This episode is sponsored by Odoo. Go to https://www.odoo.com/notkidding to try it for free.

"How is it that a 34 year-old Turkish-American socialist Twitch streamer is now a kingmaker in the Democratic Party of the United States?"

Hasan Piker says he can take the heat. The famous political commentator has spent the past several months as the primary target of the Democratic party establishment for what they claim are his repugnant views. According to Hasan, the real reason is the success of the broader left movement that he has been a vocal advocate for.

Now, he sits down with Mehdi in Washington, D.C. to talk about becoming a "lightning rod" and the recent Democratic primaries shaking up the political landscape, like the upcoming Michigan Senate primary between the AIPAC-backed Haley Stevens and the progressive Abdul El-Sayed. The polls are close, the money is overwhelming (Stevens has a 12-1 spending advantage over El-Sayed), yet Hasan explains why he thinks "this race will shock the world."

They also get into the whole Tucker Carlson debate. Is Tucker setting up JD Vance for 2028, or is he planning his own presidential run? Hasan and Mehdi unpack whether the right-wing Christian nationalist can be a trusted ally on Gaza and Israel.

The Hasans also discuss:

• Socialism's rising popularity in the U.S.

• Hasan being targeted by both Democrats and Republicans.

• Accusations of antisemitism.

• Mehdi's appearance on the PBD podcast.

• Marco Rubio vs. JD Vance.

• The hypocrisy of Joe Rogan and Bill Maher.

• And which Democrat Hasan wants to run in 2028…

This interview was published 7 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe

Watch, listen and subscribe to 'We're Not Kidding' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends

Find Zeteo:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews

Find Mehdi:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

Credits:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Hasan Piker

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special thanks to: Aaliyah Haque

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit

https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

This episode is sponsored by Odoo. Go to https://www.odoo.com/notkidding to try it for free.

Stephen Miller's baldness. Donald Trump's theater career. Alexi "DEI hire" Lalas. South African racists. Inept autocrats. Baby Hitler. Osama Bin Laden's favorite soccer team.

These are just a few of the many topics that Mehdi and Adam Friedland talked about on the new episode of 'We're Not Kidding'. The comedian and host of the wildly popular YouTube talk show, 'The Adam Friedland Show', sat down with Mehdi in New York City for a chaotic yet vulnerable conversation about Israel, U.S. politics, and some of Adam's most viral interviews. But first, Mehdi needed to argue about the World Cup.

Even though they come from different backgrounds, Mehdi and Adam bond over their shared profession of interviewing defensive politicians. One of Adam's most viral interviews, with Bronx Congressman Ritchie "AIPAC Guy" Torres, was of particular interest to Mehdi. "You got very emotional there. Did he make you like that? Did the situation in Gaza make you like that?" Mehdi asks.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The two also discuss:

• Adam's family history in South Africa.

• How Stephen Miller might have turned into a fascist (he and Adam went to school together).

• Trump's influence on the World Cup.

• Adam's experience working in an Israeli ambulance service.

• Getting Scott Jennings to admit he's a "performer."

• Whether Adam should run for president.

• And many, many, many, other things…

This interview was published 7 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe

Watch, listen and subscribe to 'We're Not Kidding' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends

Find Zeteo:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews

Find Mehdi:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

Credits:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Adam Friedland

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Producer: Melanie Riehl

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special Thanks: Andrew McDonald

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit

https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

Mehdi and Wajahat Ali have been friends for almost two decades. And just like with any good friend, there's a lot the two don't agree on, from who they think the best Bond actor is to whether there are alliances the left can make with the far-right on Israel. But one thing they do stand together on is just how vital immigrants are to America.

In fact, it's the premise of Waj's memoir, Go Back to Where You Came From, which he calls both a "love letter to a country that doesn't love us back" and a "warning to a country about what happens when you go against the immigrants." Waj discusses his experience growing up as the child of Pakistani immigrants and Mehdi chimes in with his experience being an immigrant to the U.S.

They also talk about America at 250 and the dueling 4th of July speeches between Zohran Mamdani (very good!) and Donald Trump (very bad!). "There were MAGA people on the mall who told journalists that it was 'liberals in the weather service' trying to ruin the Trump speech on Saturday night," Mehdi says. "They literally see the storm destroying the sets and they're like, 'We don't believe the liberals in the weather service.'" Waj says. "It's a cult, man."

In this intimate and hilarious conversation, the two also discuss:

• Waj's parents being sent to prison.

• Donald Trump intervening in the World Cup.

• Extremism in the U.S. versus the UK.

• The rise of Islamophobia.

• And… the Epstein Files.

This interview was published several days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe

Watch, listen and subscribe to 'We're Not Kidding' on Substack:
https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends

Find Zeteo:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews

Find Mehdi:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

Credits:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Wajahat Ali

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special thanks: Kennedy Garmong

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit

https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo