Mehdi Unfiltered

It doesn’t take much under Trump’s authoritarian system of governance for anyone to find themselves in the crosshairs of one agency or the other. For attorney Clay Jackson, it was the simple act of telling an immigrant family their rights and offering to find them pro bono counsel.“I'm licensed in three states. Every one of those states has a rule that says lawyers have an obligation to provide pro bono assistance to people in their community, I thought it was that simple.” Sadly for Jackson, it was not.Following his meeting with a family, Jackson received a visit from state agents who refused to identify themselves, and then accused him of obstructing an immigration investigation. When Jackson went public with the story, he was immediately fired.“I didn't think that doing something like this would cost me my job,” he says, “When I see big white shoe law firms, quote, ‘make a deal’ with a presidential administration that's pretty clear in its intent to test every single constitutional boundary that exists, it would be impossible for me as an attorney to tell a client that their interests are represented to the fullest extent.”Watch the full interview above to hear Jackson’s account of how he thinks he was targeted, the status of the family he was helping, and whether this was a high-level attempt at intimidating lawyers who help immigrants under threat of deportation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zeteo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIt’s been over a month since shocking footage emerged of masked ICE agents arresting Tufts Doctoral Student Rümeysa Öztürk, after her visa was terminated simply for co-authoring an op-ed in the student newspaper calling for the university to divest in Israel.Since then, Rümeysa has been confined to an ICE detention center in Louisiana, where her US Representative, Ayanna Pressley, met with her late last month.In this powerful interview for ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley tells Mehdi about the “harrowing” conditions Rümeysa has been facing in her detention center – which Pressley says, “has a long documented history of human rights violations and abuses.”“She suffered several very severe asthma attacks while there, received inadequate medical care. There has been no religious accommodation, in fact, not only on a dietary aspect, but when it comes to a space to pray, a Quran. Her hijab was removed without her consent by one of the nurses,” Pressley tells Mehdi.Pressley emphasizes to Mehdi how the Trump administration has completely ignored due process, and explains just how dire the implications of Rümeysa’s case are for the country.“This is laying the ground foundationally and will be a threat to everyone. This means that this could be you tomorrow for suffering a miscarriage, because in Trump's America, that's been criminalized. This means this could be you tomorrow for reading a banned book,” Pressley says. “With this dictator in chief, simply because you have a dissenting opinion from his worldview, you could find yourself incarcerated.”During the second half of the interview, Mehdi asks Pressley about President Donald Trump’s first 100 days of his second term, as well as the state of the Democratic party.“I do not believe, Mehdi, that this is about weathering the next four years. I believe this will dictate the next 100,” Pressley says to Mehdi.Paid subscribers can watch the full 26 minutes of this engaging interview with Pressley, to hear her discuss Trump and Republicans’ plans to potentially cut Medicaid, reporting that Democrats were told to stand down on visiting wrongly deported legal resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and Congresswoman AOC’s decision to pass on seeking a leadership position in the House.Free subscribers can watch the first 5 minutes of the interview. This is a conversation you won’t want to miss, with Pressley completely unbarred in her answers. Consider upgrading to a paid membership to watch it in full.Congresswoman Pressley recently joined Substack. You can find her at https://substack.com/@reppressley.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comMehdi speaks to BAFTA-winning, Oscar-nominated Palestinian Director Farah Nabulsi about her latest film, 'The Teacher,' which centers around the struggle of Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank through the lens of a school teacher there. SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribeWATCH ‘MEHDI UNFILTERED’ ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/mehdi-unfilteredFIND ZETEO:Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_newsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonewsFIND MEHDI:Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasanTwitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasanTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIn this segment of Mehdi Unfiltered, Lindsey Boylan, former Cuomo aide who blew the whistle on his sexual misconduct, speaks to Mehdi about the former New York governor’s mayoral bid.SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribeWATCH ‘MEHDI UNFILTERED’ ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/mehdi-unfilteredFIND ZETEO:Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_newsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonewsFIND MEHDI:Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasanTwitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasanTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic and co-author of the book 'Abundance,' dives deep into pro-business strategies and the idea of increased innovation. He discusses the 'abundance agenda' to address issues like housing and energy while criticizing the Biden administration's struggles with broadband policy. The conversation touches on the Democratic Party's internal challenges, contrasting leadership styles, and the urgent need for clearer healthcare visions. It's a spirited exploration of politics, economics, and the future direction of the party.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIn this segment of Mehdi Unfiltered, free speech advocate Nico Perrino talks to Mehdi about the Trump administration’s attacks on student protestors and the media, and the right’s free-speech hypocrisy. SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribeWATCH ‘MEHDI UNFILTERED’ ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/mehdi-unfilteredFIND ZETEO:Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_newsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonewsFIND MEHDI:Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasanTwitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasanTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIn this week’s episode of Mehdi Unfiltered, Mehdi is joined by MSNBC host Chris Hayes to discuss his new book, ‘The Siren’s Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource.’SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribeWATCH ‘MEHDI UNFILTERED’ ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/mehdi-unfilteredFIND ZETEO:Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_newsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonewsFIND MEHDI:Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasanTwitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasanTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIn this week’s episode of Mehdi Unfiltered, Mehdi is joined by Iranian-American relations expert Trita Parsi to discuss the possibility of a US-Israel-backed war with Iran, and the threat of it all going nuclear. SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribeWATCH ‘MEHDI UNFILTERED’ ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/mehdi-unfilteredFIND ZETEO:Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_newsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonewsFIND MEHDI:Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasanTwitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasanTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comAfter enduring almost three months of the Trump-Musk agenda, Democrats finally gained a victory last week, after voters elected Democratic-backed judge Susan Crawford, defeating billionaire Elon Musk’s attempt to flip the court to conservative control. SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribeWATCH ‘MEHDI UNFILTERED’ ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/mehdi-unfilteredFIND ZETEO:Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_newsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonewsFIND MEHDI:Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasanTwitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasanTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

Ten British nationals are now facing allegations of war crimes over their service in the Israeli military and its war on Gaza. To respond to this groundbreaking news, Mehdi interviews one of the lawyers behind this report: renowned human rights barrister Michael Mansfield KC.SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribeWATCH ‘MEHDI UNFILTERED’ ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/mehdi-unfilteredFIND ZETEO:Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_newsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonewsFIND MEHDI:Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasanTwitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasanTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zeteo.com/subscribe