Iran, Russia, The World. Everyone Is Waiting on November 3rd w/ Eric Czuleger from The Under Report

17 days to the midterms. Eric Zuleger is reporting live from Tirana, Albania, where violent protests have been building for 139 days and escalated this week into what he calls the most violence he has ever seen in five years of living there. The backstory: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama made backdoor deals with Jared Kushner's private equity firm Affinity Partners and Saudi royal money to secretly sell off protected wetlands on Sazana Island and the Zvernets Peninsula, some of the last wild wetlands in Europe. A leaker gave Eric documents showing the development was four times larger than anyone knew and included a 350-berth mega yacht marina. The protests started peacefully, were ignored, and this week a student protest was met with state violence. The footage went viral. Now buildings are burning. Grant and Eric also cover: why government corruption just surpassed the economy as the number one voter issue in a Fox News poll for the first time Grant has ever seen this close to an election; Trump's Russia diesel deal, which amounts to about eight days of US diesel use and will do nothing for prices but tells Europe we're willing to buy Russian energy while telling them not to; Iran's smart strategy of giving Trump enough rope to choke himself and betting on a Democratic Congress to hamstring him; Saudi Arabia's existential problem with the Houthis and why they're asking the UAE to borrow their paramilitary back; and what a Democratic Congress can and can't actually do to constrain a president the Supreme Court has said can do almost anything. **LINKS:** The Under Report **Join the SaySo News App!** SaySo is a brand new news app built for people who actually want to be informed, not just keep scrolling. No outrage-chasing algorithm, no AI slop, just vetted creators delivering fact-driven coverage you can get through in a few minutes a day. I'm one of the early creators on the platform, posting there alongside others I trust. Check it out and download SaySo VOTE.org **CHAPTERS:** 0:00 — Eric Zuleger is live from Albania where violent protests have been building for 139 days 2:11 — The backstory: Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, Saudi money, and secretly sold protected wetlands 4:32 — The Flamingo Revolution: leaker documents, four times the known size, a 350-berth mega yacht marina 6:00 — Peaceful for 139 days, then a student protest met with state violence, footage went viral 9:14 — What Eric is seeing on the streets: buildings burning, cat and mouse with police, no way to de-escalate 12:34 — Secret kidnappings of protesters and break-ins at female dorms: what Eric is investigating right now 15:00 — Why the movement is leaderless and why that’s both a strength and a problem 17:16 — The global pattern: Albania, data centers, French schools — all the same extractive story 22:40 — Government corruption just beat the economy as the top voter issue in a Fox News poll 23:18 — Trump’s Russia diesel deal: eight days of US diesel use, means nothing for prices, tells Europe everything 25:00 — Why you should be suspicious any time petroleum is measured in tons instead of barrels 26:40 — Iran’s strategy: give Trump enough rope, wait for a Democratic Congress to hamstring him 29:01 — Saudi Arabia’s existential Houthi problem and “can we borrow your paramilitary back?” 33:00 — Where US strategy is actually working: South America, the Trump corollary, Colombia and Brazil 40:46 — Where US strategy has clearly failed: the Middle East, and why the Iran pitch was Dunning-Kruger foreign policy 48:00 — What a Democratic Congress can actually do: go after the people below Trump and flip them 53:00 — The worst of both worlds scenario: Democrats win but have to cut the worst Iran deal in history 58:00 — Eric says a Democratic wave in the Midterms could be good for Iran, not in the way you think.  Support the show **Follow along on social media**  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant\_\_Hermes Tiktok: Grant\_Hermes