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Ray Hanania on Politics, Media & Life

Ray Hanania on Politics, Media & Life

By Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter & columnist writing from the frontlines of Chicago's rough & tumble politics. Hanania writes a syndicated column on politics, media, and a wide range of topics including seniors and humor. He also writes and host a radio show on Middle East issues for the prestigious Arab News Newspaper at ArabNews.com/rayradioshow. You can subscribe to his 4-Times Weekly Syndicated columns by visiting https://RayHanania.com
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03-07-24 Super Tuesday Trump Nikki Haley & anti-Biden protest, 3rd Party Robert F. Kennedy Jr

Ray Hanania on Politics, Media & LifeMar 08, 2024

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30:29
03-07-24 Super Tuesday Trump Nikki Haley & anti-Biden protest, 3rd Party Robert F. Kennedy Jr

03-07-24 Super Tuesday Trump Nikki Haley & anti-Biden protest, 3rd Party Robert F. Kennedy Jr

03-07-24 S3E8 Super Tuesday results with Trump Nikki Haley and anti-Biden protest, 3rd Party Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr and the effort to keep Trump off the ballot

"Ray Hanania on Politics podcast"

"Two Guys on Politics": Lipinski and Hanania discuss the Super Tuesday election results, the negative role the mainstream news media is playing int he election strengthening Trump, assertions that many of the voters supporting Nikki Haley were Democrat who crossover votes, and discuss the efforts by 3 states who sought to remove Trump from their ballots and the US Supreme Court's unanimous decision to block that illegal move.

They discuss how the media's biased manipulation of news attacking Trump is actually strengthening Trump among voters. If Trump wins, it's the mainstream news media that should be blamed, not what failed candidate Hillary Clinton asserted were the immoral conduct of the "deplorables," wnyone, she said, who supported Trump.

Both Lipinski and Hanania say that if a candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., can make it to the November ballot, he would be abetter choice than either Trump or Biden.

“Two Guys on Politics” Podcast presents a Reagan Democrat Perspectives from Chicagoland’s Southwest Side and the Midwest.Bill Lipinski served as Democratic Committeeman & Alderman of Chicago’s 23rd Ward. Lipinski was elected to Congress in 1983 and served through 2005. He currently writes the “Right from the Center” opinion column at https://BillLipinski.com

Ray Hanania covered Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 and writes mainstream opinion columns for The Southwest News Newspaper Group.

Subscribe to his syndicated columns by visiting https://www.Hanania.com;

Hanania also writes Middle East columns and news for the Arab News Newspaper https://www.ArabNews.com

Our web address is www.TwoGuysonPolitics.com

Our Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/TwoGuysOnPolitics

Mar 08, 202430:29
02-29-24 S3E7 Biden, Trump #AbandonBiden Arabs in Michigan election, the No Labels Party & Robert F. Kennedy Jr's candidacy

02-29-24 S3E7 Biden, Trump #AbandonBiden Arabs in Michigan election, the No Labels Party & Robert F. Kennedy Jr's candidacy

02-29-24 S3E7 Biden, Trump #AbandonBiden Arabs in Michigan election, the No Labels Party & Robert F. Kennedy Jr's candidacy Two Guys on Politics: Lipinski and Hanania discuss the Michigan elections and the results involving President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, GOP challenger Nikki Halley, and the impact of the #AbandonBiden campaign of anti-Biden protests in the Arab and Muslim community. Will the anti-Biden Arab/Muslim protest vote prevent Biden from winning the November 5, 2024 Presidential/General election? Will Trump be convicted before the Republican Convention or before the election? WHy is Nikki Haley still in the election against Trump and what does or can she expect in the upcoming months? Hanania and Lipinski also discuss updates on the "No Label" independent political party, and the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Can a third Party candidate win? WOuld No Labels embrace Kennedy? What happens if no one gets enough Electoral College Votes in the election, if neither Biden nor Trump win enough Electoral College Votes (the winner needs 270 ECV)? “Two Guys on Politics” Podcast presents a Reagan Democrat Perspectives from Chicagoland’s Southwest Side and the Midwest. Bill Lipinski served as Democratic Committeeman/Alderman of Chicago’s 23rd Ward. Lipinski was elected to Congress in 1983 and served through 2005. He currently writes the “Right from the Center” opinion column at BillLipinski.com Ray Hanania covered Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 and writes mainstream opinion columns for The Southwest News Newspaper Group Go to https://www.Hanania.com to sign up for his syndicated columns Hanania also writes Middle East columns and news for the Arab News Newspaper https://www.ArabNews.com Our web address is www.TwoGuysonPolitics.com Our Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/TwoGuysOnPolitics Subscribe to Ray Hanania's columns at https://www.Hanania.com or https://RayHanania.com

Feb 29, 202430:43
02 28 24 Osama SIblani Publisher of Arab American News on Gaza and the anti Biden campaign

02 28 24 Osama SIblani Publisher of Arab American News on Gaza and the anti Biden campaign

02 28 24 Osama SIblani Publisher of Arab American News on Gaza and the anti Biden campaign Arab American News Newspaper publisher explains the depths of concerns of Arab Americans towards President Joe Biden and his inaction and failure to prevent Israel from continuing its genocide against Palestinians int he Gaza Strip. On Tuesday Feb. 27, 2024, Arab, Muslims and allies in the African American and Asian communities voted "uncommitted" in the Michigan Democratic Primary as a protest against Biden's primary nomination. Michigan is one of a handful of states in which Biden only narrowly defeated former President Donald Trump in 2020. More than 100,000 voters voted "uncommitted" rather than voting for Biden. Siblani discusses some of the insights that expose Biden's weakness, including that the Republican Primary attracted more than 1.1 million voters, while the Democratic primary barely received 750,000 total votes casts howing that the Democrtaic base in Michigan is in jeopardy. Siblani also discusses whether the protest can sustain itself through the Nov. 5, 2024 Presidential Elections where Biden is expected to once again face-off with Trump. Siblani's website is www.ArabAmericanNews.com For more information on Ray Hanania visit his Syndicated column page at www.RayHanania.com or www.Hanania.com


#Podcast #Video @OsamaSiblani Publisher of #ArabAmericanNews discusses protest against Pres @JoeBiden in Michigan's Primary 2-27-24 over his failure to stop Israeli slaughter in #GazaStrip & impact on the Nov 5 presidential election vs @realDonaldTrump @rayhanania https://youtu.be/iCsubRWu8fU?si=IWedSGuAIZmjEwpr

Feb 28, 202427:40
02-15-24 Interview with Radio Host Mohammed Faheem S6E3
Feb 16, 202432:27
01 30 24 Mahnoor Ahmad candidate for the 6th District on bias in 6th District S6E2

01 30 24 Mahnoor Ahmad candidate for the 6th District on bias in 6th District S6E2

01 30 24 Mahnoor Ahmad candidate for the 6th District on bias in 6th District

S6E2

By Ray Hanania

Mahnoor Ahmad, who is running for the 6th Congressional District candidate seat in the March 19, 2024 Democratic Primary Election, has been the targeted of bias and attacks from members of the Illinois Democratic Party.Democrats, fearing that incumbent Congressman Sean Casten will loose to her int he primary election, have been banning her from participating in Democratic candidate forums.

Ahmad participated in the forums hosted by the League of Woman Voters in Elmhurst and in a forum in Naperville, but has been criticized by Democrats because protestors angry with Casten's unresponsive policies over the past two years have demanded that he be accountable. They are blaming Ahmad for the protests -- because she happens to be Muslim, a woman of color, and a minority.

Ahmad also supports a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war to prevent the killing of more civilians. More than 30,000 people have been massacred in Gaza in the past four months.The Democratsare so desperate, they have even blocked her from participating in public forums in Milton Township, which includes the city of Wheaton, and she is being attacked by other Democrats.

Ahmad is the only candidate who is speaking to the voters int he district as an American who believes in free speech and equality for all. Her issues fighting for the rights of seniors, who have been abandoned by Casten, resnotes with senior voters.No wonder Casten and his unresponsive Democratic minions have been angry and are working to exclude her from the election campaign.THIS IS AMERICA, not Russia. Sean. Ahmad is more American than you!


Subscribe to Ray Hanania's columns and podcasts at https://RayHanania.com


And podcasts by visiting www.RayHananiaOnPolitics.com


and Video podcast on youtube by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlgdCNmAZ9uNVUHOWI0T8Q

Jan 31, 202417:05
01-30-24 Washington Post attack on Women in Saudi Arabia is political hypocrisy S6E1

01-30-24 Washington Post attack on Women in Saudi Arabia is political hypocrisy S6E1

01-30-24 Washington Post attack on Women in Saudi Arabia is political hypocrisy S6E1

By Ray Hanania

S6E1 Jan. 30, 2024


Tennis stars Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova co-wrote an Op-Ed for the Washington Post, one of America'smost influential and hypocritical newspapers in the country.

The Washington Post is not the same fiercely independent newspaper of the 1970s Watergate years, but rather is today a biased partisan political platform that slams the Arab World, denigrates Arabs and Muslims, closes its eyes to anti-Palestinian brutality and hypocrisy -- publishing only enough, but not enough -- and pandering to the far Left against mainstream and conservative Americans.


The Evert/Navratilova column urges that Saudi Arabia not be permitted to host the Women's Tennis Association finals because of "discrimination against women."

The problem of course is that Evert/Navratilova are silent on the continued discrimination against women that exists right here int he United States. Are women equal in the United States? American men claim they are but they are not. They don't get equal pay. They are the victims of domestic violence far more often than men. They are not treated equally with men in business and coprorate life.

But American spins a tale of equality that is just not true.

When was the last time a woman was elected President?

The fact is nations in this qworld evolve at different paces.

In 2019, Saudi Arabia began a program to expand the freedoms of women, making them equal.

Every religious society, including Christians, Muslims and Jews, discriminate in some form against women. Saudi Arabia, an Islamic nation, is working to expand women's rights.

Instead of attacking them, they should encourage them.

But the issue really isn't women's rights.

The issue is politics. The issue is Saudi Arabia's politics. The issue is their criticism of Israel, their criticism of some American policies. And, their criticism of the hypocrisies that American politicians impose on others, including the Arab and Muslim world.

Women in Saudi Arabia are leading the freedom movement and they should be encouraged. Nothing happens over night. And it doesn't happen on the hypocritical and politically motivated schedule of the United States, which continues to discriminate against women, Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, Arabs and many other minorities across the board.

Here are some of the changes in Saudi Arabia on the rights of Women:

Below are the legal advancements for women as of August 2019:  On equal footing with men, women over the age of 21 may obtain a passport and travel abroad without the permission of a male relative.  Women can now travel outside of the country without a male guardian.  Women may register as a “head of household,” and identified as such on family ID Cards and papers, which gives them the right to legally act on their children’s behalf.  Women may register the births of their children.  Women received increased protection from employment discrimination.  Women’s retirement age is the same as men’s retirement age (60 years of age).  The closest female relatives, who are at least 18 years of age, can report cases of death. o Previously, the responsibility lied on the closest male relative, among others.  Women may claim their own place of residency. o Previously, the place of residency for a woman is where her husband/legal guardian resides.  Women may not be fired for pregnancy. o Previously, women could be fired for exceptions to the law. Those exceptions have been removed.  Women have equal authority to register cases of marriage and divorce. o Previously, the responsibility lied primarily on men.


Here are some links:

Click here for the statement by Saudi Ambassador to the US

Click here for the AP story on Evert/Navratilova

Click here for an overview of women's rights advances in Saudi Arabia

Click here for an overview of the slow struggle for women's rights in America

Jan 30, 202412:14
12-01-23 Israeli carnage in Gaza wipes out family of American NGO professional

12-01-23 Israeli carnage in Gaza wipes out family of American NGO professional

12-01-23 Israeli carnage in Gaza wipes out family of American NGO professional By Ray Hanania Chicago -- All 14-year-old Siwar Almadhoun wanted to do was play basketball while her nine-year-old brother, Omar, dreamed of one day playing soccer. But the dreams of the two young children were violently shattered in the early morning on Friday, November 24 while they slept when Israeli forces dropped massive bombs on their home in Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip. Also killed in the indiscriminate Israeli carnage were their parents, Majed, 41, and Safa, 38, and two other children Reman, 18, who had just started college, and Ali, 7, said Hani Almadhoun, Majed's brother and an American who supervises charitable fundraising for needy families for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA-USA) in Washington D.C. Only two of Majed's daughters, Roa and Salam, survived the onslaught because they were married living with their families in Rafah. "Siwar, the basketball player. A 14-year-old girl. She loved basketball. The salt of this earth. A very sweet girl. She was killed. She did nothing. She was asleep just like her family. And half of her mom, only one half was recovered. Reman was recovered. Ali was recovered. ... their own cat was buried and killed next to them. They adopted a cat named Lucky, a very misfortunate name. They liked to call her Cici. She was killed between the two kids because they loved to play with her too much," Almadhoun, 42, told Arab News as he struggled through his grief. "The only body that was found immediately was Omar. He flew through the window to the street 20 meters away. They went to bury him. They went to find Majed and my mom knew her son was there. She was grieving and then on top of that no ambulances, no bulldozers were able to come to remove this rubble." Click this link to read the whole story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2417526/middle-east

Dec 01, 202346:17
Ray Hanania interviews Amer Zahr on Israel carnage in Gaza and Arab American response

Ray Hanania interviews Amer Zahr on Israel carnage in Gaza and Arab American response

11-10-23 S5E4 Ray Hanania Interviews Amer Zahr on Israel propaganda and the war on Gaza won Radio Baladi in Detroit


Radio Baladi Friday Nov. 10, 2023 with Ray Hanania WNZK AM 690

Good morning everyone ... it is Friday Nov. 10, 2023 and I am Ray Hanania here at Radio Baladi on WNZK AM 690 Radio

I host the program on the 2nd Friday of every month ...

Today we're going to take your calls at 248-557-3300 and talk with our guest Palestinian American standup comedian and lecturer Amer Zahr about the Israel carnage of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the rising anti-Arab hate promoted in Congress, the news media and across the American political spectrum ... but mainstream Americans are increasingly questioning's Israel's violence which many have called "war crimes" ...

Amer has a powerful narrative about the Israeli assault against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and we need to get the word out so Americans can hear the truth. His presentations are effective especially with American audiences ... his website is at www.AmerZahr.com that's AmerZahr.com

We are broadcasting live on WNZK AM 690 radio and streaming live on the US Arab Radio Network at facebook.com/USArabRadio... check it out and share your comments there

Make sure to check out my columns and news stories at ArabNews.com and at Hanania.com ... And follow me on Tiktok -- @RayHanania -- to keep up with my political reports and my standup comedy bits

Nov 10, 202359:05
When it comes to helping Arabs, call me Arab, not MENA, 3-18-23, S5E3

When it comes to helping Arabs, call me Arab, not MENA, 3-18-23, S5E3

When it comes to helping Arabs, call me Arab, not MENA, 3-18-23, S5E3

March 18, 2023 S5 E3

Ray Hanania gives an impassioned argument on why the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) category will undermine the effort to provide equal rights to Arab Americans.

State Rep. Cyril Nichols introduced a law in 2022 that would recognize Arabs as an MBE (Minority Business Enterprise category) when it comes to received preferential treatment in the award of 25-30 percent of the state's $100 billion in annual contract awards. MBE status has been given to African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians and Women, to ensure that they can compete for the contract set-aside, with the majority of contracts, more than 70 percent, going to mainstream businesses.

Instead, a group of self-serving Arabs have introduced their own bill in response to the Nichols legislationt o grant MBE status to the MENA category, which is mostly non-Arabs from th Middle East and from North Africa including African Americans who already qualify for MBE status now. That bill was given to newly elected State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, a very good person and legislator who was convinced to sponsor it. MENA is a mistake that will harm Arab Americans.

For ARABS to be helped to overcome the discrimination, bigotry and bias that holds them down the effort must be directed towards helping ARABS. Arabs get NO major contracts from governments today because they are small and have been marginalized by anti-Arab elected officials like former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and anti-Muslim Governor J.B. Pritzker. The MENA catogory will further enslave Arabs to the existing anti-Arab system and even undermine support Arabs have received from African American leaders, who are are closest and most generous natural allies.

You can read more about the issue after the podcast by clicking this link an reading my column on the topic, or by visiting TheArabDailyNews.com or Hanania.com.

Also, sign up for Ray Hanania's FREE eNewsletter on Arab American issues by clicking this link.

Mar 18, 202324:21
02-23-23 Former Orland Park Asst Village Manager analyzes misguided referendum to eliminate Managerial form of government

02-23-23 Former Orland Park Asst Village Manager analyzes misguided referendum to eliminate Managerial form of government

Former Orland Park Asst Village Manager analyzes misguided referendum to eliminate Managerial form of government Video of former Orland Park assistant village manager discusses the referendum to eliminate the village managerial form of government proposed by controversial Mayor Keith Pekau. In a political move, Pekau introduced an ordinance to replace the managerial form of government at a meeting on Monday Feb. 20, 43 days before the citizens could vote on the referendum. The ordinance outlines his plans to take control by appointing a village manager he controls directly

By Ray Hanania

Karie Friling the former Director of Development Services and former Asst. Village Manager for Orland Park, Illinois, discusses with host Ray Hanania, the proposed referendum introduced and pushed by Mayor keith Pekau to eliminate the professional Village Manager and Managerial Form of Government.

If passed, the referendum on April 4, 2023 would open the way for Pekau to become a full time mayor with a larger salary.

Friling discusses some of the concerns residents have about changing the system which has been in place since 1983 and helped guide Orland Park through its greatest expansion led by previous mayors.

For more information on the Village Managerial Form of Government Referendum visit www.VoteYesOrland.com

Former government officials have lined up against eliminating the Managerial Form of Government in a referendum that is constructed to mislead voters on April 4, 2023. The referendum question is ““Shall the Village of Orland Park retain the managerial form of government?”

A No Vote eliminates the Village Manager position defined by the State of Illinois and replaces it with a village manager who answers directly to Mayor Pekau who has consolidated accountability to expand his power and control over every facet of village policies and decision making.

A Yes Vote, which is encouraged by professionals who have dedicated their lives to protect Orland Park, would reject the referendum.

The wording by Pekau was intended to confuse voters.

You can watch the video of the interview I did with Karie Friling on Youtube by clicking this link or by using the the widget below to watch it on this award winning website.

Pekau has repeatedly refused to be interview by this columnist and has slandered and attacked me by calling me names, rather than to be accountable and address the issues.

For more information visit the group’s website at www.VoteYesOrland.com.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter. A political analyst and CEO of Urban Strategies Group, Hanania’s opinion columns on mainstream issues are published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers. His Middle East columns are published in the Arab News. For more information on Ray Hanania visit www.Hanania.com or email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)


Feb 23, 202327:58
Arab Radio Ray Hanania on humanitarian obstacles for earthquake victims in Syria & Turkey 2-10-23

Arab Radio Ray Hanania on humanitarian obstacles for earthquake victims in Syria & Turkey 2-10-23

Arab Radio Ray Hanania on humanitarian obstacles for earthquake victims in Syria & Turkey

Guests Dr. Zaher Sahloul the founder and president of Med Global at MedGlobal.org which provides relief to victims of tragedy throughout the World and the middle East former Syrian National Council member Dr. Mouayad Chozlan who is in Syria and is calling us from the disaster zone discusses the real obstaces i getting humanitarian aid to victims of the erathquake in Syria and Turkey. It's not the US embargo or the Turks. It is Damascus and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad

We are broadcasting live on WNZK AM 690 radio and streaming live on the US Arab Radio Network at facebook.com/USArabRadio... check it out and share your comments there

By the way, the Arab American Democratic Club has its Candidate Forum and Brunch at Nikos Banquets on Sunday Feb 12 at 10 am ... the Arab community needs to be there ... go to ArabDemocraticClub.com to get more info and tickets

Make sure to check out my columns and news stories at ArabNews.com and at Hanania.com ... And follow me on Tiktok -- @RayHanania -- to keep up with my political reports and my standup comedy bits ...

