Episode Details

Thursday, August 6, 2026, Chicago

Israel continues to hammer away at Lebanon and occupy much of the country’s south, even as the US and Iran appear to be heading toward another deal on the Persian Gulf.

In the latest episode of badlands, scholar Nadim Shehadi joins me for a deep analysis and debate about which country—Iran, Israel, or the US—ultimately played the biggest role in turning Lebanon into a basketcase, and a site for regional conflict.

Also in the episode, I discuss the latest effort by corporate Democrats in the US to grapple with the rise of Michigan Senate candidate Abdul el-Sayed and the leftwing of the party. Instead of voting blue no matter who, they are launching a $15 million effort to sabotage Democrat Socialists of America by digging up dirt and publicly smearing them.

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