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Click here for the full interview with Marta Havryshko and Nicolai Petro: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/full-episode-ukrainian-scholar-exposes?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

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Watch this week's Friday Free-For-All: Fmr Obama Speechwriter: "Genocide is Bad" Is WRONG Takeaway of the Holocaust at https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/fmr-obama-speechwriter-genocide-is?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.

There’s been a lot happening in Ukraine: there is talk of a new peace proposal floated by the US and Russia, and meanwhile, Ukraine internally is in chaos over a corruption scandal touching Zelensky and his inner circle.

We spoke to two experts: returning guest Marta Havryshko, visiting assistant professor at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University, and Nicolai Petro, professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island and author of The Tragedy of Ukraine.

Useful Idiots: What is going on with this corruption controversy in Ukraine?

Marta Havryshko: First of all, I must say that it’s not only a corruption scandal. It’s an entire political crisis. This energy scandal is part of a bigger picture, and different security services and state agencies are all involved in these corruption schemes crafted by Zelensky’s friends.

The corruption scheme involves kickbacks with Ukraine’s energy production at a time when a lot of Ukrainians are going without power because of all the Russian attacks. So now, Ukrainians are sitting without water, electricity, and heat for twelve, fifteen hours per day in some cities.

They are outraged. And they are thinking, ‘Why is this happening? How is it possible that ordinary Ukrainians are demanded to go to the front line, to send their sons away, but at the same time our political elites are making money out of their sufferings while we sit for hours without heat, water, and electricity?’

Useful Idiots: We have word of yet another new seismic development in the Ukraine proxy war. There is talk now that Ukraine has been presented with a new sort of ultimatum from Trump. It includes ceding all of the Donbas to Russia and a reduction in the size of the Ukrainian military. What is your understanding of where things are both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table?

Nicolai Petro: The battlefield situation is getting increasingly critical for Ukraine. There are some assessments that we’re reaching a tipping point at which it is possible that the front line collapses at several points and then the situation will be dire indeed. And perhaps it is to prevent putting Ukraine and its European backers in that kind of dire situation that the current proposal has been floated…

Subscribe for the full interviews with Marta Havyrshko and Nicolai Petro.

00:00 Intro

01:23 Trump threatens death penalty for Congressional Dems

07:24 Marta Havryshko interview

07:44 The corruption scandal taking down Zelensky

28:13 Trump's 'peace plan' ultimatum for Ukraine

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For $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and bonus content at http://usefulidiotspodcast.com

Or find us on Locals at http://usefulidiots.locals.com

Katie Halper and Aaron Maté go over the worst moments of the Sunday morning news shows that they watch so you don’t have to.

If it's Monday Morning, it's #mondaymourning

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Click here for the full interview with Professor Richard Wolff: usefulidiotspodcast.com

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To help free Mohammed Ibrahim: https://linktr.ee/freeMohammedIbrahim

Support local jobs and get variety of high-quality clothing and activewear at https://www.american-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code USEFUL. Thanks to American Giant for sponsoring the show!

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Watch this week's Friday Free-For-All: JD Vance Can't Stop Laughing at Trump's al-Qaeda Joke at https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/jd-vance-cant-stop-laughing-at-trumps?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Go to our sponsor https://venice.ai/useful and use code useful to enjoy private, uncensored AI. Using our code will get you 20% off a pro plan.

To help free Mohammed Ibrahim: https://linktr.ee/freeMohammedIbrahim

Support local jobs and get variety of high-quality clothing and activewear at https://www.american-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code USEFUL. Thanks to American Giant for sponsoring the show!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Watch this week's Friday Free-For-All: JD Vance Can't Stop Laughing at Trump's al-Qaeda Joke at https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/jd-vance-cant-stop-laughing-at-trumps?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.

If you’re wondering about how the so-called ceasefire in Gaza is going, look no further than this BBC News headline:

Some ceasefire. And if you want to know about the even-less-reported-on West Bank, where settlers are committing unwatchable atrocities as you read this, listen to this week’s interview with Jasper Nathaniel, a Jewish-American journalist who is just back from the olive harvest, where IDF soldiers set him up for a violent mob attack from Israeli settlers. The videos he took are horrifying.

We asked Jasper about the situation in the West Bank, to describe the settler attack in which he caught on video the moment where a settler beat an elderly woman in the head with a stick, and the US State Department’s response to his plea for rescue.

