The Tea with Myriam Francois

https://www.theteanetwork.co

How much did the Americans know about what Israel was doing in Gaza — and why did the weapons keep flowing?

As evidence of atrocities mounted, the US kept arming Israel. Warnings were ignored, officials resigned, and Biden’s “red lines” were crossed again and again without consequences. So what was really happening behind closed doors — and who was calling the shots?
This week on The Tea, we’re joined by award-winning diplomatic correspondent Akbar Shahid Ahmed, whose explosive new book, Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War in Gaza, draws on accounts from more than 150 Washington officials to expose the inner workings of Biden’s White House as Israel’s genocide in Gaza unfolded - and why warnings went unheeded.
Also in the show:
⚡ Has October 7 achieved its goal?
⚡ Behind Biden’s “red line”: “Just get Israel what they want”
⚡ Disinformation, careerism and complicity
⚡ Hostages: how America wrote off its own nationals
⚡ Pro-Palestinian protests: why were Holocaust survivors dismissed as Hamas supporters?
⚡ The dehumanisation of Palestinians: “They’ll get over this one too”
⚡ No accountability: the enduring legacy of the War on Terror

As the US heads towards another midterm election, we ask: have the ripples of the genocide forever changed American politics?

#TheTeawithMyriamFrancois #AkbarShahidAhmed #Gaza #Palestine #Biden #USPolitics #Genocide #FreePalestine #Israel #news #CurrentAffairs #US #midterms #Trump2026

Check Akbar Shahid Ahmed’s book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/crossing-the-red-line/akbar-shahid-ahmed/9781324118190

AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Akbar Shahid Ahmed
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producers: Sanjna Selva & Constance Creswell
Video Editor: Karl Jackson
An MPWR Productions show.

00:00 Introduction – What Did Biden Know About Gaza?
02:46 Akbar Shahid Ahmed's Investigation Inside the White House
05:31 Inside Hamas: What Its Leaders Told Him
09:43 What America Knew About Gaza Before October 7
17:29 What Happened Behind Closed Doors After October 7?
21:44 How Biden's Inner Circle Ignored Warnings From US Officials
28:03 Were Intelligence Reports Manipulated to Protect Israel?
33:37 Was Israel Controlling American Foreign Policy?
36:55 Did Washington Ignore Warnings Before October 7?
42:36 How Biden's Administration Silenced Calls for a Ceasefire
47:06 Biden's Broken Red Line: The Invasion of Rafah
52:41 Kamala Harris, Gaza and the Political Cost of Silence
58:27 How the White House Undermined Opposition to Arms Sales
01:03:24 Why US Officials Stayed Silent – And What Accountability Would Take

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.theteanetwork.co

Is capitalism destroying democracy — and why can’t we seem to stop it?

As billionaire wealth soars to record highs and public trust in capitalism collapses, the ultra-rich are turning unprecedented fortunes into political power. As more countries slide toward authoritarianism, are we witnessing a crisis of democracy—or the inevitable consequences of a system designed to concentrate wealth and power?

This week on The Tea, we’re joined by one of the world's top political economists, Jason Hickel, author of the acclaimed best-selling book Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World. His work challenges the logic of endless economic growth and asks what it would take to build an economy that serves people and the planet, rather than the ultra-rich.

Also in the show:

🔥 Are we living in a democracy?—Why growing numbers of people are losing faith in the system

🔥 The Chinese model— What can we learn, and what we should question

🔥 The dark side of the Scandinavian model

🔥 Degrowth — The path beyond endless economic growth

🔥 AI and the real threat — The problem isn’t the technology, but the system deploying it

From wealth concentration to the erosion of democratic power, we explore why so many people feel disenchanted with democracy—and how uniting different struggles around shared goals can create the collective power needed for a genuine alternative.

#TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #JasonHickel #Capitalism #Democracy #Degrowth #Inequality #Billionaires #GenZprotests #news #currentaffairs #UKPolitics #USPolitics

AUDIO CREDITS

Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Jason Hickel
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producers: Iman Saleh, Nadege Bizimungu & Poppy Jacobs
Researchers: Aliza Kayan-Ahmed
Video Editor: Max Bubnov

An MPWR Productions show.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.theteanetwork.co

Can protests really bring about political change?
From Palestine solidarity marches to Gen Z uprisings, from France and Spain to India and Brazil, millions are taking to the streets to demand change. But can protest turn into political power?

Over the past decade, mass movements have challenged governments and shifted public opinion. Yet turning that collective energy into lasting political change has proved far more complicated. What happens when people take to the streets, but power remains firmly elsewhere?

This week on The Tea, award-winning journalist Vincent Bevins joins us. He has spent a decade reporting on protest movements worldwide, and in his latest book If We Burn, he explores what it really takes to turn popular mobilisation into lasting political change.
Also in the show:
🔥 From Tahrir Square to today's mobilisations— What happens when your enemies hijack your revolution?
🔥 Libya and the US doctrine of “regime collapse”— When the overthrow of a government becomes an end in itself.
🔥 Gen Z uprisings — Generational protests, or mass movements in which one generation is playing a prominent role?
🔥 From the Black Panthers to the current democratic crisis — Who is really advocating for violence?
🔥 From Ukraine to Bahrain — What happens when popular movements become hijacked by foreign interests?
🔥 The crisis of the media — Who gets to shape the narrative?
Our guest argues that the challenge is building collective power that can withstand repression, resist outside interference, impose real costs on those in power, and turn popular demands into lasting political transformation.

#TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #VincentBevins #GenZProtests #FranceProtests #YouthActivism #PeoplePower #PoliticalChange #GlobalProtests #Palestine

AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Norman Finkelstein
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producers: Nadege Bizimungu & Sanjna Selva
Assistant Producer: Robyn Moffat
Researchers: Aliza Kayan-Ahmed & Saba Ahmadzadeh Noughani
Video Editor: Max Bubnov
An MPWR Productions show.

00:00:00 Why Are Mass Protests Failing to Deliver Change?
00:03:02 How the Right Hijacked Brazil's Protests
00:07:06 How Governments Learned to Defeat Protest Movements
00:14:27 Are Today's Protests Repeating the Mistakes of the Past?
00:16:45 Why Mobilising Millions Isn't Enough to Win
00:21:36 The Problem With Gen Z Protest Movements
00:28:32 From Protest to Power: What Actually Works?
00:33:25 Are Protests Becoming Mass Surveillance Operations?
00:34:53 What Actually Forces Governments to Change?
00:39:08 Can Nonviolent Protest Defeat Repressive States?
00:56:33 Why the Right Keeps Stealing the Left's Victories
01:20:57 The Most Important Lesson for Today's Protesters

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.theteanetwork.co

Are we on the verge of an AI apocalypse, or is Silicon Valley using doomsday fears to distract us from the damage AI is already doing?
Tech insiders and Big Tech CEOs warn that superintelligence could wipe out humanity. Meanwhile, AI is already fuelling warfare and environmental destruction, with zero accountability. If the very people warning us about AI’s dangers also stand to profit from it, is existential doom a genuine warning or the ultimate marketing strategy?

This week on The Tea, we’re joined by pioneering AI researcher Dr Timnit Gebru, former co-lead of Google’s Ethical AI team. Timnit warned about the dangers of large language models years before the current AI boom. In this interview, she exposes the motives and the ideology behind Silicon Valley’s apocalyptic vision.

Also in the show:
⚡ AI existential risk: genuine threat or brilliant marketing?
⚡ The TESCREAL bundle: the ideology behind the AI cult
⚡ Hugging Face and rogue models: is Big Tech creating malware?
⚡ AGI and the myth of “magical intelligence in the sky”
⚡ AI regulation: why Big Tech’s lobbying power matters
⚡ The AI Resist List: building a people-centred AI
From the mythology of superintelligence to the movement for a different kind of AI, we explore who gets to shape this technology—and what it would take to put it back in people’s hands.
​
#TheTeawithMyriamFrancois #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #TimnitGebru #AIEthics #BigTech #ChatGPT #BigTech #CurrentAffairs #TechAndSociety #DigitalActivism #CorporatePower
AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Timnit Gebru
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producers: Poppy Jacobs & Sanjna Selva
Video Editor: Max Bubnov
An MPWR Productions show.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.theteanetwork.co

Are we headed for another Cold War?

Four years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, almost half a million people have been killed, rebuilding Ukraine could cost $588 billion, and there's still no clear endgame.

And as the battle of narratives intensifies, the drumbeat for war is getting louder across Europe. Question that narrative and you risk being labelled a Russian propagandist. But is war really inevitable? And what happens when we start treating it that way?
This week on The Tea, we’re joined by veteran journalist and author Luke Harding, author of Betrayal: Trump, Putin and The New Age of Conquest, to examine the growing confrontation between Moscow and the West.
Also in the show:

⚡ The war in Ukraine and the battle of narratives
⚡ The human cost: can Russia really be defeated militarily?
⚡ Trump & Putin: co-imperialists—or something more?
⚡ Is Trump a Russian asset?
⚡ Putin and the far right: a growing alliance?
⚡ If war can’t be won, what comes next?
As the UK edges closer to the frontline of this confrontation, we examine the risks, who benefits, and who pays the price.

#ColdWar #Ukraine #Putin #TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #LukeHarding #Russia #NATO #Geopolitics #UkraineWar #Politics #UKPolitics #Trump #Peace

AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Luke Harding
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producers: Sanjna Selve and Constance Creswell
Assistant Producer: Poppy Jacobs
Research: Aliza Kayan-Ahmed and Saba Ahmadzadeh Noughani
Video Editor: Max Bubnov
An MPWR Productions show.

00:00 Introduction – Are We Heading for Another Cold War?
02:30 Luke Harding on Russia and Being Expelled From Moscow
07:35 Can a Journalist Be Neutral on Russia?
10:23 Why Does the Ukraine War Matter to Britain?
17:22 Is Russia Already at War With the UK?
20:27 Should Britain Keep Arming Ukraine?
24:32 How Drone Warfare Has Changed War Forever
28:39 Did NATO Provoke Russia’s Invasion?
32:47 Putin, Ukraine and the Case Against the NATO Argument
35:58 Can the Ukraine War Actually Be Won?
39:39 Why Putin Won’t Back Down
40:04 Why Does Trump Treat Putin Differently?
45:11 Russia’s Role in Trump’s 2016 Election
47:16 Why Is Trump So Deferential to Putin?
48:15 Does Putin Have Leverage Over Trump?
53:01 Did Russia Interfere in Brexit?
55:20 Russian Influence in British Politics
57:23 Should Russian State Media Be Banned?
01:01:51 Can There Ever Be Peace With Putin?
01:03:17 Does Arming Ukraine Prolong the War?

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.