👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, host J.G. Michael speaks with international relations expert Dr. Arta Moeini of the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy about the United States being on the brink of war with Iran. Moeini explains how we arrived at this dangerous moment and why escalating confrontation would be bad news for the U.S., Iran, Donald Trump’s presidency, and even Israel in the long run.

The conversation examines how hardliners in both Washington and Tehran feed off one another, creating a volatile cycle of escalation. Moeini warns that any U.S. strike could trigger a powerful “rally around the flag” effect inside Iran that would marginalize moderates who oppose war. The discussion also explores Trump’s instincts on Iran, how his approach differs from traditional neoconservative thinking, and why sustained pressure campaigns can convince targeted states that they face an existential threat requiring a do-or-die response.

The picture that emerges is stark: a grim geopolitical moment where miscalculation could have far-reaching consequences.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael speaks with Reason journalist Matthew Petti about his reporting on Jeffrey Epstein, the Epstein network, and what newly surfaced emails reveal about Epstein’s attempts to enter the surveillance and security technology world in the final years of his life. Drawing from Petti’s article “Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Spy Industry Connections,” the conversation examines Epstein’s ties to figures such as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, connections to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, and the broader intersection of New York finance, global business elites, and intelligence-adjacent technology.

The discussion explores why the Epstein files are unlikely to contain a single “smoking gun,” instead reflecting networks built on influence, ambiguity, and deniability that leave behind oblique references rather than clear paper trails. Petti also addresses the challenges of reporting on Epstein in an environment shaped by misinformation and why dismissing the entire Epstein story as moral panic — as some commentators have done — risks overlooking the real lessons about power, access, and elite networks revealed by the case.

This episode focuses on separating reporting from speculation while examining what the Epstein story can still teach us about wealth, influence, surveillance technology, and the global connections that defined Epstein’s orbit.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, returning guest James M. Dorsey, independent journalist and scholar at The Turbulent World Substack, breaks down the latest developments shaping the Middle East. We start with the high-stakes U.S.-Iran talks, where Dorsey explains the deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran, the obstacles to a deal, and why, despite tensions, he doubts Trump seeks a full-scale war. We explore what military action against Iran could mean for the Gulf States, Turkey, and the Caucasus, and the broader question of regional stability.

Next, we analyze Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, D.C., his fraught relationship with Trump, and what’s at stake politically for Israel as elections approach. Dorsey explains what Netanyahu likely seeks from the former president on Iran and why mutual distrust may be defining their interactions.

In the latter half, we dive into the rising rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, examining shifts in Saudi regional strategy, the UAE’s backing of militias and separatists, and the potential dangers this poses across North Africa, especially in Sudan. We also discuss the UAE’s growing closeness with Israel, Qatar’s positioning in the Saudi-UAE rivalry, and what these dynamics reveal about the future of Middle East geopolitics.

All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael speaks with Jordan Liz — Associate Professor of Philosophy at San José State University and a contributor to Common Dreams — about ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the Department of Homeland Security, and why Liz argues that the “Abolish ICE” movement represents not a radical departure but a necessary response to the post-9/11 transformation of American governance.

Liz contends that ICE is not a longstanding institution but a product of the Bush administration’s Global War on Terror, created alongside DHS in an atmosphere shaped by fear, threat inflation, and national security panic. Rather than emerging as a neutral immigration enforcement body, Liz argues that ICE was embedded from the beginning within a broader security framework that treated immigration through the lens of counterterrorism — effectively recasting migrants as potential internal threats. This, he claims, helped fuel the militarization of policing and laid the groundwork for an expansive surveillance apparatus whose implications extend far beyond immigration policy.

Drawing on arguments developed in his Common Dreams writing, Liz explains why he believes ICE cannot be meaningfully reformed. In essays such as “Abolish ICE — and DHS Too,” he argues that the very concept of “homeland security” fused immigration enforcement with civilizational and cultural anxieties about national identity, encouraging policies that frame immigrants as existential dangers to the nation’s “way of life.” In his view, this logic incentivizes perpetual expansion of enforcement powers, increased funding, and the normalization of aggressive tactics justified by ever-inflated threats.

The conversation also explores Liz’s critique of DHS as an institution born from the War on Terror’s security paradigm. According to Liz, DHS consolidated vast surveillance and enforcement powers under a single umbrella, contributing to what he sees as the growth of a domestic security state capable of undermining civil liberties. His writing frequently warns that technologies such as biometric identification, data integration, and algorithmic policing expand ICE’s reach not only over undocumented migrants but over citizens as well, disproportionately affecting people of color and reshaping the boundaries of belonging in American political life.

Liz connects these concerns to his broader philosophical work on race and the “politics of belonging,” arguing that immigration enforcement reflects deeper questions about who is recognized as fully American and who remains perpetually suspect. The discussion examines how narratives of cultural threat and national decline shape immigration debates, and how these narratives intersect with policy decisions, surveillance practices, and enforcement priorities.

In addition, the episode addresses controversies surrounding ICE since its early years, the role of protest and public witnessing in challenging state power, and the human consequences of immigration enforcement, including the killings of Alex Pretti and Rene Good. Ultimately, the conversation grapples with a larger question: whether the post-9/11 security architecture has pushed the United States toward what critics describe as “Police State USA,” and what alternatives might exist for immigration policy outside the framework of national security.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael is joined by Joseph Sciortino and Grant Gallagher of The Rabble Report to examine the World Economic Forum (WEF), Trump, and the shifting global order through the lens of anti-politics — the growing antagonism between society and the political sphere. The conversation explores the ongoing crisis of faith in institutions and how political actors increasingly act as scavengers, exploiting anti-political sentiment for power. From there, the discussion unpacks the complex relationship between anti-politics and populism, clarifying how the two overlap while remaining distinct phenomena shaping contemporary political discourse.

The episode then turns to the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where leaders framed the apparent decline of the U.S.-led liberal international order in terms of “national interest,” marking a notable rhetorical shift among European elites. J.G., Joseph, and Grant analyze Mark Carney’s remarks on the role of Middle Powers, debate how much of this new positioning reflects genuine geopolitical change versus political theater and consider whether Europe and Canada are truly capable of decoupling from the United States. What does relative U.S. decline actually mean for the future of global hegemony? Is the liberal order ending; or merely transforming under new pressures and dependencies? The conversation also examines how populist rhetoric surfaced “invisibly” at Davos itself, the challenges facing European leadership, and how these dynamics connect back to domestic U.S. politics, including ICE, the specter of the Middle American Radicals (MARs), and much more.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, host J.G. Michael is joined by film analyst Albert Lanier of the Final Cut Substack newsletter and podcast for an in-depth conversation on the Oscars, awards season as we approach the 98th Annual Academy Awards, and what the awards season and ceremony reveal about the film industry today. Moving beyond the usual debates over winners and snubs, the discussion explores how the Oscars function not just as a celebration of art, but as a crucial economic engine for Hollywood — shaping careers, influencing distribution, and sustaining the business of filmmaking itself.

J.G. and Albert examine how the Oscars have evolved in the years since Parasite’s historic Best Picture win, with the Academy increasingly embracing international cinema and positioning itself as a global counterbalance to an era dominated by franchise filmmaking and MCU-style blockbusters. The episode also offers a deep dive into this year’s Best Picture nominees — including Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams — with particular attention paid to the political dimensions of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and the acclaimed The Secret Agent, which Albert argues is the best film of the year.

The conversation also looks at the strong showing for horror at this year’s Oscars, from multiple nominations for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners to recognition for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Amy Madigan’s Best Supporting Actress nomination for Zack Cregger’s Weapons. Along the way, Albert shares his experiences attending formal Oscar viewing events, reflects on Roger Ebert’s relationship to the Academy Awards, and explains why he approaches nominations and outcomes without cynicism or outrage — seeing the Oscars instead as a fascinating snapshot of where cinema and culture intersect at a given moment.

If you’re interested in film criticism, awards season analysis, the politics of cinema, and the future of Hollywood in a globalized film landscape, this episode offers a thoughtful and engaging look at what the Oscars really mean.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

In this urgent, unflinching conversation, former U.S. Marine infantryman and seasoned policy voice James R. Webb — son of Senator Jim Webb, ex-Military Legislative Assistant to Rand Paul, and writer for Responsible Statecraft and Military Times — breaks down the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis and why it terrifies him as a veteran and citizen. Pretti’s death on January 24, 2026 — captured on video amid clashes between Customs and Border Protection agents and bystanders — has ignited national outrage after footage and witness accounts surfaced that contradict official claims that he was an armed threat. The killing, which followed the controversial ICE operation “Operation Metro Surge” and another fatal federal shooting in the city, has spurred protests and legal challenges and raised pressing questions about force, civil liberties, and federal overreach.

James contextualizes Pretti’s death through his own combat experience, calling it “horrifying” and “disgusting,” and explores how this moment reflects deeper fault lines in American politics and institutions. We discuss Marjorie Taylor Greene’s response, which focused on government overreach and political division; the dark fruits of Steve Bannon’s divisive media strategy; and Trump’s post-2024 trajectory, including his rhetoric about sidelining elections and fears of authoritarian maneuvering. James also shares personal insights from his time working with Rand Paul on confronting Trump’s policy impulses, and why someone who voted for Trump twice still views the current direction with alarm.

Other topics include:

• Why the Pretti killing isn’t just a tragedy but a political flashpoint in immigration enforcement and civil rights.

• The implications of ICE and CBP overreach on American democracy and community trust.

• Trump’s strained relations with European allies and attacks on GOP figures like Thomas Massie.

• How veterans’ service shapes perceptions of security, authority, and the rule of law.

Essential listening for anyone trying to understand what the Pretti case reveals about law enforcement, executive power, political polarization, and the soul of the republic.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, Ambassador Patrick Theros offers a seasoned diplomat’s assessment of the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency. The conversation is anchored in Theros’ recent National Herald column, “Twenty Twenty-Five: What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong, and Why 2026 Looks Worse,” in which he reflects on his expectations for the administration and how rapidly events have outpaced them.

Theros breaks down what he underestimated, what surprised him, and why the speed and scale of developments in Trump’s second term have been so destabilizing. We examine Trump’s foreign and domestic policy record, including ICE and the killing of Alex Pretti, the administration’s contradictory impulses, and whether Trump is actively governing or allowing loyalists and ideological actors to run policy in his absence. Theros argues that Trump’s inability to manage multiple crises simultaneously has produced dangerous incoherence.

The discussion ranges widely across geopolitics and political economy: Gaza and the broader Middle East, Trump’s relationship with Netanyahu, the erosion of U.S. soft power, and how Trump’s National Security Strategy places new risks on Gulf States—raising doubts about an 85-year partnership with the United States. Theros explains why “might makes right” is a recipe for bad statecraft, how hubris historically brings dominant powers down, and why the current moment resembles the end of the liberal, U.S.-led international order.

We also explore Europe as a potential model for the United States, including a detailed discussion of VAT taxation and European-style healthcare, as well as Europe’s response to Trump’s posturing over Greenland. Additional topics include the return of multipolarity and balance-of-power geopolitics, the revival of spheres of influence, the Athenians’ folly as a historical lesson, and why the Russo-Ukraine war is likely to grind on.

Theros weighs in on the potential rise of India as a hemispheric power, Trump’s view of Russia, China’s current geopolitical position, and the isolationist impulses now visible in both Washington and Beijing. We also discuss Trump’s approach to Latin America, the global loss of trust in the United States, and the danger posed by the administration’s attacks on universities and institutional capacity.

The episode concludes with an extended discussion of Theros’ recent essay “Of Whales and Windmills,” examining American industrial policy, shipbuilding, and the myth of U.S. industrial self-sufficiency—along with why Trump cannot restore mid-20th-century industrial dominance by sheer political will. The article takes aim at Trump's "Restoring America's Maritime Dominance" Executive Order.

We also talk about tariffs and other economic policies and the contradictions of Trump's economic policies. We'll also discuss the need to break up the defense industry monopolies and other related issues.

All this, and much more, on the latest edition of Parallax Views.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, libertarian gadfly Jim Bovard returns to dissect the federal killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and its disturbing parallels to the infamous Ruby Ridge standoff. Bovard, author of ten books including Public Policy Hooligan, Attention Deficit Democracy, The Bush Betrayal, and Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty, examines how federal law enforcement, including ICE, Border Patrol, and the FBI, have historically operated under preemptive “Rules of Engagement” that sanction the use of deadly force against American citizens. He traces the echoes of Ruby Ridge, where the Weaver family was ambushed by FBI snipers and U.S. Marshals, to the recent Minneapolis shooting, highlighting patterns of threat inflation, government cover-ups, and the erosion of civil liberties.

In this episode, we discuss Alex Pretti’s killing—shot in the back multiple times despite surrendering a legally carried firearm—and the official government narrative that quickly labeled him a “domestic terrorist.” Bovard contrasts the federal and political spin surrounding Pretti with the 1992 FBI and ATF operations in Idaho, where Randy and Vicki Weaver, along with family friend Kevin Harris, were targeted under similarly aggressive rules of engagement. He details how, in both cases, federal agents preemptively used lethal force, disregarded due process, seized evidence to prevent independent investigation, and faced little accountability, despite public outcry and judicial rebukes.

Bovard also examines the broader implications for civil liberties, gun rights, and freedom of speech, including how videotaping federal agents has become criminalized in practice and how political partisanship—exemplified by Trump administration officials and conservative media—can shape public acceptance of state violence. He unpacks the historical, legal, and political dimensions of these incidents, from the misrepresentation of armed threats to the systematic attempts at cover-up by the Justice Department and federal law enforcement agencies.

This episode is essential listening for anyone concerned with U.S. federal law enforcement abuses, ICE and Border Patrol accountability, FBI sniper operations, government overreach, civil liberties in America, the politics of domestic terrorism labeling, and the ongoing legacy of Ruby Ridge in contemporary policing. Bovard’s insights offer a stark reminder of how federal power can be misused and why vigilance is necessary to protect individual rights against state violence.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, we’re joined by Sheldon Richman, executive editor of The Libertarian Institute and former senior editor at the Cato Institute, to unpack his provocative article “TGIF: The Trumpian ICE Age.” Richman argues that the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement reflects a larger trend of unchecked federal power and erosion of individual liberty. He frames recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and related agencies as emblematic of an expanding coercive state that dismisses constitutional limits and civil liberties.

At the heart of our conversation is the tragic killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis ICU nurse and U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by federal Border Patrol agents during a January protest against immigration raids. Video evidence and eyewitness accounts indicate Pretti was unarmed — holding a phone and attempting to assist another person — when he was pepper-sprayed, wrestled to the ground, disarmed, and then shot multiple times; federal claims that he posed an imminent threat are widely disputed.

Pretti’s death — coming just weeks after another U.S. citizen and mother of three, Renée Good, was killed in a similar context — has sparked nationwide outrage, protests, legal actions demanding preservation of evidence and accountability, and intense debate about federal overreach, use of force, and the future of civil liberties under powerful enforcement agencies.

Richman situates these events within a broader critique of how executive power is exercised in the name of security and enforcement, warning that such episodes are symptomatic of structural threats to freedom rather than isolated policy mistakes.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:
https://wallstreetwindow.com/

On this edition of Parallax Views, geopolitical analyst Deep State Kuba—a veteran of both public and private sector work and a regular guest on THIS IS REVOLUTION and GIVE THEM AN ARGUMENT w/ Ben Burgis— returns to unpack Mark Carney’s stunning speech at the Davos World Economic Forum, where Carney declared that the so-called post–Cold War “rules-based international order” was a fiction—and that it’s now dead.

We dig into what that admission really means, whether the global order many Americans have taken for granted is fully unraveling under a second Trump presidency, and how to think clearly about power without collapsing realism into the lazy mantra of “might makes right.” Along the way, we explore the rising role of “middle powers,” the contradictions between MAGA’s industrial ambitions and Trump’s actual policy choices, the controversial use of ICE, the perils of state hubris, the odd mutations of 21st-century conservatism, and the broader sense of political and cultural vertigo defining the current zeitgeist.

Topics include:

• Mark Carney at Davos and the end of the rules-based order

• Trump’s second presidency and global instability

• Middle powers and a shifting multipolar world

• Realism vs. “might makes right” caricatures

• ICE, state power, and the domestic situation in the United States

• MAGA, U.S. industry, and policy contradictions

• Conservatism’s strange new form in the 21st century and the "black is white, white is black... we're through the looking glass now" reality of the current zeitgeist