Useful Idiots: Tell us about your own government’s response to the settler attack. You contacted the US Embassy, what have your elected representatives told you?Jasper Nathaniel: They immediately sent out Marines to rescue me from the oil fields and put me on a private plane back to...No, they did nothing. I actually did speak to two people at the US embassy who saw the video and they expressed horror and sympathy and fear. And when I told them we needed protection, one guy says to me, ‘Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do to protect you. It is the responsibility of the host government, meaning Israel, to protect you.’And then I point out that it was the host military that led us into this ambush. And he says, ‘Well in the instances where the host government can’t protect you we pull our embassy, like Venezuela and Syria.’ So I say ‘Okay, so you’re pulling the embassy from Israel?’ And that was the last I heard from them.Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, all completely ignored me.Useful Idiots: It’s not surprising, it’s kind of predictable, and yet it’s still shocking. Can you talk about the outcome of your reporting on this and what effect it had on the people living there?Jasper Nathaniel: People started to tell me that this might be one of those rare instances where something so heinous is caught or documented that Israel can’t spin it and might have to issue some sort of a response.And sure enough, the next morning, there was a story in the Times of Israel where the chief of police in the West Bank, who is a far-right Ben Gavir acolyte, said ‘We must arrest him and demand justice.’ The next day I was back in the oil fields and there were Israeli soldiers there patrolling, protecting the Palestinians. And it was clear to me and to all the Palestinians that they didn’t suddenly grow a conscience and decide they wanted to protect these people. They understood that they had a PR disaster on their hands and they had to save face by preventing another attack.

Thanks for supporting independent media. It’s moments like Jasper’s video that couldn’t happen without your support.

To join the community and get our analysis on Bari Weiss, John Fetterman, JD Vance, and Trump’s al-Qaeda Oval Office visit, please subscribe for $6 a month.

00:00 Intro

01:12 Laura Loomer and Jeffrey Epstein

04:35 Trump's terrible healthcare idea

09:34 Jasper Nathaniel interview

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For $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and bonus content at http://usefulidiotspodcast.com

Or find us on Locals at http://usefulidiots.locals.com

Katie Halper and Aaron Maté go over the worst moments of the Sunday morning news shows that they watch so you don’t have to.

If it's Monday Morning, it's #mondaymourning

🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4906030668972032

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Go to our sponsor https://venice.ai/useful and use code useful to enjoy private, uncensored AI. Using our code will get you 20% off a pro plan.

Click here for the full interview with Ross Barkan: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/full-episode-israel-panics-after?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Support local jobs and get variety of high-quality clothing and activewear at https://www.american-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code USEFUL. Thanks to American Giant for sponsoring the show!

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Watch this week's Friday Free-For-All: Elon Musk Short Circuits on Joe Rogan Over Zohran Mamdani https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/elon-musk-short-circuits-on-joe-rogan?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.

*Don’t miss our new segment, the Friday Free-For-All: Elon Musk Short Circuits on Joe Rogan Over Zohran Mamdani*

In 2018, Ross Barkan ran for New York State Senate. His campaign manager was Zohran Mamdani.

This week, after an unprecedented surprise campaign, which began polling at 0% on announcement day, Zohran Mamdani pulled off an upset to become New York City’s next mayor. Ross Barkan explains how this happened, the forces and money working against Mamdani, and why this signals a tailspin for Israeli influence campaigns over US candidates.

Useful Idiots: The ADL has announced that they’re launching a comprehensive, citywide initiative to track and monitor policies and personnel appointments of the incoming Mamdani administration. And earlier, Jonathan Greenblatt said that Zohran wasn’t meeting with “the right Jews.” What is your response to the ADL’s effort against Zohran Mamdani?Ross Barkan: It really backfired on them. They made this a referendum on Israel. And that helped Zohran.Zohran himself did not make this election a referendum in Israel-Palestine. He did not talk about it in his campaign ads. He was not talking about it on the stump. It really was a locally-focused affordability campaign. And again and again, because he is pro-Palestine and has a long history in activism, he was attacked on it. And they lost the referendum bad.They lost the primary by 13 points, they lost the general election by 9 points. Put into context the amount of money spent against him by the super PACs from the primary and general and you’re talking almost $60 million dollars, plus Cuomo’s own money. So they poured in $70 million dollars against him collectively and they were beaten.Useful Idiots: Let’s look at what happens when Zohran takes office January 1st. Governor Kathy Hochul endorsed him, but yet she’s opposed a centerpiece of his campaign, which is a bit of a higher tax on the ultra wealthy to help fund some of his social programs: free buses, universal child care, and other measures. What kind of challenges is he facing on that front to actually push his agenda through?

