Can the Right and the Left Unite for Palestine? A Zionist General's Son Sees A Path w/ Miko Peled

Is humanity simply a bacteria in a petri dish, heading for the inevitable edge? Do the climate markers prove it? I spoke with Professor Eliot Jacobson, a mathematician and former casino game protection expert who now spends his days tracking the most shocking climate data on the planet. From record-breaking ocean temperatures to the Earth's plummeting "albedo," we discuss the numbers that are painting a terrifying picture of our immediate future.But this conversation is about more than just graphs. It dives deep into the often misunderstood philosophy of "doomerism." What does it really mean to be a doomer? Eliot dismantles the straw-man arguments of inaction and hopelessness, instead presenting a philosophy rooted in ecological activism, grief, and a clear-eyed acceptance of our current trajectory. We explore why policy changes "ain't gonna happen" and why the goal might not be to save civilization, but to preserve what we can of the natural world.We discuss the societal "pain point" that might be needed for change, the statistical reality of our climate future, and what it means to be an activist when the odds are overwhelmingly against you. Is collapse an inevitability, or is there still time for an "anthro-shift"? Join us for a profound and honest conversation about the end of the world as we know it, and how we might learn to live with that knowledge.00:00 Coming Up...00:01:15 Intro To Eliot & Doomerism00:03:34 From Casinos To Climate00:05:13 The Charts That Eliot Shares Everyday00:10:48 Is Doomerism Hopeless or Helpless or Inactive?00:16:37 Strawmanning Doomers00:21:47 Ecological Activism00:26:08 Can Technology Save Us?00:30:01 How To Shake People Into Action00:35:31 What Is Fueling Climate Change... Population?00:40:42 What Would It Actually Take?00:47:22 Passive House, Insulate Britain, Fix Buildings00:51:11 Exponential Growth And David Suzuki00:55:43 The Great Stink? The Pain Point Is Coming?01:05:31 Should I Be A Doomer? Or Is Collapse Bad?01:11:33 Final Thoughts, David Deutsch Is Wrong And Meaninful Existential DoomerismBECOME A MEMBER - MONTHLY MEMBERS ONLY LIVESTREAM https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NIku35U9thGG9WBJjE0sw/joinFor more from Jay visit whatjaythinks.com

Radhika Desai returns to the Dilemma Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of the American left, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Marxist Unity Group, and the increasingly open discussion of socialism and communism in American politics. Is something genuinely changing in the United States—or are we simply seeing a new electoral moment inside the same old political system? As Radhika puts it, the emergence of these movements is itself evidence that the traditional two-party system is losing its ability to contain growing discontent with neoliberalism.We also get into the much bigger question: **why is capitalism in crisis, and what happens when a system can no longer deliver meaningful concessions to working people?** Radhika argues that the growing appeal of socialism has to be understood alongside the deterioration of working-class life, the financialization of capitalism, and the rise of increasingly authoritarian politics. The conversation takes us from Trump and the erosion of the old party system to fascism, anti-communism, imperialism, and the relationship between capitalist crisis and political repression.But should the left actually be excited about what is happening in America? We discuss whether the current wave represents a genuine opening for transformative politics or risks becoming a watered-down electoral version of socialism that never challenges the underlying structure of society. Radhika makes the case for taking the moment seriously—and for understanding communism not simply as a political label or historical ideology, but as a movement emerging from the contradictions of capitalism itself.00:00 Coming Up...01:32 Intro to Radhika Desai02:16 My Intellectual Path, Oct 7th, Parenti, Marx and More06:05 The History of the Left in America11:46 The Parasitical Capitalist Class13:38 What To Make of the DSA and Marxist Unity Group20:57 Rational Fascism & Capitalists28:08 Marx The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte32:39 Finkelstein and Corbyn Overeducated & Underemployed is Out Of Control39:18 Socialism Decays Capitalism Explodes52:21 Is the DSA Actually An Important Thing?58:22 Leftists Support Every Revolution Except The Ones That SucceedBECOME A MEMBER - MONTHLY MEMBERS ONLY LIVESTREAM https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NIku35U9thGG9WBJjE0sw/joinFor more from Jay visit whatjaythinks.com

