Krystal Kyle & Friends

Certain shifts in the American establishment response to Israel’s genocide in Palestine suggest that the Biden admin has begun to feel the pressure put on it by pro-Palestine organizers across the country (and around the globe). From massive protests to coordinated labor actions and more, the American working class has taken a massive stand against its government’s support of mass violence. Notably, as we move through the primary season of the presidential election, many have found a high-visibility way to express their dissent: voting Uncommitted, as almost 50,000 people did recently in Washington State.

Omar Baddar joins us to unpack this movement and think about the power of electoral organizing as one of multiple political tools available to members of the Palestinian liberation movement abroad. We talk through the latest developments in American policy surrounding Israel-Palestine, including waning support for Netanyahu, and much more. We hope you’ll enjoy this latest episode of KK&F, which will be available tomorrow through Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

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If you listened to this week’s State of the Union, you heard Biden proudly claim that nobody has a better record on Israel than he does — which is saying an awful lot, in a room full of militant Zionists, war hawks, and those getting their pockets lined by the American defense industry. To hear a president reaffirm his support and longstanding commitment to a genocidal ethnostate after more than 150 days of senseless slaughter in Gaza shows why people turned out in far greater numbers than expected to vote Uncommitted in the Democratic primary in states like Michigan, North Carolina, and more. Biden may have thought that his brief statements condemning Palestinian death last night were enough. But they reveal the ally to military interests, and the enemy to the international working class, that he’s always been.

This was just one part of a (sometimes) fascinating speech, with equally interesting responses from Biden’s colleagues. We get into it on KK&F this week — you can listen to the episode as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more.

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Mehdi Hasan is here to talk to us about his latest reporting on the genocide in Gaza, an exciting new media venture, and more. In this episode, he sheds light on the dehumanization at the core of the genocide in Gaza, where as he puts it, Palestinian lives are simply treated as more expendable and less valuable than Israeli lives — and have been treated as such for a long time. Grassroots organizers around the country and the world have made a significant outcry against the genocide and its support from the U.S., but, especially for our political establishment, life continues to go on. Through his own reporting and through an analysis of other media coverage of the issue, Mehdi points out how this should not be a new normal we adjust to — our leaders have the moral obligation to stop the genocide.

Mehdi’s latest project is the creation of a digital media company that can challenge mainstream narratives legitimizing violence and normalizing inequality. Zeteo will include video, audio, and text reporting — the launch will take place via Substack. (Check it out here!). “How many times,” the project asks, “have you complained about the ‘mainstream media’? […] About softball interview questions or lazy ‘both sides’ coverage?” Well, we complain about those things regularly on KK&F, so it’s exciting to see the development of a new project primed to take them head-on. We hope you’ll listen in to this episode to learn more about this exciting project, and more! This episode is available as a podcast via Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Marc Lamont Hill joins us to respond to a fiery exchange between Holocaust scholar and pro-Palestine advocate Norm Finkelstein and Shmuley Boteach, a Zionist rabbi, moderated by Piers Morgan. In this conversation, Shmuley takes Finkelstein to task for citing Lula’s comments on Israeli violence in Palestine, and calls into question his credentials as a scholar of the Holocaust, implying, as so many of Finkelstein’s opponents have done, that he is a Holocaust denier. Boteach also cites the ICJ’s decision on whether to classify Israel’s actions in Palestine as genocide, and Norm’s response reveals how Zionists deliberately misread the historical record and engage in character assassination to take on their opponents.

We talk about all of this and much more on this week’s episode of KK&F. You can listen to this episode as a podcast tomorrow on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and other major streaming platforms.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest this week, author John Washington, is here to make the case for a wildly different immigration system, open borders. He argues this complete reimagining will end the cruelty of our current system, and benefit our country and the world. For more check out his new book: The Case For Open Borders.

The inhumanity of mainstream American political discourse surrounding immigration is particularly stark in light of the destabilization of foreign governments and exploitation of resources that form the major part of the U.S.’s treatment of its southern neighbors. Refugees fleeing regions marked by post-regime change violence and precarity are then turned away (or worse) at the U.S. border for seeking safety. It’s an issue on which both Republicans and Democrats generally remain conservative, to the grave detriment of people facing unprecedented danger.

You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Comrade Taylor, welcome to the revolution? We dive into the sick, sick world of conspiracy theories and conservative frenzy around liberal darling Taylor Swift. Our guest RM Brown is a Youtuber renowned for his incisive, humorous commentary on left media, right-wing discourse, and everything in between. On Episode 160 of KK&F, we’re bringing him on to talk about what’s up with the Democrats (and why they don’t want to make people’s lives better), getting desensitized to Trump’s insanity (and what he might do next), and much more on the topic of the 2024 election.

You can listen to this episode as a podcast now on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Kyle & Vaush get into it on KK&F this week on the upcoming presidential election, debates in left media, and Israel-Palestine. Listen to this episode to hear their thoughts on everything from podcaster solidarity to extremely troubling co-optations of anti-Israel sentiment online.

As the ICJ moves to condemn Israeli violence in Gaza but fails to call for a ceasefire, we discuss recent updates on Israel-Palestine along with Vaush’s insights into the forthcoming election and the terrain of independent left media. We hope you’ll enjoy this wide-ranging conversation. You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. See you next week!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week we’re joined by journalist Owen Jones to talk about language the media uses to dehumanize Palestinians. We delve into this analysis of media coverage of Israel-Palestine because the terms used to report atrocities in Palestine, obscuring key information about Israeli aggression and massive Palestinian loss of life, enter (and ultimately dominate) the broader discourse of our political landscape, creating ignorance and complicity in the West that only abets the genocide.

What can we do about this? We hope you’ll enjoy this thoughtful conversation with Owen, which you can listen to as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

We’re releasing this week’s episode early to respond to the groundbreaking case made by South Africa in The Hague against Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) of the UN is hearing charges of genocide brought against Israel by South Africa, alleging that Israel has violated the 1948 Genocide Convention. While the ICC, which prosecutes individuals on such charges of crimes against humanity, has dragged its feet in procuring justice for Palestinians, the current case seeks swift action from the international community to condemn Israel’s genocidal acts.

The ICJ does not have the coercive power to enforce an outcome after it has made a decision, report Noura Erakat and John Reynolds for Jacobin. But it can massively sway international opinion. While the case might ultimately take years to come to a final decision, the ICJ could provisionally demand a ceasefire, by which, Erakat and Reynolds write, Israel would be “formally bound.” In our conversation with Norm Finkelstein, we discuss the politics of the ICJ, the likely outcomes of this case, and what a decision in favor of Palestine — or of Israel — would do. You can listen to this episode as a podcast when it’s released tomorrow on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Krystal and Kyle take on Congressman and Presidential candidate Dean Phillips for a wide ranging interview and debate. Should Trump be kicked off the ballot? Is Israel committing a genocide? What would Dean do as president?

For a country that prides itself on upholding democracy (don’t think about those overseas regime changes, please), the U.S. has also revealed itself to be a nation in which you might have to spend $2 million just to get on the ballot if you’re running for president. Anyway, that’s what’s happening to Dean Phillips right now, and he’s got a great analysis of how this system upholds a political status quo. It’s easy to see how candidates championing the interests of the working class — and opposing those of big business donors — can’t break out onto the national stage as easily, and often can’t mount a high-visibility campaign to the same degree as their establishment counterparts. It’s another level of anti-democratic that just getting on the ballot also might mean paying your way.

Phillips, who currently may not appear on ballots in MA, WI, FL, TN, and NC, is challenging these decisions, but says that it costs money to do so — and he may not be able to overturn all of them. Dean tells us that his time interacting with regular Americans led him to embrace more left policies like Medicare for All. We hope you’ll enjoy our debate with Dean on Israel, Trump and his explanation of what he has learned about the breakdown of American democracy. This episode is available on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe