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PODCAST

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté

Katie Halper and Aaron Maté

Useful Idiots is an informative and irreverent politics podcast with journalist Aaron Maté and podcaster/writer Katie Halper. Episodes feature on-the-road coverage of the 2020 campaign and exclusive interviews, with humor, commentary and dissection of the politics news of the week. Join Katie and Aaron as they examine important stories that have slipped through the cracks and what the media got wrong – and laugh about whatever is left to laugh about. www.usefulidiotspodcast.com

news politics

All Episodes

71:23

They got money for wars but can't feed the poor

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/04/20

This week, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave an exclusive interview for Meet the Press where he proved that he’s been watching Useful Idiots by reciting Aaron’s favorite lyric:“I wish the words of Tupac from the 90’s weren’t still prescient,” Mamdani told Kristen Welker. “But they continue to be true for too many which is that we always have money for war and not to feed the poor.”This quote comes on a day when the corporate Sunday shows were flooded with US politicians defending Trump’s disastrous

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60:00

US & Israel PLUMMET Globally After Iran and Cuba...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/04/17

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:Subscribers also get our Friday Free-for-All:We’ve got another Useful Idiots Double Header this week: Second Secretary of the Cuban Embassy to the US David Ramirez Alvarez, as well as the Palestinian-Lebanese hosts of the Makdisi Street Podcast Professors Ussama and Saree Makdisi.And while their respective topics take place a

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67:37

“No one is willing to trade lower gas prices for Iran...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/04/13

This week, after it went unreported on mainstream media that Israel destroyed a synagogue in Iran, Trump doubled down on the US-Israeli threat to Iranian civilization:“I could take out Iran in one day. In one hour, I could have their entire energy, everything. And the other thing you take out are their bridges. I took out one just to show them."Which means that this week’s Sunday shows have Republicans scrambling to cover for Trump’s increasingly unpopular war of aggression that has set fire to oil

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45:26

America’s “Strategic WEAKNESS” in Iran w/ Ex-State...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/04/10

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:This week, after Trump threatened to wipe out Iran’s civilization, he backed down and announced that he was instead accepting a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Israel responded to the ceasefire announcement by going on a rampage in Lebanon, killing well over 200 people, attacking civilian targets, including apartment buildings

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81:17

Trump Confirms US Armed Anti-Government Protesters in...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/04/06

"Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell," wrote President Trump on Truth Social on Easter as he threatened to destroy more civilian infrastructure in Iran. Targeting civilian infrastructure, of course, is a war crime against international law.But pro-Israel activist Jake Tapper spins the post to defend his partner-in-US-Israeli-crime Donald Trump:“We should note,” he says on CNN, “that destroying civilian infrastructure and power is generally considered to

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79:42

War Analysis: US Threatens Ground Invasion in Iran –...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/03/30

Come see Aaron speak tonight (March 30) at a panel in Montreal: "The Struggle Continues: The Fight For Palestine Across Borders"Katie and Aaron watched the worst people on the corporate Sunday news shows. They picked out the worst moments from the worst people. And then they watched them all live.It’s a jam-packed episode making fun of Marco Rubio, Jake Tapper, Tom Cotton, and more unhinged warmongers. Subscribe to join our community and get full episodes, Friday Free-for-Alls, and bonus

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36:33

BRICS vs The West: Pepe Escobar & Aaron Maté on...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/03/27

Click here to join Katie and Aaron LIVE at 3:15pm est:If you enjoy Useful Idiots, please support the work we do here: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

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102:17

SOMEONE'S LYING: Trump Says Iran Negotiations Are...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/03/23

This morning President Trump told Fox News that Iran “wants to make a deal badly,” and that the most recent talks happened last night with Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and their counterparts.Awkwardly, the Iranians claim that no talks have happened. So who’s lying?Are the Iranians misleading the media? Is Trump boasting a deal he’s unable to make? Or is this a repeat of what happened in Cuba, where Marco Rubio lied to Trump about fake negotiations in order to convince him that war was the only

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76:49

Fanfiction Fearmongering: Watch the Worst People We...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/03/16

Your support for Useful Idiots keeps us going! Never corporations, only subscribers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

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31:45

Iran Sentenced Him to Death. He Still Opposes Regime...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/03/13

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:This week we’re speaking with Iranian Professor Behrooz Ghamari, whose unique history gives him an important perspective that challenges Trump’s regime-change war-of-choice in ways few others can.In the 1980’s, Ghamari was sentenced to death by the Iranian government for being part of a Marxist group trying to overthrow the

