PATRICK HENNINGSEN : Before The Bombs - Journey To Iran

PATRICK HENNINGSEN : Before The Bombs - Journey To Iran

Something doesn’t add up in the way Iran is explained to Americans and when the headlines shift from airstrikes to “talks are back on” in the span of a weekend, the confusion only gets worse. I’m joined by journalist Patrick Henningsen, who brings rare on the ground context from Iran just before the bombing, to unpack what ordinary Iranians debate, how they view U.S. politics, and why the usual black and white Western narrative misses more than it reveals. We move from society and propaganda to the bigger strategic picture: sanctions, regime change pressure, and the fear of becoming the next Syria. Patrick explains how identity and cohesion work inside an ethnically diverse country, why cultural talking points are so effective as propaganda, and how foreign policy incentives shape what gets amplified in Western media. If you care about the Middle East conflict, U.S. foreign policy, and how wars escalate, this conversation aims to add texture where the news often strips it away. Then we widen the lens to Europe’s immigration crisis and the argument Patrick lays out in his work on “collateral migration”: major migrant flows frequently follow NATO interventions and destabilization campaigns, from Libya to Syria to Afghanistan. From there, we dig into the domestic political aftershocks, including how immigration fear can be converted into support for digital ID, biometrics, and an AI driven surveillance state that rarely stays limited to “the border.” If this raised your blood pressure or changed your mind, share the episode with someone who disagrees, and let us know what you think. Subscribe, leave a review, and send a comment with the hardest question you still have after listening. CHAPTER MARKERS * 0:00 Weekend Strikes And Whiplash Diplomacy * 1:18 What Iranians Actually Debate * 8:20 Protests Media Narratives And Street Reality * 15:00 Myths About Women And Social Control * 21:20 Collateral Migration And Fifth Columns * 31:40 Immigration As A Pretext For Digital ID * 39:28 NATO Interventions And Mass Migration Blowback * 44:20 Israel And The European Far Right * 48:04 Evangelicals Intelligence Tactics And Influence Networks * 56:38 Final Takeaways And Closing Plugs Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations [https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

DARRYL COOPER - The Populist Revolt That Changed America Forever : The Rise of Eugene Debs

“Socialism” and “unions” didn’t start as online punchlines. For a lot of American workers in the late 1800s, they were the language of getting fed, staying alive, and pushing back when companies and the state treated human beings like expendable parts. We sit down with Darryl Cooper to trace how the United States changed so fast that people went from expecting independence and ownership to realizing they might be workers for life, at the mercy of distant financial forces they couldn’t even name. We start with the Long Depression and the new power of railroads and Chicago’s markets, then move into the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, where a nationwide shutdown erupts without centralized leadership. The most chilling thread is the response: strikebreakers, Pinkertons, state militias, and federal troops repeatedly act as if they’re one coordinated machine. From there we touch Haymarket and the early discovery that controlling the story can be as important as controlling the shop floor. The Pullman Strike of 1894 brings everything into focus: a company town that looks “nice” while enforcing total control, wages cut while rents stay high, and a new kind of union strategy that refuses to be divided by job title. That’s also where Eugene Debs steps onto the national stage, and where prison turns a labor leader into a committed socialist. We wrestle with what Debs actually believed, why labels can mislead, and what his fight changed about workers’ rights and child labor. If this conversation shifts how you think about American labor history, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. CHAPTER MARKERS * 0:00 Socialism, Unions, And Populism * 1:37 A Quick Movie Scene Detour * 4:07 The Long Depression Changes Everything * 10:59 The Great Railroad Strike Of 1877 * 21:15 Haymarket And The Fight Over Narrative * 29:15 Pullman, Federal Troops, And A New Union * 42:41 Debs, Labels, And Real Life Socialism * 51:42 World War I, Child Labor, And Moral Progress * 56:10 Power, Technology, And What Comes Next * 1:05:23 Debs’ Character And The Wrap Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations [https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Former Senator - Jim Webb Sr. - Trump's Arch tramples on US History. Congress must take action!

A 250-foot “triumphal arch” planted between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery sounds like a design fight, but we think it exposes a much more dangerous habit: skipping the constitutional process and daring Congress to do something about it. Jim Webb sits down with his father, Jim Webb, decorated Marine, former Senator, and former Secretary of the Navy, to trace how a single monument proposal connects to separation of powers, oversight, and the steady normalization of executive end-runs. We unpack why Arlington is not just another park project. The Memorial Bridge and the intended view toward Arlington House were built with heavy symbolism about national unity after the Civil War. Dropping a massive structure into that corridor changes the meaning of the space and, for many families and veterans, disrupts what Arlington is supposed to be: a humility check and a place of quiet. We also get practical about what nobody seems eager to answer, including cost, traffic, access, and how a project like this moves forward without real public accountability. From there we zoom out to the larger pattern: war powers, NATO obligations, and what happens when leaders treat laws and institutions as obstacles instead of guardrails. Along the way we compare historical reconciliation after the Civil War with lessons from Iraq, including how humiliation and disenfranchisement can create blowback that lasts for decades. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with someone who cares about constitutional government, and leave a review with your take: should Congress force hearings and a vote on projects like this, or is the damage already done? CHAPTER MARKERS * 0:00 Two Jim Webbs Set The Stakes * 4:00 The Arch As Constitutional End-Run * 14:45 Arlington’s Quiet Purpose And Symbolism * 26:10 Civil War Memory And National Healing * 38:40 War Powers NATO And Iraq Lessons * 52:20 What Congress Can Do Next Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations [https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

COL. DOUGLAS MACGREGOR - Judgment Day for Trump's War

A top general abruptly retires, and the story quickly turns into a bigger question we cannot dodge: why does the US military punish small mistakes fast, but let senior leaders skate after disasters? We sit down with Doug MacGregor to sort through the Donahue news, the bureaucracy problem, and the culture of promotion that can reward influence over outcomes. If you’ve been searching for a clear conversation about Pentagon reform, flag officer bloat, and real accountability, this one goes straight at it. Doug also walks us through his recent argument that the national security state needs a wholesale shake-up after the war with Iran. We dig into the basics that too often get skipped: defining an attainable political military objective, naming a real end state, and building a plan that includes a clean exit when the approach fails. From there, we challenge the modern default of “airpower solves it,” especially in a world of area denial, precision-guided missiles, drones, mines, and real-time surveillance that can shred concentrated forces. We connect those lessons to Ukraine, to past operational failures, and to why force structure and procurement need to match the battlefield we are actually entering. The back end of the conversation ties war planning to the economy: sanctions blowback, deglobalization, supply chain shocks, fuel and food inflation, and questions about long-term dollar credibility. We then pivot to Northern Ireland and wider UK unrest, with a blunt debate about what drives instability when economics, culture, and legitimacy collide. If this episode makes you think, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find the show. CHAPTER MARKERS * 0:00 Welcome And Breaking Pentagon News * 2:00 A Childhood Memory From Arlington * 5:10 Grok Beer Label And Morale * 8:20 Donahue Retires After Command Dispute * 12:40 Cutting Headquarters And Four-Star Overhead * 16:40 Kabul Withdrawal Failures And Accountability * 21:00 Israel Influence And CENTCOM Career Incentives * 26:10 How Flag Ranks Multiply Under AUMF * 30:50 Firing Standards And Who Advises Presidents * 35:40 Airpower Limits And Ground Force Reality * 41:20 Strait Warfare Risks And Precision Strike * 43:55 Withdraw From Iran Region And Reset Policy * 46:10 Northern Ireland Unrest And UK Political Shock * 48:10 Final Takeaways And Sponsor Plug Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations [https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

COL. Jacques Baud : Strategic Intelligence Starts By Understanding Both Sides

Getting sanctioned by the EU is one thing. Getting sanctioned without being shown real evidence is another. I sit down with Colonel Jacques Baud, a former Swiss intelligence officer and NATO advisor, to unpack how he ended up on an EU sanctions list that blocks access to banking and travel while he lives in Brussels. He walks us through what his lawyers found when they demanded the EU’s supporting documents, and why he believes the “propagandist” label is built on insinuation rather than proof. From there, we zoom out to the deeper issue: what strategic intelligence is supposed to do. Jacques argues that intelligence means understanding, including how your adversary interprets events, because your definition of the conflict determines your options for ending it. We talk about why that mindset has become taboo in parts of Europe, how emotionally driven narratives can trap leaders, and why Ukraine policy and European credibility suffer when nuance gets treated like disloyalty. We also pivot hard into Iran, Israel, and US foreign policy, including what happens when decision-makers ignore professional intelligence advice. Jacques lays out a simple framework for the Middle East: force can make everything “harden,” while a calmer approach can create openings. We then connect that to BRICS and the “militarized dollar,” framing BRICS less as a new military bloc and more as a response to sanctions and payment-system leverage. If you care about EU sanctions, censorship concerns, Ukraine war analysis, Iran diplomacy, and how strategy should actually work, this conversation brings a clear lens and a few uncomfortable questions. CHAPTER MARKERS * 0:00 Guest Intro And EU Sanctions * 6:10 The Thin Case Behind Sanctions * 11:20 Intelligence Without Emotion * 17:10 Europe’s Ukraine Strategy Breakdown * 23:40 Iran Strike And Ignoring Intelligence * 30:10 Non-Newtonian Diplomacy In The Middle East * 33:55 Iran MOU And Israel’s Role * 43:45 BRICS And The Militarized Dollar * 48:50 Why Iran Can Tilt Westward * 54:45 Revenge, Trust, And Closing Thoughts Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations [https://redcircle.com/jim-webb-podcast/donations] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]