Latest news with #FullSendPodcast
Middle East Eye
6 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Netanyahu slammed for joking about fast food on Nelk Boys podcast as Gaza starves
The Full Send Podcast is facing intense backlash on social media and has lost over 10,000 subscribers in less than a day after publishing an hour-long interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 21 July. The podcast, hosted by Kyle Forgeard and Aaron Steinberg of the Nelk Boys - a Canadian-American influencer collective known for its conservative-leaning content - is particularly popular among young men. The interview, which starts with Netanyahu praising US President Donald Trump and their "decades-long" friendship, quickly shifts to Netanyahu expressing alarm over shifting attitudes among young Americans towards Israel. "I'm concerned that the young people in America are getting the wrong picture of Israel," he says. He goes on to justify his podcast appearance as part of a broader image campaign: "The only way you can fight lies is with the truth. And you have to tell it as often and as intensely as the lies that are leveled against you... I'm doing this podcast among other things to reach young people." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As reports from humanitarian groups were confirming that children are dying of starvation in Gaza, Netanyahu appeared on the podcast to crack jokes about his longtime love of fast food: "I was a junk food junkie for many years," he said with a chuckle. 'Out of touch' He then went on to reminisce about an occasional visit to the US with his wife Sarah, saying: "You know what the first thing we did was? McDonald's. And to be honest, Burger King. I like Burger King more." The casual tone and detachment from the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza drew swift condemnation online. "As Gaza starves, Netanyahu jokes about McDonald's with 'manosphere' podcasters Nelk Boys. What a genocidal disgusting piece of shit," one user wrote on X. Children in Gaza show signs of malnutrition and abuse after detention in Israel Read More » "Imaging being the Nelk Boys [right now] total idiots. full access to Netanyahu, and the hardest hitting question they ask is 'do you prefer Burger King or McDonalds?' while Netanyahu starves an entire population," another user posted. In a tweet on X, One Path Network accused the Nelk Boys of helping to polish Netanyahu's image. "The Nelk Boys had an opportunity to challenge power, to ask about the siege, the bombings, the starvation. Instead, they offered him fries. In doing so, they helped launder the image of a man overseeing one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time." Others said the interview was "the most out-of-touch interview", as Netanyahu shared how he enjoys eating burgers with Trump. "When President Trump comes to Israel. And then we have dinner, we bring this chef, he's like a very good chef. And he gives a seven-course dinner. Telling you, seven-course, it's the longest dinner I've ever had. And you know in this fancy plate he brings up this dressed up hamburger and I look at Trump and he looks at me. Finally we had what we wanted. We got the hamburger, you know," Netanyahu said. "the normalization of Netanyahu, the constant whitewashing of Israel's alleged war crimes... is why a man who has blood dripping from his be invited on to the Nelk Boys' highly influential podcast to jokes about whether he prefers McDonald's or Burger King." — Mobeen Hussain (@amhuss27) July 25, 2025 Scripted The interview also drew sharp backlash for a series of inflammatory remarks made by Netanyahu. Many were outraged by his description of women in Gaza, which he called as "property" during the podcast. "You know what the women in Gaza are? They're property. They're nothing. They have no rights. They're completely subjugated, and God forbid they're executed anytime they commit a so-called offense," he added. Some called the comments "disgusting" while another pointed out the irony. "Claiming to care about the rights of women in Gaza while bombing their homes, starving their children, and denying them access to healthcare and safety. There is no feminism in occupation. You can't liberate women by killing them." The final wave of backlash turned directly towards the Nelk Boys themselves, after a video clip went viral in which they admitted that the interview script had been written and provided by the White House - with no room for edits or input. Nelk boy admits he was given a "script" with questions to ask Netanyahu. This is idiot just confirmed they were doing straight propaganda for Israel — YeetTheRich_ (@_Yeet_The_Rich_) July 23, 2025 The revelation only intensified criticism that the entire episode is "sickening propoganda" that was orchestrated rather than a genuine conversation. "Why the actual FUCK is it not a bigger story that the White House Communications Team setup an interview with Benjamin Netanyahu and the fucking Nelk Boys? What in the name of propaganda is going on here?" asked a user. The Nelk Boys have confirmed that their softball interview with Benjamin Netanyahu was largely scripted as the PM's team had handed them "a paper with questions to ask" in advance. They also revealed the interview was set up by the White House. — Furkan Gözükara (@GozukaraFurkan) July 23, 2025 One person pointed out that the episode was a confirmation of what many had already suspected: "Now it's 100% proof that Netanyahu did this interview only to push propaganda and to try to humanize himself while he commits a genocide." Some called the Nelk Boys "puppets", while many also highlighted the fact that the Nelk Boys were unable to push back with Netanyahu throughout the hour-long interview. "The nelk boys were misinformed and unable to pushback to anything netanyahu said, making it easy for him to spew pure bs propaganda to a largely misinformed younger [audience]," one user wrote. "You guys didn't question him once, this is crazy," another added in the comments on YouTube. The Nelk Boys' YouTube channel lost over 10,000 subscribers within 24 hours of the episode's release on 21 July. The interview also received more dislikes than likes before the group disabled the visibility of the dislike count on the video.