Critical Support: Charles x Shirin

The President of the United States is given daily intelligence briefings. He knows things. The difference with Trump is that he often says things, too. Yesterday, in a flurry of rage against the Islamic Republic of Iran attacking 2 commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, he revealed two pieces of information he is privy to: (1) the number of Iranian protesters that the U.S. government believes h...

Charles and Shirin take on Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine who dropped out of the race after being accused of sexual assault. Why did so many pundits — mostly white, usually men — ignore the red flags surrounding a former mercenary with a record of misogyny? Why did it take this long to acknowledge that a guy who lied about his Nazi tattoo should not hold public o...

In this episode we discuss the SCOTUS asylum decision and compare President Ford's America 200 speech with President Trump's upcoming America 250 rhetoric. SCOTUS RULING: At least 250,000 Haitians and 60,000 Syrians who are in the United States legally just lost their Temporary Protected Status a few days ago after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that the Trump admini...

As another historic heatwave envelopes Europe, the question must again be asked: why do Europeans hate air conditioning? Is it tradition? Are they Luddites? Listen as Charles and Shirin discuss the real-world impact of climate change and wonder aloud about the health repercussions of nudist riverbanks in Europe. This episode also includes coverage of a Europe-wide anti-racist rally against the "Fo...

Today is the 54th anniversary of the June 17, 1972 Watergate break-in that brought the Nixon presidency down. This week is also the occasion of the first ever American presidential visit to Syria. Two months before he resigned, Nixon tried to salvage his presidency by showcasing Kissinger's deal between Syria and Israel: the May 1974 Disengagement Agreement that installed a UN-mediated demilitariz...

Edward Lengel, former chief historian for the White House Historical Association, speaks with Critical Support's Charles R. Davis and Shirin Sadeghi about Donald Trump's ballroom and why it's not just a story about corruption. As Lengel explains, America's "founding fathers" did not want to mimic the pomp and excess of European monarchs. The White House was meant to be a...

What happens when governments decide who counts and who doesn't? When systematic declarations of who is German enough or American enough lead to the removal of residencies and citizenships and...people. Even if they are generations or centuries long? Critical Support's @charliearchy.bsky.social and @shirinsadeghi.bsky.social discusses Shirin's on-the-ground report from Amsterdam as she covers the...

A Critical Support Special from Shirin Sadeghi, live from Amsterdam's Prinsengracht Street where Anne Frank and her family and friends tried to save themselves from the Nazi occupation of Holland. It was a time, not that long ago, when all people residing in Nazi controlled nations were categorized as either "native" or "Jewish". And your label signified, literally, life or death. As political par...

Bet you didn't notice that President Trump has used the word "remigration" in his social media posts. Bet it was because you didn't know what it means. Join Critical Support Radio as Charles and Shirin speak with Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate & Extremism, as she explains what "remigration" means and how it has transformed the politics of Europe and its former col...

In this edition of Critical Support, Charles and Shirin discuss the 2003 Coen Brothers' film "No Country for Old Men." Based on a work by Cormac McCarthy, the movie has been interpreted by some as a great example of conservative art, depicting a world where good manners have given way to nihilistic violence. That's a defensible reading, but does it hold up in 2026? Today's co...

Charles and Shirin discuss the 70th Eurovision contest and whether politics — or Israel — should have been excluded from the competition. As part of the conversation, they discuss Charles' on-the-ground report from Vienna, Austria, and whether protesters or fans are right: Is all art political? Should we just let people enjoy things? And in a world divided by nationalism, is it possible to rep...

Critical Support’s Charles R. Davis files an on-the-ground report from Vienna, Austria, which hosted the 70th edition of Eurovision. He speaks to protesters who criticized Israel’s inclusion in the song contest, citing its actions in Gaza and arguing there should be “no platform for genocide.” And he talks to Eurovision fans who say politics has no place at an event that should be about music, lov...

Charles R. Davis and Shirin Sadeghi sit down with journalist Amanda Marcotte, a senior politics writer at Salon and the host of "Standing Room Only," a weekly show about culture and current events available on YouTube. This week's discussion: the "tradwife" phenomenon and the rise of influencers like Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm who are selling nostalgia for pre-20th century gender roles. Why...

Brooklyn College Prof. Anna O. Law joins Critical Support to talk about her new book, "Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship: African Americans, Native Americans, and Immigrants." She discusses the history of American xenophobia, "open borders" and why the Trump administration is waging a war on birthright citizenship. And she tackles the question: Is there reason for hope? Prof. Law's...

Charles and Shirin discuss Sen. Cory Booker and his argument that left-wing purity is costing Democrats' elections, the various meanings of 4/20 and why the public is losing access to real news.

Charles and Shirin discuss Donald Trump's clash with Pope Leo, the global impact of Viktor Orbán's loss and the death of legendary Indian singer Asha Bhosle.

Shirin and Charles discuss self-indulgent prejudice, setbacks for the far right in Europe and where to find real news in a broken information environment.

Shirin and Charles take on the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, Paul Thomas Anderson and political apathy at the Oscars.