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107:07

It's like the Iraq War But Stupider

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/03/09

In the lead-up to the Iraq War, the Bush Administration, with the help of Democrats and corporate journalists, stuck firmly to coordinated lies, talking points, and fabrications to trick the American people into supporting of a war of aggression in the Middle East, using WMD and Saddam Hussein lies all in concert to make a single, cohesive story.This time around in Iran, they’re trying to do the same thing. But they’re doing it so much stupider.They’ve messed up talking points of how long we’ve

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84:24

Iran Update with Iran Experts Negar Mortazavi and...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/03/06

This week’s interview and Friday Free-for-All have combined into one mega LIVE episode. We speak with Iran experts Negar Mortazavi and Trita Parsi about what is currently happening in the US and Israel’s war on Iran.But first, Katie and Aaron run a recap of the biggest lies and craziest takes from this week in corporate media, from Jake Tapper and Jon Stewart to Lindsey Graham and Chuck Schumer.It’s all insane – watch with Aaron and Katie to laugh instead of cry at it all.And please subscribe to the

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86:19

IRAN WAR: Aaron and Katie DEBUNK Corporate Media...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/03/02

After striking Iran in the middle of peace negotiations, murdering its leader, massacring over 100 young girls in an elementary school, bombing a hospital, and targeting civilian populations, Israel and the US took to Western media to accuse Iran of unprovoked attacks on US bases when they retaliated.From propaganda-soaked leading questions by news anchors from CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox News, to the warmongering lies of politicians and government officials in both political parties, this weekend’s

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36:14

Israel’s Plan BACKFIRES, Iranians Rally Around...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/02/27

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:The big question hanging over the world right now is whether Trump, the guy who campaigned against endless wars, especially in the Middle East, is about to launch another endless war in the Middle East, assembling the largest military deployment there since the Iraq War and threatening to bomb Iran.There have been indirect talks

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74:01

"Iran Must Capitulate To Us Until They Behave"

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/02/23

There’s a lot of words that Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff doesn’t want to use… but will use anyway.“The president is – I don’t want to use the word frustrated – but he’s curious as to why Iran hasn’t – I don’t want to use the word capitulated – but why they haven’t capitulated.”This comes as Trump is threatening another regime change war in the Middle East, ordering the largest US military deployment since the Iraq War. “Why,” Witkoff continues, “with the amount of naval

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62:24

“He’s a piece of sh*t”: Journalist DESTROYS Iran’s...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/02/20

We’ve got two interviews for you this week: first up we’re talking about Iran.Trump is threatening another regime change war in the Middle East, ordering the largest US military deployment since the Iraq War. To get an understanding of what’s happening in Iran, we spoke with independent journalist Bushra Shaikh.Bushra went viral for a video from a recent trip to Tehran in which she walked through a rally without wearing a hijab. She explains that this is a common occurrence, and that so much of what

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78:23

Hillary Clinton is BEGGING Trump to Start Bombing Russia

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/02/16

"Give the Ukrainians tomahawks, give them more missiles for their patriot defense systems, allow them to inflict more damage beyond the border into Russia." Kill! Kill! Kill!Hillary Clinton was at the Munich Security Conference this week imploring President Trump to send the most powerful weapons yet to Ukraine so that they could bomb Russia’s nuclear sites, a move that could challenge Russia into a nuclear war.And while this may sound like a reckless, warmongering, dangerous, and stupid tactic, we

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19:05

The Oscar Made It Worse: Palestinian Journalist on...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/02/14

Help Mohammad document settler attacks in West BankIsrael has recently announced new measures that allow it to steal more Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. Check out how this was covered in Israeli media vs US media.Can you guess which is more honest in its coverage?First, Israeli media writes this:They explain that the Cabinet intends to further their annexation, or theft, of Palestinian land, which is at least honest in its intention.In contrast, here’s the New York Times:Israel gives

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36:18

MAGA War: Marco Rubio Ices Out Trump on Cuba

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/02/13

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.comSubscribe for the full episode at the bottom of the page. Watch a free preview here:This week we’re looking at the intensification of the decades-old US blockade of Cuba. Trump has imposed an even harsher blockade, blocking fuel to the country, leading to an even more dire humanitarian crisis.Just this week, a report showed that US sanctions are now reportedly killing children with cancer: “Amid worsening

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69:12

85 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT (or: US senators can't stop...

Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté ·

2026/02/09

Tune in for a joyous episode of Monday Mourning (as long as you’re a United States senator)! A bipartisan crew of senators including Dem Mark Warner and Republican Lindsey Graham are pushing Trump to bomb Iran and break free of the New Start nuclear arms treaty which caps the number of nukes a country can have.And now the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists just set the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s ever been. Three cheers! (if you’re a United States senator)Also in this

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