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Mehdi Hasan Debates 20 Far-Right Conservatives On ‘Surrounded'

Mehdi Hasan Debates 20 Far-Right Conservatives On ‘Surrounded'

Forbes6 days ago
Mehdi Hasan speaks onstage during the Crooked Media - Lovett or Leave It: Live on Tour, on April ... More 25, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo byfor Crooked Media)
In an era of increasingly fragmented media and ideological echo chambers, Jubilee's web series Surrounded has made a name for itself as one of the most provocative political shows on YouTube – with a formula that, in essence, calls for bringing opposing viewpoints into the same room and letting the sparks fly. Past guests have included everyone from atheist Alex O'Connor to former US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson. But it's the show's latest episode, which has already racked up more than 3 million views (as of this writing), that might be the most explosive yet.
Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan, a political commenter known for his sharp and unflinching debate style, is the lone progressive in this new episode of Surrounded that's going viral, and he's pitted against 20 self-identified 'far-right' conservatives for a conversation about democracy and the Constitution, among other things, that gets pretty raw and even, at times, surreal. Long story short, if you assumed we were a polarized country before, just wait until you've seen this new debate with the former MSNBC host at its center.
Hasan told Jubilee afterward that he 'genuinely had not been aware of how extreme many of (his debate opponents) would be.' And that's saying something — especially given what happens close to the debate's halfway mark.
The 'Surrounded' debate exchange that stunned Mehdi Hasan
This particular encounter begins in relatively straightforward fashion, at least as far as arguments about President Trump go. Hasan sets out his proposition: That Trump is 'defying the Constitution.' A young man named Connor who races to the mic first to take up the opposing side, though, not only proceeds to enthusiastically argue in favor of Trump undermining the Constitution (he describes doing so as 'good'). Pressed by Hasan, he elaborates: 'I think (Trump) should go further,' given that Connor thinks 'the Constitution is a document that should seek to serve us.'
Hasan turns the tables, asking him, 'So can Democrats do the same when they're in office?' Connor: 'Absolutely not.'
Again, Hasan: 'Do you believe in democracy?' Connor: 'Absolutely not.' When asked what he does believe in, Connor answers: 'Autocracy.'
Hasan presses him to clarify, and the young man says he's fine with 'anything in line with Catholic teaching.'
Things only get more bizarre from there. Connor at one point praises Nazi legal theorist Carl Schmitt, prompting Hasan to interrupt and ask directly, 'Are you a fan of the Nazis?' 'I frankly don't care about being called a Nazi at all,' Connor replies. When asked if he condemns Nazi persecution of Jews, he shrugs: 'I think there was a little bit of persecution...'
Hasan, visibly stunned, fires back: 'We may have to rename this show, because you're a little bit more than a far-right Republican.' 'What can I say?' Connor smirks. Hasan answers: 'I think you can say, 'I'm a fascist.'' Connor laughs and confirms: 'Yeah, I am.'
Scattered applause can be heard among some of the participants.
'I'm not ashamed of that,' Connor continues. To which Hasan concludes, 'The only good thing about this fascist moment we're in is that you guys are so open about it.'
Hasan later reflected in post-debate remarks to Jubilee staff, included at the very end of the video below: 'I thought it would be an interesting exercise in trying to understand what genuine far-right conservative folks think. And it was kind of disturbing to see that they think what I thought they think — and they were happy to say it out loud.'
Surrounded has long attracted Gen Z and millennial viewers hungry for unfiltered ideological clashes, and this new episode certainly delivered that in spades. One also can't help wondering if this one feels, too, like a high-water mark of sorts. In other words: Regarding forums like these, do they expose extremism, or inadvertently legitimize it?
As one YouTube commenter aptly summed up Hasan's Surrounded episode: 'This might be the most insane Jubilee video yet.'
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Trump looms large over a Fed likely to again defy his call for cuts
Trump looms large over a Fed likely to again defy his call for cuts

Yahoo

time22 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump looms large over a Fed likely to again defy his call for cuts

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The coming battle among YIMBYs
The coming battle among YIMBYs

Fast Company

time24 minutes ago

  • Fast Company

The coming battle among YIMBYs

The YIMBY ('yes in my backyard') movement has achieved remarkable growth in the past few years, uniting people across the political spectrum who share a common belief: It should be easy to build more housing. You can find shared interests among unlikely alliances when you step out of political tribes. People who label themselves as socialists and capitalists are standing at town hall podiums to support and promote abundant housing. High fives! Hooray for unity, right? Insert record scratch. Socialists and capitalists have economic worldviews that are incompatible with each other. There's definitely consensus about the ends (plenty of homes), but the means will be hotly debated. The clash was inevitable, and the recent book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Abundance, has keyboard warriors starting to realize there are a host of competing opinions on how to get past the gatekeepers who would have homes remain scarce. You might think something as apolitical as a townhouse wouldn't be a lightning rod for a populist left-versus-right debate. The reason is economics. Considering the surge in populism in recent years, it's worth understanding why economics, not 'neighborhood character,' is at the heart of the argument. The Socialist YIMBY Socialist YIMBY advocates believe housing should be universally accessible, treated fundamentally as a human right rather than a commodity to be bought and sold for profit. Prominent democratic socialists, like New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh, argue for 'decommodifying' housing, where the government would guarantee homes. Market forces are not part of the equation. A socialist YIMBY is going to want state-managed housing solutions, price controls, rent freezes, and strict regulations on private ownership. Mamdani even said he'd be open to the abolition of private property if it meant getting people places to live. Socialist YIMBYs build their case on fairness, social justice, and community stability. They argue that a free market creates disparities, displaces vulnerable populations, and commodifies essential human needs. The belief here is that removing profit motives from housing reduces speculation, stabilizes communities, and ensures housing stability and equity, prioritizing human dignity and communal well-being above private gain. The Capitalist YIMBY Capitalist YIMBY advocates believe in leveraging market mechanisms. To them, the root cause of housing shortages lies in artificial restrictions imposed by zoning laws, burdensome permitting processes, and other bureaucratic interference. Their economic rationale hinges on the concept of supply and demand, and prices as crucial signals. Capitalist YIMBYs argue that when the price of a type of home goes up in an area, it signals to developers, investors, and builders that demand is high and supply low. Rather than suppressing these signals through artificial price controls, they propose getting rid of laws that prohibit housing and streamline approval processes in order to spur rapid and flexible housing production. They argue that robust competition among builders and investors inherently leads to diverse housing options, lower overall costs, and more innovation in housing solutions. The Perplexed YIMBY A person is standing at the philosophical crossroads to abundant housing and two fellow YIMBYs are giving conflicting directions: 'We have to go left.' 'No, we have to go right.' Socialists look at capitalist solutions as inherently exploitative, always creating more inequalities, and they believe profit motives are what make homes too expensive. Capitalists look at socialist solutions as inevitably leading to inefficiencies, housing shortages, and stagnation. When I've asked people about their take on this conflict, a common response is something like 'We'll have enough homes for everyone if building regulations are relaxed and the government is in charge of low-income housing.' I believe that's wishful thinking, since it brings us right back to the fundamental disagreement on economics. A capitalist will say, 'There is a market for small and modest housing, so get the government out of the way.' The socialist will say, 'We don't believe you.' I truly believe that populists on the left and the right want there to be enough homes for everyone. But it's also clear that the populist left and right will forever treat each other like they're living in a cartoon or comic book. 'I'm the good guy and you're the bad guy.' In spite of their shared interest in abundant housing, the socialist YIMBYs and capitalist YIMBYs are never going to agree on the means to the end. The best first step is something both sides claim to support: getting rid of the local regulatory barriers that are preventing anyone from building a granny flat, a townhouse, a duplex, etc.

The World's Best Whiskey—According To The 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition
The World's Best Whiskey—According To The 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition

Forbes

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The World's Best Whiskey—According To The 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition

A marriage of Scotch and American whiskey-making traditions, Lineage took home the top prize at the ... More 4th annual New Orleans Spirits Competition All the talk in the spirits world last week was reserved for Tales of the Cocktail, the industry's largest annual conference. But since 2022, the gathering – which takes place every July – has also played host to a lesser known judging event: The New Orleans Spirit Competition. A late arrival to the increasingly dense booze-award-industrial-complex, NOSC is looking to make up for lost time by coming out of the gates with an impressive array of professional palates. It helps, no doubt, that many of them are already in town for Tales. The competition also professes to stand out thanks to its unique evaluation format. The entries are judged, as described on its website, thusly: To be clear, the audience does not get an actual vote in the process. But they do enjoy a place in the room and are afforded an opportunity to be a part of the conversation. As such, it's a slightly more democratized process than anything else you'll see in the industry. And, as with any truly independent competition, each spirit is tasted in the blind. Ultimately, hundreds of awards are doled out ranging from Best of Category down through Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze. There's also a separate evaluation for Packaging Excellence. But what we care most about is how it all distills down in the best of the best distinctions. For that there are 11 separate 'Spirits of the Year." There can be only one for all the major liquor categories plus RTD, No & Low Elixir, and Syrups & Mixers. Today we're taking a closer look at what those panelists deemed the best whiskey of the year for 2025: Balcones Lineage, an American Single Malt distilled and aged in Waco, Texas. The unique 94-proof liquid marries whiskey making traditions typical to both the US and Scotland. To wit, it's made from a combination of Scottish and Texas-grown barley, which is then matured in refill and new oak barrels. The best of both worlds; Old and New. In the pour, this hybridization results in a sweeter, fruitier nose – raspberry, banana and apricot steal top-notes from the underlying malt. There is a dryness to the initial sip; cedar and sarsaparilla, opening up to reveal cinnamon spice in the finish. A prolonged breadiness stays with the back of the tongue long after it has gone down. All in all this is a fantastically approachable dram, particularly from this distillery – a craft darling which was purchased by Diageo in 2022. Balcones often brings to bottle higher-proof offerings that can be challenging to the whiskey novice. With Lineage, it has managed to walk that fine line, delivering something that satisfies newcomers and advanced sippers, alike. And it does so at the crowd-pleasing price of $40 a bottle. To take home the top prize, Lineage bested some big names from far more prominent genres of whiskey, including the Bourbon and Scotch categories that helped informed its creation – categories with hundreds of years of history. American Single Malt, by comparison, was only formally recognized as a style at the beginning of 2025. Perhaps laudable recognition such as this can help lift its stature on the international stage. Either way, it arrives at a pivotal time for American spirits as a whole. According to the most recent economic report from DISCUS, exports of such just reached a record high of $2.4 billion. And as of this weekend, the US and the European Union appear to be on the precipice of a new trade agreement which would keep those exports shipping out, tariff free. 'We are optimistic that in the days ahead this positive meeting and agreement will lead to a return to zero-for-zero tariffs for U.S. and EU spirits products,' says DISCUS president and CEO Chris Swonger. 'This will benefit not only our nation's distillers, but also the American workers and farmers who support them from grain to glass.' It'll also benefit European connoisseurs eager for their first sampling of American Single Malt. And for that, as the judges in New Orleans have made clear, Balcones Lineage is a sensible starting point. The whiskeys from Balcones distillery feel bold, clean and distinctly American. (Bill Hogan/Chicago ... More Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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