Lesser Evils, Fake News and 4/20

S1E13: Why Do Europeans Hate Air Conditioning?

As another historic heatwave envelopes Europe, the question must again be asked: why do Europeans hate air conditioning? Is it tradition? Are they Luddites? Listen as Charles and Shirin discuss the real-world impact of climate change and wonder aloud about the health repercussions of nudist riverbanks in Europe. This episode also includes coverage of a Europe-wide anti-racist rally against the "Fortress Europe" Common European Asylum System and looks at European reactions to the wonder of American suburbia during World Cup 2026.

History Lesson: Nixon's Memorandum of Understanding with Syria's Hafez Assad

Today is the 54th anniversary of the June 17, 1972 Watergate break-in that brought the Nixon presidency down. This week is also the occasion of the first ever American presidential visit to Syria. Two months before he resigned, Nixon tried to salvage his presidency by showcasing Kissinger's deal between Syria and Israel: the May 1974 Disengagement Agreement that installed a UN-mediated demilitarized zone as a placeholder for peace in the Middle East. The Assad men, both Hafez and his son Bashar, honored this agreement for 50 years, but just like Trump's MOU with the Islamic Republic of Iran this week, it came with enormous financial benefits.

Trump's Ballroom and 'Hatred for American Democracy'

Edward Lengel, former chief historian for the White House Historical Association, speaks with Critical Support's Charles R. Davis and Shirin Sadeghi about Donald Trump's ballroom and why it's not just a story about corruption. As Lengel explains, America's "founding fathers" did not want to mimic the pomp and excess of European monarchs. The White House was meant to be a modest residence, not a palace, signaling that no one person was above another. The White House was also built by enslaved people. Why should we care if its desecrated? Because it's a symbol of democracy, Lengel argues, however flawed — and it's now being transformed into a playground for a king. Subscribe to Critical Support: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalSupport

Who Gets to Stay? When Governments Remove the "Other"

What happens when governments decide who counts and who doesn't? When systematic declarations of who is German enough or American enough lead to the removal of residencies and citizenships and...people. Even if they are generations or centuries long? Critical Support's @charliearchy.bsky.social and @shirinsadeghi.bsky.social discusses Shirin's on-the-ground report from Amsterdam as she covers the history of the German occupation of the Netherlands and the most famous story of its devastation: that of Anne Frank and her family. Subscribe and support the show: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalSupport [https://www.patreon.com/CriticalSupport]

Special Edition: Live from Anne Frank House in Amsterdam: Who Counts as Native?

A Critical Support Special from Shirin Sadeghi, live from Amsterdam's Prinsengracht Street where Anne Frank and her family and friends tried to save themselves from the Nazi occupation of Holland. It was a time, not that long ago, when all people residing in Nazi controlled nations were categorized as either "native" or "Jewish". And your label signified, literally, life or death. As political parties based on or propelled by hate movements spread throughout Europe and its former colonies, including the United States, what the Nazi governments systematically applied to the Jews of Europe begs the question of whether we are on the brink of another era of elimination for those who are labelled "non-native". Listen for a report on Nazi commissioner of Holland Arthur Seyss Inquart's real background and the chilling facts of the Nazi extermination of the Jews of the Netherlands. Subscribe and support the show: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalSupport [https://www.patreon.com/CriticalSupport]