179: Peace in the Middle West, with Kat Abughazaleh [UNLOCKED]

Quick Overview

The podcast episode features an interview with Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, a Palestinian American running in Illinois's ninth district, who discusses facing political prosecution related to protest activity, the influence of AIPAC funding on her race against opponents like Laura Fine and Daniel Biss, and the broader implications of the Jeffrey Epstein document leaks, particularly concerning alleged Israeli intelligence ties.

Key Points: Kat Abughazaleh is currently under indictment for protest activity outside the Broadview Detention Center, facing a trial date set for May 26th, which she asserts is a "very clearly political prosecution" where they misspelled her name three times in the indictment. Abughazaleh is running against opponents, including Laura Fine, who is firmly backed by AIPAC, and Daniel Biss, and she is the only one of the three viable candidates who has not met with or submitted a position paper to AIPAC. A super PAC called Elect Chicago Women, using dark money, is running ads for Laura Fine, claiming she fought ICE and Trump, despite some of her donors being Trump supporters, and Fine feigned ignorance about the smears against Abughazaleh. Abughazaleh criticizes her opponents for supporting federal anti-BDS legislation, calling it an "anti-American" free speech issue that has cost Illinois public pension funds millions by forcing divestment from companies like Unilever (due to Ben & Jerry's). The hosts and Abughazaleh discuss the Jeffrey Epstein files, noting the massive number of people implicated and the emerging conclusion that Epstein functioned as an Israeli asset who trained under Ehud Barak, who was named by a victim as a sadistic rapist. The panel critiques the reaction to the Epstein files from certain circles, noting the attempts by figures like Andrew Flechman and Claire Leman to dismiss the story as "boring," which the hosts counter by stating that elite underage sex trafficking is not a mere moral panic. Daniel Mate shares music recommendations, including The Roes' self-titled album, Nourished by Time's "The Passionate Ones," and Morphe, a power trio without a guitarist.