Two Outspoken Zeteo

In this episode, Owen and Mehdi discuss the UK’s looming July 4th election, the Labour Party’s decision to suspend Faiza Shaheen’s candidacy, and Nigel Farage’s latest attempt to normalize Islamophobia. 
Mehdi brings up UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s not-so-hopeful start to the campaign, when he got soaked in rain while announcing the early election date. This election comes as Sunak’s Conservative Party has become widely unpopular, after going through three different prime ministers in the space of one parliament with no election. 
“The Conservatives have just destroyed themselves more comprehensively than any government ever in British democratic history,” Owen told Mehdi. 
As polls predict a huge defeat for Sunak and the Conservatives in the general election, Mehdi and Owen discuss the current state of the Labour Party, including the party’s recent decision to suspend the campaign of left-wing candidate Faiza Shaheen. Her wrong doing? Liking a tweet about a Jon Stewart sketch. 
“It's an old clip and a tweet describing what's happening in the clip, and the intensity with which pro-Israel figures, the pro-Israel lobby, people in the media, go crazy if you dare to criticize Israel or say things that people don't want to hear. And that gets her suspended,” Mehdi said to Owen.
“What makes their [the Labour Party] heart beat a little bit faster is crushing left-wing opponents. And the fact she's spoken out on Gaza is definitely something which has made them want to get rid of her,” Owen added.
On the topic of Gaza, Mehdi called out the U.S. State Department for refusing to call Israel’s invasion of Rafah a full ground invasion, comparing John Kirby to Comical Ali. Mehdi and Owen also discussed Nigel Farage’s Islamophobic comments on Sky News last weekend, as well as the irony of Farage being interviewed by a host with his own history of Islamophobia. 
‘Two Outspoken’ is a twice-monthly conversation between broadcaster, author, and Zeteo Editor-in-Chief Mehdi Hasan and political commentator, author, and activist Owen Jones. Mehdi and Owen will be discussing the news of the week, offering their analysis on the state of American and British politics, and even, from time to time, taking questions from Zeteo subscribers.


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The International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor announced Monday that he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In response, ‘Two Outspoken’ hosted a special breaking news town hall for Zeteo paid subscribers where Owen and Mehdi were joined by two guests: former PLO legal adviser Diana Buttu and Israeli academic Ilan Pappé.
Paid subscribers were able to ask their questions directly to Owen, Mehdi, Buttu and Pappé.
They discussed how the ICC’s prosecution team is also seeking warrants for Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as two other Hamas leaders — Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, and Ismail Haniyeh. They also covered what a shock it is for the Israeli political class to find itself held to account by international legal institutions; and whether this move will change anything on the ground for Palestinians.
‘Two Outspoken’ is a twice-monthly conversation between broadcaster, author, and Zeteo CEO Mehdi Hasan and political commentator, author, and activist Owen Jones. Mehdi and Owen will be discussing the news of the week, offering their analysis on the state of American and British politics, and even, like today, taking questions from Zeteo paid subscribers.
Zeteo’s live town halls and Q&A sessions are a bonus feature for paid subscribers. If you would like to join the next one live, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. 


Get full access to Zeteo at zeteo.com/subscribe

In this episode:
Owen and Mehdi discuss the ongoing misrepresentation of college protests in the mainstream media, the debate over genocide in Gaza, and the London mayoral elections. They discuss how college and antiwar protests have long been demonized to undermine public support for them, and how the term "genocide" is deliberately and conveniently mis-defined by supporters of Israel.
Plus, Mehdi takes us back in time to read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from a Birmingham jail about the “white moderate,” and reflects on its relevance to modern-day politicians, particularly in light of recent comments made by President Joe Biden.
Owen criticizes Biden's approach on all this, accusing him of fetishizing past struggles while vilifying current protests. He highlights MLK's historical unpopularity and draws parallels to contemporary criticisms of activism. Both critique Biden's stance on issues like Israel's actions in Gaza and tie it to broader public opinion trends. 
They also touch on the London mayoral elections and the challenges faced by Sadiq Khan, particularly in the context of his stance on issues like Gaza and Islamophobia. And Mehdi highlights the importance of context in journalism and the need to address misinformation and prejudice in public discourse.
‘Two Outspoken’ is a twice-monthly conversation between broadcaster, author, and Zeteo Editor-in-Chief Mehdi Hasan and political commentator, author, and activist Owen Jones. Mehdi and Owen will be discussing the news of the week, offering their analysis on the state of American and British politics, and even, from time to time, taking questions from Zeteo subscribers.
Friendly reminder: All of our content is currently available to all subscribers, free or paid. But this will only be for a limited, promotional period. Building and sustaining an independent media company like this requires, above all else, money. If you appreciate the work our team is doing, and want to be a part of this effort, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber.


Get full access to Zeteo at zeteo.com/subscribe

Zeteo is excited to present the first episode of ‘Two Outspoken,’ a twice-monthly conversation between broadcaster, author, and Zeteo CEO Mehdi Hasan and political commentator, author, and activist Owen Jones. Mehdi and Owen will be discussing the news of the week, offering their analysis on the state of American and British politics, and even, from time to time, taking questions from Zeteo subscribers.
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In this first episode:
Mehdi and Owen share the story of how they met over a decade ago on television, and recall those who compared them to a left-wing Batman and Robin (you can probably guess who is who).
Owen explains why he has recently quit the UK’s Labour Party, while Mehdi compares current Labour leader Keir Starmer to Tony Blair. 
Finally, both of them discuss the mainstream media's multiple moral failures when it comes to coverage of Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza — and, in particular, how the killing of seven international aid workers from the World Central Kitchen sparked more moral outrage from journalists and politicians than the killing of over 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Friendly reminder: All of our content is currently available to all subscribers, free or paid. But this will only be for a limited, promotional period. Building and sustaining an independent media company like this requires, above all else, money. If you appreciate the work our team is doing, and want to be a part of this effort, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber.


Get full access to Zeteo at zeteo.com/subscribe