At Icarus Fest 2025: Dissenting Voices on Empire, Gaza, and Resistance
The Grayzone podcast with Max BlumenthalShow Notes
The Grayzone and friends held a day of discussion about the Ukraine proxy war, Greater Israel and its genocide in Gaza, and US empire in the Trump era at Icarus Fest 2025 in Rutherford, NJ.
Panel 2 (the featured video above) brought together Max Blumenthal, Katie Halper, and Jeremy Loffredo to discuss the disastrous impact of Israel on the region and inside the United States with host Sabby Sabbs. Next, Judge Andrew Napolitano hosted Max Blumenthal, Aaron Maté, Christian Parenti and Anya Parampil for a wide ranging discussion of US empire in the second Trump term, from China to Venezuela, and the future of the antiwar movement in challenging its maximalist agenda.
Earlier in the day in Panel 1 (below), Glenn Diesen, Wyatt Reed and Kit Klarenberg joined host Thaddeus Russell to discuss the Ukraine proxy war, the role of the UK in guiding it, and the historical resonance of the semi-official ideology of Russophobia in the West.
Highlights include:
• Wyatt’s frontline reporting from Donbass revealing strong pro-Russian sentiment and the extensive destruction caused by Western-backed forces, challenging mainstream narratives.
• Panelists’ experiences of harsh repression, including smear campaigns, financial bans, and state harassment aimed at silencing dissent.
• Glenn Diesen’s analysis of enduring Western Russophobia as a strategic elite tool to prevent Eurasian unity and maintain maritime dominance.
• Kit Klarenberg’s account of British state repression targeting journalists and activists, illustrating authoritarian crackdowns on anti-war and pro-Palestine voices.
• Discussion of limited public awareness of imperialist projects, contrasted with emerging grassroots resistance and skepticism in Europe and pockets of the US.
• Audience questions address Nordstream sabotage, shifting Ukraine war dynamics, and prospects for diplomatic change.
More from The Grayzone podcast with Max Blumenthal
Max Blumenthal joins Judge Napolitano to analyze the Trump-Netanyahu Gaza pacification plan as it is announced, explore Iran’s readiness for escalation, and illuminate the political subterfuge shaping US-Israel policy. The conversation critically examines orchestrated media influence, the intra-conservative battle over Israel in which Netanyahu's minions are astroturfing influencers and purchasing entire media conglomerates to stop the PR bleeding.
Matt Gaetz, former GOP congressman and longtime friend of Charlie Kirk, interviews Max Blumenthal about Kirk’s fallout with pro-Israel bigwigs in the weeks before his killing, and Israel’s malign influence on US politics.
Max Blumenthal on Dave Smith's podcast discussing the problems with the European recognition of a Palestinian state and his investigative work on Netanyahu and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The new President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, aka Mohammed al-Jolani, is in New York for what is widely being described as the first visit by a sitting Syrian president to the US in nearly six decades.
Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate cover Max’s recent reports on Charlie Kirk’s falling out with Israel and the backlash from Netanyahu and his US proxies. They also discuss Max’s meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Trump’s latest turnabout on Ukraine, and the hidden history of the US war on Venezuela.