Real Talk

What was Jeffrey Epstein doing for Israeli intelligence?A new series of reports by Drop Site News has been examining this very question.Drop Site journalist Murtaza Hussain joined Mohamed Hashem on Real Talk to examine Epstein’s lesser-known ties to powerful figures inside Israeli political and intelligence circles. Hussain explains how Epstein formed a relationship with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and how a senior Israeli intelligence officer stayed on his estate for weeks at a time. This conversation delves into the reports and email leaks about the wider network surrounding Epstein, and explores how his activities reached other countries, like Russia, Syria and India.

If AI is an empire, Karen Hao is saying you can resist it. “We don’t need empires to benefit from AI.”Hao is an investigative journalist and author of Empire of AI, she joined Mohamed Hashem to share what she saw while embedded inside OpenAI. In this conversation, she reveals the inner workings of Silicon Valley, such as how CEOs like Sam Altman shape the story of AI, and what all that means for society, labour and the global economy.Hao explains why AI is not inevitable, how ordinary people can reclaim agency over the technology shaping our future, and why resistance is already forming around the world as we grapple with the questions surrounding this new technology.

Does the UK need its own Zohran Mamdani?“It’s not The Office,” says British comedian Nish Kumar. “You can’t remake it from one country to another.”The acclaimed stand-up comedian sat down with Mohamed Hashem on Real Talk for a conversation that ranged from Mamdani’s win to the UK’s Nando’s obsession. They also unpacked the state of progressive politics in the UK, and what it means to do comedy at a time when Britain’s far right is seen as becoming increasingly emboldened.

“Ben Gvir came to me and said, ‘You are a terrorist, and you will be treated as a terrorist’.”In her first media testimony since leaving Israel, Yasemin Acar recounts what she endured after being on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian mission that set sail in international waters to break Israel’s siege on Gaza.Yasemin, a leading activist from Germany, describes the moment she was dragged, beaten, stripped, and humiliated after the flotilla was intercepted in September and the volunteers were taken to an Israeli prison. She also recounts her direct confrontation with Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who personally called her a “terrorist”.

“I hear her voice in my dreams.”Israel’s killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab in 2024 sent shockwaves around the world, sparking global outrage and condemnation.Hind was fleeing Gaza City with her relatives when their car was targeted by Israeli forces. She survived the initial attack and, trapped among her family’s bodies, pleaded for help in desperate phone calls with Palestine Red Crescent responders.Hind was killed before rescuers could reach her. Her body, and those of her relatives, were recovered twelve days later.A new film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by acclaimed Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania and executive produced by Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, brings Hind’s final moments to the screen.One of the film’s main stars is Motaz Malhees, widely regarded as one of the most talented Palestinian actors of his generation. In this emotional conversation on Real Talk, Motaz opens up to Mohamed Hashem about the toll of portraying this story, the moments he broke down on set, and why he says, “I really believed I could save her.”The film has already won multiple awards, sparked Oscar buzz, and received a 23-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.