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On this edition of Parallax Views, it's a double-feature episode examining the changing landscape of American politics, media, and public opinion from two very different perspectives.

First, journalist Howard Polskin, founder of The Righting, joins us to discuss the modern right-wing media ecosystem and the influence it exerts on American politics. Polskin explains why he launched The Righting after the 2016 election to track the headlines, narratives, and trends emerging from conservative media, and discusses which outlets wield the greatest influence in the Trump era. We examine the relationship between major platforms like Fox News, Breitbart, Newsmax, and The Epoch Times, the rise of outrage-driven content and right-wing podcasts, and why seemingly fringe ideas can migrate into the political mainstream. Polskin also reflects on his effort to understand—rather than simply caricature—the conservative media landscape, the internal divisions within the American right over issues like Iran, and why he believes liberals, journalists, policymakers, and anyone seeking to better understand contemporary conservatism should pay closer attention to the stories shaping conservative audiences.

In the second half of the program, Ioannis (Ian) Vlahos, editorial assistant and writer at Antiwar.com and a history and journalism student at George Mason University, joins us to discuss his Antiwar.Com article "Gen Z Is Tired of War." Vlahos argues that Generation Z's worldview has been shaped less by the trauma of 9/11 itself than by growing up amid the consequences of the War on Terror and witnessing the failures of two decades of U.S. interventionism. We explore how social media, alternative media, and independent voices have helped cultivate anti-war sentiment among younger Americans, while also fueling broader distrust of institutions and the spread of conspiracy theories. Vlahos explains why many in Gen Z increasingly prioritize domestic concerns such as healthcare, student debt, and economic insecurity over foreign military interventions, discusses the cross-partisan nature of contemporary anti-interventionism, and reflects on whether this growing skepticism toward America's foreign policy establishment could eventually develop into a lasting political movement.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, acclaimed writer, cultural critic, translator, and literary anthologist Ilan Stavans joins us to discuss his new anthology, A Nation Wrestles with God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands. Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities, Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College and a prolific author whose work explores language, identity, religion, and culture, offers a sweeping look at how Americans have grappled with the idea of God from the colonial era to the present day.

Rather than presenting a history of belief or unbelief, Wrestling with God traces the ongoing conversation (and often fierce argument) over faith, doubt, morality, and meaning that has shaped American life. We discuss the anthology's remarkable range of contributors, which includes figures such as Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Christopher Hitchens, Will Arbery, Molly McCully Brown, and many others.

Among the topics explored are why even outspoken skeptics and atheists like H.L. Mencken continued to wrestle with God through language, symbolism, and imagery; how religious belief and doubt have served as engines of American political, philosophical, and cultural life; and why Stavans believes America's defining religious tradition is less about consensus than about continual debate.

We also examine the democratization of America's conversation about God. As Stavans explains, the nation's religious imagination is no longer shaped solely by theologians, clergy, philosophers, or academic elites, but increasingly by novelists, filmmakers, comedians, musicians, and pop culture figures. The discussion explores how "high" and "low" culture alike have become arenas where Americans negotiate questions of faith, morality, transcendence, and identity.

Additionally, Stavans reflects on the editorial process behind assembling such an expansive anthology, the significance of concluding the volume with younger voices like playwright Will Arbery and poet Molly McCully Brown, the enduring influence of the Bible on American literature and public discourse, and why the American experiment has always involved a uniquely pluralistic struggle over the meaning of God.

Whether you're interested in religion, American history, philosophy, literature, politics, or contemporary culture, this conversation offers a fascinating exploration of one of the most enduring questions at the heart of the American experience.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael is joined by Tahir Amin, founder and CEO of the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK) and co-author, with Rohit Malpani, of the new book Pharma Monopoly: The Battle for the Future of Medicines.

Why have prescription drugs and life-saving medicines become so expensive? Is it simply the cost of innovation, or is the modern pharmaceutical industry built around monopoly power? In this brisk, information-packed conversation, Amin examines how patents, intellectual property law, global trade agreements, financialization, and neoliberal economic policies have reshaped the pharmaceutical industry and transformed medicine into one of the world's most profitable businesses.

