Shadowing Practice: Max Blumenthal on the Israeli network in the White House - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

C2
We welcome here in the studio journalist Max Blumenthal.
⏸ Paused
96 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
We welcome here in the studio journalist Max Blumenthal.
2
He is editor-in-chief of The Grey Zone.
3
Max, great to have you with us.
4
Good to see you.
5
I want to get to the attacks on civilian infrastructure in a moment.
6
But first, you know, listening or looking at some of these social media posts from President Trump, this tirade, this latest tirade against Iran, it's getting increasingly aggressive.
7
Now it's profanity-laden tweets or ex-posts that he's sending out, social media posts.
8
What does this tell you about the mood in the White House and this administration's efforts to take control of this conflict?
9
Well, they've lost control of this conflict.
10
Donald Trump is effectively a hostage of Iran, along with his entire administration.
11
He's surrounded by yes-men.
12
The administration has descended into chaos, because Donald Trump was sold by Benjamin Netanyahu.
13
Remember when he was taking trip after trip to Washington, D.C., shutting down entire highways and Lindsey Graham was basically serving as Netanyahu's advisor on how to reach Trump.
14
Trump was sold on a very easy war and a quick win after a series of decapitation strikes, and Trump was still on this sugar high after Venezuela.
15
And meanwhile, he had figures like Laura Loomer, who enjoys more private time,
16
this far-right influencer with Donald Trump than Trump's own wife, Melania, getting the NSC's top Iran expert, Nate Swanson,
17
fired, who had warned that the Strait of Hormuz would immediately be shut, the global economy would be sent spiraling, and Iran would retaliate with a regional war if it was attacked and these decapitation strikes were carried out.
18
So Trump now has no idea what to do, and he's resorted to terrorist threats and terrorist bombings,
19
and he's discredited himself, not just in the international community, but also among the so-called Iranian diaspora, which believed that help was on the way.
20
CONCERNING THE ISRAELI ROLE IN THIS, I MEAN, THERE'S QUITE A DEBATE GOING ON HERE IN THE UNITED STATES ON HOW INVOLVED ISRAEL WAS IN PERSUADING THE PRESIDENT TO LAUNCH THIS WAR AGAINST IRAN.
21
WE HAD THE RESIGNATION OF JOE KENT, THE PANTITERRORISM CHIEF, WHO CAME OUT AND SAID, LOOK, IT WAS ISRAEL THAT PERSUADED THE PRESIDENT TO LAUNCH THIS WAR.
22
DO YOU THINK THERE IS ENOUGH OF A CONNECTION BEING MADE AMONG AMERICAN PEOPLE OF THE role that Israel played and what the president is doing?
23
Well, it's the American media that refuses to inform the American public about the extent to which this is entirely an Israeli war, with the U.S.
24
military essentially functioning as a proxy for Israeli interests.
25
This was expressed by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, when he told the Gang of Eight after a Senate briefing that Israel was going to attack Iran and the U.S.
26
simply had to follow it rather than stop it or restrain it.
27
His predecessor, Tony Blinken, said Israel told Obama, we are going to attack, but Obama actually restrained Israel.
28
This follows a long blueprint starting with the inception of Benjamin Netanyahu's career as prime minister, found in the Clean Break document, which expresses the desire for Israel to get the U.S.
29
to attack Iran on its behalf because it doesn't have the military capacity to do so.
30
When you look at the global economic damage, where there are now effectively bread riots in Asia, we could see mass exodus of Gulf countries by the end of spring or summer.
31
This is because of Israel and the Israeli capture of the Trump administration through True top donors, like Miriam Adelson, Donald Trump's top donor is effectively an Israeli proxy.
32
She has funded Marco Rubio's career along with another major Israel donor, Paul Singer, who is funding Donald Trump.
33
Pretty much everyone surrounding Donald Trump has been supported by Israel, and they have been the ones.
34
John Ratcliffe, the CIA director who's known as the Mossad stenographer, being briefed by his Mossad counterpart, David Barnea, on Iran being on the verge of getting nuclear weapons.
35
Susie Wiles, a former advisor to Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection campaign in 2020, is chief of staff controlling access to Donald Trump.
36
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the chief negotiators, are hardcore Zionist ideologues.
37
Everyone around Trump is representing Israeli interests, and everyone and most everyone in this country opposes this war because they don't understand what the American interest is, and Donald Trump is struggling to explain it.
38
Today he said, well, I wanted to take their oil, but the American public doesn't want me to.
39
Right.
40
We are told, as the bombing continues, that President Trump watches the markets very closely every day to see what they are doing.
41
Is there a sort of pain threshold where he will have to call it off because the markets are sinking so badly?
42
Well, it hasn't hit home in the U.S.
43
because we have such a strong supply of LNG.
44
The U.S.
45
is energy self-sufficient.
46
It's hurting Asia right now.
47
It's hurting North Africa.
48
It's hurting these regions that Donald Trump doesn't necessarily care about.
49
The pain threshold for Donald Trump will be political.
50
It's when he starts to read the midterm polling numbers.
51
And he himself is underwater.
52
For an incumbent president at this stage in his presidency, he is at a historical low point.
53
All he cares about is his own ambitions and his ability to loot the Treasury on behalf of his cronies and his family.
54
And so when he sees that that is imperiled, then I think you're going to start seeing him pull back.
55
And I think one of the biggest indicators for trouble for Donald Trump is that, and we all understood this would take place, those of us who know how Iran's military functions,
56
those of us who know the basics, that they have been unable with their Israeli counterparts to degrade Iran's ballistic missile capacity and its drone production rate, which means that Iran can continue this war through the summer when the U.S.
57
will host the FIFA World Cup, which could be another political disaster for Donald Trump.
58
JOHN YANG, President, And now the president is asking for a huge increase in military spending.
59
For next year, the administration is asking for $1.5 trillion budget for the Pentagon.
60
He's cutting other government programs as well while doing this.
61
I mean, that's that raise that he's asking for is 40 percent.
62
approved by Congress, the United States will spend on military 50 percent more than the next 10 countries combined.
63
Yeah.
64
Actually, Donald Trump announced that in an Easter speech, which the White House deleted, because he said, we need to cut Medicare and Medicaid.
65
We don't need those.
66
That's in the way of us spending $1.5 trillion on our military.
67
The money is not going to the military.
68
that money is going back to contractors.
69
Corrupt contractors are going back to veterans affairs.
70
That money is going back to contractors, corrupt contractors that actually helped donate to Donald Trump.
71
It's going to pay for the administrative affairs of Lockheed Martin and the big five.
72
We're talking about 70% of that budget is just kickbacks to the upper middle class and upper class of this country.
73
And so it's kind of a form, no offense to John Maynard Keynes of military Keynesianism.
74
The big problem also for Donald Trump is Pete Hegseth put forward this $200 billion supplemental to pay for this crazy war that has no clear objectives.
75
The American public doesn't support that.
76
And I think a number of Republican senators might even be forced to oppose that.
77
Remember the uproar over the $40 billion for Ukraine?
78
This is outrageous.
79
MARK SHIELDS, I'm not sure if we've got any questions, but I think it's a great question.
80
Talking of Pete Hegseth, he has forced the resignation or is in fact filed a number of very senior officials at the Pentagon.
81
These include generals.
82
The latest one was General Randy George, who is the Army Chief of Staff.
83
What's behind that purge?
84
Well, one of them was Army Chaplain, the head of the Army Chaplain Corps.
85
And my theory there is that too many conscientious objectors were coming forward and saying, this violates my Christian beliefs, and he was signing off on their conscientious objector status.
86
And I mean, they fired almost as many generals as aircraft that they lost in those 48 hours.
87
So this is a PR disaster.
88
I don't think Pete Hegseth saw it coming.
89
Pete Hegseth is trying to make the life of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who has seen as kind of a restrainer, hell, because he cannot fire Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
90
And Randy George was ally of Driscoll and has suggested that Pete Hegseth is waging a dishonorable war in an email to his men,
91
I think there may have been some strong objections raised in private about what was to come,
92
either a ground incursion or an attempt to steal Iran's uranium in a daring and crazy operation, one like the kind we might have just seen take place just south of Isfahan, in which the U.S.
93
lost, I don't know, five or six aircraft, two C-130s.
94
Okay, Max, we are going to have to leave it there.
95
Thanks so much for being with us.
96
Thanks for having me.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will delve into a thought-provoking discussion featuring journalist Max Blumenthal, focusing on geopolitical issues and the role of Israel in U.S. foreign policy. This transcript will help you practice your English speaking skills by providing real conversational contexts. You will engage with complex subject matter while honing your pronunciation and listening skills, essential for effective communication in both casual and formal settings. By shadowing this discussion, you will improve your English pronunciation and enhance your ability to engage in nuanced conversations related to current events.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Hostage of Iran: A person or entity that is effectively trapped or dominated by a powerful force.
  • Decapitation strikes: Military actions aimed at eliminating key figures of an enemy quickly.
  • Proxy: A person or entity authorized to act on behalf of another.
  • Clean Break document: A strategic outline suggesting the U.S. should support Israel's military objectives in the Middle East.
  • Political pain threshold: The point at which political pressures force a leader to change a stance or policy.
  • American interests: The economic and political goals important to the United States.
  • Zionist ideologues: Individuals who advocate strongly for the support of Israel's interests.
  • Midterm polling numbers: Surveys of voter opinions that can influence political strategies.

Practice Tips

To effectively shadow this content and engage in IELTS speaking practice, pay careful attention to the speaker's pacing and tone. Max Blumenthal has a measured and deliberate way of expressing complex ideas, making it essential for you to mimic not just the words but also the rhythm of his speech. Start by listening to short segments (ideally 30 seconds to 1 minute), then repeat aloud, focusing on mimicking the intonation and emphasis. This process will not only boost your english speaking practice but will also help you improve your pronunciation of challenging vocabulary. Remember, the key to effective shadow speak is consistency; practice regularly to see significant improvements in your ability to articulate thoughts clearly and confidently in discussions.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee