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How the Epstein Network Is Privatizing The Government & Building Out The Surveillance State (w/Whitney Webb) | TCHR

 August 6, 2026

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Whitney Webb explains how Leslie Wexner privatized Ohio’s state government, and is using his position between the markets and the state to help the Thielverse build out the ‘Silicon Heartland.’

Chris Hedges Report

Under the radar, the billionaire class is building the infrastructure and models necessary to create a dystopian future in which cities become billionaire fiefdoms – completely privatized, governed by dictatorial CEOs and financed by subservient taxpayers. The buildout of data centers is one essential part of the effort to construct a totalitarian capitalist society, which is already advancing.

In this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Hedges interviews investigative journalist Whitney Webb, the author of “One Nation Under Blackmail,” who unravels the complex relationships between elected leaders, the National Security State, the state of Israel and Big Tech. Webb discusses the methods being used in the Silicon Heartland, the area around Columbus, Ohio, where Les Wexner, who has ties to organized crime and was Jeffrey Epstein’s most notable benefactor, and other powerful billionaires such as Peter Thiel of Palantir, have made significant headway in creating a privately-run city — New Albany. She describes their use of innocent-sounding front groups, such as Jobs Ohio, private development corporations and political bribery to enrich themselves and create what they are marketing as Smart Cities.

Hedges and Webb expose the connections between the billionaires behind this effort and the State of Israel. Webb argues that Israeli startups have been promoted to Big Tech “so that US technological infrastructure on multiple levels would be so intimately enmeshed with Israeli interests that they could never meaningfully boycott Israel.” The same technological infrastructure is also being fused with the National Security State – intelligence and the military – to also make it dependent on the private sector.

The ideology underlying this new model of feudalism originates from the Neo-Reactionary Movement. Beyond that, Webb explains, the billionaires involved believe fervently in a transhumanist future where “the end goal of humanity is to have humanity merge with AI in some capacity” such that there are two classes, the wealthy and a large underclass that is either exploitable or expendable, and obedience is enforced through technology. There is still time to prevent further development of this dystopian future by, among other actions, unplugging from the very technology being employed to create it.

Host

Chris Hedges

Executive Producer:

Max Jones

Intro:

Margaret Flowers

Transcript:

Margaret Flowers

Crew:

Diego Ramos

US President Donald Trump. Photo Credit: POTUS, X

Can Trump’s ‘Art Of The Deal’ Strategy Reshape The Conflict With Iran? – Analysis

 August 4, 2026

By Arab News

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By Gabriele Malvisi

Key Takeaways:

• President Trump has repeatedly paused military action against Iran and returned to negotiations after escalations, with the latest announcement marking the 39th time he has claimed a deal is close, according to a CNN tally.
• Analysts describe a recurring pattern of pressure, strikes, and temporary ceasefires that produces short-term pauses but has so far failed to resolve core issues such as free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz or Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
• Experts note the difficulty of negotiating with Iran’s leadership, whose strategic patience and ideological framework contrast sharply with Trump’s transactional “art of the deal” approach, leaving the region in a prolonged state of uncertainty.

Amid the grandeur of the Palace of Versailles on June 17, US President Donald Trump signed a preliminary agreement aimed at ending hostilities with Iran.

The memorandum of understanding — a nonbinding short-term framework stating each party’s intention to stop the war — promised to immediately halt military action, including in Lebanon, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the goal of finalizing a deal within 60 days.

The ceasefire set out in the MoU later collapsed, prompting the US to resume strikes on Iran.

Over the weekend, Trump again paused those strikes and returned to negotiations, telling reporters the US was “very close” to a deal, even as Tehran publicly denied any breakthrough.

According to a CNN tally, the announcement marked the 39th time the president has said his country was close to reaching a deal to end the fighting, or that Tehran was desperate to do so.

The significance of the move lies less in the rhetoric than in the pattern: a calibrated pause after a fresh wave of strikes, followed by mediators working to keep the 60-day framework alive while major nuclear issues remain set aside.

