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A tight rundown of how decades of media spin shaped public belief about Iran’s nuclear intentions. They highlight a poll revealing widespread misinformation and contrast it with recent intelligence findings. The conversation catalogs misleading headlines, corrected reporting, repeated cable claims, and political rhetoric that keeps the nuclear threat narrative alive.

Maryam Jamshidi, associate professor of law who studies international law and sanctions, joins to unpack how U.S. unilateral sanctions are dressed up as global law. She discusses media framing that criminalizes routine trade, the rise of “shadow fleet” rhetoric, asset freezes and seizures, and how legal language normalizes coercive U.S. power. Short, sharp, and critical takes on law, media, and empire.

Todd Wolfson, AAUP president and labor organizer, and Chenjerai Kumanyika, Peabody-winning podcaster and law professor, discuss attacks on higher education. They explore Trump’s targeting of DEI and research, media and donor influence shaping anti-academic narratives, campus repression around Gaza protests, and strategies—strikes, solidarity, and legal fights—to defend academic independence.

Omar Zahzah, writer and assistant professor who studies Arab Muslim diasporas and digital settler colonialism. He discusses elite panics over unmediated media and the long history of controlling information. He unpacks TikTok’s forced sale, how Gaza’s visibility drove platform crackdowns, and how terms of service and AI are being used to silence dissenting narratives.

They critique Senate Democrats' cosmetic DHS reforms and explain why paperwork and codes of conduct fail to stop abuses. They highlight ICE's ballooning budget and how funding is the real lever of power. They argue body cams and coordination with police can worsen surveillance and raids. They outline how reform culture neutralizes protest demands and preserves a militarized border.

Kevin A. Young, Associate Professor of History at UMass Amherst and co-author of Levers of Power, studies social movements and concentrated economic power. He discusses how threats of capital withdrawal are framed as normal by major outlets. The conversation traces historical precedents, cultural narratives like Atlas Shrugged, municipal bidding wars, and local levers businesses use to shape politics.

Janette Corcelius, a dedicated union and community organizer from the Twin Cities, dives into the struggles against ICE's oppressive presence in Minnesota. She highlights how grassroots efforts are pushing back against cosmetic reforms proposed by Democratic leaders, like body cams and training, that fail to address the real issues. Janette outlines demands for accountability and defunding ICE, sharing the community's experiences living under constant surveillance. She also discusses mobilization strategies for a planned shutdown, emphasizing the historical significance of labor actions in Minnesota.

The discussion reveals how mainstream media frames U.S. motives as purely humanitarian in the context of protests in Iran. It highlights the inconsistency in portraying Trump as a pro-democracy advocate despite his contradictory history. The hosts argue that this narrative often serves as a pretext for military action and regime change. They critique media credulity and selective skepticism, emphasizing the lack of support among Iranians for foreign intervention. The crucial point of preserving Iranian sovereignty and the implications of historical U.S. involvement are also explored.

Matthew Cunningham Cook, an investigative journalist focused on media and politics, joins to unravel how major outlets like CBS and Fox shaped the narrative around the 'Minnesota fraud' story. He discusses the political biases in prosecutions of marginalized communities versus powerful figures during the COVID era. Cook criticizes the New York Times for missing critical context about Somali communities and explores how right-wing figures used this narrative to incite fear. He highlights the implications of this media coverage on local immigrant communities and calls for more reliable reporting.

Vincent Bevins, a journalist and author known for his incisive work on U.S. interventions, joins the conversation about the media's role in promoting narratives that legitimize foreign meddling. He critiques how liberal standpoint theory is misused to justify actions in places like Iraq and Bolivia, emphasizing the selective amplification of certain voices. Bevins argues for a more nuanced approach to journalism, calling for the inclusion of diverse perspectives to tell fuller truths about geopolitical events and their complexities.