Mehdi Hasan, a journalist renowned for confronting power directly and dismantling opponents in political debates, joined Posting Through It to reflect on his viral appearance on "Surrounded" — a YouTube debate show that recruited him to argue against 20 "far-right conservatives."
Over nearly two hours, his opponents took turns sitting across from him and espousing racist bigotries, antisemitic conspiracy theories, and anti-democratic beliefs. When the cameras stopped rolling, Mehdi said one participant stood up and declared: "Left or Right, we all hate the Jews."
"No one said a word," Mehdi recalled.
The episode's explosive popularity (10.2 million views on YouTube alone) has reignited debates about "platforming" extremism and whether engaging with the far-right this way serves any constructive purpose. On this episode, we explore those criticisms with Mehdi, discuss his “hygiene tests” for debates, and explore why so many people who try to face off against the far-right end up failing.
Links for Mehdi:
* Check out Zeteo.com
* Read “Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking”
* Watch “7 Debate Lessons YOU Can Learn From My Jubilee Video”
* Follow @mehdirhasan on X and @mehdirhasan.bsky.social on Bluesky
Transition Music: “WILL U STILL U” by Jeff Rosenstock
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Anna Merlan is a senior reporter at Mother Jones who covers disinformation, technology, and extremism. She joined us to discuss the Trump Administration's efforts to address the "Epstein Files" controversy and why calming supporters' anger over this issue has proven particularly challenging. We also explored how right-wing media has sought to downplay Ghislaine Maxwell's role in Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.
Links for Anna:
* Read her story in Mother Jones: How Does the Epstein Scandal End?
* Check out her book: “Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power”
* Follow her on Bluesky: @annamerlan.bsky.social
Transition Music: “Stars” by Hum
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Dave Portnoy has leveraged his digital media empire — Barstool Sports — to amass so much political influence that there’s a term for it: "Barstool Conservatism." This episode retraces the story of Portnoy’s life and career to explain how he made millions combining sports entertainment, reactionary politics, and pizza reviews. It also reflects on Portnoy’s influence within the broader MAGA movement and “manosphere.”
Mike and Jared are joined by Robert Silverman, a feature writer who has covered Portnoy and his media empire at excruciating length. Practically everything you’ll hear on this episode comes directly from his reporting. (Listeners will remember Silverman from April’s “Who the Hell is Tim Pool?” episode.)
Some tip jar contributions this week will help us thank Robert for his work on this episode by taking him to a New York Mets game. (As if he has not suffered enough.) If you loved this episode, show your appreciation by tossing in a few bucks: https://tiptopjar.com/postingthroughitpod
Links to Robert’s reporting:
* Inside Barstool Sports’ Culture of Online Hate: ‘They Treat Sexual Harassment and Cyberbullying as a Game’ (The Daily Beast, 2018)
* Barstool Sports ‘Hemorrhaging Money,’ Top Editor Flips Out at Writers (The Daily Beast, 2020)
* How Barstool Built an Empire by Swiping Sports Highlights (The Daily Beast, 2023)
Transition Music: “Sports” by Viagra Boys
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“Who the Hell?” is an unofficial longform series that examines the lives and careers of prominent right-wing social media personalities. Prior episodes in this series covered Jack Posobiec, Tim Pool, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes.
Ben Lorber is a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates. He joined the show for a discussion about the pro-Israel groups cheapening the real antisemitism affecting Jewish people by doing things like pick fights against children’s entertainers like Ms. Rachel and Elmo. How do we keep our moral compass steady against those who seek to wield it as a bludgeon to silence critics of the Israeli government?
Links for Ben:
* Read his book: “Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism”
* Check out his work: Political Research Associates
* Follow his socials: X and BlueSky
Exit Track: “Hunger for Death” by PUP
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Will Sommer is a senior reporter at The Bulwark, where he authors the newsletter “False Flag.” A longtime chronicler of right-wing media, Will joins the show to discuss the fallout facing the Trump Administration as it backs off its promise to release the “Epstein Files.” After years of promising to unveil new information about one of the highest profile pedophiles in United States history, the administration has reversed course entirely — leading some MAGA movement figures to call for resignations of key administration figures.
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Links for Will:
* Subscribe to his newsletter: “False Flag” at The Bulwark
* Read his book: “Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America” via HarperCollins
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Jeff Tischauser, an academic and researcher covering the “white power” movement, joins the show to talk about Patriot Front: a neofascist group known for it’s theatric flash demonstrations and plentiful propaganda. This episode walks through the early years of Patriot Front, scrutinizes its stated beliefs and objectives, sizes up what threat they actually pose, and examines why MAGA keeps alleging its members are “feds.”
The show will be off next week. We’ll return on July 14.***
Get 50% off your first Magic Mind subscription using the code THROUGHIT50 at https://www.magicmind.com/throughit50. #magicmind #mentalperformance
***Jeff’s reporting on Patriot Front:
* Patriot Front secretly using the active clubs network to sustain its influence
* Patriot Front Leader Involved in Fatal Utah Car Crash
* ‘We Will Fight!’ The Soldier Waging War Against America from Fort Liberty
* Extremist lawyer appears to be training Patriot Front members to fight
Outro Music: “It’s Alive” by Ratboys***
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***
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Mike and Tom — two folks from the anarchist media collective It’s Going Down — joined the show for a conversation about translating the mass appeal of anti-Trump protests into meaningful acts of antifascism against a far-right extremist government. The crew looked back on antifascist organizing in recent decades, discussed ways that anyone can make their activism materially impactful, and considered how the role researchers play has changed in the second Trump era.
Links:
* Website: It’s Going Down
* Podcast: “The Beautiful Idea”
* Unicorn Riot: Protest ‘Peacekeepers’ Shot Two People at a March in Salt Lake City. One Died, the Other Went to Jail.
Outro Song: “I Got Heaven” by Mannequin Pussy
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Mike and Jared say hello to the show’s new “Groyper” listeners then talk about Trump’s military parade, the murder of a Minnesota politician, media coverage of “No Kings” protests, Terry Moran’s exit from ABC News, and Democrats’ latest ploy to win new voters.
Links:
* Molly Ivins: The Fun’s in the Fight
Like this episode? Share it with your friends and followers!
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Nicholas J. Fuentes is the most prolific white nationalist in America today, and he’s just 26 years old. The Chicagoland native’s nightly livestreams have earned him a cult-following of “Groypers” who have helped him push an entire generation of young Republicans toward racist and antisemitic ideologies. This episode traces notable moments in Fuentes’ life that made him what he is today.
Amanda Moore is a freelance journalist who has covered far-right extremist movements for national news outlets, including Mother Jones, The Intercept, and The Nation. Moore spent nearly a year undercover in far-right movements and draws upon that experience to inform her reporting.
Links for Amanda:
* Follow Amanda on social media: X (Twitter) / BlueSky
* Subscribe to Amanda’s newsletter: “The Turtle Diaries”
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These biographical episodes take weeks to produce and involve many hours of research, fact-checking, and editing, which we do on our personal time. If you found value in the show, please consider tossing a few bucks into this online tip jar:
https://tiptopjar.com/postingthroughitpod
Kim Kelly, a labor journalist and author, joined to discuss how unions and other organized worker groups are faring in today’s hostile political landscape. Kim also discussed modern metal music and current-day anarchist organizing. Before that, Mike and Jared talked about MAGA supporters souring on FBI leaders Dan Bongino and Kash Patel as they try to pivot away from “deep state” conspiracy theories, like those related to Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019.
Links for Kim Kelly:
* Her book: “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor”
* Young reader’s edition: “Fight to Win! Heroes of American Labor”
* Her articles: inthesetimes.com/authors/kim-kelly
* Her heavy metal newsletter: salvo.ghost.io/
* Her Patreon page: patreon.com/kimkelly
Outro song: “Enshrined in Concrete” by Glacial Tomb
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Mike and Jared return from a week off to discuss Kanye West’s pro-Hitler song, a Minnesota woman’s big payday after calling a child the n-word, Trump Administration officials supporting racist conspiracy theories about “white genocide” in South Africa, and conservative personalities debating each other’s “woke-ness.” (Note: This episode contains explicit language, more so than usual.)
And, listeners… “it's just after 10 p.m. This is the adult tour, which means you can drink if you want and we can say whatever the HELL we want.”
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Candace Owens soared to right-wing media superstardom within weeks of posting her first YouTube videos in 2017. This episode reviews Owens’ life and career arc, exploring how someone who was victimized by racial hatred in high school became one of the MAGA movement’s most prominent — and most divisive — political commentators. This episode features exclusive comments from Candace Owens, provided through a spokesperson, and includes previously unreported details about her life story.
Madeline Peltz, a longtime researcher of right-wing media, joined Mike and Jared on this episode. Peltz’s first book “PICK ME: The Right-Wing Siege of Gender and Gen-Z,” will be published by Sourcebooks next year.
Links for Madeline Peltz:
* Bluesky: @peltzmadeline.bsky.social
* X/Twitter: @peltzmadeline
Transition Music: “Pharmacist” by Alvvays
This episode took weeks to produce and involved many hours of reporting and fact-checking, which we do on our personal time. If you found value in the show, please consider tossing a few bucks into this online tip jar:
https://tiptopjar.com/postingthroughitpod
Programming Note: We’re taking next week off. We’ll be back on May 19.