“He’s very loyal to the art of his deal, but it doesn’t mean he can make a deal with Iran based on that pattern or strategy or repeated trend of bombing, detente, diplomacy, then bombing again,” Mohamed Chebaro, a British-Lebanese journalist and political expert, told Arab News.

“In the Middle East, we say that the one who keeps trying what has already failed has a kind of mental deficiency, in the sense that (the same effort) is unlikely to yield a different result.”

The Versailles signing crystallized a recurring Trump tactic: escalate, pause, then lock in an interim deal.

After months of “maximum pressure” and military posturing aimed at driving Iranian oil exports to zero and constraining nuclear and missile programs, the administration shifted to ceasefire diplomacy, using truces and MoUs to reduce risks while preserving the option to resume strikes.

Critics argue this cycle produces short-term stability but allows Iran to retain nuclear latency and regional leverage. Supporters counter that only such pressure-and-pause sequences can eventually force meaningful concessions.

On Sunday, Trump said he had called off a plan for US forces to carry out what he described as “the biggest attack since World War II,” opting instead to give diplomacy more time after hearing from key Gulf leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — and at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.

He added that new talks would cover the Strait of Hormuz and, ultimately, Iran’s denuclearization, sending oil prices to near $80 a barrel.

For its part, Iran said it was nearing a deal with Oman over a new route through the strait, where a tanker reported a nearby explosion on Sunday, underscoring the continued volatility of the strategic waterway.

Trump’s latest announcement underscored a tactic in place since his second term began in February 2025: applying maximum pressure on Tehran and its already struggling economy.

When that campaign failed to yield a breakthrough, the first wave of US and Israeli strikes followed in summer 2025, targeting nuclear sites and degrading infrastructure but also hardening Tehran’s resolve.

Months of tensions culminated in renewed strikes on Feb. 28, 2026, which analysts say left both sides losing — economically, in terms of global energy disruption, and in terms of domestic and regional perception.

Trump’s strategy — which many experts say is largely set out in his 1987 book “The Art of the Deal” — rests on the idea that political negotiations should resemble business ones, promoting a state of instability as the basis for advancing a deal until its signing and implementation.

However, as Trump himself has acknowledged, the Iranians are proving to be shrewd negotiators.

“They (employ) a kind of strategic patience and strategic maneuvering: we agree on something, then we renegotiate what has been agreed, introduce new conditions, and try to reopen other points, appendices and attachments — all to delay, to exert more pressure, to force the other party to retreat and make concessions,” Chebaro said.

“This is the Iranian method, and they have been pursuing it not only since the Islamic Revolution 47 years ago, but even before. They are well-known negotiators who bring in history, geopolitics and patience, and they try to control the cards.”

He contrasted that approach with Trump’s transactional style, likening the president’s “art of the deal” to that of an estate agent or property developer who puts a price on everything.

“On the other side of the table, you have a very theocratic party, a religious doctrine, a group of people governing the country for different reasons. Their deal is not with people; their deal is with God.

“What they promise their followers is complete victory or nothing. And even in death, it’s considered victory according to their doctrine. So how do you try to mediate, extract concessions from a party like this?

“It’s very difficult. You have two very separate worlds: the world of Trump and the world of the mullahs of Iran.”

So far, Chebaro said, the clear result of this back and forth has been anything but a more stable region.

“As far as the pattern we notice, whether the Americans are going to be able to achieve their stated goals — from nuclear to missile control, to degrading the power of Iran, to curbing its products — it’s up in play,” he said.

“But what is worrying and dangerous is that over the last four to eight weeks, the more involved Iran becomes, the more the Iranian regime moves from strategic defense to trying to say: ‘I’m still here; you haven’t degraded me enough.’”

Iran has, in fact, changed its diplomatic and military posture, moving from a defensive approach to a more offensive one, as seen in recent attacks in the Gulf and the Houthis’ belligerent stance in the Red Sea.

