It’s been almost four months (!) of Donald Trump’s second term and it’s become nearly impossible to keep track of the president’s unhinged behavior. Fortunately, Mehdi and political analyst Molly Jong-Fast, host of the ‘Fast Politics’ podcast, take on the task of rounding up Trump’s most insane recent moments on this week’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’. They also call out the media for its lax coverage of Trump’s mental state and possible cognitive decline.

Mehdi and Molly also talk about the Trump administration’s repression of free speech on college campuses, compare the media coverage of Trump versus Joe Biden, and take some shots at the Republican-led Congress. “They are run by complete incompetence,” Molly says. 

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FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Molly Jong-Fast

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

It’s been one whole year since the launch of ‘We’re Not Kidding’, and for our anniversary episode Mehdi is joined by comedian and internet superstar Gianmarco Soresi. As a half-Italian, half-Jewish comedian, Gianmarco has become famous for the viral social media clips of his standup comedy, as well as his outspoken criticism of Israel. He and Mehdi unpack how the silencing of pro-Palestine voices can contribute to rising antisemitism.

The two also discuss the hypocrisy of Donald Trump and the Republican party, who claim to be defenders of free speech while simultaneously detaining student activists for their political activity or opinions. Finally, Mehdi and Gianmarco go on an extended rant about the “anti-woke” comedy movement and how its ringleaders like Joe Rogan and Bill Maher have completely sold out to powerful political figures like Donald Trump. “We're watching huge comedians toe the line for the President,” Gianmarco says. “Well, then you're not a f*****g comedian anymore — You’re a propagandist.”

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FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND GIANMARCO:

Twitter: https://x.com/GianmarcoSoresi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gianmarcosoresi

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gianmarcosoresi

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Gianmarco Soresi

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special thanks to: Mohammed Abdelbary

On this week’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’, Mehdi is joined by award-winning actor, activist, and Zeteo contributor Cynthia Nixon for an impassioned conversation about rising fascism under Donald Trump and the lawlessness of ICE, which Cynthia calls a “terrorist agency.” Mehdi and Cynthia unpack Trump’s assault on US higher education, the ‘disappearings’ of international student activists, and the lack of opposition from the Democratic Party.

Finally, the Democratic primary for New York City Mayor is underway and Cynthia has some strong opinions about two of the candidates. First, there’s former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (Cynthia’s former opponent from the 2018 gubernatorial race) who’s currently polling first even though he resigned from office in disgrace amidst multiple scandals. Then, there’s New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani who’s running a progressive and grassroots campaign and has not had to resign from office in disgrace due to multiple scandals. Listen now to find out which candidate Cynthia prefers!

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FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Cynthia Nixon

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

It’s been almost two months since Mehdi and Bassem co-hosted ‘We’re Not Kidding’ together and A LOT has happened since then. As two naturalized US citizens, Mehdi and Bassem co-host again, starting off the conversation discussing the Trump administration’s arrests of international residents in the US who dare to criticize Israel. 

The two also discuss Israel breaking the ceasefire deal (Bassem compares Israel to ex you keep expecting better from) and its renewed attacks on Gaza, which have killed over 700 Palestinians in just three days with full political support from the Trump administration. Bassem also points out the inherent hypocrisy of US foreign policy throughout modern history – and how they’re each coping with it (or not). 

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Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND BASSEM:

Twitter: https://x.com/Byoussef

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bassem/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bassem?lang=en

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Bassem Youssef

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

They first bonded over their shared love of Nando’s — now Mehdi and UK comedian Nish Kumar reunite to talk about their shared contempt for the Trump administration. The two sat down in Washington DC to discuss UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous visits to the White House and the childish behavior of US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Mehdi and Nish also weigh in on the current debate raging in the UK over who gets to claim ‘English’ identity. Is Rishi Sunak English? Is ‘English’ an ethnic identity? Is this just racism disguised as legitimate debate? The two also dig into the nature of ‘American’ identity and Donald Trump’s attempts to revoke birthright citizenship in the US. 

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FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND NISH:

Twitter: https://x.com/MrNishKumar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrnishkumar/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrnishkumar

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Nish Kumar

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Live from New York — it’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’! This past week, Mehdi traveled to the ‘On Air Fest’ in Brooklyn for a very special LIVE taping of ‘WNK’ with award-winning sports journalist and broadcaster Jemele Hill. You may remember Jemele from the first Trump administration, when political ‘nepo baby’ and then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called for ESPN to fire Jemele for calling Donald Trump a white supremacist. 