Dr. Zaher @Sahloul of @MedGlobalorg & Syrian National Council member #MouayadChozlan on who is really blocking humanitarian relief from getting to the victims of the #Syria #Turkey #earthquake on #ArabRadio WNZK AM 690 this morning. Watch video at https://fb.watch/iC245FHRRq/

Dr. Zaher @Sahloul of @MedGlobalorg & Syrian National Council member #MouayadChozlan on who is really blocking humanitarian relief from getting to the victims of the #Syria #Turkey #earthquake on #ArabRadio WNZK AM 690 this morning. Watch video at https://fb.watch/iC245FHRRq/

Feb 10, 202359:14
State Rep. Cyril Nichols on Arab Radio on Arab Americans and Arab MBE status 12-09-22
Dec 09, 202201:00:27
The worsening economic conditions in Jordan, and the Oak Lawn arrest of an Arab teenager with a gun and drugs

The worsening economic conditions in Jordan, and the Oak Lawn arrest of an Arab teenager with a gun and drugs

Radio Baladi Friday August 5, 2022 with Guest Host Ray Hanania WNZK AM 690

The worsening economic conditions in Jordan, and the Oak Lawn arrest of an Arab teenager with a gun and drugs

It's Friday August 5, 2022 and I'm your guest host Ray Hanania live this morning on WNZK AM 690 radio broadcasting live in Dearborn, Michigan ......

We are also live streaming at facebook.com/USArabRadio

This morning we'll talk about the worsening economic conditions in Jordan, and the Oak Lawn arrest of a teenager with a gun and the community protests with our guest reporter and writer Ali Younes

We're broadcasting live on the US Arab Radio Network Facebook page at USArabRadio ... check it out and share your comments there

Make sure to check out my columns and news stories at ArabNews.comand at Hanania.com

And, don't forget to listen to my new syndicated radio show "The Ray Hanania Show" broadcast every Wednesday at 5 PM Eastern brought to you by the US Arab Radio Network and sponsored by Arab News Newspaper on WNZK AM 690 right here in Dearborn, and on: WDMV AM 700 in Washington DC Maryland and Virginia;

The show is rebroadcast on Thursdays in Detroit on WNZK AM 690 at 7 AM EST and in Chicagoland and NW Indiana at 12 noon on WNWI AM 1080.

Aug 06, 202259:43
Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, & Biden's recent surge of bill passages, S4 E2, 08-04-22 Thursday
Aug 05, 202228:49
Liz Gorman vs Sean Morrison in the 17th Cook County District June 28, 2022

Liz Gorman vs Sean Morrison in the 17th Cook County District June 28, 2022

Liz Gorman vs Sean Morrison in the 17th Cook County District June 28, 2022

Season 4, Episode 1 Ray Hanania on Politics

The heated battle between former Cook County Commissioner and tax fighter Liz Gorman and beleaguered incumbent Sean Morrison in the 17th District is a battle to save the Republican Party in Cook County. Gorman has a proven record fighting for the rights of taxpayers while in his first full term Morrison has done little for the taxpayers. Instead, Morrison has partnered with one of the worst politicians in Illinois history Keith Pekau, the extremist Mayor of Orland Park whose only asset is to turn friends into enemies.

Morrison is a pariah who needs to be removed from office. If he wins the June 28, Republican Primary election, he is certain to loose the seat to a Democrat, eliminating any Republican representation in the 17th District. If Gorman wins the Republican Primary, Gorman can easily keep the County Board seat for Republicans and use it to rebuild the Republican Party that Sean Morrison has abandoned with horrible leadership and a lack of creative ideas.

Morrison has an albatross on his shoulders, his mishandling of the case of his former Senior Vice President Anthony Martin who was convicted of sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl. Morrison defended Anthony Martin saying he needed him for his business and werote a letter to the judge in support of leniency and Martin's efforts to get probation. But after Morrison wrote the letter, Martin went on Morrison Security business in Colorado and using a Morrison Security cell phone sexually harrassed another 14-year-old girl, this time who turned out to be an undercover police investigator. Only 19 days after Morrison went for Martin's defense, Martin was arrested and charged.

It's a sordid tale. You can read all about that and the political battle by visiting my website at www.Hanania.com.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter. A political analyst and CEO of Urban Strategies Group, Hanania's opinion columns on mainstream issues are published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers. His Middle East columns are published in the Arab News. For more information on Ray Hanania visit www.Hanania.com or email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

Follow Hanania on Twitter at Twitter.com/rayhanania.

Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column by CLICKING HERE.

Jun 06, 202220:00
Two Columns: Congress cares more about Israel than the American People: the war against Christopher Columbus S3E8

Two Columns: Congress cares more about Israel than the American People: the war against Christopher Columbus S3E8

Two Columns: Congress cares more about Israel than the American People: the war against Christopher Columbus

Season 3, Episode 8, October 13, 2021

Columnist and author Ray Hanania looks at two issues. The first is the battle to pass a $3.5 billion budget to address the needs of the American infrastructure and the social welfare needs of the American people. That bill has been bogged down in bitter internal Democratic and partisan Republican versus Democrat debate. But as it became clear that the package would not be approved as quickly as President Biden had hoped, Biden and the Democrats decided to put the interests of Israel's government ahead of the interests of the American people and removed a part of the stalled budget plan to give Israel $1 billion in American taxpayer money to pay for the "Iron Dome."
Although the Congress could not rally together to pass the important spending plan for the American people, they were able to separate Israel's bills from the bigger bill and vote on it separately. 424 members of Congress voted for that bill to help a foreign country, although they can't come together to help the American people. Nine members of Congress voted against the bill and two others voted present, noting voting for or against it.

It shows you Congress and the Senate care more about the interests of Israel than the interests of the American people.

In the second segment, Ray Hanania talks about the campaign by a minority (not n a racial sense but in a quantitative sense) of fanatic extremists to tear down the statues of Christopher Columbus who discovered America in 1492. The extremists start their hypocritical false narrative of history from that date claiming that Columbus was a racist terrorist who brutalized the indigenous people of North America when he arrived. In truth, they don't talk about the brutality and racism of the so-called indigenous populations that arrived in North America before Columbus and savaged the real indigenous people who were living here, destroying their culture and enslaving their people. 

Among the worst and most brutal Native American tribes that swept in during their invasion and "discovery" of North America were the Comanches who savaged and murdered hundreds of thousands of peaceful people who were living in North America. They enslaved them and stole their lands, only to see those lands taken by the settlers who followed the discover by Columbus.

Other examples that expose the hypocrisy of the anti-Columbus fanatics is the Aztecs.

The difference is that after Columbus, the world's greatest Democracy was formed, America. And in today's America, the remnants of the Native Americans who savaged the plaines long before Columbus arrived have equal rights and benefit from this Democracy that followed in Columbus' wake.

To read Ray Hanania's column on Columbus, Click here.

To read all of Ray Hanania's columns visit his web hub at www.Hanania.com. Or, visit www.SuburbanChicagoland.com.

Listen to Ray Hanania's discussions with John Kass on Kass' podcast "The Chicago Way" by clicking here.


Oct 13, 202118:29
Ald. Lopez says Mayor Lightfoot's failures empower street gangs S3E7

Ald. Lopez says Mayor Lightfoot's failures empower street gangs S3E7

Aug 17, 202118:05
How Jackie Mason missed an opportunity to promote peace S3E6

How Jackie Mason missed an opportunity to promote peace S3E6

Jackie Mason and how he missed the punchline of his life July 26, 2021

Season 3, Episode 6

Ray Hanania looks back at his fight with Jewish Comedian Jackie Mason when Hanania was booked to perform at Zanies Comedy Club in August 2002, nearly one year after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Hanania explains how he turned to comedy as means of helping Americans to better understand Arabs, Palestinians and Muslims and talks about his background. He also discusses how humor is a fundamental talent of great journalists and one of the most powerful forms of effective communications.

Zanies had been working with Hanania through 2001 and 2002 and his comedy performances were getting coverage from major news media including CNN, the Today Show and many regional newspapers. An Arab American performing comedy after Sept. 11, 2001 was a news story.

In July 2002, Zanies informed Hanania that they were going to give him his own show, 9 performances over a six day period. Several weeks before the performance, Zanies owner Rick Uchwat called him to say that Jewish Comedian Jackie Mason needed a place to practice his comedy in preparation for a new Broadway show in late September and October. He asked if Hanania had a problem appearing with Mason, a Jewish comedian. Hanania said of course not. Zanies took 3 of Hanania's shows and made Mason the opening act and Hanania the feature act. When Mason finished the three shows, Hanania would return to be the opening major act for the remaining six shows.

Hanania thought it was big break. But on the opening night on Tuesday, Mason's wife/manager Jyll Rosenfeld called to say that Mason did not want Hanania to open for him because "he is Palestinian."

The performance had been filled with Hanania's friends, family, relatives and even the news media. Linda Moses, the Zanies Manager, called Hanania at home before he left for the show to tell him, only two hours before the opening, that Mason isn't want him to be on the show.

In this audio podcast, Hanania talks about all that the media coverage, Mason's hypocrisy and lies, and why Zanies and the news media sided with Mason, a famous Hollywood comedian and actor rather than with him, a SouthSide Chicago former Vietnam Era Veteran and former City Hall Newspaper reporter.

Subscribe to Ray Hanania's free eNewsletter and get the latest columns and podcasts and information on his public performances and comedy shows by visiting www.SuburbanChicagoland.com

Read Ray Hanania's column on this topic in the Arab News Newspaper by clicking here.

Aug 09, 202122:44
Support our Police, fight for the Blue Line in Mount Prospect S3E5

Support our Police, fight for the Blue Line in Mount Prospect S3E5

Support our Police, fight for the Blue Line in Mount Prospect

Season 3, Episode 5

Two Chicago Police officers were attacked by thugs who they pulled over during a routine traffic stop in West Englewood near 63rd and Bell Avenue on Saturday, August 7 at around 9 PM. One of the officers, Ella French, 29, was killed. The other was hospitalized.

Had this been reversed with two minorities shot by police, there would be riots and protests and calls to defund the police. But instead the activists are fighting to defend the criminals and are stepping up their campaign to defund police and weaken police, exposing the majority of citizens who are law abiding to crime.

This week, the radical League of Women Voters -- which claims to be non-partisan but is in fact one of the most partisan political organizations in America, and biased, too -- is helping to organize protests targeting the police in Mount Prospect, Illinois. What are they angry about? They are upset that the police there wear an emblem that supports Police and uses the popular symbol of a "blue line" among the stripes of the American flag. The League of Women Voters asserts the Blue Line is a symbol embraced by White Supremicists, bullying and demonizing law abiding citizens who recognize the Blue line as a symbol of support for the men and women who wear the blue uniform.

Enjoy this podcast and read the special column not his topic by clicking this link.

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Aug 09, 202110:15
The hypocrisy of the Capitol Riot hearings by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi S3E4

The hypocrisy of the Capitol Riot hearings by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi S3E4

The hypocrisy of the Capitol Riot hearings by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Season 3, Episode 4

The protests that turned violent on January 6, 2021 have been turned into a political weapon that is being used to bludgeon critics of the Democratic Party and President Joe Biden. The advocates of the House Select Committee hearings on the so-called riots or the "insurrection" as the Jan. 6 protests are being described by the Democrats and the biased mainstream news media, assert falsely that critics of the hearings are defending the violence.

That's not true of course. Anyone who engages in violence during the Jan. 6 protests at the Capitol should be prosecuted used with evidence and punished appropriately, based on the weight of their crimes.

The real issue however is how the Democrats have closed their eyes to the other riots or insurrection that began on May 25, 2020 when George Floyd was killed by an irresponsible Minneapolis Police officer, Derek Chauvin. Chauvin deserved to be prosecuted but he did not deserve to be sentenced to 22 years in prison, as he was. The killing was unintentional, accidental, not premeditated. But to satiate their political base, the Democrats pushed for the harshest punishment calling anyone who defended Chauvin or criticized the biased, illegal process of the hearings racist.

During the 4 to 6 hours of the Jan. 6 protests, anyone who engaged in violence should be prosecuted.

But the May 25 killing of George Floyd that resulted more than 3 months of violence, looting, arson and even killing, those rioters should be prosecuted fully, too. But they have not been prosecuted fully. In fact, the Democrats who are screaming to Lynch the Jan. 6 "rioters" undermined the police response to the post-Floyd murder protests. Police were ordered in many cities to not get in the way of the rioters or the true insurrectionists who were destroying the fabric of America and posing as a real threat to American Democracy.

Where are the Select Committee hearing son the post George Floyd killing riots and insurrection?

That's the true hypocrisy.

The Jan. 6 protestors who engaged inv ioelcne for four to six hours were Republicans who supported Trump. The May 25 rioters who engaged in violence, looting, vandalism, arson and even killing for more than three full months through the end of August 2020 were Democrats.

Both should be fully investigated or none should be investigated.

Read my column on the topic after listening to this podcast.

Share this podcast and the column to raise awareness of the hypocrisy. We need to speak out against ALL violence, not just the violence that challenges a partisan political party as Nancy Pelosi is now doing. 

Click this link to read the column.

Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to my columns so you stay informed about opinions and views that are today being censored and blocked by the biased mainstream news media and social media. Click here to subscribe.

Jul 29, 202112:47
The Crisis at the US Postal Service is bringing this country to its knees S3E3

The Crisis at the US Postal Service is bringing this country to its knees S3E3

The Crisis at the US Postal Service is bringing this country to its knees 7-09-21

Season 3, Episode 3

Opinion Columnist Ray Hanania takes on the topic that so few members of the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Congress and the Biden White House don't want to address, the failure of the US Post Office to do its work, in this episode of Ray Hanania on Politics, July 9, 2021.

Hanania talks about what he has learned from talking to some of the few USPS employees who are still working who complain that many of the USPS employees are at home collecting wages and using the Coronavirus as an excuse to stay home, not work and collect their salaries.

The USPS bureaucracy has failed to provide answers, failed to release documents through FOIA and made every possible excuse to cover up their behavior. The mail is not being delivered. People are complaining about long delays days, weeks and Deven months and the impact is devastating to the public and taxpayers who pay the salaries of these employees who are at home collecting the full wages. The biggest victims are Senior Citizens who rely on snail mail more than any other group. They don't like to use online systems to pay their bills.

And the biggest exploiters of the system are the Banks which charge exorbitant fees to block checks that have been "lost" in the mail. Those letters are not lost. They are sitting in undelivered piles at the US Post Offices around the country because the post office refuses to crack down on the COVID laziness, the COVID excuse. Employees can stay home and collect their money and do nothing thanks to mismanagement from the US Post Office.

What needs to happen is the White House, U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress need to convene investigations immediately into this crisis, and they need to start firing those over paid Post Office executives. Fire them and put new leaders in charge. Promote those few employees who are dedicated and are still working at their jobs and are not using COVID as an excuse. There are many great Postal Workers who deserve praise and they should be put in charge.

For more information on Ray Hanania's audio podcast "Ray Hanania on Politics," visit www.Hanania.com.

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Jul 09, 202111:41
04-23-21 Election for Secretary of State & past races in Orland Park & Palos Township S3E2

04-23-21 Election for Secretary of State & past races in Orland Park & Palos Township S3E2

The election for Secretary of State: Past races in Orland Park and Palos Township

Ray Hanania on Politics April 23, 2021: 

Season 3, Episode 2

Award winning Political Opinion Columnist and Radio Talk Show Host Ray Hanania looks at the upcoming election battle for Illinois Secretary of State and the recent hotly contested battles in Orland Park and Palos Township in this latest podcast episode.

Alexi Giannoulias, the former Illinois State Treasurer, is leading the field of candidates hoping to succeed popular Secretary of State Jessie White who is retiring. The election is in March 2022 in the Democratic Primary and Giannoulias has already raised nearly $3 million, compared to other candidates that are hoping to win the state's most powerful employee government agency.

That race follows in the wake of the contests in Orland Park where former Mayor Dan McLaughlin came within 300 votes of unseating rightwing fanatic Keith Pekau. And the race in Palos Township where extremist Arab and Muslim activists do what they always do -- drowning out an intelligent and strategic election campaign with yelling, screaming, anger, hatred and protests. The fanatics were fueled in their hatred by words posted by former Palos Township Trustee Sharon Brannigan, who apologized for singled out Arabs and Middle Easterners in her political posts. Brannigan lost her bid to become Palos Township Assessor but not because of the extremists, but rather because the Democrats and Republicans backed Robert Maloney over Brannigan. How badly did the extremists do -- most of whom didn't even live in Palos Township? Well, they backed a decent candidate Marvate Mohammad to run for trustee.Not againstBrannigan but to block the election of moderate and smart candidate Tasneem Abuzir. Abuzir won election and became the first Arab Muslim Palos Township official. But she could have been more except that the extremists divided the Arab and Muslim vote.

Click here for more info on the race for Secretary of State and the Orland and Palos elections.

Enjoy Ray Hanania's analysis and opinion in this podcast. For more information visit his hub website at www.Hanania.com to read all of his columns and writings.

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Apr 25, 202110:36
01-07-21 Media hypocrisy on the DC protestors vs the BLM protestors S3E1

01-07-21 Media hypocrisy on the DC protestors vs the BLM protestors S3E1

01-07-21 Media hypocrisy on the DC protestors vs the BLM protestors

Season 3, Episode 1

Ray Hanania on Politics.

Award winning veteran political columnist and former Chicago City Hall Reporter Ray Hanania analysis the real problem with the DC Protests, the hypocrisy of the mainstream American news media. Hanania argues that the media treated the singled day of protests by pro-Trump activists in Washington D.C. differently from the two month long protests of Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists. Members of both groups engaged in violence but the media blanket stereotyped the DC protestors as all being "terrorists and rioters" to use the words of media hypocrite Anderson Cooper while separating the BLM Protestors into legitimate protests and a small group of aberrant protestors who turned to violence. They turned the one-day Washington DC protest into a riot because some -- not all -- engaged in violence. But in the case of BLM protests that followed the wrongful killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis that lasted more than two months, the separated the violence from the protests, and minimized the violence. The media did that because of politics. The biased media applied their political sense to both issues and emphasized the BLM protests in a positive way and emphasized the DC protests in a negative way. The hypocritical media made this about Trump versus Biden but the reality is it also involves their own partisan and unethical lack of journalism professionalism.

For more information on Ray Hanania's podcasts -- Mainstream and Middle East, visit www.Hanania.com.

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Season 3, Episode 1

Jan 07, 202112:32
Analysis of the 2nd Trump-Biden Debate 10-22-20

Analysis of the 2nd Trump-Biden Debate 10-22-20

Analysis of the 2nd Trump-Biden Debate 10-22-20 S2 E9

Season 2, Episode 9

Who won the 2nd Debate, President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden

"The Ray Hanania Show" sponsored by the Arab News Newspaper on US Arab Radio Network broadcast live in a special edition report on the Arab News Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/TheArabNews.