Drawing on the arguments in Pharma Monopoly, Amin explains how patent monopolies can delay generic competition, why the pharmaceutical industry's definition of "innovation" deserves closer scrutiny, how Wall Street increasingly influences drug development, and what the pandemic exposed about the global system for producing and distributing medicines. The conversation also explores the role of Third Way neoliberalism in the problems we face with the emergence of the pharma monopoly, criticisms of the medicines patent pool, the access-to-medicines movement, the influence of major philanthropic organizations (i.e.: Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation) and the issue of philanothro-capitalists, the financialization of the pharmaceutical industry, why the issues we are facing are not just limited to the "pharma bros." like Martin Shkreli, the potential for AI (artificial intelligence) to intensify monopoly power, and why debates over affordable medicine are inseparable from questions of democracy, public health, economic power, and who ultimately controls access to medical knowledge.

Whether you're interested in healthcare, prescription drug prices, Big Pharma, patents, public health, globalization, political economy, or the future of medicine, this episode offers a concise but wide-ranging look at the structural forces shaping modern healthcare and why the battle over medicines affects far more than the price you pay at the pharmacy.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Nate Wilcox of The MMA Draw joins us for an in-depth conversation about the politics, business, and corporate power behind the UFC, examining how Dana White, Donald Trump, Ari Emanuel, Endeavor, WME, TKO, and Silver Lake have transformed mixed martial arts into one of the most politically visible sports in America.

We trace the history of the UFC from its origins in 1993 and the evolution of MMA, including the influence of Brazilian Vale Tudo, Japanese MMA, and catch wrestling, before exploring the organization's dramatic shift following Endeavor's $4 billion acquisition of the UFC in 2016. Nate explains how Dana White's political evolution differed from that of the Fertitta family, their earlier relationship with Democratic politicians like Harry Reid, and how White's alliance with Donald Trump fundamentally changed the UFC's public image.

We also examine the complex corporate relationships connecting Ari Emanuel, TKO, WME, David Ellison, Larry Ellison, major media companies, and private equity, discussing how ownership and corporate interests shape the UFC's direction far beyond what fans see inside the Octagon. We discuss fighter pay, revenue sharing, athletic commissions, Nevada politics, and the business incentives driving modern combat sports.

From there, we dive into the controversial Freedom 250 event at the White House, discussing its symbolism, security concerns, officiating controversies, fighter safety, the Association of Boxing Commissions, and the headline bout featuring Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. We also examine the political messaging surrounding the event and why the UFC has become an increasingly prominent stage for American politics.

Nate and I also discuss controversial UFC personalities including Sean Strickland and Bryce Mitchell, media figures such as Ariel Helwani and Luke Thomas, and the role of independent MMA journalism in covering the sport's political and business dimensions. We examine the influence of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, sovereign wealth funds, boxing, media consolidation, lobbying, AIPAC, and the intersection of combat sports, entertainment, and geopolitics.

Finally, Nate discusses his work with Zach Arnold on The MMA Draw, where they investigate the business, financial, legal, and political forces shaping the UFC, TKO, professional wrestling, and the wider combat sports industry.

Recorded: 6-12-26

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On this edition of Parallax Views, former CIA intelligence officer and Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Non-Resident Fellow Paul R. Pillar joins us to discuss his recent Responsible Statecraft article, “Senate wants to force US to share sensitive intel with Israel,” and the implications of Section 622 of the Senate Intelligence Authorization Act. The provision, championed by Sen. Tom Cotton, would require the executive branch to expand and enhance intelligence sharing with Israel while making it significantly more difficult for any administration to limit or suspend such cooperation.

Drawing on his 28-year career in the U.S. intelligence community—including service as National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia, Deputy Chief of the DCI Counterterrorist Center, and Executive Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence—Pillar explains why he considers the proposal highly unusual and potentially dangerous. He argues that intelligence-sharing relationships are complex arrangements normally managed by intelligence professionals and the executive branch, not dictated by congressional mandate.

Pillar also discusses the often-overlooked world of intelligence liaison relationships, the risks associated with sharing sensitive intelligence, Israel's history of espionage against the United States—including the Jonathan Pollard affair—and concerns that intelligence provided by Washington could be used in ways that conflict with broader U.S. interests in the Middle East. He further contends that the legislation reflects a broader effort to deepen U.S.-Israeli integration through mechanisms that receive less public scrutiny than direct military aid.