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dana White Reveals UFC 'Dream' Main Event Without Hesitation
Dana White Reveals UFC 'Dream' Main Event Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The UFC has exploded in popularity over the last decade under president and CEO Dana White. Once a sport that few networks wanted to televise, it has now grown into one of the most watched and followed sports in the world. With several blockbuster fights and stacked cards on the horizon—including UFC 318 next week, headlined by a BMF title bout between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier, and UFC 319 in August, featuring a middleweight title clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev—the excitement around the promotion continues to grow. However, all of that recently took a back seat to breaking news from President Donald Trump, who announced last week that a first-ever UFC event would be held at the White House in the near future. UFC CEO Dana White has since confirmed the development. This week, White appeared on the "Full Send Podcast" and was asked about the potential event. He shared that fighters from all over the roster have been reaching out, eager to secure a spot on the historic card. If the event goes forward, White promised it would be "stacked." Still, when asked about the biggest possible fight in the UFC right now, White didn't hesitate to name his dream main event: rising star Tom Aspinall vs. the greatest of all time, Jon Jones—who recently re-entered the testing pool after briefly retiring. When the fight is going on… one whole backdrop will be the White House, and the other side will be the Washington Monument,' White said. 'We will absolutely, positively put on the baddest card of all time. Literally everybody wants to fight on this card. The dream main event right now would be Aspinall vs. Jones.' The event is still a ways off, with a potential date likely set for sometime in 2026—if it all comes to fruition. President Trump mentioned the goal would be to seat roughly 25,000 people, and Dana White later clarified that it would likely be a guest-only event, with invitations extended rather than tickets sold to the general public. Still, there's no shortage of high-profile fights that could be strong candidates for the card—or for any upcoming UFC event. Whether it's Jon Jones returning to face current heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, or Conor McGregor making his long-awaited comeback—which he expressed interest in doing less than 24 hours after Trump's announcement—a stacked lineup seems inevitable. Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House," McGregor posted on July 4. "I would be honored! Count me in!"This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Coup In Iran After Israel's War? Netanyahu Drops Bombshell On Khamenei, Calls Nuke Program ‘Cancer'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a regime change in Iran days after fighting a war with the arch-rival Shiite nation. In an interview with the Full Send Podcast, Netanyahu said Iran's clerical leadership will fall from within, not through any foreign military intervention. He also described Iran's nuclear and missile programs as a 'cancer.' Watch this video to know more. Read More
NBC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Netanyahu's appearance on popular Nelk Boys podcast draws criticism from right and left online
A podcast popular among young men shocked the internet this week with an unexpected interview guest: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Netanyahu's bid to appeal to young people appeared to backfire online, where the interview drew widespread criticism from viewers across the political spectrum. His interviewers, Kyle Forgeard and Aaron 'Steiny' Steinberg, are members of the Nelk Boys, a group of social media influencers known for their vlogs and prank videos. The group, which has amassed more than 8.5 million subscribers on YouTube, attracted even more fans after its content began to highlight more conservative political figures, including President Donald Trump, whom the podcast interviewed in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Netanyahu's hourlong interview, which dropped on the Nelk Boys' 'Full Send Podcast' on Monday, was met with overwhelmingly critical reception online, with viewers accusing the podcasters of asking softball questions and neglecting to push back against Netanyahu's claims. Netanyahu and his government continue to face worldwide outrage over the war in Gaza that followed the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The podcast's YouTube channel lost more than 10,000 subscribers within a day, according to the social media tracking platform Social Blade. On YouTube, top comments on the episode were critical of the hosts' apparent lack of preparedness. 'I see so much stuff about what's going on in Israel and Iran and Palestine, and to be honest, I just really don't know what is going on there,' Forgeard said in the episode. Steinberg said he was similarly hoping to 'get educated' by interviewing Netanyahu. At one point, the topic of discussion turned to Netanyahu's and Trump's shared affection for hamburgers. Asked about his go-to McDonald's order, Netanyahu revealed that he prefers Burger King, leading Steinberg to respond, appalled: 'That's your worst take, I think.' Throughout the rest of the interview, Netanyahu condemned anti-Israel protesters as 'un-American' and contrasted life in Israel with life under the oppressive regime in Iran. He also railed against New York's Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, calling his proposals for the city 'nonsense.' (Mamdani has called Israel's military actions in Gaza 'genocide' and has said he would arrest Netanyahu, who is the subject of a warrant for his arrest from the International Criminal Court, if he visited New York City.) Asked why he's 'so hated worldwide,' Netanyahu answered: 'Well, a lot of propaganda. First of all, I'm not hated worldwide.' He said Israel has received a lot of goodwill from many in Europe, claiming that Israel's attack on Iran also 'liberated them, because those Iranian missiles were geared at Europe, too, and ultimately at America.' 'The propaganda is there, I don't deny it,' Netanyahu said. 'But people also have, you know, sometimes the truth beckons. And what Israel did with President Trump is safeguard free societies from a menace. I mean, this Iranian regime hangs gays from cranes.' On Monday, 25 countries, including Britain, Japan and many European nations, called on Israel to end the war in Gaza — a sign of Israel's traditional allies' dismay over the conflict's humanitarian toll. Close to 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities, with much of the enclave's population driven from their homes and pushed to the edge of starvation. The Israeli military and government officials have repeatedly accused Hamas of exploiting civilian sites, including hospitals and schools, as cover for its operations, an accusation that health officials and Hamas have denied. Israel has also faced mounting accusations of war crimes and genocide, including in a case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' top court. The court last year ordered Israel to do everything it could to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza. Both Israel and the United States have rejected accusations of genocide. Online, clips of Netanyahu's interview drew viral backlash from viewers, many of whom accused the Nelk Boys of platforming 'genocide propaganda' and compared interviewing Netanyahu to interviewing Adolf Hitler. Far-left political streamer Hasan Piker and far-right white supremacist Nick Fuentes were among those who criticized the latest 'Full Send Podcast' episode Monday during separate livestreams on their platforms. 'You just basically presented someone who is a war criminal, someone who is doing a genocide, in a somewhat neutral light,' Piker told Forgeard and Steinberg in his stream. 'And you can't be neutral when you have someone like Benjamin Netanyahu directly in an opportunity to talk to him. But that's what happened, so there is moral culpability here for you guys individually.' He added that while he would agree to interview Netanyahu if he were given the opportunity, he would be 'well-equipped' to fact-check his statements and push back against potentially dubious claims. Forgeard, in response, countered that their style of interviewing could "give us the opportunity to get the biggest people in the world." "And I think you'll know by the 'Full Send Podcast' when you watch it, it's like, 'Hey, these guys are going to get big guests. We might not necessarily get these guys grilling these people,'" Forgeard said. "And that's just what you're going to come to expect." Fuentes, in his own stream with Forgeard and Steinberg, also questioned the moral equivalency between himself, who has faced condemnation online for his views and beliefs, and 'a foreign head of state who is killing women and children.' 'This is somebody who's in the process of committing what is effectively an ethnic cleansing and a genocide,' Fuentes said. The interview struggled to land positively even among some supporters of Netanyahu's military agenda. In The Times of Israel on Tuesday, contributor Elkana Bar Eitan expressed his disappointment that Netanyahu 'blew it' on the podcast, despite the lack of pushback he got from the hosts. 'It was painful to witness how Netanyahu, once a master communicator, missed this opportunity and showed that he's lost his touch, even in English,' he wrote in an opinion piece. 'Despite the friendly atmosphere and softball questions, Netanyahu came across as completely detached from reality.' A representative for the 'Full Send Podcast' declined to comment. In a video responding to the backlash, Steinberg and Forgeard said they plan to 'give the other side the opportunity' to speak on their next episode, though it's unclear what guest they're referring to. 'Someone has to do it,' Forgeard said. 'And if we have to take the fall and be the bad guys for having the controversial people on, I think we're willing to do it.'