00:00 Stories from Zohran's victory party in Brooklyn

05:30 Friday Free-For-All preview

07:38 Trump is parroting Zohran

09:21 CNN sounds strangely Republican when talking about Zohran

11:55 Ross Barkan interview

30:27 Will Zohran be able to pass any of his campaign promises?

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donations

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For $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and bonus content at http://usefulidiotspodcast.com

Or find us on Locals at http://usefulidiots.locals.com

Katie Halper and Aaron Maté go over the worst moments of the Sunday morning news shows that they watch so you don’t have to.

If it's Monday Morning, it's #mondaymourning

🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4906030668972032

Why are Democrats fighting so hard against Zohran Mamdani? Katie and Aaron analyze.

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Click here for the full interview with Ivana Nikolić Hughes: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/full-episode-1000-hiroshimas-chemical?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Go to our sponsor https://venice.ai/useful and use code useful to enjoy private, uncensored AI. Using our code will get you 20% off a pro plan.

Support local jobs and get variety of high-quality clothing and activewear at https://www.american-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code USEFUL. Thanks to American Giant for sponsoring the show!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and bonus content at http://usefulidiotspodcast.com

Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here for the full interview with Ivana Nikolić Hughes: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/full-episode-1000-hiroshimas-chemical?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Go to our sponsor https://venice.ai/useful and use code useful to enjoy private, uncensored AI. Using our code will get you 20% off a pro plan.

Support local jobs and get variety of high-quality clothing and activewear at https://www.american-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code USEFUL. Thanks to American Giant for sponsoring the show!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and bonus content at http://usefulidiotspodcast.com

Join us LIVE on Youtube every Monday at 10am EST for Monday Mourning, where we watch the Sunday morning news shows so that you don't have to.

This week, Trump made a dangerous announcement on Truth Social: “Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”

Chemical engineer Ivana Nikolić Hughes joins Useful Idiots to debunk Trump’s claim that other countries have conducted tests, and more importantly why doing our own tests could lead to catastrophic disaster. Or, in her words: “Nuclear winter.”

Useful Idiots: What if someone were to say, ‘What’s wrong with a nuclear test? It’s just a test. And shouldn’t we know whether these systems are working? What’s the problem?’Ivana Nikolić Hughes: The word test, actually, is just the wrong word for what took place in these more-than-2,000 full-blown nuclear explosions. The largest test that the United States ever conducted was called the Bravo Test. And it had the energy yield equivalent to a thousand Hiroshima bombs. So Hiroshima flattened the city, this thing was a thousand times more powerful and had a mushroom cloud twenty five miles high and sixty miles wide. There was nothing “testy” about this. This was a full blown monster .And the fallout was tremendous. There was destruction of cities, but the radiation has been absolutely devastating. Generations have been impacted by it in the US. We think of the Cold War as having had no victims. But in fact, the victims were created by their own governments. It wasn’t Soviet people being killed by US nuclear weapons. It was American citizens being killed.Useful Idiots: According to people like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Tom Cotton, having a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons ‘keeps the peace’ and preserves global stability.Ivana Nikolić Hughes: My response is that nuclear deterrence might work until the day it doesn’t. I always want to tell people we’re not exaggerating this thing. It’s going to be the end of the world as we know it. People write comments when I speak about this, they go ‘Oh but Hiroshima and Nagasaki are just fine today.’Which they are. In 1945, one country had three nuclear weapons. Today, nine countries have twelve and a half thousand of them.Useful Idiots: So going back to Trump’s statement, he seems to confuse testing a nuclear-capable missile versus testing a nuclear weapon itself. But he also seems confused on what the powers of the Pentagon are. Because he says, I’ve directed Secretary Hegseth to carry out testing, but is it as simple as that? Can he just direct the Pentagon to test a nuclear weapon?

00:00 Intro

03:22 Mike Johnson wants to starve people

08:16 Ted Cruz turns on MTG

16:02 Will the ADL call THIS anti-Zohran antisemite out?

19:03 Katie Miller gets the WWE treatment

23:56 Ivana Nikolić Hughes interview

31:58 What's wrong with nuclear tests?

52:08 Would we win a nuclear war?

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See Pranav Behari headline at the New York Comedy Festival:

https://nycomedyfestival.com/lineup/pranav-behari-sam-evans-do-half-hours-as-part-of-nycf-2025/

https://www.mangobae.com/

For $6 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and bonus content at http://usefulidiotspodcast.com

Or find us on Locals at http://usefulidiots.locals.com

Katie Halper and Aaron Maté go over the worst moments of the Sunday morning news shows that they watch so you don’t have to.

If it's Monday Morning, it's #mondaymourning

🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4906030668972032

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