For nearly a century, foreign correspondents have come to the United States precisely because this country prided itself on welcoming scrutiny. Now, the Trump administration proposes to turn that legacy on its head—by transforming visas for international journalists into instruments of control Under a new rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security, the duration…
How a once serious party surrendered judgment, subordinating institutions to a single strongman—and what must be done before the republic dangerously erodes from within How is it possible that the Republican Party, at the peak of American power and at the new dawn of the country’s 250th anniversary, became a cult of personality around a…
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary—a testament to endurance, sacrifice, and democratic aspiration—it does so under a dark and foreboding shadow. At this defining moment, the nation finds itself led not by steadiness or vision, but by a figure whose erratic conduct, corrosive narcissism, and moral decay mock the very ideals this milestone…
As midterm campaigns accelerate and disillusionment with Trump’s domestic and foreign policies widens, a stark scenario emerges: America faces a perilous inflection point demanding immediate action before democratic erosion becomes irreversible Donald Trump did not invent America’s vulnerabilities, but he has driven them to a breaking point. His contempt for democratic norms, alliances, and international…
Today’s podcast guest is Sam Ben-Meir, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at City University of New York, College of Technology. He is the author of Ethical Interanimality: Toward a Relational Philosophy of Nature, which reflects on his longstanding effort to rethink our place in nature and the vulnerabilities that bind all life together.
In this episode, we discuss the interrelationship between humanity and nature, and the ethics of that relationship. In particular, we examine how viewing ourselves as living beings among other living beings changes how we think about politics, economics, technology, and in particular, the environmental crisis.
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Sam Ben-Meir is a writer, scholar, and teacher whose work explores the intersections of ethics, nature, and the human condition. He is Assistant Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at City University of New York, where he teaches ethics, political philosophy, and the philosophy of technology. He is the author of Ethical Interanimality: Toward a Relational Philosophy of Nature and has published widely on philosophy, literature, politics, religion, and environmental thought. His current research explores recognition, freedom, democracy, and the moral foundations of political community.
Today’s podcast guest is Dr. Benafsha Yaqoobi, an attorney and civic society and human rights activist. Before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, she worked as an attorney for the elimination of violence against women and as a Commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. She currently serves as a prosecutor on the team bringing Afghanistan’s case before the People’s Tribunal for the Women of Afghanistan.
In this episode, we discuss the plight of people with disabilities in Afghanistan, particularly women and girls, the work that the Rahyab Initiative does in support of people with disabilities in Afghanistan, and the impact of the Taliban’s takeover on Afghanistan as well as its impact on receiving external support.
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Dr. Benafsha Yaqoobi is a civic society and human rights activist, and currently serves as a prosecutor on the team bringing Afghanistan’s case before the People’s Tribunal for the Women of Afghanistan in 2025. She is the founder and director of The Rahyab Initiative in the UK and previously established the Organization of Rahyab for Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (ORRSB) in Afghanistan.
Before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Dr. Yaqoobi worked as an attorney for the elimination of violence against women and later as a Commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. She has consistently used national and international platforms to advocate for the inclusion of Afghan women in peacebuilding processes, with particular focus on women with disabilities.
Dr. Yaqoobi holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Lovely Professional University in India, with her dissertation examining democratic governance and women’s political rights in Afghanistan. She is currently pursuing doctoral research in sociology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Her contributions have been recognized internationally. In 2024, she was awarded the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award, and in 2022 she received the Marca Bristo Fellowship from Human Rights Watch. In 2021, she was named among the BBC’s 100 most influential women.
Today’s podcast guest is Nguyễn Ngọc Như Quỳnh, a blogger and activist who has written extensively since 2006 on environmental and human rights issues in Vietnam. She has been arrested twice for her activism, and received a 10-year prison sentence. She was released after two years, on the condition of exile from Vietnam.
In this episode, we discuss the current political status inside Vietnam and its status in the region, Quynh’s experience of activism and persecution, including her arrests and imprisonment, environmental and human rights issues in Vietnam, and what role the US has and can play in supporting democracy and freedom in the country.
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Nguyễn Ngọc Như Quỳnh is a blogger and activist who has blogged extensively since 2006 on environmental and human rights issues in Vietnam, publishing principled arguments to inspire change and greater transparency. Ms. Quynh co-founded the Network of Vietnamese Bloggers, an independent writers’ association that encourages members to “protect people’s rights and freedoms from restrictions and censorship.” She was arrested on October 10, 2016 under the charge of “conducting propaganda against the state” and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She was released from prison on October 17, 2018, and sent into exile in the United States.
In 2014, she received a Human Rights Defender award from the Stockholm-based NGO Civil Rights Defenders, and was awarded the 2017 International Women of Courage Award by the US Department of State.
Today’s guest is Ambassador Frederic C. Hof, Bard College’s Diplomat-in-Residence, who served as ambassador and special adviser for transition in Syria under President Obama, and as special coordinator for regional affairs in the US Department of State’s Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. A US Army Vietnam veteran, Ambassador Hof served two tours of duty in the US Department of State.
In this episode, we discuss Ambassador Hof`s recent Track II diplomacy work in Lebanon regarding the prospects of a future Israeli-Lebanese agreement and the elements of the consensus document developed from this work, and the impact of the war on Iran on this delicate diplomacy work.
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Azerbaijan’s intensifying crackdown on government critics is raising serious concerns over the treatment of political prisoners and activists. Opposition leader Ali Karimli reportedly fainted from severe dehydration after access to drinking water and electricity in his cell was cut. Media lawyer and Toplum TV co-founder Alasgar Mammadli, sentenced to 14 years in prison, is also reportedly suffering from worsening health problems. Meanwhile, political activist Bahruz Hasanli faces possible extradition from Ukraine to Azerbaijan, where he could face torture or other ill-treatment. Amnesty International is calling on Azerbaijani authorities to provide prisoners with adequate medical care and humane conditions and urging Ukraine, which is suffering from horrific Russian human rights violations against Ukrainians, not to extradite Hasanli. Political dissent must never become grounds for persecution, abuse, or denial of basic human rights.
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Taliban authorities have forcibly disappeared six staff members of the Women and Children Legal Research Foundation in Afghanistan, according to Human Rights Watch. The men were detained in Kabul on July 18, and nearly a month later, their families still have no information about their whereabouts, their condition, or whether they face charges. The organization works to protect the rights of women and children—work that has become increasingly dangerous under Taliban rule. These disappearances are part of a broader campaign of repression targeting human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and women demanding basic freedoms. The Taliban must immediately disclose where the six men are being held, allow access to their families and lawyers, and release them unless they are lawfully charged. The international community must demand accountability.
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The Democratic Party should stop wringing its hands over the rise of socialists winning primaries and ask why they are winning. The answer is simple: they are listening to the outcry of ordinary Americans who are hurting — young and old, in every state and every community. Call it socialism, conservatism, or anything you like; the point is that Americans are hurting badly, and Trump has been dismantling our social safety net brick by brick. Democrats must understand that this is no longer politics as usual. Speeches will not fix it. They need a concrete plan of action for the endemic socioeconomic crisis afflicting the world's presumably richest country. With only a few months until the election, Democrats should be building greater momentum. But first they must answer one question: where will they lead the country?
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Bernie has the plan. Corporate Democrats and those beholden to Netanyahu are furiously working to stop him like they did on 2016.
Jihad
Communist democrats.
Since the failed 2016 coup attempt, President Erdogan continues to wage a sweeping assault on human rights in Turkey. Journalists are arrested and prosecuted, independent media is constrained, and suspected followers of the Gulen movement are relentlessly pursued. Opposition politicians face politically driven prosecutions, and some have been stripped of their parliamentary immunity. Emergency-era powers, though formally lifted, have inflicted lasting damage on civil liberties and due process, and Turkey has drawn sustained criticism for refusing to implement binding European Court of Human Rights rulings. The European Union has failed to exert meaningful pressure to compel Erdogan to change course, and the Trump administration, predictably, remains muted. Emboldened by this silence, Erdogan believes he is immune from accountability — and he acts accordingly. Turkey's democratic institutions will continue to erode until its allies impose real consequences.
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