The Panel discussion features experts:

Ed Gabriel, the former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, activist with the American Task Force on Lebanon, and with Arabs for Biden

Dalia Al-Aqidi, conservative columnist and former Minnesota Congressional candidate

Jeff Davis, president of Victory Media Online and a campaign consultant and media analysts

Hosted by Ray Hanania

The experts discuss the second and final debate between presidential candidates President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden focussing on who won, who lost, their issues and who scored points.

"The Ray Hanania Show" is brought to you on the US Arab Radio Network on WNZK AM 690 in Detroit Michigan … proudly sponsored by the Arab News Newspaper where I write Op-Eds and news and features, and sponsored by many other businesses, organizations and charities …

The Arab News Newspaper is the Middle East’s leading English language print newspaper with editions in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Japan, Pakistan, France and bureaus in London, New York and Chicago where I am based …

The US Arab Radio Network was launched in 2005 by journalist and radio network founder Laila Alhusini in an effort to energize and empower Arab Americans …

WNZK AM 690 is one of the country’s leading radio stations offering formats for ethnic American communities

The Ray Hanania Show is broadcast every Wednesday through the election in November and on the 2nd Friday of every month featuring guests who address election issues in the news …

This episode was a special broadcast that was presented only Live on the Arab News Facebook page immediately after the debate

for more information on our program go to the

www.Facebook.com/rghanania

or

www.ArabNews.com/us2020election

or

www.Hanania.com

or

www.ArabRadio.us

Oct 24, 202058:11
Factors in the Trump-Biden election battle for President
Oct 15, 202017:52
Assault on John Kass and the hypocrisy of the Left

Assault on John Kass and the hypocrisy of the Left

The assault of John Kass and the hypocrisy of the Left

July 29, 2020, Season 2, Episode 7

I did not know that George Soros, the billionaire who uses his money to influence American politics from the left, is Jewish.

Apparently, accusing George Soros of manipulating politics is "anti-Semitic" according to the far left which is attacking Columnist John Kass whose column is being moved under the guise of a reformatting of the newspaper from its Page 2 prominence to deep inside the paper with other columnists.

I don't read the other columnists. I read @JohnKass but I am not shocked that the only way to smear Kass because of his strong conservative opinions is to call him "anti-Semitic" ... they can't argue the facts so smear him personally to silence him and shame him and put his career on ugly notice.

I've known John Kass since he first stepped foot in the City Hall press room back in the Jane Byrne years, and accusing him of being "anti-Semitic" is a transparent cheap-shot intended to demonize him and silence his conservative voice ...

Shame of the Chicago Tribune, shame on his critics who can't argue the facts and have to assault a GREAT WRITER by slamming him with an unjustified and vile smear, shame on the journalists who have to resort to name-calling to counter his powerful voice.

Click here to read the staged ADL letter attacking Kass that was used by the far leftwing union, the Chicago Tribune Newspaper Guild, to attack him:

Click here to read an overview of the controversy from WTTW

For more information on Ray Hanania visit his online Hub at www.TheDailyHookah.com.

Hanania writes Opinion Columns on the Middle East issues at the Arab News newspaper and at TheArabDailyNews.com. And, he writes Opinion Columns on mainstream topics and issues each week at the Southwest News Newspaper Group and at SuburbanChicagoland.com.

Click this link to SUBSCRIBE FREE to Ray Hanania's mainstream Columns and Podcasts:

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Jul 29, 202012:54
Three weeks of the Corona Virus Stay at Home order and I'm already climbing walls, S2 Ep6
Apr 27, 202006:57
Audio of the April 6 Orland Park Village Board meeting that appeared to be destroyed

Audio of the April 6 Orland Park Village Board meeting that appeared to be destroyed

Audio of the April 6 Orland Park Village Board meeting that appeared to be edited

S2 Ep5 Thursday April 9, 2020

(UPDATE -- The Village of Orland Park has restored the files since the column, podcast and FOIA were published and they claimed the file was not edited or deleted or replaced by the village.)

On Monday, April 6, 2020, the Orland Park Village Board held a Committee of the Whole meeting that began at 6:30 pm to review a proposal by Trustee Dan Calandriello urging the village administration to help local businesses that were suffering because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting lasted about 18 minutes, and was followed by the Village Board meeting at 7 PM.

Both meetings were conducted by teleconference, per the direction of Gov. Pritzker and both meetings were recorded by the Village of Orland Park as per the requirements of State Law.

The full unedited Audio files were placed on the Village website Tuesday morning. 

I wrote a column on Monday night criticizing Mayor Pekau for his harsh, personal and vicious attacks he made during the meeting against Calandriello. I also challenged his inept handling of the meeting which violated the fundamental basics of Roberts Rules of Order, something he did on purpose to prevent Calandriello from responding to his vicious personal attacks.

The column, posted here at SuburbanChicagoland.com, included a link to the Village Audio File of the Committee of the Whole meeting on the Village website, which was complete from start to finish.

An angry Pekau, in his political newsletter on Wednesday, April 8, criticized Calandriello again and also criticized me accusing me of making up the content of the column calling it "highly fictional."

Of course, the column quoted Pekau and Calandriello precisely and was transcribed from the audio file. But, apparently to justify his false assertion that my column was "highly fictionalized," the Pekau administration removed the audio file apparently so no one could hear what he said.

The audio files of the Committee of the Whole and the Village Board meeting were working perfectly on Tuesday and on Wednesday but appeared to be altered late Wednesday night and Thursday morning. In their place were corrupted files that only played in repetitive cycle, the first 20 to 60  seconds of each of the meetings. The bottom line was that a record of Pekau's harsh attack against Calandriello suddenly disappeared

This is NOT the first Time Mayor Keith "Watergate" Pekau has done this. The audio files of his last outburst during attacking Hope Covenant Church for hosting a one-day per week homeless shelter also mysteriously vanished from the Village website.

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Apr 09, 202006:25
The politics of viruses Trump vs Obama, March 15, 2020, S2 E4
Mar 15, 202006:48
Sarah Gad's compelling story, running for Congress 1st Illinois DIstrict March 17, 2020

Sarah Gad's compelling story, running for Congress 1st Illinois DIstrict March 17, 2020

Compelling story on Sarah Gad - convicted of prescription drug use - who is running for Congress in the 1st Dist. Mar. 17, 2020

Special Edition of The Arab street Radio/Ray Hanania on Politics podcast and radio show. Feb. 14, 2020, broadcast on WNZK AM 690 live radio in Detroit.

Sarah Gad is running in the 1st District against Bobby Rush, who has the worst absenteeism rate of any of the 435 members of congress

She has this compelling story of how she was hit by a DUI in 2011, seriously injured and put into an induced coma for two weeks, comes out of it with serious injuries, and given pain medication to deal with it all and then becomes seriously addicted to it … and turns her life around to help others fight pain medication addiction and those charged with minor crimes.

Gad was released from the hospital and medical treatment with no post-pain addiction treatment and she quickly gets hooked on her pain meds, leading her to be arrested.

The 1st time she is arrested, she is locked up in the Cook County jail with violent offenders for 27 days because the non-violent area is overcrowded … where she is raped, assaulted, stabbed and beaten after she complains to the jail about being sexually harassed -- the guards shared that with the prisoners and sh was punished as a "snitch" ... the case is dismissed but now her problems are even worse …

She gets arrested 2 more times, is convicted of a non-violent drug use offense  … spends 5 days in jail, probation, violates probation by testing positive for painkillers and then overdoses when she is released …

That overdose is what puts her into contact with breaking there addiction …

She then becomes an activist to help others ... goes to DC to raise awareness attending committee hearings as a speaker but discovers Bobby Rush, a sponsor of some of the hearings,  is nowhere to be seen — he has the worst absenteeism rate of any congress member —  and then she decides to run for office …

Her activism is big in the African American community side of the district (51 percent black 49 percent white — Chicago to Orland Park) ...

She is an Egyptian American and Muslim, 33, was a med student before being hit by a DUI and suffering terrible injuries, but is now in law school 3rd year …

Her website is www.SarahGad2020.com

The first district includes all or parts of Alsip, Blue Island, Calumet Park, Chicago, Country Club Hills, Crestwood, Dixmoor, Elwood, Evergreen Park, Frankfort, Frankfort Square, Harvey, Manhattan, Markham, Merrionette Park, Midlothian, Mokena, New Lenox, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Posen, Riverdale, Robbins, Tinley Park, and Worth.

For more information on Ray Hanania's radio shows and podcast and political writing, visit www.Hanania.com.

Read the story in the Arab News Newspaper. Click here.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1626861/world

Feb 14, 202049:58
02-13-20 Kim "The Fixx" Foxx, Jussie Smollett and the March 17 Democratic Primary

02-13-20 Kim "The Fixx" Foxx, Jussie Smollett and the March 17 Democratic Primary

Kim "The Fixx" Foxx, Jussie Smollett and the March 17 Democratic Primary

Seasons 2 Episode 2, February 13, 2020

Ray Hanania on Politics looks closely at the abuse of power by Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx, or "Kim The Fixx Foxx," & her decision to drop charges against Jussie Smollett, the mediocre TV actor who lied about being the victim of a racist homophobic attack in January 2019 to bolster his sagging public image. Foxx didn't "mishandle" the Smollett case. She intentionally handled it putting politics and celebrity friendship above her job to enforce the Rule of Law. 

Foxx faces three good candidates, Bob Fioretti, Donna More and Bill Conway. Although I like both Fioretti and More, I think the election campaign is showing that Bill Conway is leading the pack and the goal is to oust Foxx who stumbled into the office by defeating Anita Alvarez. Many argue Foxx "beat" Alvarez, but the truth is Alvarez beat herself and Foxx just lucked into the office. It's been almost four years for Foxx and she has proven to be a terrible States Attorney who puts the interest of her political pals above justice.

The biggest criticism of More is she is running one of the worst election campaigns I've seen in 45 years of covering politics. More's campaign is terrible and that is surprising. She's a friend who I admire with great credentials as a former prosecutor, and I once worked with her husband who is one of the most brilliant PR and marketing professionals I have come to meet. But there is an old saying that a person can never do their own PR and in this case, I have to think that might be the problem. I mean when I went to find information on More this week, four weeks before the March 17 Democratic Primary election, I found her Twitter page which promotes a link to her campaign website, at voteformore.com. But when you go there it opens into a page offering to sell the site to the highest bidder. Try it yourself.

It's a sophomoric mistake that no candidate should make or has to make given how easy it is to create websites. You almost wonder if Donna is in the race to help Kim "The Fixx" Foxx.

Bob Fioretti is also a friend who I admire and have supported in the past and I would have loved to see him build up momentum against Foxx, but that doesn't seem to be happening. AT least when you click on Fioretti's campaign website link on his Twitter account, it takes you to a detailed page about his credentials and issues. www.bobforstatesattorney.com. You definitely should go there and check it out.

But the issue is removing Kim "The Fixx" Foxx from office and to elect someone whose priority is the safety of the residents of Cook County from increasing crime and violence, not someone who places a higher priority on her political cronies, pals and the famous and celebrities. Kim "The Fixx" Foxx should resign, but no one willingly leaves an office they are unqualified to hold.

The leading candidate is Bill Conway,  a former prosecutor in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and former Navy Intelligence Officer who fought the Taliban. He is mounting a formidable challenge to Kim "The Fixx" Foxx. His website is newdayconway.com.

Any of the leading challengeers against Kim "The Fixx" Foxx would be great replacements, Fioretti, More and especially Conway.

Feb 13, 202019:44
State Dept official details expanded Sanctions against Iran S2E1

State Dept official details expanded Sanctions against Iran S2E1

State Dept official details expanded Sanctions against Iran S2E1

Season 2, Episode 1

President Trump’s Senior Policy Advisor and Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook offered details Friday on the expanded sanctions on Iran announced by the White House that target eight senior Iranian leaders as well as Iran’s metals industry which he said is funding Iran’s foreign policies.

The sanctions were announced earlier by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin but Hook provided more details explaining the expanded sanctions will include Iran’s construction, manufacturing, textiles and mining industries. He said they will also target 22 Iranian organizations and three shipping vessels operating in the iron, steel, aluminum and copper sectors of Iran.

Hook named one of the eight newly sanctioned Iranian leaders as Iranian Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the commander of the “besieged” Qassem Suleimani.


I this podcast I talk about the details Hook offered about Iran's use of terrorism and also the terrorism crimes of Iran's General Qassem Suleimani who was killed by a US Drone attack ordered by President Trump on Jan. 3, 2020. I also discuss th hypocrisies involved in th eU.S. position historically, our support of Iran when it was run by the terrorist leader the Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi, and then how we changed after the Shah was over thrown, similarly our support of Saddam Hussein in the 1980s when we provided him with weaponry and chemical weapons to fight Iran after the Shah took over, and then when the war ended because the Soviets engaged with Iran, how we turned on Iraq and Saddam Hussein describing him, but not our actions, as a terrorist and lying to the American public that he was engaged in seeking Weapons of Mass Destruction WMD, sending thousands of American soldiers into an illegal and unjustified war of atrocities and war crimes that we today defend out of a false sense of patriotism.

Also, I talk about the hypocrisy of how the U.S. is silent on Israel's massive nuclear weapons arsenal, the heroism of Mordechai Vanunu in exposing Israel's nuclear weapons of mass destruction, while we speak out forcefully about stopping Iran from building a nuclear arsenal as if the two countries are different ... Israel is involved in war crimes against Christian and Muslim Arabs and the U.S. does nothing about it, but we use that hypocrisy as a foundation for our policies against Iran. It makes us look like, well, hypocrites, which we are.

This podcast is 15 minutes, 31 seconds long.

For more information on my writings visit www.Hanania.com and for past podcasts visit www.RayHananiaonPolitics.com. You can also listen to my Middle East focused podcast at www.TheArabStreet.org. And you can read my weekly columns on the Middle East in the Arab News at ArabNews.com.

Jan 11, 202015:32
Norwegian Dawn cruise vacation 12-20-19 S1 Ep22

Norwegian Dawn cruise vacation 12-20-19 S1 Ep22

An off-the-beat look at the Norwegian Dawn cruise to Costa Maya, Mexico, Belize, Routan, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico.the ND is a smaller ship, half the size of the Norwegian Epic, which boasts 4,400 passengers. The Dawn was about 2,800 ... I’m giving you ballpark figures. I hope you enjoy this break from my usual politics and political focus.
Dec 20, 201914:53
Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson let the people down

Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson let the people down

Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson let the people down

Season 1 Episode 21, Dec. 3, 2019

The "Ray Hanania on Politics" podcast

Eddie Johnson was fired Monday (Dec. 2, 2019) by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Lightfoot said Johnson misled her, and also misled the people of Chicago. I give Lightfoot credit for doing the right thing because Eddie Johnson did mislead the people of Chicagoland, setting a poor example that goes against everything that we expect from someone who serves to protect the public.

Johnson has not been truthful about what happened to him on Oct. 16, 2019 and the early morning hours of Oct. 17, 2019 when police found him slumped over the wheel of his Black SUV. Whose SUV was it anyway, by the way. Why was he slumped over? I don't think the public has ever received an honest explanation from Police Supt. Johnson. He could have given us one, but he did not.

Instead, Johnson released a statement after Lightfoot fired him citing the inconsistencies in what he told her and the public, arguing that he should not be judged for the one incident in his long 30-plus year career as a police officer. I say that since we never received a full honest accounting of what happened -- and what happened to him is very important, that it does matter and he should be judged by that one incident. How do we know he did not use clout to protect himself in past incidents that may or may not have happened? Can we trust him to be honest when he was not honest at this crucial moment as a leader and role model for justice in our region.

Here's my podcast opinion about this mess that Johnson just doesn't want to explain the.way he should explain it. And the idea that he should not be judged by this one incident in the wake of his long and distinguished career raises the issue of how we should judge others. Should criminals, gang bangers, street gang thugs and drug dealers not be judged by the moment that they get in trouble? Is that a defense that can be made before a judge?

For more information on Ray Hanania's award winning podcasts and political opinion columns, visit www.Hanania.com.

Here is a part of Johnson's statement:

  • "I am making this public statement today, my first as the former superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. I am of course disappointed that I could not finish my career on January 1, as originally planned. However, I respect yesterday’s decision of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Any police superintendent serves at the discretion of the mayor; that’s how it is and that’s how it should be. 
  • "When I announced my retirement last month, I stated proudly and accurately that I was leaving the Chicago Police Department with my integrity intact. That is still true today. If some want to question that belief, that is their right; but I know in my heart that I have always tried to act in a way that is in the best interests of this great city. One thing I want everyone to know is this: I did not intentionally mislead or deceive the Mayor or the people of Chicago. I acknowledge that I made a poor decision and had a lapse of judgment on the night of October 16. That was a mistake and I know that. However, I have no interest in fighting a battle for my reputation with those that want to question it now. Reputations are not built in a day and not damaged in a day either. They are the result of years of living. We reap what we sow in this world. I will simply rely on the reputation for integrity that I think I have earned during my long career, with the faith that we should all be judged by the entirety of our lives and not on what happened on our worst days. "


Dec 03, 201915:55
The racism of Michelle Obama and White Flight

The racism of Michelle Obama and White Flight

The racism of Michelle Obama and White Flight

Oct. 31, 2019. Season 1, Episode 20

Former First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the issue of White Flight recently during remarks at the 3rd annual Obama Foundation Summit in which she castigated White People for the phenomena of White Flight.

But the reality is that African Americans were just as responsible for the White Flight that took place in Chicago in 1969. I lived in the community, South Shore Valley, also called Calumet Heights during that White Flight. And it wasn't as simplistic as Michelle Obama tried to make it, claiming it was the result of White Racism.

White Flight was prompted by greedy realtors who use fear and fear mongering to frighten White homeowners into selling their homes fast and cheap, to run, so the realtor makes a fast and quick commission from the sale. They brought in African American families that aggravated community stereotypes and concerns, including one family on our block that had a handicapped daughter who walked up and down the street after renting their home through the realtor, yelling and screaming irrationally, It was a sad and tragic sight to see, but it fueled community fears about African Americans.

Within six months, more than 85 percent of the homes sold, purchased by African Americans who had no problem buying the "White Flight" homes at cheap discounts caused by fear. They didn't complain. I don't know if Michelle Obama's family was one of them but the fact that she never addressed the full aspect of the White Flight phenomena is disconcerting.

Worse is that Michelle Obama is willing to stereotype and entire race of people, "White people," and blame them for th racism that was a part of the White Flight that she showcased as a symbol of racism.

I wrote a book about the White Flight experience called "Midnight Flight" -- because in many cases, families were ashamed of fleeing and seeking their homes and they moved out in the middle of the night. You can read that free online book online by visiting www.SuburbanChicagoland.com. Go to the menu, select LIBRARY, then MIDNIGHT FLIGHT BOOK and then start with the INTRODUCTION Chapter.

Click this link to SUBSCRIBE FREE to Ray Hanania's mainstream Columns and Podcasts:

https://thedailyhookah.com/subscribe-to-rays-columns/

Oct 31, 201912:15
The problems with "Made in China" and Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Sep 16, 201917:29
Massacres in America; Great Moments; and Symbols of Racism S1 Ep18

Massacres in America; Great Moments; and Symbols of Racism S1 Ep18

Massacres in America; Great Moments; and Symbols of Racism

August 6, 2019 Season 1, Episode 18

Back from vacation Ray Hanania takes on three important topics.

