Connor EcholsEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

A foreign government buying ads on a US senator’s podcast sounds like satire until you follow the money. We dig into reporting from Connor Echols at Responsible Statecraft on how Israeli government “I Am Israel” ads ran on “Verdict with Ted Cruz” and how that ad revenue, via iHeartMedia, flowed to a pro-Ted Cruz Super PAC instead of landing in a normal media account. The details are technical, but the implication is simple: commercial ad buys can quietly reshape political incentives. We walk through the campaign finance machinery that makes this possible, from Citizens United era Super PAC rules to the FEC’s narrow “coordination” standard that’s tough to prove. We also tackle the question listeners immediately ask: doesn’t FARA kick in? You’ll hear why “fair market rate” tourism ads often dodge foreign agent registration, even when the campaign’s stated goal is image rehabilitation in the United States. From there, we zoom out to the wider influence battle: AIPAC-linked spending tactics, why candidates sometimes treat explicit pro-Israel branding as a liability, and what polling suggests about shifting voter attitudes on Israel and Gaza, especially among Democrats. We close with a look at how recycled World War II analogies warp debate, plus Ukraine’s effort to sell itself as “the Israel of Europe” and what that means for escalation, NATO fears, and gray zone retaliation.

What if the wars we fight aren't about safety, but about an incentive structure designed to keep the defense budget growing? Connor Echols, managing editor at Responsible Statecraft and the Quincy Institute, joins Kevin and John to pull back the curtain on the military industrial complex. We discuss how foreign governments and defense contractors fund the think tanks that shape Washington policy, the true cost of the current conflict with Iran, and why the system is rigged to prefer forever wars over diplomatic solutions. Connect with Connor Echols and the Quincy Institute: Official Site: https://quincyinst.org/ Responsible Statecraft: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ Follow Connor on X: https://x.com/connor_echols Chapter Timestamps 00:00 – Howard Zinn and the problem of obedience 00:26 – Welcome to the Revolution: Meet Kevin and John 03:01 – The $80 billion price tag: Breaking down the Iran conflict 04:46 – Gas prices and the $8 per gallon reality in California 06:20 – Introducing Connor Echols: Tracking the defense cartels 07:16 – Defining the military industrial complex: The war lobby explained 08:52 – Primacy and the ideology of dominant American power 10:14 – From Jordan to DC: Connor’s journey into foreign policy 13:12 – View from the Middle East: How the world actually sees the US 14:50 – The Quincy Institute: Uniting progressives and libertarians against war 17:39 – Trans-partizan politics: Working with everyone from Gaetz to Omar 19:52 – Dismantling the Blob: How to change the foreign policy bench 24:40 – The Think Tank Funding Tracker: Following the weapons contractor money 31:44 – Track two diplomacy: How think tanks shape the media narrative 35:48 – Strange bedfellows: Why Soros and Koch both fund the Quincy Institute 41:45 – The road to Iran: Miscalculations and the balance of power 45:55 – The Strait of Hormuz and the threat to the global economy 52:41 – Is a deal possible? The reality of nuclear enrichment and sanctions 58:26 – The myth of the pro-American revolution in Iran 01:03:30 – Who caves first? Authoritarian resilience vs. democratic pressure 01:06:25 – Coming up next week: Extremism and QAnon with Matthew Hannah If you like what we do and want to support the show, feel free to leave us a tip...we appreciate you! https://ko-fi.com/weneedarevolution Join the Revolution: We record LIVE every Wednesday at 9pm ET. Subscribe and hit the bell to get notified when we go live! #revolution #militaryindustrialcomplex #foreignpolicy #nonpartisan #iranwar #politics2026 #news

Connor Echols is the managing editor of NonZero. Connor came to NonZero by way of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, where he worked as a reporter covering global conflicts, the arms trade, and other fun stuff. His work has also appeared in the New Arab, the Intercept, and Injustice Watch, among other outlets. Based in Washington, DC, Connor writes about the people and ideas that drive American foreign policy. Today we talk about the current situation in Ukraine - including the impact of President Biden's decision to approve Ukraine's use of long raise missiles into Russia - the Israel/Gaza conflict, U.S. relations with China, what a Trump approach to international relations, and the prospects for a better approach to the world. You can find Connor's work at https://nonzero.substack.com and follow him on X at @connor_echols. Chapters: 03:10 The Current State of the Ukraine Conflict 06:10 Trump's Potential Influence on Ukraine 09:08 Impacts of the Ukraine Conflict on U.S. Interests 15:09 The Situation in Gaza and Israel's Actions 20:55 The Future of Gaza Post-Conflict 27:01 The Role of Arab States in the Israel-Palestine Conflict 37:01 The Palestinian Rights Dilemma 39:18 Iran-Israel Relations and U.S. Involvement 46:06 The China Challenge: U.S. Foreign Policy Dynamics 53:15 Trump's Foreign Policy: A Balancing Act 01:00:06 Democratic Foreign Policy: Continuity or Change? Show Info ----- Twitter @KevinAMaley ----- Email ZipcodeZeroPodcast@gmail.com ----- Music Urban Deer Hunt: https://linktr.ee/urbandeerhunt