Hannah Gais and Steven Monacelli join for a wide-ranging discussion about the state of Twitter (now called “X”) three years after Elon Musk first moved to purchase it. Since then, Musk has transformed the platform into a self-serving MAGA machine that is crowning a new generation of right-wing media royalty. Monacelli walks us through his reporting on one of the platform’s newer standouts — “Captive Dreamer” — as an example of who’s benefiting from the new status quo.
Links for Steven Monacelli:
* Daily Dot: “A Hitler-quoting ‘Aryan’ has the attention of JD Vance and Elon Musk—who is @captivedreamer7?”
* Bluesky: @stevanzetti.bsky.social
* Contact/Work: linktr.ee/Stevanzetti
Links for Hannah Gais:
* Bluesky: @hannahgais.bsky.social
* Newsletter: postsfromunderground.ghost.io/
Transition Music: “California Magic” by Goose
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Teddy Wilson, a journalist and researcher, joins to discuss developments within the Radical Right since Trump issued pardons and commutations for every one of his supporters involved in the 2021 riot at the US Capitol Building — including extremist movement members and supporters — at the start of his second term. Mike and Jared take a trip down memory lane to reflect on the ways Republicans have come to embrace what happened that day.
Links:
* Teddy’s newsletter: radicalreports.org
* Teddy’s tracking of Capitol riot defendants: capitolriotmap.com
* Teddy’s account on Bluesky: @reportbywilson.bsky.social
Transition Music: “head empty blues” by Ekko Astral
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Nikki McCann Ramírez, a political reporter at Rolling Stone and co-host of the podcast “American Friction,” joined to discuss the inhumane prison system in El Salvador where the Trump administration has sent hundreds of migrants — effectively disappearing them from their families and denying them any methods of recourse. Before she joined, Mike and Jared reflected on the rising power of Stephen Miller: the architect behind the Trump administration’s most vicious immigration policies.
Links:
* Read Nikki’s piece in Rolling Stone: The ‘Judicial Black Hole’ of El Salvador’s Prisons Is a Warning for Americans
* Follow Nikki on BlueSky: @nikkimcr.bsky.social
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Tim Pool draws millions of viewers — and dollars — making political podcasts and commentary videos on YouTube. This episodes explores Pool’s evolution, from a self-proclaimed “activist” live-streaming Occupy Wall Street protests to one of today’s most-popular MAGA pundits. Along the way, we review Pool’s early media career, eventual drift into far-right politics, and rapid construction of the media empire he oversees today.
Mike and Jared were joined by Robert Silverman, a feature writer who has published what might be the world’s definitive investigative reporting on Tim Pool.
Links to some of Robert’s reporting:
* The Daily Beast: How ‘Coward and Phony’ Tim Pool Became One of the Biggest Political YouTubers on the Planet
* The Daily Beast: Tim Pool’s News Site Plagiarized the Mainstream Media He Claims to Hate
* Follow Robert Silverman on Bluesky
Renée DiResta is one of the nation’s leading researchers of social media and the author of “Invisible Rulers : The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality”: a book about the ways social media platforms are used — and abused — to reshape the way we think and behave. Renée also shared her thoughts on the government’s hostility toward researchers who study social media and some of her experiences interacting with Matt Taibbi.You can read Renée’s emails with Matt Taibbi here: reneediresta.substack.com/
Transition Music: “Get Dumber - feat. Jeff Rosenstock” by PUP
Eoin Higgins is a historian and author who joined the show to discuss his book: “Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left.” The gang talks in-depth about Glenn Greenwald and some of the other characters featured in Eoin’s book, right-wing billionaires’ attempts to undermine the news industry, and 90s techno.
Check out Eoin’s other work:
* Substack
The Anti-Defamation League has invited controversy for its leaders’ coziness with the Trump administration, and for its characterizations of student-led protests against Israel’s mass-killing of Palestinian civilians. Mike and Jared recap the events that got us here, the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, and why they see the ADL’s political maneuvering as cause for concern.
Later on, Emmy-nominated reporter Vegas Tenold joins the show to discuss his experience working at the ADL from 2018-2020, and he offers his perspective on what the organization is doing today. Read Vegas’ post about the ADL’s coziness with the Trump administration here: https://whathappensinvegas.substack.com/p/the-fascist-and-his-little-helpers
Jack Posobiec is one of the MAGA movement’s biggest social media stars, recently seen accompanying Pentagon officials on an overseas trip and posing for photos with Donald Trump and JD Vance in the Oval Office. This podcast explores Posobiec’s early political career and its overlaps with white supremacist movements, “Pizzagate” conspiracy theories, and hostile state influence operations — among many other things. Mike and Jared were joined by Hannah Gais, who researches and writes about the far-right.
Links:
* Read Hannah in The Baffler: Unhuman Resources: The many grievances of Jack Posobiec
* Subscribe to Hannah’s newsletter
* And follow Hannah on BlueSky and Twitter.