In this wide-ranging conversation, Mehdi and Jemele discuss Trump and Elon Musk’s recent attacks on the press and the dangerous behavior of mainstream journalists who value access over solidarity. They also dig into the crucial intersection of sports and politics, including Trump’s historic Super Bowl appearance, the capitulation of (some) professional sports leagues, the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics, and whether the NFL is responsible for Trump running for president. “To be honest, I sort of blame the NFL because we have to deal with Trump in this capacity,” Jemele says. Intriguing, right? 

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Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND JEMELE:

Twitter: https://x.com/jemelehill

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jemelehill/

‘Spolitics’ with Jemele Hill: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-spolitics-222755070/

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Jemele Hill

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special thanks: Stephen Wentzell

Mehdi is once again joined by ‘We’re Not Kidding’ powerhouse Bassem Youssef for a raw and honest conversation about the state of the world. To steal a phrase from MAGA Republicans speaking about Donald Trump — “Daddy is home.” Mehdi and Bassem unpack the first few weeks of Trump’s second term, including the escalating violence in the West Bank occurring during the “fake” Gaza ceasefire. 

The two also debate whether the US empire is beginning to collapse, if organized resistance movements are at all effective, and if Trump and the Republicans are more honest than Joe Biden and the Democrats. “You prefer to deal with the wolf rather than the wolf in sheep's clothing,” Mehdi asks Bassem, who also shares his opinion on Elon Musk’s controversial hand gesture and his uniquely noxious flavor of South African racism.

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FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND BASSEM:

Twitter: https://x.com/Byoussef

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bassem/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bassem?lang=en

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Bassem Youssef

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

‘We’re Not Kidding’ is back! After a not-very-relaxing holiday break, Mehdi is joined by tech and online culture journalist (and new Zeteo contributor!) Taylor Lorenz to discuss the new age of American oligarchy. Trump is back in office and his inauguration was a star-studded showcase of spineless tech billionaires. 

Mehdi and Taylor also unpack the dumbfounding blunder of Democrats’ TikTok ban, why private ownership of social media platforms by “red-pilled billionaires” is actually BAD for free speech, the MAGAfication of Elon Musk, and whether Mark Zuckerberg looks cool now. Taylor also pushes back against the argument made by Zeteo guest writer Will Stancil, who called for Democrats to go to war with social media companies. “Then just get on board with Republicans! This is the problem, is people like that. That is so stupid!” 

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news

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Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND TAYLOR:

Twitter: https://x.com/TaylorLorenz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlorenz

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Taylor Lorenz

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special thanks to: Stephen Wentzell

If you’ve followed Mehdi’s career, you know he’s interviewed heads of state, members of Congress, homicidal mercenaries, and even terrorists. But this may be Mehdi’s most intimidating guest yet — Huda Kattan — the superstar beauty influencer, activist, reality TV show host, and founder and CEO of international beauty brand 'Huda Beauty'. Funnily enough, Huda was also nervous to sit down with one of her personal role models.

Huda opens up to Mehdi about growing up in Tennessee and the moment she realized that US media is oftentimes propaganda: “That was the moment where I was like, holy shit, we are being lied to. We're being told stories for the sake of specific agendas.” 

They also talk about the launch of 'Huda Beauty', the lack of diversity in the beauty industry, celebrities who have stayed silent on Gaza, and Huda's activism on Gaza and Palestine. “You don’t want people who support genocide to use your products?” Mehdi asks. “Absolutely not. You’re not allowed.” Huda replies. 

Subscribe at Zeteo.com to watch the full interview.

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Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND HUDA:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@huda?lang=en

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Huda Kattan

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Hasan Minhaj and Mehdi Hasan don’t just share a common brown name… actually, that may be all they have in common. One loves to debate, the other avoids it like the plague. One is obsessed (sorry, Mehdi) with Twitter, the other avoids it like the plague. And one knew months ago that Trump was going to win, and with record levels of Black and Brown support.

They also talked about Joe Rogan and diagnosing what’s the matter with men these days, pseudo-intellectualism, Hasan’s latest Netflix special - including the perplexities and paradoxes of “Beigistan”, and yes, the whole ‘Daily Show’ thing with Hasan and the New Yorker. 

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FIND ZETEO:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews

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FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND HASAN:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HasanMinhaj

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hasanminhaj/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hasanminhaj

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Hasan Minhaj

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali