In this week’s Scheer Intelligence, Robert Scheer sits down with historian James Loeffler to dismantle the increasingly convenient narrative that antisemitism is whatever politicians say it is. Loeffler’s new book, Exceptional Hatred, traces how America has repeatedly reinvented the meaning of “the Jew”—from religious outsider to racial threat to political scapegoat—and how today’s panic over campus speech and Israel has turned that long history into a blunt instrument for silencing dissent. What emerges in this conversation is not a culture‑war caricature but a sober warning: when the government starts defining what Jews must believe, and which criticisms are forbidden, it isn’t protecting anyone—it’s reviving the very logic the First Amendment was written to prevent.

In this week’s Scheer Intelligence, Robert Scheer sits down with historian James Loeffler to dismantle the increasingly convenient narrative that antisemitism is whatever politicians say it is. Loeffler’s new book, Exceptional Hatred, traces how America has repeatedly reinvented the meaning of “the Jew”—from religious outsider to racial threat to political scapegoat—and how today’s panic over campus speech and Israel has turned that long history into a blunt instrument for silencing dissent. What emerges in this conversation is not a culture‑war caricature but a sober warning: when the government starts defining what Jews must believe, and which criticisms are forbidden, it isn’t protecting anyone—it’s reviving the very logic the First Amendment was written to prevent.

Exceptional Hatred: Free Speech, Fear, and the Fight Over Jewish Identity in America

The former congressman tells Robert Scheer that a provision buried in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act could integrate the United States and Israel at the highest levels of military technology—without meaningful public debate or congressional scrutiny.Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich has spent decades warning about the machinery of permanent war. But in a new conversation with Robert Scheer, he argues that Congress is now on the verge of crossing a line without precedent in American military history.At the center of Kucinich's warning is Section 219 of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, a provision he says would formally integrate key areas of U.S. and Israeli military development, including artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, quantum sensing, cyber and electronic warfare, biotechnology, missile defense, drones and directed-energy systems.“They call it integration, but I call it a merger,” Kucinich tells Scheer.The implications, he argues, go far beyond traditional military aid or weapons sales. Kucinich warns that the provision could create new counterintelligence risks, deepen U.S. dependence on Israel's military infrastructure and technology, blur questions of war powers and further entangle Washington in Israel's expanding regional conflicts.Even more alarming, Kucinich says, is how little debate the proposal has received. Rather than being considered through a separate treaty or subjected to extensive congressional hearings, the provision has been folded into a massive defense authorization bill that lawmakers will face enormous political pressure to support.“This provision has been smuggled into the bill,” Kucinich argues. “There's never been any debate.”For Scheer, the contradiction is impossible to ignore. At the moment the United States marks 250 years since declaring its independence, Washington may be moving toward an unprecedented military dependence on another state—one whose conduct in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon has placed it at the center of international accusations of genocide and grave violations of international law.In this urgent edition of Scheer Intelligence, Scheer and Kucinich examine what Section 219 could mean for American sovereignty, constitutional government and the future of war—and why a provision of such consequence has received so little attention from Congress, the Democratic opposition and the mainstream press.

The former congressman tells Robert Scheer that a provision buried in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act could integrate the United States and Israel at the highest levels of military technology—without meaningful public debate or congressional scrutiny. Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich has spent decades warning about the machinery of permanent war. But in a new conversation with Robert Scheer, he argues that Congress is now on the verge of crossing a line without precedent in American military history. At the center of Kucinich's warning is Section 219 of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, a provision he says would formally integrate key areas of U.S. and Israeli military development, including artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, quantum sensing, cyber and electronic warfare, biotechnology, missile defense, drones and directed-energy systems. “They call it integration, but I call it a merger,” Kucinich tells Scheer. The implications, he argues, go far beyond traditional military aid or weapons sales. Kucinich warns that the provision could create new counterintelligence risks, deepen U.S. dependence on Israel's military infrastructure and technology, blur questions of war powers and further entangle Washington in Israel's expanding regional conflicts. Even more alarming, Kucinich says, is how little debate the proposal has received. Rather than being considered through a separate treaty or subjected to extensive congressional hearings, the provision has been folded into a massive defense authorization bill that lawmakers will face enormous political pressure to support. “This provision has been smuggled into the bill,” Kucinich argues. “There's never been any debate.” For Scheer, the contradiction is impossible to ignore. At the moment the United States marks 250 years since declaring its independence, Washington may be moving toward an unprecedented military dependence on another state—one whose conduct in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon has placed it at the center of international accusations of genocide and grave violations of international law. In this urgent edition of Scheer Intelligence, Scheer and Kucinich examine what Section 219 could mean for American sovereignty, constitutional government and the future of war—and why a provision of such consequence has received so little attention from Congress, the Democratic opposition and the mainstream press.

Dennis Kucinich Warns Congress Is Quietly Merging the U.S. and Israeli War Machines

The founder and president of the National Iranian American Council talks about the United States’ resistance to normalizing relations with Iran.

The founder and president of the National Iranian American Council talks about the United States’ resistance to normalizing relations with Iran.

Trita Parsi: Losing an enemy

The journalism professor and media expert discusses the sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood.

The journalism professor and media expert discusses the sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood.

The journalism professor and media expert discusses the sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood.

Mary Murphy: Change Happens When Women are in Power

The Georgetown Law professor and director of the Georgetown Center for Poverty and Inequality talks about his most recent book.

The Georgetown Law professor and director of the Georgetown Center for Poverty and Inequality talks about his most recent book.

The Georgetown Law professor and director of the Georgetown Center for Poverty and Inequality talks about his most recent book.

Peter Edelman: Not a Crime to be Poor (part two)

The Georgetown Law professor and director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality talks about how the criminal justice system continues the cycle of poverty in America.

The Georgetown Law professor and director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality talks about how the criminal justice system continues the cycle of poverty in America.

The Georgetown Law professor and director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality talks about how the criminal justice system continues the cycle of poverty in America.

Peter Edelman: Not a crime to be poor (part one)

The history professor discusses his new book about a small group of civilians in Los Angeles in the 1930s and 40s who helped fight Nazis in America.

The history professor discusses his new book about a small group of civilians in Los Angeles in the 1930s and 40s who helped fight Nazis in America.

The history professor discusses his new book about a small group of civilians in Los Angeles in the 1930s and 40s who helped fight Nazis in America.

Steven J. Ross: Hitler in Los Angeles

The director discusses his new film about the true story of a young journalist who embedded himself with Somali pirates.

The director discusses his new film about the true story of a young journalist who embedded himself with Somali pirates.

Bryan Buckley: The Pirates of Somalia

The author discusses his time in Afghanistan both as a reporter and as a hostage.

The author discusses his time in Afghanistan both as a reporter and as a hostage.

Jere Van Dyk: The Trade

The documentary filmmaker discusses his new film The Force, about the Oakland Police Department.

The documentary filmmaker discusses his new film The Force, about the Oakland Police Department.

Peter Nicks: The Force

The documentary filmmaker discusses her film about Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap.

The documentary filmmaker discusses her film about Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant: The General and Me

The senior analyst at the National Security Archive discusses the need for transparency of government documents.

The senior analyst at the National Security Archive discusses the need for transparency of government documents.

Peter Kornbluh: Transparency is essential

Scheer Intelligence features thoughtful and provocative conversations with "American Originals" -- people who, through a lifetime of engagement with political issues, offer unique and often surprising perspectives on the day's most important issues.

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