“Everybody wants diplomacy to win, and nobody wants escalation, at least the region’s nation states,” Chebaro said. “But what’s acceptable is interpreted differently: Iran wants everything (while) its neighbors want the status quo that (existed) before Feb. 28. But apparently it’s no longer on the (table).”

He questioned whether a unilateral Iran-Oman arrangement over the Strait of Hormuz would be sufficient, and whether its terms would satisfy the international community, warning that the rules-based order underpinning freedom of navigation is now at stake.

If the war ends with a new power governing Hormuz or the Bab Al-Mandab, he argued, it would set a dangerous precedent, opening the door to tolls, controls or outright blackmail over shipping — a recipe for global chaos.

While Trump’s “art of the deal” might eventually produce a breakthrough, Chebaro said other pressures weigh on the president, including energy costs, the upcoming midterm elections, and unity within his own MAGA base, much of which opposes Washington’s foreign interventionism, especially in the Middle East.

“Might makes right,” Chebaro added, arguing that Iran has shown it can close Hormuz and, despite the MoU and mediators’ efforts, simply refuse to abide by any deal imposed on it.

“We are in for a very hot and uncertain summer,” he said. “Could Trump magically turn the tables around? I don’t know. Are we in a protracted war? It looks like it.”

He said the prospects for a “magic deal” with Iran are growing slimmer, and that real success lies not in another MoU or truce extension, but in resolving the underlying dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.

“The core issue of the memorandum was to allow trade and energy to flow through Hormuz, which the Iranians are not letting happen,” he said.

“How can you call that a success? The flaw in this ‘art of the deal’ (was there) from minute one: when they agreed to a ceasefire, they did not agree to allow free navigation. And here we are.”

About Arab News

Arab News is Saudi Arabia’s first English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1975 by Hisham and Mohammed Ali Hafiz. Today, it is one of 29 publications produced by Saudi Research & Publishing Company (SRPC), a subsidiary of Saudi Research & Marketing Group (SRMG).

View all posts by Arab News →

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Ray Kinsella

@ProfRayKinsella

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11m

Disgusting harassment of a child by an

@IDF

soldier

@netanyahu

is tone deaf to the root cause of the abhorrence of people towards his odious regime. Don’t shoot, starve or harass kids.

https://twitter.com/GBC_Press/status/2084997753822724408/video/1

“Nuclear” … heinous wars. Putin has put his name forward for fifth term. Original Child by Thomas Merton below. Beware, be Aware, we live in unsafe times.

Posted on December 8, 2023 by michelleclarke2015

THE ORIGINAL CHILD

Cistercian Monk Thomas Merton

I found this poem in 2001 in search of personal inner peace.  Each year I try to remember to circulate it; joining Twitter ensures that my canisgallicus followers receive the links too; alongside those on my email address list.

This poem should be on every school/college curriculum to prepare children to enable children to think and explore the present war conflicts that leave us vulnerable again to nuclear devastation.

1: In the year 1945 an Original Child was born. The name Original Child was given to it by the Japanese people, who recognized that it was the first of its kind.

2: On April 12th, 1945, Mr. Harry Truman became the President of the United States, which was then fighting the second world war. Mr. Truman was a vice president who became president by accident when his predecessor died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He did not know as much about the war as the president before him did. He knew a lot less about the war than many people did.

About one hour after Mr. Truman became president, his aides told him about a new bomb which was being developed by atomic scientists. They called it the “atomic bomb”. They said scientists had been working on it for six years and that it had so far cost two billion dollars. They added that its power was equal to that of twenty thousand tons of TNT. A single bomb could destroy a city. One of those present added, in a reverent tone, that the new explosive might eventually destroy the whole world.

But Admiral Leahy told the president the bomb would never work.

3: President Truman formed a committee of men to tell him if this bomb would work, and if so, what he should do with it. Some members of this committee felt that the bomb would jeopardize the future of civilization. They were against its use. Others wanted it to be used in demonstrations on a forest of cryptomeria trees, but not against a civil or military target. Many atomic scientists warned that the use of atomic power in war would be difficult and even impossible to control. The danger would be very great. Finally, there were others who believed that if the bomb were used just once or twice, on one or two Japanese cities, there would be no more war. They believed the new bomb would product eternal peace.

4: In June 1945 the Japanese government was taking steps to negotiate for peace. On one hand the Japanese ambassador tried to interest the Russian government in acting as a go-between with the United States. On the other hand, an unofficial approach was made secretly through Mr. Allen Dulles in Switzerland. The Russians said they were not interested and that they would not negotiate. Nothing was done about the other proposal which was not official. The Japanese High Command was not in favor of asking for peace, but wanted to continue the war, even if the Japanese mainland were invaded. The generals believed that the war should continue until everybody was dead. The Japanese generals were professional soldiers.

5: In the same month of June, the President’s committee decided that the new bomb should be dropped on a Japanese city. This would be a demonstration of the bomb on a civil and military target. As “demonstration” it would be a kind of a “show”. “Civilians” all over the world love a good “show”. The “destructive” aspect of the bomb would be “military”.

6: The same committee also asked if America’s friendly ally, the Soviet Union, should be informed of the atomic bomb. Someone suggested that this information would make the Soviet Union even more friendly than it was already. But all finally agreed that the Soviet Union was now friendly enough.

7: There was discussion about which city should be selected as the first target. Some wanted it to be Kyoto, an ancient capital of Japan and a center of the Buddhist religion. Others said no, this would cause bitterness. As a result of a chance conversation, Mr. Stimson, the Secretary of War, had recently read up on the history and beauties of Kyoto. He insisted that this city should be left untouched. Some wanted Tokyo to be the first target, but others argued that Tokyo had already been practically destroyed by fire raids and could no longer be considered a “target.” So it was decided Hiroshima was the most opportune target, as it had not yet been bombed at all. Lucky Hiroshima!

What others had experienced over a period of four years would happen to Hiroshima in a single day!

Much time would be saved, and “time is money!”

8: When they bombed Hiroshima they would put the following out of business: The Ube Nitrogen Fertilizer Company; the Ube Soda Company; the Nippon Motor Oil Company; the Sumitoma Chemical Company; and most of the inhabitants.

9:  At this time some atomic scientists protested again, warning that the use of the bomb in war would tend to make the United States unpopular. But the President’s committee was by now fully convinced that the bomb had to be used. Its use would arouse the attention of the Japanese military class and give them food for thought.

Stanza 10:
Admiral Leahy renewed his declaration that the bomb would not explode.

Stanza 11:
On the 4th of July, when the United States in displays of fireworks celebrates its independence from British rule, the British and Americans agreed together that the bomb ought to be used against Japan.

Stanza 12:
On July 7th the Emperor of Japan pleaded with the Soviet Government to act as a mediator for peace between Japan and the Allies. Molotov said the question would be “studied”. In order to facilitate this “Study” Soviet troops in Siberia prepared to attack the Japanese. The Allies had, in any case, been urging Russia to join the war against Japan. However, now that the atomic bomb was nearly ready, some thought it would be better if the Russians took a rest.

Stanza 13:
The time was coming for the new bomb to be tested, in the new Mexico desert. A name was chosen to designate this secret operation. It was called “TRINITY”

Stanza 14:
At 5.30 a.m. on July 16th, 1945, a plutonium bomb was successfully exploded in the desert of Alamogordo, New Mexico. It was suspended from a nine hundred-foot steel tower which evaporated. There was a fireball a mile wide. The great flash could be seen for a radius of 250 miles. A blind woman miles away said she perceived light. There was a cloud of smoke 40,000 feet, high. It was shaped like a toadstool.

Stanza 15:
Many who saw the experiment expressed their satisfaction in religious terms. A semi-official report even quoted a religious book – the New Testament – “Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief”. There was an atmosphere of devotion. It was a great act of faith. They believed the explosion was exceptionally powerful.

Stanza 16:
Admiral Leahy, still a “doubting Thomas”, said that the bomb would not explode when dropped from a plane over a city. Others may have had faith, but he had his own variety of “HOPE”.

Stanza 17:
On July 21st a full written report of the explosion reached President Truman at Potsdam. The report was documented by pictures. President Truman read the report and looked at the pictures before starting out for the conference. When he left his mood was jaunty and his step was light.

Stanza 18:
That afternoon Mr. Stimson called on Mr. Churchill, and laid before him a sheet of paper bearing a code message about the successful test. This message read “Babies satisfactorily born”. Mr. Churchill was quick to realize that there was more in this than met the eye. Mr. Stimson satisfied his legitimate curiosity.

Stanza 19:
On this same day sixty atomic scientists who knew of the test signed a petition that the bomb should not be used against Japan without a convincing warning and an opportunity to surrender.

At this time the U.S.S. Indianapolis, which had left San Francisco on the 18th, was sailing toward the Island of Tinian, with some U 235 in a lead bucket. The fissionable material was about the size of a softball, but there was enough for one atomic bomb. Instructions were that if the ship sank, the uranium was to be SAVED FIRST BEFORE ANY LIFE. The mechanism of the bomb was on board the U.S.S. Indianapolis, but it was not yet assembled.

Stanza 20:
On July 26th the Potsdam declaration was issued. An ultimatum was given to Japan: “Surrender unconditionally or be destroyed”. Nothing was said about the new bomb. But pamphlets dropped all over Japan threatened “an enormous bombardment”, if the army would not surrender. On July 26th the U.S.S. Indianapolis arrived at Tinian and the bomb was delivered.

Stanza 21:
On July 28th, since the Japanese High Command wished to continue the war, the ultimatum was rejected. A censored version of the ultimatum appeared in the Japanese press with the comment that it was “an attempt to drive a wedge between the military and the Japanese people”. But the Emperor continued to hope that the Russians, after “studying” his proposal, would help to negotiate a peace. On July 30th Mr. Stimson revised a draft of the announcement that was to be made after the bomb was dropped on the Japanese target. The statement was much better than the original draft.
Stanza 22:
On August 1st the bomb was assembled in an air conditioned hut on Tinian. Those who handled the bomb referred to it as “Little Boy”. THEIR CARE FOR THE ORIGINAL CHILD WAS DEVOTED AND TENDER.

Stanza 23:
On August 2nd President Truman was the guest of His Majesty King George VI on board the H.M.S. Renown in Plymouth Harbor. The atomic bomb was praised. Admiral Leahy, who was present, declared that the bomb would not work. His Majesty George VI offered a small WAGER TO THE CONTRARY.

STANZA 24:
On August 2nd a special message from the Japanese Foreign Minister was sent to the Japanese Minister in Moscow. “It is requested that further efforts be exerted….Since the loss of one day may result in a thousand years of regret, it is requested that you immediately have a talk with Molotov”. But Molotov did not return from Potsdam until the day the bomb fell.

STANZA 25:
On the 4th the bombing crew on Tinian watched a movie of “Trinity” (the Alamogordo Test). August 5th was a Sunday but there was little time for formal worship. They said a quick prayer that the war might end “very soon”. On that day, Col. Tibbetts, who was in command of the B-29 that was to drop the bomb, felt that his bomber ought to have a name. He baptized it ENOLA GAY, AFTER HIS MOTHER IN IOWA. Col. Tibbetts was a well balanced man, and not sentimental. He did not have a nervous break-down after the bombing, LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CREW.

STANZA 26:
On Sunday afternoon “Little Boy” was brought out in procession and devoutly tucked away in the womb of Enola Gay. That evening few were able to sleep. THEY WERE AS EXCITED AS LITTLE BOYS ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

STANZA 27:
At 1.37 a.m. August 6th the weather scout plane took off. It was named the Straight Flush, in reference to the mechanical action of a water closet. There was picture of one, to make this evident.

STANZA 28:
At the last minute before taking off, Col. Tibbetts changed the secret radio call sign from “Visitor” to “Dimples”. The bombing Mission would be a kind of FLYING SMILE.
STANZA 29:
At 2.45 a.m. Enola Gay got off the ground with difficulty. Over Iwo Jima she met her escort, two more B-29’s, one which was called the Great Artiste. Together they proceeded to Japan.