Israeli-born artist, teacher and activist Hadas Emma Kedar joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about Zionism, Israel, Germany, the IDF, and the possibility of a radically different future. Hadas grew up inside Zionist culture and gradually came to see the ideology she had inherited as morally indefensible. We talk about that transformation, her experiences as an anti-Zionist activist, the particular German obsession with Jews and Israel, the anti-German movement, and what she sees as the depravity of the Israeli military and the society that sustains it.We also talk about what a future beyond Zionism might actually look like, what would have to change for Israelis and Palestinians to escape the present system, and whether such a transformation is possible. Hadas also discusses her new performance piece, Together We Lose, which draws on her own experiences and explores the emotional and political realities behind the subjects we discuss. This is a long, personal conversation about ideology, identity, guilt, violence, art, and the possibility of something different.00:00:00 Coming Up...00:01:28 Intro to Hadas00:03:06 From the Galalie00:16:14 What Kind of Zionism Was It?00:20:27 Are We Always Talking To Our Haters?00:31:21 Going Elsewhere... Not Israel00:40:01 Breaking The Silence?00:47:54 Hadas's Art And What Happened In Israel00:54:50 The Conversation Across the Wall?01:01:52 A Zoom Call On October 8th01:07:43 Humans Do Evil Things. Monsters Don't Exist.01:26:31 The Out Group Of "Jewish Nationality"01:38:03 What's Up In Germany?01:51:36 The Anit-Deutsch01:56:22 Fascism Is Capitalism In Crisis02:03:09 "Together We Lose" Hadas's New ArtBECOME A MEMBER - MONTHLY MEMBERS ONLY LIVESTREAM https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NIku35U9thGG9WBJjE0sw/joinFor more from Jay visit whatjaythinks.com

Daniel Klein was born and raised in Efrat, one of the largest religious Zionist settlements in the occupied West Bank. His family helped build the settlement movement, and he grew up immersed in its schools, institutions, theology, politics, and culture before serving as an IDF tank commander. In this conversation, Daniel shares an insider's account of life inside the religious Zionist world, the psychology of belief, the realities of the settlement project, and how Zionism can present a different face to different people while maintaining a powerful hold over identity and belonging.We discuss Efrat, the West Bank, violent settlers, the relationship between Judaism and Zionism, the dehumanization of Palestinians, military service, nationalism, religious identity, cognitive dissonance, moral injury, and the personal costs of dissent. Daniel explains why leaving Zionism can mean losing family, friends, community, status, and purpose. He describes the process by which ideological systems reproduce themselves, how Israelis are taught to understand Palestinians, and why so many people remain trapped inside narratives.We also explore Daniel's awakening during COVID, what caused his worldview to unravel, why he believes Israeli society is entering a period of profound crisis, and what lessons his journey offers for all of us.00:00:00 Coming Up...00:01:44 Three Big Announcements00:04:44 Introducing Daniel & Centering Jewish Trauma00:09:26 Growing Up in Efrat00:12:07 Who Are Settlers?00:15:02 Zionist Schools Are Crazy00:20:53 Zionism Meets You Where You're At00:23:34 When Daniel Visited Auschwitz00:26:57 Israelis Were Celebrities To Me00:35:22 Supporting Israel Except The Settlers00:42:12 The Intellectual And Emotional Crack00:50:23 It Happens Quickly, During COVID01:02:30 Free Fall Collapse Of Israel01:09:47 A Smiling Grandmother With a Sweater01:19:44 The Violent Supernova At The EndBECOME A MEMBER - MONTHLY MEMBERS ONLY LIVESTREAM https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NIku35U9thGG9WBJjE0sw/joinFor more from Jay visit whatjaythinks.com

In this conversation with geopolitical scholar Mia Bennett, we explore why the Arctic is no longer a frozen periphery but the front line of global power. From Vladimir Putin planting a Russian flag beneath the North Pole seabed to renewed nuclear tensions across the polar region, the Arctic has become a stage for military posturing, resource competition, and great-power rivalry. As climate change rapidly melts sea ice, new shipping routes open and vast reserves of oil, gas, and critical minerals become accessible — intensifying what some call a new era of frontier capitalism. We discuss the long history of colonization in the far north, the strategic obsession with places like Greenland (including Donald Trump’s attempt to purchase it), and the often-overlooked role of Indigenous Arctic peoples navigating sovereignty, survival, and self-determination amid global ambition. The Arctic is a “cold canary in the coal mine” — revealing how environmental collapse, geopolitical rivalry, and extractive economics converge at the top of the world. What happens there will shape the century ahead.00:00 Coming Up01:18 Intro (Epstein News cycle )05:13 Mia's Path to the North07:51 Where is the Arctic?16:48 The Very Crowded Arctic20:59 The Cold Canary24:25 Why Does Trump Want Greenland?26:45 Colonialization of the Arctic30:58 Who Would Fight?33:01 Frontier Capitalism37:21 Global Warming and Getting Attention in the Arctic41:20 Taking Greenland Who Fights Back?44:11 A Story about Space and the Arctic46:58 Who Owns Space?50:39 Trusting Russia and the Arctic53:56 The Broken Global Order and the Arctic59:53 Does WW3 Start in the Arctic?BECOME A MEMBER - MONTHLY MEMBERS ONLY LIVESTREAM https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NIku35U9thGG9WBJjE0sw/joinFor more from Jay visit whatjaythinks.com