East meets West with Olga and Tara

Weaponized tariffs and why China was ready, Beijing in Iran war, Brzezinski’s nightmare – with Nelson Wong

Olga and Tara are joined by Nelson Wong, vice chairman and president at the Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies. We’ll discuss the detention of American human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik in the UK, explore the strategic consequences of the Iran war, Trump’s comments on communism, technological competition, and whether fear – not strength – is driving today’s geopolitical decisions.

Was Brzezinski’s “worst nightmare” always destined to become reality? Did the strategic partnership between China, Russia, and Iran emerge despite Western expectations – or because of them? And why does Nelson Wong argue that China spent more than a decade preparing for today’s tariff and trade confrontation with the United States?

How vulnerable is China to instability in the Strait of Hormuz? What role does Iranian oil play in China’s long-term strategy, and why does Nelson Wong believe Beijing has already prepared for worst-case scenarios?

Can a superpower exist without seeking military dominance? What does China’s leadership believe a global power should look like, and why does Wong reject the idea that every country wants to follow the American model?

Starmer’s out, Poland’s rift with Ukraine & war-2030 — with Mario Bozic

Olga and Tara welcome Mario Bozic, journalist and anchor of Mario ZNA, to break down the political turbulence shaking Europe, growing tensions between Brussels and Washington, and the changing balance of power in a multipolar world.

Is Larry the Cat the only permanent fixture left in Downing Street? We dismantle Keir Starmer’s sudden resignation and the domestic crises pushing the UK to the brink.

Is the “Zelensky Curse” a proven pattern for Western leaders who prioritize foreign warmongering over their own citizens? How long can European establishments blame their economic and migration failures on a manufactured external threat?

What is driving the growing rift between Ukraine and some of its strongest supporters, including Poland? Has Zelensky become a political liability for leaders who once stood firmly behind him? And are we witnessing the beginning of a broader realignment inside Europe — and the world?

Trump loses in Iran, Private Plutonium & US-Israel Military Merge – with Leah

Olga and Tara sit down with independent investigator Leah (The Leah Files shows) – a former intelligence professional with a 20-year background in agencies like the NSA and DIA.

Is the new Iran peace deal a masterclass in diplomacy, or is it just performative politics designed to distract the public from institutional corruption?

Why is the Department of Energy quietly handing over weapons-grade plutonium to private tech companies, and what does this mean for global nuclear non-proliferation?

Furthermore, how are quiet legislative maneuvers effectively merging US and Israeli military intelligence networks beyond the control of the president?

Finally, is Trump genuinely shifting strategies, or is the administration acting under the weight of deep blackmail? We follow the money past the public assassinations, corporate shell games, and hidden elite dynamics to expose what the mainstream narrative is desperate to bury.

Trump-Bibi’s theater, Manifest Destiny, Ukraine’s targets, and Cuba – with Chris Helali

Olga Bataman and Tara Reade welcome political commentator and international observer Christopher Helali.

Drawing on his recent travels across Donbass and Iran, Chris shares firsthand observations from the ground – breaking down and challenging the rigid, institutionalized narratives that have come to shape Western foreign policy.

We discuss the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, ongoing US-Russia contacts, and the war in Ukraine. Why do Western media report only some civilian casualties and not others?

We also talk about tensions between Israel and Iran, Trump’s role in global diplomacy, the legacy of Manifest Destiny in American foreign policy, and Europe’s military buildup.

Finally, we cover Cuba’s resilience under sanctions – and the emergence of a more multipolar world.

Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, US-IDF merger bill & nuclear blackmail — with Marwa Osman

Olga and Tara are joined live from Beirut by journalist and educator Marwa Osman as Lebanon faces an escalating Israeli ground invasion, mass displacement, and the imminent threat of an all-out regional war.

Marwa shares her firsthand account of surviving the strikes, including the destruction of her own home in south Lebanon. Why is the West turning a blind eye to the displacement of over 1.5 million Lebanese citizens?

We also break down a thousand-page US defense bill aiming to legally merge the American military with the IDF – forcing Western taxpayers to fund high-tech warfare overseas while domestic infrastructure crumbles.

Finally, we expose the dangerous parallel of Western tech being deployed in drone strikes on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. Is Kiev using the threat of a nuclear catastrophe to blackmail European leaders?

Kiev’s Murder of Russian Teens, AI Warfare, Cuba Quest Renewed – with Scott Ritter

Olga and Tara welcome former UN Weapons Inspector and military analyst Scott Ritter to break down the horrifying reality behind the Starobelsk college dormitory strike. Was it AI-assisted? And what does it mean when human logic and legal review are stripped from the battlefield? Scott discusses the role of Western tech and British intelligence in pushing asymmetric warfare, critiques Donald Trump’s true posture towards Russia, and analyzes how a hybrid ‘mental war’ is being waged to rot societies from within.

In addition, we unpack how the US is attempting to apply the ‘Venezuela Model’ to Cuba in a renewed regime change effort. This episode also examines Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation, internal divisions within the Trump camp, and growing debates in Washington over Iran, intelligence policy, and America’s role in future conflicts.