STANZA 30:
At 6.40 they climbed to 31,000 feet, the bombing altitude. The sky was clear. It was a perfect morning.

STANZA 31:
At. 3.09 they reached Hiroshima and started the bomb run. The city was full of sun. The fliers could see the green grass in the gardens. No fighters rose up to meet them. There was no flak. NO-ONE IN THE CITY BOTHERED TO TAKE COVER.

STANZA 32:
The bomb exploded within 100,000 feet of the aiming point. The fireball was 18,000 feet across. The temperature at the centre of the fireball was 100,000,000 degrees. The people who were near the centre became nothing. The whole city was blown to bits and the ruins all caught fire instantly everywhere burning briskly. 70,000 people were killed right away or died within a few hours. Those who did not die at once suffered great pain. Few of them were soldiers.

STANZA 33:
The men in the plane perceived that the raid had been successful, but they thought of the people in the city and they were not perfectly happy. Some felt they had done wrong. But in any case they had obeyed orders “IT WAS WAR”

STANZA 34:
Over the radio went the code message that the bomb had been successful: “Visible effects greater than Trinity…Proceeding to Papacy.

“PAPACY WAS A CODE NAME FOR TINIAN

STANZA 35:
It took a little while for the rest of Japan to find out what had happened to Hiroshima. Papers were forbidden to publish any news of the new bomb. A four-line item said that Hiroshima had been hit by incendiary bombs and added: “It seems that some damage was caused to the city and its vicinity”.

STANZA 36:
Then the military governor of the Prefecture of Hiroshima issued a proclamation full of martial spirit. To all the people without hands, without feet, with their faces falling off, with their intestines hanging out, with their whole bodies full of radiation, he declared: “We must not rest a single day in our war effort….We must bear in mind that annihilation of the stubborn enemy is our road to revenge”. HE WAS A PROFESSIONAL SOLDIER.

STANZA 37:
On August 8th Molotov finally summoned the Japanese Ambassador. At last neutral Russia would give an answer to the Emperor’s inquiry. Molotov said coldly that the Soviet Union was declaring WAR ON JAPAN.

STANZA 38:
On August 9th another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, though Hiroshima was still burning. On August 11th the Emperor overruled his high command and accepted the peace terms dictated at Potsdam. Yet for three days discussion continued, until on August 14th the surrender was made public and final.

STANZA 39:
Even then the Soviet troops thought they ought to fight in Manchuria “just a little longer”. They felt that even though they could not, at this time, be of help in Japan, it would be worthwhile if they displayed their goodwill in Manchuria, or even in Korea.

STANZA 40:
As the Original Child that was born, President Truman summed up the philosophy of the situation in a few words.

“WE FOUND THE BOMB, he said, AND WE USED IT”

STANZA 40:
Since that summer many other bombs have been “FOUND”.

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
AT THE TIME OF WRITING (1960’s), AFTER A SEASON OF BRISK SPECULATION, MEN SEEM TO BE FATIGUED BY THE WHOLE QUESTION.

Thomas Merton – Cistercian Monk

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On AI:

Original Child Bomb,” which references the Japanese phrase “Genshi Bakudan” used for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The poem is featured in a collection of Irish anti-war writings from 2000–2003, highlighting themes of bureaucratic detachment and the human cost of nuclear warfare. Read the original post at canisgallicus.com. [1, 2]

Clash Report

@clashreport

·

57m

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: There are those within my party, the Republican Party, who think President Trump made a mistake… They would describe this as a war of choice. That’s just a false, straw man argument, right? This was no war of choice. We’ve been at war with Iranians for decades. It was time to make sure that they didn’t have the capacity to become like North Korea—impenetrable, unattackable.

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/2085292429243003106/video/1

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Clip: https://www.tiktok.com/@ph_rom/video/7079647914468953370?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

https://twitter.com/RBReich/status/2053263755098907130/video/1