The first is how the mainstream news media ignores the massacres that take place every week in Chicago. This past weekend, though, the media focused on massacres on Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, pretty much ignoring the ongoing massacres in Chicago. Why? It's politics. The news media doesn't want to make the Chicago massacres politics -- they take place every week and you would have to blame it on the failure of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a leftist (Gay, Black, Woman) and they won't do anything to criticize her. But the massacres Dayton, El Paso are perfect fore their political agenda, blaming it all on President Trump.

Second issue is the issue of why American isn't Great any more. Not in the Trump rhetoric, but in the context of a lifetime of great vivid memories. I remember the JFK assassination as if it happened yesterday. The day we got our first Color TV ... the Challenger explosion, and the death of Princess Di. And there was 50 years ago Neil Armstrong the first man to walk on the Moon. I remember all that vividly. But in recent years, it's been boredom. We haven't achieved anything. We had a greater spirit of achievement when I was growing up, one we no longer have. And I ask why? Why is One World Trade Center, the spectacular building we built in the place of the rumble of the terrorism attack not he World Trade Center, only the 7th Tallest building in the World behind the Burk Khalifa, which I visited personally last month?

The third issue is the issue of race and symbols of racial conflict and topics. We're tearing down Civil War statues now that stood as historical markers not as foundations for continued racism -- the slavery era. And yet in 1986 when I was at City Hall, no one wanted to tear down a symbol of racism that was portrayed by the Chicago City Seal. 

I talk about it all.

Get more information on my Chicagoland Politics podcasts at www.RayHananiaonPolitics.com and my podcasts on the Middle East at www.TheArabStreet.org.

Or, go to my personal website for all my writings, my podcasts and my videos at www.Hanania.com

Aug 06, 201922:31
Another battle in the 3rd Congressional District: Lipinski, Newman, Darwish ... S. 1 Ep. 17

Another battle in the 3rd Congressional District: Lipinski, Newman, Darwish ... S. 1 Ep. 17

Another battle in the 3rd Congressional District: Lipinski, Newman, Darwish

Season 1, Episode 17, June 17, 2019

Award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter, and syndicated political columnist Ray Hanania offers a preview of the upcoming battle brewing in the 3rd Congressional District, a seat held by Congressman Dan Lipinski since 2005 when he was appointed to the seat by his father, Bill Lipinski a former Chicago alderman from the powerful 23rd Ward in Chicago who held the congressional seat for over 20 years.

Lipinski was challenged in the March 20, 2018 Democratic Primary election by Marie Newman, a southwest sider familiar with the district and Lipinski almost lost during the Presidential backlash that always follows the election of a new president (the opposition party usually takes the Congress in the 2nd year of a new president term. In this case, Democrats swept the country in the wake of Republican President Donald Trump's election.) Newman almost beat Lipinski coming within 1,600 votes of unseating him. The Democratic Primary IS the election. Whomever wins the Democratic Primary election will easily win the November General Election as the 3rd Congressional District is a hard core Democratic district that cannot be won by a Republican.

In the upcoming election, Lipinski will again be challenged by Newman, but there is a curve ball, the candidacy of Rush Darwish, a smart community activist who hails from the moderate wing of the Arab American community. The 3rd Congressional District has one of the largest Palestinian constituencies in the country. In 2018, many of the Palestinians back Newman, a liberal. But her only problem was the influence of the far left extremists who undermined support she could have received. Lipinski had abandoned Palestinian voters for years. But the near defeat forced him to recognize that they can be a factor in the election outcome. Arab American voters helped Newman come within striking distance.

Lipinski is a Reagan Democrat and the district is majority conservative Democrat. With Darwish in the race, Newman cannot win and almost certainly Lipinski will win a re-election bid.

Ray Hanania looks at some of the factors involved int his podcast preview of this important congressional election contest.

For more information on Ray Hanania's writings, visit his home page at www.Hanania.com. His podcasts on Mainstream politics are archived at www.RayHananiaonPolitics.com. Hanania also hosts a Middle East focused podcast as the US Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper based in Riyadh and Dubai at www.TheArabStreet.com.


Jun 17, 201923:41
JB Pritzker's Massive assault on Illinois taxpayers -- S1 Ep16
Jun 04, 201911:44
Games of Thrones comes to an end, S1 Episode 15
May 20, 201910:36
Gov. Pritzker disrespects Lt. Gov. Stratton by creating Deputy Governor Spots S1 Ep 14

Gov. Pritzker disrespects Lt. Gov. Stratton by creating Deputy Governor Spots S1 Ep 14

Gov. Pritzker disrespects Lt. Gov. Stratton by creating Deputy Governor Spots 

Season 1 Episode 14

05-18-19 Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker disrespect Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton by creating the "Deputy Governor" posts to undermine his pronise to give her a strong voice

This episode of Ray Hanania on Politics looks at the stumbling policies of Illinois Gov, J.B. Pritzker in undermining the powers promised to Juliana Stratton, an African American woman who he said would paly a significant role in his administration.

That's not the case of course. After Pritzker was elected, he named three men to be "Deputy Governors" and only weeks later named a woman to be Deputy Governor because tagging all men with such a powerful post didn't look good at all.

But the real problem is that these Deputy Governors are actually doing the work that Pritzker promised Stratton would do. Was she just window dressing to appease Black voters Governor?

That's how it looks.

Ray Hanania on Politics is a podcast hosted by former Chicago City Hall reporter Ray Hanania. Hanania is a columnist with the Southwest News Newspaper group that includes the Des Plaineas Valley News, the Regional Newspaper, the Southwest News-Herald, and the Reporter Newspapwers, four newspapers that are a part of a lorger chain of community papers covering the Southwest and West suburbs and side of Chicago.

Get more information on Ray Hanania's columns by visiting his personal website at www.Hanania.com. Check out his podcasts by visiting www.RayHananiaOnPolitics.com.

May 19, 201912:21
Game of Thrones has been a "Thrilling Disappointment" - S1 Ep 13

Game of Thrones has been a "Thrilling Disappointment" - S1 Ep 13

Game of Thrones has been a "Thrilling Disappointment"

May 9, 2019 Season 1, Episode 13

I have been watching Game of Thrones on HBO for more than 8 years. This is Season 8 and there are only 2 episodes left as it comes to a crashing end.

I love the series so much I would watch any level of quality and I have an excitement about this final season that is unmatched with many other season finales. But despite my thrill, the fact is the producers and writers of this last season 8 of Game of Thrones have really been disappointing.

They just haven't made it what it could have been, a spectacular ending. They didn't put the real effort into it. It is almost as if they just shrugged their shoulders and said ok let's end it. They are ending it but not at the level it could be ended at. This final season could have been the most spectacular ending ever for any series but it has been a level of disappointment. It's far less than it can be.

I discuss some aspects of why I feel that way and I hope you enjoy this.

Check out more of my writings on American politics and also on Middle East politics by visiting my personal website, my archive at www.Hanania.com.

You can get links to all my writing at the Arab News Newspaper and Middle East Monitor, and in the Des Plaines Valley News and Southwest News Newspaper Chain as well as SuburbanChicagoland.com and the South Suburban News newspaper from Lyons and Bridgeview all the way south to Chicago heights.

Listen to more of the "Ray Hanania on Politics" podcast by visiting www.RayHananiaOnPolitics.com.

May 09, 201911:11
The Hate Show with Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert - S1 Ep12

The Hate Show with Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert - S1 Ep12

The Hate Show with Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert

May 9, 2019 Season 1, Episode 12

It used to be that after working real hard to take care of our families, we could come home at night and relax in front of the TV set and watch Late Night talk show hosts entertain us with humor and fun. We had Johnny Carson and the Jay Leno and David Lettermen. They were phenomenal.


But today, all that talent is gone from late night television. It has been replaced by vicious, politically-driven, selfish hatred against President Donald Trump Late night talk show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert spew some of the most obnoxious and vicious garbage that is pawned off as humor but it's just ugly hate. It's not even funny. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert should be called The Hate Show with Stephen Colbert.


Now President Trump is like anypresident. There is some good and there is some bad. Sure he should be criticized but criticized with the intent of being constructive, fair and funny. Instead, Kimmel and Colbert are engaged in a vicious assault that is dragging this country down. But worse, their unfunny hate is actually helping to empower President Trump and their late night hate shows are going to guarantee that Trump will be re-elected in 2020.


Here's my perspective on the "Ray Hanania on Politics" podcast. Check out more of my writings on AMerican politics and also on Middle East politics by visiting my personal website, my archive at www.Hanania.com.


You can get links to all my writing at the Arab News Newspaper and Middle East Monitor, and in the Des Plaines Valley News and Southwest News Newspaper Chain as well as SuburbanChicagoland.com and the South Suburban News newspaper from Lyons and Bridgeview all the way south to Chicago heights.


Listen to more of the "Ray Hanania on Politics" podcast by visiting www.RayHananiaOnPolitics.com.


It's that simple.

May 09, 201910:08
Gov. Pritzker's "Fair Tax" isn't Fair at all - S1 Ep11
May 06, 201915:14
The Mueller Report, biased media & Trump April 18, 2019, S1, Ep10
Apr 18, 201908:55
S1 Ep9: How Uber and Lift are destroying an immigrant driven industry

S1 Ep9: How Uber and Lift are destroying an immigrant driven industry

S1 Ep9: How Uber and Lift are destroying an immigrant driven industry

This is the Ray Hanania Podcasta weekly overview of all my opinion columns, my radio interviews, and my reports on Middle East topics and on Mainstream American politics. 

This episode of Ray Hanania on Politics looks at impact that Uber and Lyft are having on the Taxi Cab industry. The Taxi Cab industry is an immigrant driven industry and for the life of me, I don’t understand why the liberals who claim to care about immigrants are not standing up to defend the rights of the taxi can drivers who are being decimated and pushed out of business into homelessness by Uber and Lyft.

Taxi cabs are a heavily regulated industry. It costs a major investment to drive a cab or start your own company. The medallion was a huge investment at one time and was like a stock rising in value from $30,000 to $700,000 or more in recent years. But the rise of Uber and Lyft have pulled the rug out from the Taxi cab industry and medallion costs have fallen dramatically. Owners have lost fortunes invested in hard work and money over the past 30 to 40 years.

The real concern though is safety, the lack of adequate insurance. A Taxi Cab driver has thousands of dollars in insurance on their car. The Uber and Lyft drivers have cheap insurance. Who monitors them?

We need to do something. Maybe require Uber and Lyft drivers to purchase a medallion the same way we forced taxi cab drivers to buy medallions. Put them through rigorous background checks.

My mainstream columns are published at SuburbanChicagoland.com and in seven newspapers in the Southwest region of Chicagoland including The Regional News, The Reporter, the Des Plaines Valley News, and the Southwest News-Herald.

My Middle East columns are published in the Arab News Newspaper, the Middle East Monitor online, and the Arab Daily News online.

I hope you enjoy this episode of Ray Hanania on Politics. Go to RayHananiaOnPolitics.com for the latest episodes, or check us out on iTunes and my personal website www.Hanania.com

end

Apr 11, 201914:31
Remembering the 1979 election that changed everything in Chicago

Remembering the 1979 election that changed everything in Chicago

Remembering the 1979 election that changed everything in Chicago -- April 2, 2019

This is the "Ray Hanania on Politics" Podcast, a look at Chicagoland politics past and present ... 

This episode of Ray Hanania on Politics looks at the 1978 campaign and 1979 Chicago Mayoral Election.  We talk about the first African American mayor being either Lori Lightfoot or Toni Preckwinkle, but we can’t forget the action-paced newsmaking four year term of Chicago’s first woman Mayor Jane M. Byrne and how she defeated the Chicago Machine, and ended up taking it over …

That was my first real election that I covered as a City Hall reporter and it was one of the most exciting elections Chicago had seen in a long time … Jane Byrne’s rise, her feud with the Cabal of Evil Men who were Ed Fast Eddie Vrdolyak, Ed Burke and First Ward Outfit alderman Fred Roti …her election challenge of Mike Bilandic, who took the office from Wilson Frost who was the President Pro Tempore when Richard J. Daley died on Dec. 20, 1976 …

This is a look back at the rollercoaster first City Hall political earthquake that brought the Chicago Machine to its knees and changed Chicago politics forever … Jane Byrne’s rise opened the door to the changes that we continue to see today in Chicago politics.

My mainstream columns are published at SuburbanChicagoland.com and in seven newspapers in the Southwest region of Chicagoland including The Regional News, The Reporter, the Des Plaines Valley News, and the Southwest News-Herald.

My Middle East columns are published in the Arab News Newspaper, the Middle East Monitor online, and the Arab Daily News online.

I hope you enjoy this episode of Ray Hanania on Politics. Go to RayHananiaOnPolitics.com for the latest episodes, or check us out on iTunes and my personal website www.Hanania.com.

Apr 02, 201937:19
Chicago Mayoral Election, Lightfoot vs Preckwinkle

Chicago Mayoral Election, Lightfoot vs Preckwinkle

Chicago Mayoral Election, Lightfoot vs Preckwinkle

Opinion Commentary April 1, 2019

This is the Ray Hanania Podcasta weekly overview of all my opinion columns, my radio interviews, and my reports on Middle East topics and on Mainstream American politics. 

This episode of Ray Hanania on Politics looks at the race for Chicago mayor between Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle. Although the polls and many media pundits have already called this election for Lightfoot, I don’t believe you can rule Preckwinkle out and I believe she has a shot at winning. A good shot.

Although I have been a longtime critic of some of Preckwinkle’s policies, I feel Preckwinkle is the better candidate of the two and I have endorsed her, reflecting the sentiments of the Southwest Side and Northwest Side voters, most of who voted for other candidates.

Both Lightfoot and Preckwinkle are Machine candidates of sorts, Preckwinkle a traditional Machine candidate but Lightfoot as an untraditional Machine candidate running to push the far left, the extremists of politics.

You also have to consider that although many of the 12 candidates who lost to Lightfoot and Preckwinkle in the Feb. 26, 2019 open primary election have endorsed candidates, with Lightfoot receiving most of the endorsements, and Bill Daley not endorsing, you can’t assume that they control the votes their received. It’s a new ballgame folks. This election does not have the same dynamics of the 14-candidate open primary.

I think Preckwinkle will win.

My Middle East columns are published in the Arab News Newspaper, the Middle East Monitor online, and the Arab Daily News online.

My mainstream columns are published at SuburbanChicagoland.com and in seven newspapers in the Southwest region of Chicagoland including The Regional News, The Reporter, the Des Plaines Valley News, and the Southwest News-Herald.

Ihope you enjoy this episode of Ray Hanania on Politics. Go to RayHananiaOnPolitics.com for the latest episodes, or check us out on iTunes and my personal website www.Hanania.com

end

Apr 01, 201913:54
Richard Silverstein on Israel, Palestine Omar, AIPAC & peace, March 25, 2019

Richard Silverstein on Israel, Palestine Omar, AIPAC & peace, March 25, 2019

Richard Silverstein on Israel, Palestine Omar, AIPAC & peace, March 25, 2019

This is the Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast, we talk about everything from the Middle East to Mainstream issue, recorded on March 25, 2019.

Our guest online with us is Richard Silverstein, a longtime Jewish American progressive. Richard and I talk about the AIPAC Conference in Washington D.C. this week, the absurdity of calling Minnesota Congresswoman Ihlan Omar "anti-Semitic" for criticizing congressmen who put Israel's interests above American interests, and criticizing Israel PAC stranglehold on American politics. Richard's website is RichardSilverstein.com for more information and links to his Op-Ed writings and interviews.

You can get more information on this podcast at RayHananiaonPolitics.com and on my personal website where all my columns and podcasts are archived at Hanania.com. Also check out my older podcasts at pod bean an archive at TheArabStreet.com All of Ray Hanania's podcast shows are available on iTunes.

We discuss AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, PAC contributions to American Congress members and U.S. Senators and the influence the money buys, the weaponizing of anti-Semitism to silence critics of Israel's rightwing government policies, Congresswoman Ihlan Omar, the recent missile strike against Israel, Israel's use of violence to influence election results, and the power of Arab Israeli voters, and the power of the news media. Why doesn't an Arab country or Arab Americans buy an American newspaper like the Washington Post and force it to be objective when it comes to discussions about the Middle East, Israel and Palestine? 

Richard Silverstein also discussions his ongoing battles with Twitter over his use of words they feel should be censored.

www.Hanania.com

Mar 25, 201956:44
The truth about the failed Mueller probe into Russian meddling and collusion

The truth about the failed Mueller probe into Russian meddling and collusion

The Fake Mueller investigation into Russian meddling into the election ... 03-24-19 

This is the Ray Hanania on Politics podcast … I’ve covered politics for nearly a half century, including covering City Hall from 1978 until 1992 working there every day morning until night ands covering the administrations of 7 Chicago mayors from Daley to Daley … that includes the two week stint by David Orr as interim mayor between Mayor Washington’s death and the City Council appointment of Eugene Sawyer as acting mayor …

I write three weekly syndicated columns on mainstream and Middle East politics every week for the Southwest News newspaper group of eight newspapers and on Middle East issues for two major Middle East news sites, including Middle East monitor in London and the Arab News newspaper in Saudi Arabia.

You can get more information on my podcasts by visiting RayHananiaOnPolitics.com and also OnDeadlinePodcast.com, or to check out past podcast archives … go to Hanania.com to view links to all of my mainstream, Middle East columns, podcasts and videos, too.

In this episode of Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast, Ray talks about the reality of the Robert Mueller investigation into Russian tampering in the 2016 Presidential election campaign which targeted President Donald Trump … Hanania looks at the reality of the failed investigation and the individuals indicted on everything but collusion with Russian tampering in the election.

George Papadopoulos: former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, was arrested in July 2017 and pleaded guilty in October 2017 to making false statements to the FBI. He got a 14-day sentence.

Paul Manafort: Trump’s former campaign chair, was indicted on a total of 25 different counts by Mueller’s team, related mainly to his past work for Ukrainian politicians and his finances.

Rick Gates: a former Trump campaign aide and Manafort’s longtime junior business partner, was indicted on similar charges to Manafort.

Michael Flynn: Trump’s former national security adviser, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to making false statements to the FBI.

Michael Cohen: In August 2018, Trump’s former lawyer pleaded guilty to 8 counts — tax and bank charges, related to his finances and taxi business, and campaign finance violations — related to hush money payments to women who alleged affairs with Donald Trump,

Roger Stone: In January 2019, Mueller indicted longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone on 7 counts. He accused Stone of lying to the House Intelligence Committee about his efforts to get in touch with WikiLeaks during the campaign, and tampering with a witness who could have debunked his story.

The “Ray Hanania on Politics” podcast … which explores politics at every level and region from Jerusalem to Chicago, Middle East and Mainstream … every issue under the sun, politics, everyday life, society and more with hard-hitting opinions and insight and even humor. 

Ray Hanania has two podcasts now, one called Ray Hanania’s Middle East & Mainstream podcast , and this new one called “Ray Hanania on Politics” … both podcasts are available for download from iTunes and many other podcast system. Hanania is shifting from Podbean to do exclusive podcasting for the “Ray Hanania on Politics” podcast.

www.Hanania.com


Mar 24, 201913:04