It’s the natural inclination to want to criticize Donald Trump and what he’s done, because what he did was insane,” Ansari says to Mehdi. “Sometimes in that effort, we may inadvertently become obstacles to peace as Democrats.”

In this wide-ranging interview, Mehdi and Ansari discuss the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, her party’s handling of the war, and more. She also, for the first time, accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza – joining the growing list of Democrats willing to use that term.

Here are some highlights of the discussion:

Her impeachment articles against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his alleged war crimes in Iran (“That bombing at the school in Minab… was the final straw for me.”)
Vice President JD Vance claiming this current deal with Iran is better than the 2015 Obama administration nuclear deal (“I don’t believe a word that JD Vance or anybody in this administration says.”)
Why it has taken so long for Democrats to constrain Trump and his war on Iran (“We need to be the anti-war party.”)
Whether the victories of democratic socialist candidates in New York, backed by Mamdani, will ultimately hurt Democrats in swing states (“I just find all of this attacking each side of our party really exhausting.”)
Ansari’s rejection of future donations from pro-Israel lobby groups such as DMFI and AIPAC.

Paid subscribers can watch the full 25-minute interview. Free subscribers can watch a 3-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Zeteo to unlock this episode and the rest of our award-winning content.

Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded before the U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes against each other over the weekend.

Check out Zeteo’s other recent stories:

‘Both Parties Are Fundamentally Beholden To Their Donors’: Meet the Viral Independent Candidate Fighting Monopolist Power

Mehdi Hasan — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:18:49 GMT

Journalist Austin Ahlman is hoping to make history by becoming the first independent candidate to win a House seat in Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District.

Ahlman, whose deeply personal campaign launch video went viral last month, is running on an anti-monopoly, anti-war, and anti-Israel funding campaign, but in an interview with Mehdi, he says he “cannot personally identify with the Democratic Party right now.”

Subscribe now

“Both parties are fundamentally beholden to their donors, and if they’re not beholden, they’re so damn scared of outside spending that they won’t take any risks,” Ahlman tells Mehdi. He adds, “We are at a breaking point in our politics that we have not seen since the Gilded Age.”

During the interview, Mehdi challenges Ahlman on his positions about other populist issues, like whether he supports a ban on assault weapons, if he would vote to abolish ICE, and his campaign’s pledge to “secure the border.”

Paid subscribers can watch the whole interview to hear Ahlman respond to his critics who argue his candidacy is making it harder to flip a decades-long red seat.

Free subscribers can watch a 2-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Zeteo to unlock this episode and the rest of our award-winning content.

Check out more from Zeteo:

‘Mythical America’: Renowned Author Confronts What Most Americans Won’t as 250th Anniversary Approaches

Mehdi Hasan — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 18:40:57 GMT

July Fourth will be extra special in the United States this year, that’s because it will mark 250 years since its founding. But instead of celebrating the country’s past, author and distinguished Princeton University Professor Eddie Glaude Jr. is calling on Americans to confront it in his latest book, ‘America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries.’

“There is something about the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation that has these haunting echoes,” Glaude tells Mehdi, “we’ve never really removed the tumor that causes so much of the illness of American life.”

Subscribe now

Glaude’s book takes readers through the U.S.’s biggest anniversaries, highlighting the contradictions in the jubilee of each from the perspective of race, equality, and freedom for all. The raw self-examination of American history is not an easy task, as Glaude explains during his conversation with Mehdi, which also touched on:

Whether Glaude would’ve written the book even if Trump wasn’t re-elected
How every Independence Day in this country works to instill a “mythical America” and a “white republic”
His reaction to having one of his books removed from shelves by the Trump administration
How underestimating white America blinded him to the eventuality of Trump’s first election
What he meant exactly when he opened his book by saying “I do not love America, and never have.”
Who he believes could be the 2028 candidate that can help the U.S. confront its past.

Paid subscribers can watch the full video above. Free subscribers can watch a 4-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to unlock content like this and a lot more from Zeteo.

Click here to buy a copy of Glaude’s book, ‘America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries.’ And if you’ve already read it, feel free to share your review of the book in the comments below!

Looking for more book recommendations? Visit the Zeteo book club here for inspiration!

Check out more from Zeteo:

5 Reasons Why Ken Paxton Is the Epitome of MAGA Crookedness

Mehdi Hasan — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:02:19 GMT

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently defeated incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn in the Republican Senate primary, despite Cornyn raising a whopping $400 million dollars.

Subscribe now

Paxton won in a landslide after being endorsed by Donald Trump – and it makes sense why.

Check out the full video above of Mehdi bringing the receipts on Paxton’s crookedness: from his corruption scandals, to sweetheart deals for pedophiles, and everything in between.

If you’d like to see more explainer videos like these, please consider upgrading your subscription or donating to support Zeteo’s work on videos like these.

Donate to Zeteo

Catch up on some of Zeteo’s latest stories:

What Does Iran Want? An Expert Explains

Mehdi Hasan — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 01:01:00 GMT

Have you been overwhelmed by all the headlines about the Iran War? Whether the U.S. and Iran have finally reached a deal? Or why Israel is continuing to strike Lebanon?

If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Subscribe now

Vali Nasr returns to ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ to help cut through all the noise and break down not just the basics of the war, but how it will weigh on the Middle East as a whole in the years to come.

He tells Mehdi that these peace negotiations are ultimately a “test for Donald Trump.”

“[Any deal] Iran signs with the United States has to be contingent on the U.S. being able to control Israel. And if it cannot control Israel right now, then any deal with Iran can always be undermined by Bibi [Netanyahu] at some point,” he explains.

In this wide-ranging interview, Vali unpacks the following:

What the U.S. wants in a peace deal vs. what Iran wants in a peace deal
How China is emerging as a key Iranian ally
How the war has reshaped Gulf States’ relationships with the U.S.
Why the Strait of Hormuz is still such a critical component to this war
How Hezbollah has affected Israeli incursions in Lebanon
What Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu really want out of the conflict.

Paid subscribers can watch the full conversation above, while free subscribers can watch a 3-minute preview. Consider upgrading your subscription to never hit another Zeteo paywall again!

Subscribe now

Check out some of Zeteo’s latest coverage on the war:

Meet the Former CIA Agent Who Wants to Abolish the CIA

Mehdi Hasan — Fri, 29 May 2026 14:02:16 GMT

Was Jeffrey Epstein a foreign spy? Why are Israeli intelligence agents not allowed inside the CIA buildings? And are foreign governments listening to Donald Trump’s personal phone calls?

Whistleblowers tend to live their lives looking over their shoulders, often on the run or in hiding. John Kiriakou is not that type of whistleblower. After a career in the CIA’s shadowy work across the world, his decision to blow the whistle on the CIA’s secret torture program led him first to the inside of prison, then to the bright lights of social media, and now, to the set of ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ in Washington DC, to answer some of the most controversial questions out there.

Subscribe now

“I assume that there are things that you know that you still can’t say. How bad are they?” Mehdi asks Kiriakou. “It’s pretty ugly,” Kiriakou responded. Viewers will notice that this is not your typical ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ episode or interview; that’s because when your guest recruited spies for a living, there is a lot to talk about - and discover. Their wide-ranging conversation includes:

Why Kiriakou thought the CIA was going to “pin” its Bush-era torture program on him, forcing him to go public.
Mehdi’s probing into Kiriakou’s conflicting statements regarding the effectiveness of torture as an interrogation technique.
Whether or not Jeffrey Epstein and his partner-in-crime Ghislaine Maxwell were Israeli spies.
How big a role Israel played in pushing the U.S. into war with Iran.
How much money Rudy Giuliani allegedly wanted as a fee for getting Kiriakou a pardon from Donald Trump.
Whether or not Kiriakou actually endorsed a racist far-right candidate in Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary.
Why he chose to work for Russian state media after serving his prison sentence.
Plus: his take on Donald Trump’s not-so-personal calls on his cellphone. “It’s got to be a dozen different countries listening to these calls.”
Share

Paid subscribers can watch the full video above to hear whether Kiriakou would advise anyone to still join the CIA today. Free subscribers can watch a 2-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to unlock content like this and a lot more from Zeteo.

Note: This interview was taped prior to the resignation of U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on May 22, 2026.

Check out more from Zeteo:

How the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s Explains Trump’s Failures Today

Mehdi Hasan — Wed, 27 May 2026 00:17:46 GMT

When it comes to wars in the Middle East, the U.S. never seems to learn from its own mistakes (and crimes).

In this video, Mehdi explains why President Donald Trump should have known his war on Iran was bound to go on longer than anticipated – and why the Iranians weren’t just going to roll over so quickly.

Subscribe now

Watch above to see Mehdi remind viewers of the Iran-Iraq War – and how Iran held out against Iraq’s attacks for almost a decade in the 1980s, even in the face of Iraqi chemical weapon attacks supported by the U.S.

As per usual, Mehdi brings the receipts, revealing official government documents that show just how complicit the U.S. government under Ronald Reagan was in Iraqi war crimes.

Why, asks an exasperated Mehdi, do Americans have such short memories compared to the people in the Middle East?

If you’d like to see more explainer videos like these, please consider upgrading your subscription or donating to support Zeteo’s work on videos like these.

Check out Zeteo’s other recent stories:

New Jewish Canadian Party Leader Says ‘Jews of Conscience’ Stand Against Israel’s Genocide in Gaza

Mehdi Hasan — Mon, 25 May 2026 21:01:02 GMT

The Jewish, anti-Zionist, democratic socialist recently elected to lead Canada’s progressive New Democratic Party, Avi Lewis, is calling for a two-way arms embargo against Israel, which he calls a “rogue state.” He’s also pushing to recall ambassadors, cancel Canada’s free trade agreement with Israel, and issue a “serious statement on the international stage” denouncing the country’s genocide in Gaza.

In a riveting, can’t-miss interview on ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ Lewis talks to Mehdi about becoming anti-Zionist, something he calls a “journey from the propaganda, the pro-Israel myths that we were all brought up on.”

“At this point in the genocidal period, I think it’s really, really clear where Jews of conscience stand,” Lewis says, adding that the majority of Jewish people in North America are “deeply disturbed” by Israel’s genocide.

Also during this fascinating interview, Mehdi and Lewis discuss:

How he plans to rebuild a party that now only has five seats in Parliament
Why he didn’t run in a recent by-election in Quebec
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “mixed signals” on Trump’s war against Iran
Why an NDP MP recently crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party
Losing his father, Stephen Lewis, just two days after winning the leadership.

Paid subscribers can watch the whole interview. Free subscribers can watch a 2-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Zeteo to unlock this episode and the rest of our award-winning content.

Editor’s Note: Avi Lewis is the husband of Zeteo contributor Naomi Klein.

Check out more from Zeteo:

Swearing Off 'Toxic' AIPAC Money: Oregon Democrat Opens Up to Mehdi

Team Zeteo — Sun, 24 May 2026 14:03:22 GMT

Just two years ago, AIPAC infiltrated the congressional race in Oregon, spending roughly $2 million to elect Democratic Congresswoman and physician Maxine Dexter.

Since then, you could say she’s turned her back on the pro-Israel lobby. She’s taken a stand against Israel, co-sponsoring key legislation like the Block the Bombs Act and the Gaza Genocide resolution.

Subscribe now

“Everything about that [AIPAC] money has been toxic,” Dexter tells Mehdi, “It was a mistake.”

For the first time publicly, she’s swearing off taking any future AIPAC money. “The Netanyahu government is clearly misguided. He’s a war criminal. What’s happening in Gaza is a genocide. I have no qualms about saying those things out loud.”

But AIPAC isn’t the only topic they discussed. In this wide-ranging interview, Mehdi also presses Rep. Dexter on:

Whether the U.S. should fund defensive weapons to Israel
Her Iran War Powers resolution
Trump’s billion-dollar ballroom renovation
Whether she supports Hakeem Jeffries’s leadership
Her latest oversight visit to ICE detention facilities in Texas.

Paid subscribers can watch the full conversation above. Free subscribers can access a two-minute preview. Consider upgrading your subscription to avoid hitting Zeteo paywalls again!

Catch up on some of Zeteo’s latest stories:

The Israel Lobby Is Spending Millions Against This Palestinian-American Candidate in... San Diego

Mehdi Hasan — Fri, 22 May 2026 02:15:45 GMT

After a deadly attack at San Diego’s largest mosque, thousands in the community gathered Thursday for a funeral to honor the three men killed by teenage shooters who reportedly left behind a hateful manifesto and were wearing Nazi symbols.

Subscribe now

Ammar Campa-Najjar grew up in the mosque community, attended school there as a child, and was friends with one of the victims – 78-year-old Mansour Kaziha (also known as Abu Ezz). The Mexican-Palestinian-American Navy reserve officer is now running for Congress in California’s competitive 48th district, a key race for Democratic hopes to take back the House – and pro-Israel groups have spent nearly $2 million against him.

Campa-Najjar tells Mehdi the attack on the mosque “did not happen in a vacuum,” but rather in a political environment that is filled with xenophobia and Islamophobia.

“Advisers to this president, including Laura Loomer, who literally said that I’m trying to ‘Islamify’ the military,” Campa-Najjar says, “what she doesn’t understand is that Muslims serve our country every single day, like the security guard who protected those children. Like military officers who serve alongside me, who go to this mosque.”

Subscribe now

Campa-Najjar talks about his primary campaign with Mehdi, who challenges him on his position on US funding for the Iron Dome as well as the Super PACs backing him. The two also discuss Campa-Najjar’s childhood in Gaza, far-right claims that his grandfather was a ‘Palestinian terrorist,’ and the need for Medicare-for-All.

