James Keehan

The brilliant Pulitzer-Prize winning author, @BenMoser123, is now on Twitter (welcome, and condolences, Ben). Follow him! His new book on Jewish anti-Zionism is one of the best histories of Zionism ever written. I spoke to him about it here: youtube.com/watch?v=OJ6LEkOF…

How come the movement that calls itself "America First" is filled with so many people paid to serve the interests of a foreign country? Seems like a bit of a contradiction.

In Brazil, Globo's most-watched TV news program, @showdavida (you could call it Brazil's "60 Minutes") reports that an Israeli citizen and "ex-Mossad agent" often seen at the side of high Israeli officials, including Netanyahu -- Menachem Booky Halevy -- played a vital role in Flavio Bolsonaro's exit from Brazil, accompanying him in the van he used to get to Argentina. Bolsonaro earlier today said the show had agreed to an interview with him to be broadcast without edits, but canceled the agreement, and claims much in the report is false. He will give interviews this week in the US to various journalists.

Of course Democrats and their media allies praised Liz Cheney as a patriot who put "country over party" when she endorsed Kamala, while Republicans accused her of betrayal, and now the two sides have totally switched their views when it comes to Haley Stevens. The difference: Liz Cheney didn't spent months campaigning for Trump only to change her mind at the very last minute under bizarre circumstances involving pressure from some new fiancé -- just hours after telling everyone she never would never endorse Kamala -- whereas this is exactly what Haley Stevens did.

The same script that they're using against El-Sayed was used, verbatim, against Mamdani: he's a jihadist, the type who did 9/11, he endangers Jews, many Jewish Dems can't vote for him, he's dividing Dems, far too extreme, etc. etc. Yet Mamdani crushed Cuomo twice and is now one of America's most popular politicians. I guess the assumption is that it didn't work in NYC because it's too left-wing -- even though it had not exactly been electing left-wing mayors (Giuliani, Bloomberg, etc) -- but will work in Michigan? I guess we'll find out, but this isn't 2002, and -- outside of Fox News viewers -- I don't think most people are waking up worried about Muslims and jihad and sharia law (just like they weren't worrying about Russia and Putin). Also, demonization campaigns only work if the target aligns with the depiction. People never perceived Trump as a Hitler figure, and neither Mamdani or El-Sayed code as some sort of "radical jihadist," whatever that means. Depicting random American Muslims as terrorists is dumb and offensive unto itself, but it seems hard to believe it's politically effective: just the kind of classic fear-mongering tactic a desperate movement uses when they have nothing else. (Also, both Mamdani and El-Sayed deploy a much more America First worldview than Mike Rogers: let's stop sending our money to Israel and fighting wars for them so we can put that money into our own communities, and for our own people, instead).

Who would have ever guessed that a fanatical Zionist from Bari Weiss' site was deployed to Haley Stevens' house along with her suddenly materialized Zionist finacé on the night before she endorsed Mike Rogers? What an amazing and totally unexpected jouranlistic scoop!

Every two years, as an American, we get to go to Washington, our nation's capital, and sit directly in front of the inspiring Capitol dome, and talk about the likely effects of our various wars on the imminent elections, the hallmark of our sacred democracy:🇺🇸

Just a reminder: $4 billion is not the amount the US gives to Israel. That's merely the absolute minimum the US is required to give each year under the Obama/Netanyauh agreement of 2016. In 2024 alone, Biden gave Israel another $18 billion directly beyond the minimum guarantee. Then there are the tens of billions of direct costs to deploy the US military and deplete US weapons systems to protect Israel. Then there are the billions the US gives to dictatorships in the region to keep anti-Israel anger suppressed (like Egypt and Jordan). And that's before even getting to the immense costs of the Iran War, which is being fought against Israel's prime adversary and was started at Israel's urging/insistence. Israel is by far the largest recipient of US aid for decades. The $4 billion aid package is just the start, never the end.

The Muslim Brotherhood! Hasan Piker! Jewish voters! Haley Stevens! Terrorist! Sharia Law!

Free speech in the UK:

There are many uniquely bizarre aspects to the US/Israel relationship but the most bizarre is how relfexively pro-Israel Americans will side with that *foreign country* even when they attack, beat, persecute or kill their own fellow Americans. It's extra surreal, and disgusting, watching politicians who call themselves "America First" -- like Mike Huckabee -- do this.