Among the topics explored in this conversation:

Paul R. Pillar is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies, and a retired 28-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence community. He is the author of several books, including Intelligence and U.S. Foreign Policy: Iraq, 9/11, and Misguided Reform and Why America Misunderstands the World: National Experience and Roots of Misperception.

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Note: Sorry for mispronunciation of Ben Gvir's name. Should be pronounced "guh-veer" not "geever". A rather stupid mistake on my end that makes me sound ignorant.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Israeli dissident commentator Ori Goldberg returns to discuss how Israel has reacted to the Trump-Iran MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) and the "crazy-making" state of Israeli politics today. Goldberg argues that Israeli politics has come to revolve around the axis of Benjamin Netanyahu rather than policy or problem-solving. There are those who support Bibi and those who don't. But questions pertaining to the world outside Netanyahu's leadership, he says, are ignored. He reports a sense of aimlessness or listlessness in Israeli political life and criticizes not only Netanyahu, but also the Yair Lapid-led opposition and the Yair Golan-led Democrats party for bending towards neoliberalism and ignoring the Israel-Palestinian issue in favor of saber-rattling about Iran or, increasingly, even Turkey and Syria. We'll also discuss the news that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz due to Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon and dissect some of the misinformation/disinformation or about Israel's engagement in Lebanon and Hezbollah's response. Moreover, Goldberg comments on JD Vance's warning to Israel that the Trump administration is the only ally Israel has left and that Israel cannot solve all its problems through killing. Although Goldberg does not trust Trump or Vance, he does believe that the administration's relationship with Israel is fraying and that it may find Israel less useful going forward. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views!

THIS IS A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR EDITION OF PARALLAX VIEWS!

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On this special edition of Parallax Views, J.G. and a slew of top-notch guests delve into the antiwar movement and the attacks, past and present, on antiwar voices and dissidents.

First up, Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin makes her Parallax Views debut! Code Pink is one of the most well-known antiwar, pro-peace groups in America today and have been protesting since the days of the Iraq War. Found by grassroots feminists, Code Pink seeks to counter the War Party with on-the-ground activism. Recently, Medea and Code Pink along with political streamer Hasan Piker were targeted by the Trump administration for their activism related to Cuba, a country currently being starved by U.S. sanctions. Medea and I talk about her recent, highly publicized run-in with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who claimed that Medea had assaulted her. The video footage, however, tells a different story and Medea. We'll also talk about the recent attempt by Bari Weiss' Free Press to whip up a deportation campaign against the Quincy Institute's Trita Parsi. Medea will also offer her thoughts on how to overcome the War Party's intimidation tactics and how the peace movement can give people young and old a sense of community.

In the second segment of this special edition, Chip Gibbons, Policy Director of Defending Rights and Dissent, dives deep into how the second Trump administration, with help from foundations built by previous administrations of both the Democratic and Republican stripe, is cracking down on antiwar voices and dissidents more broadly. Learn about NSPM-7 and how its broad language poses a grave threat to free speech as well as how previous administrations helped pave the way for the Trump administration's current moves against dissenting voices. Chip lays it all out in informative fashion, connecting past to present and overing some hope at the end by discussing the at-least-for-the-moment defeat of a FISA Section 702, which allowed for warrantless wiretapping.

In segment three, longtime peace activist David Swanson of World BEYOND War joins the show to offer his perspective on the antiwar and pro-peace movements in the age of Trump. We delve into the challenges faced by activists today, including the insidious practice of debanking, as well as why dissent is more necessary than ever. We also discuss the attacks on Palestine Solidarity in the U.K., David's book offering commentary on the antiwar works of Gen. Smedley Butler, and more!

In the fourth and final segment of this special edition presentation, Angela Keaton of Antiwar.Com makes her Parallax Views debut! We delve into the need for antiwar voices on the left and right to oppose the War Party's machinations. We also discuss Mayor Karen Bass' activities in LA against pro-Palestinian activists and why the wars abroad always come back home with civil liberties suffering domestically. Angela also tells the story of how Antiwar.Com's editors, specifically Justin Raimondo and Eric Garris, were spied on by the FBI.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Iranian journalist, political analyst, and independent scholar Peiman Salehi joins the show to discuss his exclusive interview with former IRGC commander and senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mohsen Rezaei, who recently declared that Lebanon and Hezbollah constitute a "non-negotiable red line" for Tehran in any future negotiations with the United States.

Speaking from Iran, Salehi provides background on Rezaei's significance as one of the most influential figures in the history of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and explains why his comments offer an important window into contemporary Iranian strategic thinking. We then delve into why Lebanon has become so central to Tehran's calculations, why Iranian officials increasingly reject the notion that regional issues can be separated from nuclear diplomacy, and what Rezaei means when he argues that Hezbollah and Lebanon are inseparable from any future deal with Washington.

Additionally, Salehi explores whether Iran is undergoing a broader shift in strategic doctrine, one that increasingly views diplomacy, military deterrence, regional alliances, and the balance of power in West Asia as components of a single strategic equation rather than separate policy tracks. We also discuss how concepts of credibility, alliance maintenance, and deterrence factor into Iran's relationship with Hezbollah and why many Iranian policymakers view support for regional partners as a strategic necessity rather than a negotiable issue.

Finally, we examine what all of this could mean for the future of U.S.-Iran negotiations. Is Tehran effectively signaling that future talks can no longer focus solely on sanctions and the nuclear program? Is Lebanon becoming a test case for a broader Iranian effort to redefine the framework of diplomacy with Washington? And what might American policymakers be misunderstanding about the evolving relationship between Iran's regional security concerns and its diplomatic agenda?

All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Iraq War-era Pentagon whistleblower and retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski returns to the program to discuss the growing crackdown on antiwar voices, the controversial Section 224 of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), U.S.-Israel military integration, the military-industrial complex, and what she describes as the accelerating decline of the American Empire.

Kwiatkowski, who became one of the most prominent critics of the George W. Bush administration's Iraq War from within the Pentagon, reflects on her own experiences being targeted and smeared after exposing the manipulation of intelligence in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Drawing on those experiences, she examines current attacks on dissident and anti-interventionist voices, including streamer Hasan Piker, Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin, and Quincy Institute Executive Vice President Trita Parsi, who have faced accusations and scrutiny tied to their opposition to war and interventionist foreign policy.

The conversation also takes a deep dive into Section 224 of the 2027 NDAA and concerns about increasing U.S.-Israeli military integration. Kwiatkowski explains why she believes these developments blur the lines between American and Israeli strategic interests and what that could mean for U.S. foreign policy. And yes, we do discuss the Iran war, Gaza, and the general situation in the Middle East

Additionally, Kwiatkowski discusses the relationship between the Israel lobby and the military-industrial complex, how both influence policymaking in Washington, and why she believes they often reinforce interventionist and militaristic agendas. She also offers her perspective on the future of the United States as a global power, the signs of imperial decline, and how ordinary Americans can prepare for a period of increasing political, economic, and geopolitical instability.

All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, reporter Kelley Vlahos, head of the Quincy Institute's Responsible Statecraft magazine, makes her long-awaited return to the show to discuss the disappointing House Armed Services Committee markup on the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. The 2027 NDAA has come under scrutiny recently for Section 224, which critics argue would entrench U.S.-Israeli military integration in ways that would bypass transparency. Vlahos and I delve into how member of the House Committee responded to this criticism, namely by brushing them off entirely. We do delve into some dissenting voices, however, such as Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Sara Jacobs, the latter of whom brought up Israel's controversial Pegasus spyware and how it has been used to spy on Americans. Kelley walks us through Rep. Ro Khanna's opposition to Section 224 and why he says support for it is not being on "Team America". We also talk about the potential for Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, a Democrat and a Republican, to keep fighting against Section 224 going forward. Also, Vlahos previews an upcoming Responsible Statecraft piece dealing with how a Senate equivalent of Section 224 is being introduced by Rep. Tom Cotton which would entrench U.S.-Israeli intelligence integration. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views.