Paid subscribers can watch the full interview for free, with no paywall. Free subscribers can watch a 3.5-minute preview. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Zeteo to watch the full interview and the rest of Zeteo’s content.

Check out more from Zeteo:

Mother of Mosque Shooting Survivor Says MAGA ‘Supercharged’ Political Violence

Mehdi Hasan — Thu, 21 May 2026 01:01:02 GMT

As a San Diego community reels over this week’s shooting, and possible hate crime, at the city’s largest mosque, they’re also remembering three beloved victims as heroes. Investigators say the men distracted the shooters, preventing them from reaching over 100 children at the school next door.

Rana Dbeis, the mother of a five-year-old student and a close friend of one of the victims, joined Mehdi on ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ to discuss the tragedy and growing Islamophobia in Donald Trump’s America.

Subscribe now

“I haven’t personally felt safe in a long time,” Rana says. “It really, really amplified after Trump and the whole MAGA movement gained a lot of traction… The political atmosphere is extremely violent now. It’s supercharged.”

Watch the full video above to hear Rana describe the terrifying moment she learned there was an active shooter at her son’s school, call out the “disgusting” lack of accountability for Islamophobes like Laura Loomer and JD Vance, and share what she wants people to know about her community at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

This video is free for all subscribers. If you think the work Zeteo is doing is important, and you never want to hit a paywall again, consider upgrading your subscription.

Catch up on more from Zeteo:

Why Do Trump Supporters Continue to Stand By This Lawless, Lying President? This Psychologist Explains

Mehdi Hasan — Tue, 19 May 2026 14:35:46 GMT

With Trump supporters continuing to blindly champion their MAGA leader – even as he compares himself to Jesus Christ, gets a giant golden statue of himself at Mar-a-Lago, and says he doesn’t think about the financial situations of Americans “even a little bit” – do you ever wonder what’s going on inside their heads?

In a new ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ interview, Mehdi speaks with Dr. Cindy Harmon-Jones, a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology at Western Sydney University, who recently published a new academic study dedicated to answering that very question.

Subscribe now

Harmon-Jones, an expert in cognitive dissonance, tells Mehdi she wanted to understand why Trump supporters stand by him despite the allegations of sexual abuse and other criminal behavior. Her study found three common justifications offered by MAGA movement members.

Mehdi and Harmon-Jones also discuss just how Trump-specific this cult-like support is, what might convince long-time supporters to finally turn their backs on the president, and why people fell hook, line, and sinker for this lawless, lying president in the first place.

“There is quite a bit of research showing that when people feel like they’re under threat, they will turn to authoritarianism,” Harmon-Jones says, particularly “conservatives or right-wing-type people.”

Check out more from Zeteo:

This Ex-MAGA Influencer Was Offered the 'GDP of a Small Nation’ to Keep MAGA's Secrets. She Spills All With Mehdi

Team Zeteo — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:01:08 GMT

Ever wonder how the online MAGA media machine stays so perfectly in sync? How these right-wing influencers always happen to post the same, exact pro-Trump, pro-Musk talking points at the same time?

Subscribe now

Turns out, they’re coordinating messages in one, big group chat. At least that’s according to former MAGA influencer Ashley St. Clair.

Yes, the mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is now torching the online right and exposing some of their biggest secrets on her TikTok account.

She tells Mehdi that “there’s multiple chats they operate in,” which often include Trump administration officials and Trump children. Specifically, she reveals that during her time as a MAGA influencer, she was “offered a hefty sum of money to promote Ric Grenell for secretary of state.” (Grenell has previously denied being part of any such effort.)

Since leaving MAGA, St. Clair has been targeted by members of the administration, other MAGA influencers, and even Elon Musk. She even reveals that since shifting her own political positions and abandoning her previous hard-right beliefs, she has been pressured to stay silent and has “turned down enough money that it is the GDP of a small nation.”

But how, exactly, did St. Clair escape the MAGA cult? And is her conversion sincere or is she just another ex-conservative trying to grift off of new liberal audiences?

In this wide-ranging interview, Mehdi and Ashley St. Clair discuss:

Her ascent in MAGA politics and the dangerous, hateful rhetoric she amplified
What made her leave MAGA and Trump
How support for Israel has divided MAGA and her own view of the “genocide”
Her relationship with Elon Musk and what attracted her to the tech billionaire
Her lawsuit against xAI, after it produced sexually explicit deepfakes of her
The threats she and her family have received since leaving MAGA
Whether she and other ex-MAGA figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene can really be trusted.

Paid subscribers can watch the full interview above, while free subscribers can watch a three-minute preview. Consider upgrading your subscription to never hit a Zeteo paywall again!

Catch up on some of Zeteo’s latest stories: