Rubio in Athens; Iran War?; Bond Vigilantes; Ukraine; Vance; Achievements | Yaron Brook Show (Season 12, Episode 162) Watch Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMOHEwoqILY "Marco Rubio stood on the hill where democracy was born and praised Western civilization — so why did he credit the religion that shut down the Academy and buried it for a thousand years?" Marco Rubio gave a speech on the Pnyx, with the Acropolis behind him, defending Western civilization — on October 7th, without once mentioning October 7th. Yaron Brook breaks down why half of Rubio's speech is brilliant (individualism, reason, the pursuit of excellence) and the other half is a dishonest sleight of hand that credits Christianity for burying the very Greek ideas it's praising. Then: Trump orders the Pentagon to prep Iran strikes to lower gas prices — then cancels them until after the midterms, handing Tehran a free month. Bond vigilantes are now pricing French and British government debt as riskier than their own corporations' bonds — Yaron explains why that's a good thing. Russia is leveling Ukrainian apartment buildings and nobody's chanting "genocide." And JD Vance, when asked to define socialism, says he "doesn't really know what the term means anymore" — conveniently, since the Trump administration now owns equity in 30+ US companies. Yaron Brook — chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute — gives you the news the way almost nobody else will: judged against reason, individual rights, and whether politicians are telling you the truth. 🔴 Watch live weekdays. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss the next one. Topics covered: Rubio's Athens speech and the fight over who really owns Western civilization, the farce of Trump's Iran war threats timed to the midterms, why bond vigilantes are heroes not villains, Russia's civilian massacres in Ukraine getting a pass, JD Vance redefining socialism to dodge his own administration, and a Q&A on October 7th, Israeli politics, and more. Main Topics 0:00 — Cold open: Rubio's Athens speech, staged on October 7th, never mentions October 7th ~6:00 — What Rubio gets right: individualism, reason, "the unknown can be known" ~18:00 — How the speech smuggles in Christianity as the "cause" of the West ~30:00 — Nationalism, torn-down monuments, and the Achilles misquote 43:03 — "The ancient Greeks were not naive" — Sparta vs. Athens, and why the 300 is the wrong example ~55:00 — Iran: Pentagon told to prep strikes, then Trump cancels until after the midterms 1:02:42 — "It's all about the election" — gas prices and the Hormuz farce 1:05:59 — Bond vigilantes: why the market pricing France and the UK as default risks is a good sign 1:09:13 — French corporate bonds now safer than French government bonds 1:12:07 — Ukraine: Russia's glide bombs on commuter buses, 33 dead, nobody says "genocide" 1:15:28 — JD Vance can't define socialism (because Trump's government owns equity in 30+ companies) Live Audience Q&A 1:44:54 — "Was October 7th a pogrom or an invasion?" — why neither label quite fits 1:47:09 — "Is Rubio secretly moderating Trump, or is he just Trump's legitimizer?" ~1:50:00 — Should states have one official language? ~1:55:00 — Should Europe send its navies to open the Strait of Hormuz? ~2:00:00 — Achievements of the week — and a detour into raw shrimp #MarcoRubio #WesternCivilization #IranWar #BondVigilantes #UkraineWar #JDVance #Greece #france #FreeMarkets #capitalismvssocialism #Individualism #Objectivism #AynRand #ForeignPolicy Like this episode? 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Like, share, and subscribe to stay updated on new videos and help promote the [Yaron Brook Show](https://bit.ly/3ztPxTx) Continue the discussion by following Yaron on [Twitter](https://bit.ly/3iMGl6z) and [Facebook](https://bit.ly/3vvWDDC ) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/yaron-brook-show--3276901/support. Yaron is the executive chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute and a world class speaker. He is the coauthor of the national best-seller Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government, Equal is Unfair: America's Misguided Fight Against Income Inequality and In Pursuit of Wealth: The Moral Case for Finance. He speaks around the world on a variety of topics including the morality of capitalism, Ayn Rand and her philosophy, finance and economics, and the value of inequality.