Time Magazine
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Netanyahu Speaks Out Against NYC Mayoral Candidate Mamdani
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken out against Zohran Mamdani, referring to the Democratic New York City mayoral candidate's proposed policies as 'nonsense.' During an appearance on the Full Send Podcast—which was filmed on July 8 in Washington, D.C., and premiered on Monday—Netanyahu engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with the right-wing hosts. He mentioned the protests across the U.S. in relation to the Israel-Hamas war, and accused participants of being 'against' Israel and America. It was after this that one of the hosts, Aaron 'Steiny' Steinberg, brought up Mamdani, the Muslim democratic socialist who celebrated a decisive victory after the Democratic mayoral primary in June. 'In New York City, right. Zohran? He's an antisemitic guy in the highest population of Jews,' alleged Steinberg, seemingly referencing how the New York metropolitan area has the largest Jewish population in the United States. Netanyahu responded by labeling Mamdani's proposed policies as 'nonsense' and said the 33-year-old assembly member would likely only serve 'one term' if elected in November. 'A lot of people have been taken in by this nonsense. You want to defund the police? You want to have people go into stores and rob them and be free? You think that really creates a good society?' said Netanyahu. 'Sometimes you have to get mugged by reality to understand how stupid that is.' Mamdani has said he will 'not defund the police.' Addressing that concern during a debate in June, he said: 'I will work with the police because I believe the police have a critical role to play in creating public safety.' He went on to flag the numbers of unsolved crimes from this year alone, saying police need to have the time to 'focus on those crimes' and that the city should have 'mental health professionals and social workers' to address the 'mental health crisis and homelessness.' The Democratic NYC mayoral candidate has also proposed city-run, non-profit grocery stores as part of his "affordability" platform. Read More: Netanyahu at the Crossroads This isn't the first tussle of words exchanged between Netanyahu and Mamdani. In December, Mamdani said, if he were to become the Mayor, then New York City would arrest Netanyahu if he visited. Netanyahu has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, which Israel has strongly denied. The U.S. is not a signatory to the ICC. During Netanyahu's visit to the White House in early July, Mamdani's mention of a possible arrest was brought up at a roundtable conversation. Netanyahu said he was 'not concerned' about Mamdani's vow, while President Donald Trump interjected: 'I'll get him out,' referring to the Democratic mayoral candidate. It's thought that Netanyahu may travel to New York in September, prior to the mayoral election, to speak at the U.N. General Assembly's world leaders meeting. Meanwhile, there have been numerous instances of Mamdani being referred to as 'antisemitic' by critics. He has strongly rejected any accusations of antisemitism. 'It pains me to be painted as if I am somehow in opposition to the very Jewish New Yorkers that I know and love and are such a key part of this city,' Mamdani said in June. The mayoral candidate has also vowed to increase spending to tackle hate crimes in New York by 800%. In an interview with NBC after his primary election victory, he said: 'Ultimately, we cannot simply say that antisemitism has no home in this city or no place in this country. We have to do more than talk about it. We have to tackle it, and that's what we will do through this funding and through this commitment, we will root out bigotry across the five boroughs.' Mamdani, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has faced criticism from Republicans and some Democrats, also. After Mamdani's victory in the primary, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York said: 'A radical, antisemitic socialist was just nominated to be the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City—and Kathy Hochul [New York's Governor] didn't lift a finger to stop it from happening.' (Lawler is thought to be mulling over a potential run for New York Governor.) Read More: Islamophobia Surges Online After Zohran Mamdani's Win In the immediate aftermath of Mamdani's primary victory, Islamophobia surged online, research found. Mamdani previously addressed his experience of Islamophobia during his campaign, sharing the impact it has on him. 'I get messages that say 'the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.' I get threats on my life, on the people that I love,' he said in June. 'I try not to talk about it, because the function of racism, as Toni Morrison said, is distraction.'
