Paramount is voluntarily bending the knee to Trump, ICE agents are terrorizing American cities, and the broligarchy is getting richer. How does the majority stop an aging and vengeful "King" Trump? Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author, historian, and scholar on authoritarians, has been sounding the alarm for years. She’s been connecting the dots and citing the parallels between Trump’s actions with dictators of the past. I asked her to assess the current moment in which corporations like Paramount are voluntarily bending the knee to Trump, and ICE was just given a $180 billion budget by the GOP thanks to their billionaire bill from hell. How desperate will Trump become as the Epstein scandal further drags his approval ratings? What will he do to stay in power? Also, how are the broligarchy grooming J.D. Vance to take over, and what are their plans for America in which the majority will be poorer, sicker, and overwhelmed with crises and disinformation?
https://thelefthook.substack.com/p/ma...
https://thelefthook.substack.com/p/ma...
https://zeteo.com/p/today-1pm-et-q-and-a-with-mehdi-on?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2325511&post_id=169092017&utm_campaign=email-post-
TODAY 1pm ET: Q&A With Mehdi on His Shocking Jubilee ‘Surrounded’ Debate
Register for Zeteo’s Town Hall Q&A with Mehdi to get an inside look at what has been Mehdi’s craziest ‘debate’ yet.
Team Zeteo
July 24, 2025
Team Zeteo
July 24, 2025
Mehdi debates 20 far-right wingers on Jubilee’s debate show, ‘Surrounded.’
Between the self-proclaimed fascists and right-wingers telling him to “get the hell out,” Mehdi’s Surrounded ‘debate’ on Jubilee has been making headlines all across the media.
The viral debate shocked many, including Mehdi himself. That’s why he’s giving an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into his experience on the Jubilee show
TODAY at 1pm ET (10am PT / 6pm BST) in our Zoom Town Hall. Mehdi will speak on his preparation, the taping, and the aftermath of the episode, as well as take questions from subscribers.
PLEASE NOTE: Entry to the town hall is first come, first served. Registration does not guarantee entry, so make sure you come early to secure your spot.
Paid subscribers can click on the link below to register. If you’re a free subscriber but would still like to join the call, it’s not too late! Click below to become a paid subscriber and join this exclusive chat.
July 23, 2025
VIDEO:
Journalist Mehdi Hasan reflects on his viral debate with 20 far-right conservatives and fascists, which reveals the dangerous and disturbing mainstreaming of white supremacist and Nazi talking points. The Jubilee debate revealed a terrifying but necessary truth that much of corporate America is still unwilling to confront and admit: the modern conservative movement is fascist. These 20 individuals weren’t outliers - they are the present and future of the right-wing machine in America. How do we ignore nearly 30% of the country that has been radicalized by right-wing media and lives on Earth 3? How do we block off one of the two major political parties that now openly traffics in hate and Nazi conspiracies?
Mehdi and I tackle these questions and break down his now-notorious and viral debate appearance.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:
Wajahat Ali is a New York Times contributing op-ed writer, public speaker, recovering attorney and tired dad of two cute kids. His work has appeared in Atlantic, Washington Post, Guardian and New York Review of Books. He is the host of the extremely informative and always challenging podcast and substack outlet: 'The Left Hook With Wajahat Ali' and former podcast co-host of 'America Unhinged', with the equally dynamic and compelling journalist and activist Francesca Fiorentini. He lives in the Washington, DC, area.
She is an advisor to Protect Democracy and to civil society and faith organizations. In January 2024 she co-authored an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court on the January 6 insurrection seen through the lens of the history of international anti-democratic violence.
Subscribe to Lucid, her Substack newsletter about democracy and autocracy.
Her most recent book, a New York Times bestseller, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (2020; paperback, 2021), looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo – and how they can be defeated. It was the first book to examine Trump in the perspective of 100 years of authoritarian history, and the first book to include masculinity as a tool of autocratic rule. In it, she predicted that if he lost the 2020 presidential election, he would not leave office quietly.
Her work has been recognized with Guggenheim, NEH, Fulbright, and other fellowships, a residency at the American Academy in Rome, and a 2023 Maggie and Dan Inouye Distinguished Chair of Democratic Ideals at the University of Hawai’i.
Ruth’s mission of civic education led her to found Lucid, a Substack newsletter on threats to democracy, in the wake of the Jan. 6 coup attempt.
Ruth is an MSNBC opinion columnist and frequently provides television commentary on that network as well as CNN. Her insight into the authoritarian playbook has made her an expert source for television, radio, podcasts, and events around the globe. She also writes for CNN, The Economist, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic.
She has appeared in many documentaries about dictators and threats to democracy, such as How To Become a Tyrant, The Dictators’ Playbook, and Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump. She also serves as a historical consultant for film and television productions. including Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning Pinocchio.
Ruth relaxes by doing yoga, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and listening to music, with electronica her preferred genre.
Recent Grants, Fellowships & Awards:
Franklin Henry King Stanford Distinguished Professor, University of Miami, September 2023
Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair of Democratic Ideals, University of Hawai’i, 2023
Resident, American Academy in Rome, May 2022
Member, Institute for Advanced Study, spring 2020
Edinburgh Gadda Prize for Best Book on Italian Culture, 2019, for Italian Fascism’s Empire Cinema
Short bio
Hasan is the author of Win Every Argument and the co-author of a biography of former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband. He was formerly the political editor of the UK edition of The Huffington Post and the presenter of the Al Jazeera English shows The Café, Head to Head and UpFront. Hasan returned as host of Head to Head in June 2024
