It Could Happen Here Weekly 168

James talks to Gordyaen Benyamin Jermayi about the situation of minority groups in Iran, the issues with the monarchist opposition, and how the Iranian regime has used US and Israeli bombing as an excuse for more violence against its own people. Links: https://hengaw.net/en https://www.iranhr.net/en/ https://www.instagram.com/kurdistanipeopleiiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Jul 52min

Andrew and Gare discuss the reasons why people justify doing bad things, from pleasing authority to narratives of necessary evil. Sources: Humankind by Rutger BregmanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Jul 25min

Andrew talks with Gare about humankind’s better nature, despite self-fulfilling prophecies of selfishness and cruelty. Sources: Humankind by Rutger Bregman A Paradise Built In Hell by Rebecca Solnit See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Jul 25min

Margaret reads you a story about mental health, panic disorders, and anticapitalism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Jul 39min

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. - Palestine’s Stolen Future - The Genocide Budget (And How to Stop It) - Protest, Immigration Enforcement, and the Unhoused Community - The Minnesota Assassination & Evangelical Terrorism - Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #24 You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: Palestine's Stolen Future Raz Segal on genocide - https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide Omer Bartov on genocide – https://www.democracynow.org/2024/12/30/omer_bartov_israel_gaza_genocide Amos Goldberg on genocide - https://thefirethesetimes.com/2025/05/25/intent-holocaust-studies-and-the-gaza-genocide-w-amos-goldberg/ Khaled Elgindy on Biden’s “bear hug” - https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/10/biden-israel-hamas-war-gaza-us-policy/ Bezalel Smotrich on population transfer - https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-says-gaza-to-be-totally-destroyed-population-concentrated-in-small-area/ Nissim Vaturi on population transfer - https://www.timesofisrael.com/occupy-expel-settle-minister-mks-at-far-right-rally-call-to-empty-gaza-of-gazans/ Arab Peace Initiative - https://www.kas.de/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=a5dab26d-a2fe-dc66-8910-a13730828279&groupId=268421 Arab Center Washington – “The Biden Administration and the Middle East in 2023” - https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-biden-administration-and-the-middle-east-in-2023/ Mike Huckabee on Palestinians - https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/12/politics/mike-huckabee-palestinian-comments-trump-israel-ambassador Steve Witkoff making deals with Hamas - https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-says-witkoffs-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-must-lead-end-war-2025-05-31/ Adam Boehler “we are not an agent of Israel” - https://www.axios.com/2025/03/09/adam-boehler-hamas-israel-talks Philippe Lazzarini on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa-commissioner-general-gaza-aid-distribution-has-become-death-trap Doctors without Borders on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/siege-gaza-msf-denounces-new-aid-mechanism-proposed-us-and-israel Jake Woods, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, resigns - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/26/gaza-humanitarian-foundation-aid-group-jake-wood-resigns Saudi Minister on Two-State Solution - https://www.mofa.gov.sa/en/ministry/news/Pages/His-Highness-the-Foreign-Minister-A-Two-State-Solution-is-the-Only-Path-to-Achieving-a-Just-and-Lasting-Peace-in-the-Regio.aspx France & Saudi sponsor peace conference - https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-855969 Qatari foreign minister on Saudi sponsored peace conference - https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250613-qatar-france-fms-underscore-importance-of-upcoming-un-two-state-solution-conference-as-real-opportunity-for-peace/ The Oslo Accords and the Palestinian Authority background - https://www.palquest.org/en/highlight/31121/x-oslo-process-and-establishment-palestinian-authority Yitzhak Rabin’s final address to the Knesset - https://www.palquest.org/en/historictext/24965/yitzhaq-rabin%E2%80%99s-address-knesset-after-israeli-palestinian-agreement Mapping Palestinian Politics – European Council on Foreign Relations - https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/plo/ “Abbas is America’s Man” - https://jewishcurrents.org/abbas-is-americas-man Tariq Dana – “Lost in Transition: The Palestinian National Movement After Oslo” - https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/from-the-river-to-the-sea-9781978752658/ Wendy Pearlman – “Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement” - https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/violence-nonviolence-and-the-palestinian-national-movement/0F8D188C7D514D49F68D827066E0FABD BDS call - https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi/pacbi-call Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research – September 2023 poll - https://www.pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2089%20English%20Full%20Text%20September%202023.pdf Interview with Ukrainian outlet “Commons” - https://commons.com.ua/en/intervyu-z-danoyu-el-kurd/ Protests against Hamas – July 2023 - https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/07/30/thousands-of-marchers-in-gaza-in-rare-public-display-of-discontent-with-hamas_6073136_4.html Protests against Hamas - https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/25/middleeast/anti-hamas-protests-gaza-intl-latam Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research – May 2025 poll - https://www.pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2095%20press%20release%206May2025%20ENGLISH.pdf Changes in PLO structure and new Vice President role - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/08/palestinians-leader-mahmoud-abbas-president Polling on Hussein Al-Sheikh - https://pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2092%20English%20full%20text%20July2024.pdf Palestinian National Conference - https://ncpalestine.org/ A Land for All - https://www.2s1h.org/en Israeli backed gangs in Gaza - https://zeteo.com/p/who-is-abu-shabab-meet-the-gaza-gangster The Genocide Budget (And How to Stop It) Trans Income Project: https://www.transincomeproject.org/donate https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/planned-parenthood-trump-lawsuit https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/one-big-beautiful-bill-medicaid-work-requirements-affordable-care-act-immigrants/#:~:text=The%20bill%20would%20require%20states%20that%20have,individual)%20and%20138%25%20of%20that%20amount%20($21%2C597).&text=The%20Senate%20bill%20would%20allow%20states%20to,who%20seek%20emergency%20room%20care%20for%20nonemergencies. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2025/05/16/school-choice-expansion-in-budget-bill-puts-federal-stamp-on-gop-priority/ https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/trumps-budget-bill-attack-public-schools-working-families-and-immigrants https://www.americanprogress.org/article/10-egregious-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/ https://time.com/7299514/bill-will-devastate-public-schools https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/the-senate-passed-a-federal-voucher-program-whats-in-it/2025/07 https://www.au.org/the-latest/articles/not-beautiful-trumps-budget-forces-a-national-voucher-plan-on-america/ https://www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5397175/trump-federal-voucher-private-school https://itep.org/trump-megabill-expensive-private-school-vouchers/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/how-trump-s-big-spending-bill-will-overhaul-repayment-for-millions-of-student-loan-borrowers/ar-AA1HXbVa?cvid=7271B17CDE424D63B5C23D6A3D1E71B7&ocid=msnHomepage https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-signs-big-tax-cut-spending-bill-law-july-fourth-ceremony-rcna216753 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/05/trump-budget-bill-states-border-security/84463777007/ https://newrepublic.com/post/197412/donald-trump-big-beautiful-budget-bill-devastating-poll https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-senate-reconciliation-bill/ https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/how-might-federal-medicaid-cuts-in-the-senate-passed-reconciliation-bill-affect-rural-areas/ https://www.cbpp.org/research/medicaid-and-chip/senate-reconciliation-amendment-would-cut-hundreds-of-billions-more-from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-in-trump-big-beautiful-bill-senate-version/ https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/house-reconciliation-bill-immigration-border-security/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/heres-whats-in-the-big-bill-that-just-passed-the-senate The Minnesota Assassination & Evangelical Terrorism 00155d0deff0 https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25976535-boelter-federal-affidavit/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250614161224/https://www.pguards.net/leadership-team https://youtu.be/Sh01z1t2l3w?si=vSme9mqCPmeDROqp https://www.startribune.com/timeline-how-an-early-morning-assault-against-minnesota-lawmakers-unfolded/601373039 https://www.startribune.com/melissa-hortman-shooting-vance-boelter-suspect/601373342 https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/vance-boelter-due-back-in-federal-court-thursday-afternoon/ https://www.wired.com/story/shooting-minnesota-melissa-hortman-vance-boelter/ https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/us/vance-boelter-minnesota-shooting-invs https://web.archive.org/web/20230723010430/https://www.redliongroupdrc.com/# Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #24 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Jul 3h 3min

The gang discuss two shootings outside ICE/Border Patrol facilities in Texas, how Elon Musk’s AI chatbot went full nazi, plus updates on immigration and tariffs. Sources: https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-help-for-bukets-asylum-case https://www.npr.org/2025/07/09/nx-s1-5460936/trump-tariffs-economy-china-policy https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/09/trump-tariff-letters-trade.html https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/detainee-being-held-at-alligator-alcatraz-describes-conditions-at-everglades-facility/3653144/ https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/alligator-alcatraz-detainees-allege-inhumane-conditions-at-immigration-detention-center/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/families-immigrant-detainees-allege-horrible-conditions-alligator-alca-rcna217743https://x.com/Shayan86/status/1942757371052233180 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/elon-musk-grok-chatbot-antisemitic-posts-1235381165/ https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/27/tech/grok-4-elon-musk-ai https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436.160.0.pdf https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/world/americas/trump-venezuelan-migrants-us-prisoner-swap.html?smid=bsky-nytimes&smtyp=cur https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.457483/gov.uscourts.mdd.457483.319.0.pdf https://bsky.app/profile/nicolemicheroni.bsky.social/post/3lthwaxneuk2x https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/exclusive-operation-excalibur-in?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Jul 55min

James and Gare discuss the targeted assassination of a Minnesota Democrat by an anti-abortion evangelical missionary. Sources: https://mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/SearchDetails?filingGuid=0792690a-c0b6-e811-9165-00155d0deff0 https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25976535-boelter-federal-affidavit/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250614161224/https://www.pguards.net/leadership-team https://youtu.be/Sh01z1t2l3w?si=vSme9mqCPmeDROqp https://www.startribune.com/timeline-how-an-early-morning-assault-against-minnesota-lawmakers-unfolded/601373039 https://www.startribune.com/melissa-hortman-shooting-vance-boelter-suspect/601373342 https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/vance-boelter-due-back-in-federal-court-thursday-afternoon/ https://www.wired.com/story/shooting-minnesota-melissa-hortman-vance-boelter/ https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/us/vance-boelter-minnesota-shooting-invs https://web.archive.org/web/20230723010430/https://www.redliongroupdrc.com/#See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Jul 40min

James talks to Theo Henderson, host of We The Unhoused, about the impact of protests in LA on the unhoused community, and how people at the intersection of the undocumented and the unhoused community are coping with federal, state, and local crackdowns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Jul 29min