Day: September 13, 2026

Iran’s Proxies in Yemen and Iraq Shut Down Saudi Oil Exports as Trump and Netanyahu’s War Is Hit With More Losses With Iran Now Controlling Two Chokepoints

We begin with the sudden strategic gains by the Houthis in taking over the so-called “gates of grief” choke point between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean along with a drone attack launched from Iraq that cut off Saudi Arabia’s oil pipeline to the Red Sea causing a spike in oil prices since the Gulf’s largest producer Saudi Arabia can no longer export its oil. Joining us is Dr. Annelle Sheline, a research fellow at The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and an expert on religious and political authority in the Middle East and North Africa. She has worked as a journalist in Egypt and Yemen and served as a foreign affairs officer at the Office of Near Eastern Affairs in the Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor until resigning over then President Biden’s policy on the war in Gaza.

The Alarm Sounded by an Anthropic Researcher That AI “Could Kill Us All by the End of the Decade”

Then we examine the alarm sounded by an AI researcher at Anthropic warning that, “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.” Joining us is Dr. Justin Bullock, the Vice President of Policy at Americans for Responsible Innovation and an expert on current Artificial Intelligence issues. Dr. Bullock joins us to discuss the threats of unchecked AI development and how to mitigate these threats through legislation and he is also the host of the podcast “Public Problems” and the author of the science fiction novel Lo Wainwright: The Last Homo Superior. 

Modi Tries to Heal Divisions at the BRICS Summit Underway

Then finally we assess the significance of the BRICS summit underway in New Delhi, India with the heads of Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa in attendance along with newer members Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the UAE and Iran; the latter two currently at war with one another. Joining us is Sarang Shidore, director of the Global South program at the Quincy Institute whose focus areas are the geopolitics of the global south, Asia and climate change, and we will discuss his article at Foreign Policy “Is BRICS Losing Its Mojo?“