Worldly

Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the strange non-coup in Venezuela this week. Juan Guaidó, the parliament leader the US considers the country’s legitimate president, claimed the military was about to overthrow actual President Nicolás Maduro in a Tuesday video — and then nothing happened. The Worldly crew discusses how we got here, what this could mean, and the US role in all of this. On Elsewhere, they do the show’s first dive into art history, looking at a poster from Germany’s far-right party that prominently features a 19th-century Orientalist painting.

Links:

Alex has an explainer on how the Guaidó-Maduro standoff began.

Here’s the Guaidó video with English subtitles, and the video of protesters being run over.

Alex also explains the Guaidó video and how it kicked off a week of protest and chaos.

The full Patrick Shanahan and John Bolton tweets, and Mike Pompeo on Fox Business.

America’s spotty record in Latin America, briefly explained.

Here’s why Trump’s Venezuela envoy, Elliott Abrams, doesn’t have the most trustworthy record.

Anti-interventionists have lived in Venezuela’s embassy in Washington for weeks, and that’s led to clashes between them and ati-Maduro activists.

An art publication explains the ins and outs of the AfD “Slave Market” saga.

You can also read the booklet we cited about the painting.

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about the recent violence in Libya — where a militia led by strongman Khalifa Haftar is threatening to topple the internationally recognized government. They explain how we got to this point, and the depressing role President Donald Trump is playing in all of this. On Elsewhere, they talk about a major dustup between the Philippines and Canada over (literal) garbage. Zack has trouble defending Canada, Jenn breaks down the word “warlord,” and Alex refers to Muammar Qaddafi as a “sunglasses icon.”

References:

Here’s some background on the 2011 Libya intervention and why it went poorly.

ISIS took over a city in Libya.

As Jenn pointed out, the fighting over Tripoli has led to at least 220 deaths.

Here’s the evidence that Haftar is implicated in atrocities and war crimes.

This Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder highlights Haftar’s supporters.

According to the White House, Trump spoke with Hafter. Bloomberg reports that Trump gave Haftar a green light to attack Tripoli (the White House denies this).

The US has a long history of allying with rights-abusing governments.

The US-Saudi alliance, explained.

More on Canada’s trash.

The HuffPost has a great longread on why the US and wealthy nations send their recycling to Southeast Asia. And here’s a good primer on the problems with waste shipping to East and Southeast Asia.

Listen to more of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s press conference.

Duterte’s drug war has killed thousands.

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Ezra Klein joins Zack, Jenn, and Alex in a crossover episode with The Weeds on Robert Mueller’s just-released report. They explain the special counsel's main findings on collusion with Russian election interference and on obstruction of justice and why they aren’t good for Trump. Then they zoom out and talk about what this whole episode reveals about the health of American democracy and how this gives a green light for Russia and other authoritarian powers to intervene in future US elections. Given how important this report is, and how early they got up to cover it, your intrepid hosts were too tired for jokes this week — sorry.

The full text of the report, compiled by Alex for your reading pleasure

A refresher on who's who in the Trump-Russia universe

Here's a look at the collusion section of the report from Zack

Here's another take from Zack on Attorney General William Barr's worrying role in all of this

Ten examples of potential obstruction in Mueller's report

How 11 legal experts evaluate the claims of obstruction

Zack and Future Perfect's Dylan Matthews break down the big winners and losers from the report

The Big Vox Explainer on the Mueller report

If you liked this episode, we think you’ll like The Weeds and The Ezra Klein Show. Tap to learn more and subscribe for free to get new episodes.

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the results of Tuesday’s election in Israel, which are set to give incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a fifth term in office. They explain why his end-of-campaign promise to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank is such a big deal and how his desperation to wriggle out of corruption charges could lead to this explosive proposal becoming a reality. Zack explains that people don’t like being in jail, Jenn’s disturbingly lengthy commute is revealed, and Alex compares the Israeli legislative process to player trades in fantasy baseball.

References:

Zack wrote about the Israeli election results and what it could mean.

Vox also has a good explainer on the indictments threatening Netanyahu.

Here’s Netanyahu promising to annex the West Bank.

Netanyahu’s likely coalition could help repel indictment while he’s prime minister.

Finally, take a look at Zack’s short explainer on the West Bank.

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the wealthy authoritarian nation of Brunei’s horrific new criminal code, in which men who have sex with men can be executed by stoning. They delve into the possible reasons Brunei’s sultan is adopting this code, explain how it’s rooted in a very particular and regressive interpretation of Islamic law, and then zoom out to talk about the international reaction — both the necessary organizing to put pressure on the government of Brunei and the ways in which the law is being used in the West to tar Muslims as a whole. On Elsewhere, they talk about the potential closure of the island of Komodo to tourists because people keep stealing Komodo dragons, and then implore Worldly listeners not to keep massive poisonous lizards as pets. Jenn invents the phone number 1-800-Allah, Alex compares religions to apps, and Zack uses the word “dang.”

The BBC has a great explainer on the Brunei law and what it all means.

The New York Post goes into detail on the “sex-obsessed world” of Brunei (and yes, it mentions the yacht named “Tits”), and 60 Minutes did a great documentary on it.

It’s worth noting, as this AFP report does, that Brunei hasn’t executed anyone for decades.

As Zack mentioned, the LGBT community of Brunei has spoken out against the law and worries what it means for them.

Celebrities like George Clooney and Ellen DeGeneres have called for a boycott of Brunei-owned hotels.

The BBC has a very short explainer on Sharia law (but you should just listen to Jenn’s explanation again). If you want to learn more, though, there’s a really great (and accessible) book by two leading scholars called Shariah: What Everyone Needs to Know that’s basically a book-length explainer.

Here’s the archival record of the Sean Hannity segment from 2014.

This is Zack’s big feature on Islamophobia and the Trump administration.

As Jenn mentioned, there are polls taken regarding Muslim views on Sharia law. They typically differ around the world.

National Geographic has everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Komodo dragons.

The Washington Post reported on the smuggling ring that stole more than 40 Komodo dragons for roughly $35,000 each.

If you want to watch the full BBC Komodo dragon attack, it is very worth it. 

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex break down the latest round of fighting between Israel and militants based in the Gaza Strip. They run through how it started, the reasons why it may or may not escalate, and what it tells us about the perpetual state of instability on the Israel-Gaza frontier. On Elsewhere, they talk about the EU’s move toward banning Daylight Saving Time — and yes, there is a Brexit tie-in. Jenn and Zack ask “who among us” hasn’t accidentally fired off a rocket, and Alex explains his abuela’s extremely strong opinions on time changes.

Alex has an explainer on the recent fighting between Israel and Gaza.

Rockets from Gaza usually target parts of Israel’s south.

As Zack noted, the Israeli military assessed that the first rocket attack toward Tel Aviv was a mistake.

Polling shows Gantz’s party has a slight lead over Netanyahu’s.

Jenn noted the indictments plaguing Netanyahu.

An expert told Alex that Netanyahu would respond forcefully but “within reason.”

The Gaza Strip faces many problems, including protests against Hamas’s leadership.

Jenn cited some reporting that Iran might have been involved.

Listen to Vice President Mike Pence’s full speech at AIPAC.

Jenn referenced her friend Lauren Mellinger’s research on Hamas as a hybrid organization.

It’s true: European lawmakers voted to end clock shifts starting in 2021.

Spain changed its own time zone decades ago to be in line with Nazi Germany.

Listen Today, Explained’s great episode on Trump’s Golan Heights decision.

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex delve into the dark far-right echo chamber that seemingly motivated the New Zealand mosque shooter. They talk about the French origins of apocalyptic theories about nonwhites and Muslims overrunning the West, how those ideas went global, and how Islamophobic nationalists are locked in a cycle of violence with jihadists. On Elsewhere, they answer some more listener Brexit questions — looking specifically at how Scotland and the broader EU are thinking about the UK’s impending break with Europe. Zack shows off his recollection of offensive Steve King quotes, Jenn continues her tradition of doing horrible accents from the UK, and Alex claims all Brexit questions can be answered in three words.

Vox’s Jane Coaston has a great breakdown of the white nationalist rhetoric in the shooter’s manifesto.

We discuss works by Jean Raspail and Renaud Camus in the context of the shooting. Our former Vox colleague Sarah Wildman also interviewed Camus.

We referenced two specific tweets. First, one from Rep. Steve King. And then here’s then-candidate Donald Trump’s March 2016 tweet.

The Daily Beast has a great piece on the little girl whose died in a 2017 terror attack in Sweden.

YouTube and Facebook have both discussed why their efforts to take down the shooter’s video failed.

Sean Illing's interview with a filmmaker who spent months interviewing both neo-Nazis and jihadists.

And here’s the piece Zack referenced abouut how ISIS-linked media is already using the New Zealand attack in the group’s propaganda.

Aja Romano explained how the New Zealand shooter’s manifesto was steeped in the far-right memes and rhetoric found on 8chan.   

Here’s the NPR interview with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

All Worldly’s past Brexit coverage, all in one place!

Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon saying Brexit makes Scottish independence even more likely.

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Vox takes culture seriously. Our coverage seeks to understand how our cultural touchstones work -- and what they reveal about who we are.

That's why we’re excited to introduce you to Switched on Pop. It's a podcast that digs into the cultural context and musical theory of pop music, and it's now part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

In this episode, you'll meet hosts Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding. You'll hear some of their favorite interviews, as they pull back the curtain on how pop hits work their magic. You can subscribe to Switched on Pop wherever you get your favorite shows. 

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the big-deal political developments in Algeria — where longtime ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika has decided not to run for a fifth presidential term. The decision was a big victory for a protest movement in the authoritarian country, but now nobody knows who’s going to be running Algeria in the near future. On Elsewhere, they continue answering listener questions about Brexit, this time focusing on questions about Russian interference and the real reasons why so many Brits wanted to leave the EU to begin with. Zack ponders European cheese regulations, Alex puns on the name Arron Banks, and Jenn talks about Britain’s (formerly) “rockin’ economy.”

Links!

Alex has an explainer on the Algerian protests which you can read here

Bouteflika gave in to protesters by stepping down

Protesters worry the canceled elections may be a stalling tactic

You can follow updates of all the recent Brexit votes here

Russia intervened in the Brexit election via Twitter bots

US intelligence agencies openly detail how Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election

Britain’s Channel 4 has all you need to know about the Arron Banks scandal

Vox has a handy guide to Cambridge Analytica

Zack mentioned — and has reviewed — the book Whiteshift

Oxford University published a summary about migration in the UK

Here’s an early Vox explainer on the refugee crisis in Europe

More on the Nigel Farage billboard

Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech

Some research about the impact that immigrants have had on the UK economy 

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about the major political scandal rocking Canada in which top officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, may have pressured the attorney general to rule in favor of a powerful Canadian company facing criminal charges. For Elsewhere, the crew answers some of your burning questions about Brexit: What happens if there’s no deal, and why doesn’t Britain just have another vote on Brexit? Zack finds an optimistic lesson in the Canadian scandal, Jenn makes her French Canadian grandmother proud, and Alex can’t pronounce “SNC-Lavalin.”

Our own Jen Kirby wrote a great explainer on the Canada scandal.

Here’s another in-depth read on what a DPA is, and its history in Canada and abroad. Global News published a full transcript of Jody Wilson-Raybould’s testimony. 

The CBC has a good breakdown of the key moments in Gerald Butts’s testimony. Here’s another good read about the case the prime minister’s team is making.

Zack has written about Trudeau’s squeaky-clean image before. 

The Trudeau press conference that happened right before our taping.

More on the improved state of conservative poll numbers in Canada.

Listeners who want to know what effects a no-deal Brexit might have will enjoy this comprehensive list.

The article Zack really enjoyed about Canada's health democratic system.

If you’d like to read more about Jeremy Corbyn changing tack on a second referendum, Jen Kirby has it covered.

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