Free Daily Podcast Summary
The Fire These Times: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Elia Ayoub
A podcast about the world we live in by an anti-authoritarian Libano-Palestinian migrant journalist and historian somewhere in the UK. “Where we tell our hardest truths, and find one another" - Naomi Klein.To support: https://www.patreon.com/thefirethesetimesArt by https://therosaartist.com
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Yesterday53 min
The Techbro Looting of Science Fiction w/ Ali Rıza Taşkale (E231)
Today we’re joined by Ali Rıza Taşkale to talk about a piece he wrote for Aeon called “the looting of science fiction.” Previous listeners of TFTT would know that I’ve talked about this a fair bit because I don’t think we can understand the ongoing dominance of techbro billionaires over our politics without understanding how they routinely ignore the core messages of works of sci-fi or fantasy that many of us know and love. It’s like that metaphor-turned-meme by Alex Blechman which goes like this: Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale. Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus. But ranting about Musk’s bastardisation of Star Trek and Thiel’s bastardisation of Lord of the Rings would be one thing. Understanding their material impact is quite another. As much as I could spend hours insulting these two men and other insufferable men, I wouldn’t be doing you - my dear listener - a service by limiting myself to that. So allow me to introduce you to what Taşkale called materialised science fiction. To borrow from a paper of his: “The most consequential illiberal infrastructure now being constructed may not be emerging from political parties or state institutions at all. It is being built by a small cohort of tech oligarchs” who don’t know how to fucking read. I added that last bit.Admin: Patreons get this episode before November so they’d have time to register for the class. If you’re listening to this after November and wish to take the class, please send me an email and send me a message on Signal expressing your interest. Once I get the 2027 dates sorted I’ll message you with the dates and you can decide then if you wanna book it. It’s really important that I know how many people are in each class so please message me asap. I also wanna make the case for joining the Patreon of TFTT at Patreon.com/thefirethesetimesNot only do you get early access to everything I do as well as other perks such as the monthly hangouts and exclusive video interviews, but you only need to commit to the first year. It’s cheaper to subscribe on a yearly basis anyway, but I understand that not everyone can commit for longer than that. If that’s you, please know that you can continue being on the Patreon for free after that initial year. Just message me closer to the date and I’ll send you a free invite. That initial support is, I’m hoping, enough for me to make this project financially sustainable (and get a producer), and I’m grateful for the 200 or so listeners who currently support TFTT on Patreon. The Star Trek pod: Resistance is Fertile produced by the Collective of Anarchist WritersAli’s recs:Movie: Distant (Uzak) by Nuri Bilge CeylanMovie: Blade Runner 2049Book: The Disposessed by Ursula Le GuinNewsletter: Subscribe to HauntologiesSocial Media: I'm on Bluesky and Instagram.Contact: To collaborate, reach out on ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com / Signal @ Ayoub.02Credit: Elia Ayoub (host, sound editor, episode design), the rosa artist (TFTT theme design, 2026-), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng
- 1 weeks ago54 min
Mumbai: City of Sweat w/ Aruna Chandrasekhar (E230)
Today we’re joined by Aruna Chandrasekhar. Aruna is a climate and environmental journalist based out of Mumbai, and I wanted to have her on after reading an excellent essay she wrote for Equator called City of Sweat. If you’re listening to this from the UK, the US, Canada or indeed from a good chunk of the world, you experienced heatwaves this year. Very few places experienced them like India did however. So we talked about this summer’s heatwaves across the country and Aruna’s attempt to report on what it’s been like along with photojournalist Ishan Tankha. What folks in Mumbai went through is a warning for the rest of us, and note that Mumbai wasn’t even on the list of the world’s hottest 50 cities in April - all of which were in India. Yes, all. But this is TFTT so this point of this episode is not to simply make everyone mdapresseen - as we’d say in Lebanon - ie depressed, but merely to equip ourselves with the tools we need to face the worsening climate crisis. I wouldn’t be doing episodes like this otherwise. We also talked about the Cockroach Janta Party and the ongoing protests, because we couldn’t not.Recs:Anything by Lina MounzerThe Web Beneath the Waves: The Fragile Cables that Connect our World by Samanth Subramanian Run Modi Run by Rahul BhatiaBut first, some admin:You can still register for my November class, the 5th and last class on modern Lebanese history and politics before I take a long break from it all. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Lebanon and why it matters so much to today’s geopolitical nightmare, I think you’ll benefit from taking this class. I also wanna make the case for joining the Patreon of TFTT at Patreon.com/thefirethesetimesNot only do you get early access to everything I do as well as other perks such as the monthly hangouts and exclusive video interviews, but you only need to commit to the first year. It’s cheaper to subscribe on a yearly basis anyway, but I understand that not everyone can commit for longer than that. If that’s you, please know that you can continue being on the Patreon for free after that initial year. Just message me closer to the date and I’ll send you a free invite. That initial support is, I’m hoping, enough for me to make this project financially sustainable, and I’m grateful for the 200 or so listeners who currently support TFTT on Patreon. Just a note: If you have an iPhone, I recommend subscribing from a browser instead of your Patreon application as it’s less expensive for you to do so since Apple decided it can rip people off through the Patreon app.Newsletter: Subscribe to HauntologiesSocial Media: I'm on Bluesky and Instagram.Contact: To collaborate, reach out on ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com / Signal @ Ayoub.02Credit: Elia Ayoub (host, sound editor, episode design), the rosa artist (TFTT theme design, 2026-), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design, 2022-2026), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design), Molly
- 2 weeks ago1h 7m
The State of Fascism w/ Bill Fletcher Jr (E229)
Today we’re joined by Bill Fletcher Jr. Over 2 years ago, this longtime USA-based labor and social justice activist was on TFTT to talk about the threats of what was then a theoretical disaster: a second Trump administration. I’m sorry to say that our predictions came true, and I don’t think I have to tell any of you how disastrous the 2nd Trump admin has been, even by the low standards of the first iteration. This is why I wanted to have Bill on again, partly to reflect on these past 2 years of Trump 2, its impact on both the US and the world, but also, along the way, what we have learned on how to prepare ourselves against the ongoing dangers of authoritarianism and fascism. Bill also put his organiser’s hat on to tell us how to better organise our side in order to take on our opponents.Book Recs:Russia’s New Imperialism: Capital and Ideology by Ilya Budraitskis and Ilya MatveevNeither Settler nor Native: The Making and Unmaking of Permanent Minorities by Mahmood MamdaniThe Years Of Rice And Salt by Kim Stanley RobinsonFilm Recs:Exterminate All the BrutesBlade Runner (both)Series: Strategist KanbeiBill’s novels:The Man Who Fell From the SkyThe Man Who Changed ColorsAdmin:You can still register for my November class, the 5th and last class on modern Lebanese history and politics before I take a long break from it all. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Lebanon and why it matters so much to today’s geopolitical nightmare, I think you’ll benefit from taking this class. I also wanna make the case for joining the Patreon of TFTT at Patreon.com/thefirethesetimesNot only do you get early access to everything I do as well as other perks such as the monthly hangouts and exclusive video interviews, but you only need to commit to the first year. It’s cheaper to subscribe on a yearly basis anyway, but I understand that not everyone can commit for longer than that. If that’s you, please know that you can continue being on the Patreon for free after that initial year. Just message me closer to the date and I’ll send you a free invite. That initial support is, I’m hoping, enough for me to make this project financially sustainable, and I’m grateful for the 200 or so listeners who currently support TFTT on Patreon. Just a note: If you have an iPhone, I recommend subscribing from a browser instead of your Patreon application as it’s less expensive for you to do so since Apple decided it can rip people off through the Patreon app.Newsletter: Subscribe to HauntologiesSocial Media: I'm on Bluesky and Instagram.Contact: To collaborate, reach out on ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com / Signal @ Ayoub.02Credit: Elia Ayoub (host, sound editor, episode design), the rosa artist (TFTT theme design, 2026-), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design, 2022-2026), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design), Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics) and<a href="htt
- 3 weeks ago1h 0m
Left Melancholy: A Minneapolis Retrospective w/ mags and Ed (E228)
Early this year, I had Nicole Bedera, Aydin and Ed on to talk about the resistance against ICE that was happening in their town of Minneapolis and that was making headlines all around the world. Since then, enough time has passed for today’s guest, mags, to have written a powerful piece called “Will Minneapolis Choose Melancholy?” I wanted to have them on, alongside a returning Ed, to talk about the trappings of melancholy that leftwing and progressive movements, but also just people-who-take-part-in-protests more generally, have been dealing with for a very long time. We also borrowed from my own experience from Lebanon, as well as that of Hong Kong.Recs:The Kurdish Women’s Movement: History, Theory, Practice by Dilar DirikHope Without Hope - Rojava and Revolutionary Commitment by Matt BroomfieldDays of Love and Rage by Anand GopalHere Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund by Molly CrabappleAlso: A Summer Reading List for Minneapolis 2026Elia also brought up We, Traitors: Bundist Writings on Zionism, Palestine, and Socialism by Nathan Tankus and Eyshe Beirich, both of whom are upcoming guests of TFTT.But first, some admin:You can still register for my November class, the 5th and last class on modern Lebanese history and politics before I take a long break from it all. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Lebanon and why it matters so much to today’s geopolitical nightmare, I think you’ll benefit from taking this class. I also wanna make the case for joining the Patreon of TFTT at Patreon.com/thefirethesetimesNot only do you get early access to everything I do as well as other perks such as the monthly hangouts and exclusive video interviews, but you only need to commit to the first year. It’s cheaper to subscribe on a yearly basis anyway, but I understand that not everyone can commit for longer than that. If that’s you, please know that you can continue being on the Patreon for free after that initial year. Just message me closer to the date and I’ll send you a free invite. That initial support is, I’m hoping, enough for me to make this project financially sustainable, and I’m grateful for the 200 or so listeners who currently support TFTT on Patreon. Just a note: If you have an iPhone, I recommend subscribing from a browser instead of your Patreon application as it’s less expensive for you to do so since Apple decided it can rip people off through the Patreon app.Newsletter: Subscribe to HauntologiesSocial Media: I'm on Bluesky and Instagram.Contact: To collaborate, reach out on ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com / Signal @ Ayoub.02Credit: Elia Ayoub (host, sound editor, episode design), the rosa artist (TFTT theme design, 2026-), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design, 2022-2026),<
- 4 weeks ago1h 30m
Surviving Sisi's Egypt w/ Abdelrahman ElGendy (E227)
One thing you’ll get from this episode - and from reading Abdelrahman’s memoir Huna: A Memoir of Revolution, Prison, and Becoming recounting his six years in Sisi’s nightmarish prisons in Egypt - is a lot of empathy, not just towards what he went through, what others like Ayman Moussa - who was 19 when arrested in 2013 and is still serving a 15-year sentence - are still going through, but the sense that Abdelrahman himself remains empathetic, and dare I say hopeful. I was really struck by not only how eloquent he is, but how he’s able to navigate extremely difficult topics that must still haunt him with dignity. You’ll see what I mean in this episode.This includes a reading of Huna by Abdelrahman himself.This is part of a two-parter on the Egyptian dictatorship led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Check out Imprisoning a Revolution: Writings from Egypt's Incarcerated by Collective Antigone with a forward by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.Abdelrahman's Recs:The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black Study by Fred Moten and Stefano HarneyPoetics of Relation by Édouard GlissantFrom the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures by Lara SheehiAdmin: You can still register for my November class, the 5th and last class on modern Lebanese history and politics before I take a long break from it all. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Lebanon and why it matters so much to today’s geopolitical nightmare, I think you’ll benefit from taking this class. For non-Patreons, I wanna make the case for joining the Patreon of TFTT at Patreon.com/thefirethesetimesNot only do you get early access to everything I do as well as other perks such as the monthly hangouts and exclusive video interviews, but you only need to commit to the first year. It’s cheaper to subscribe on a yearly basis anyway, but I understand that not everyone can commit for longer than that. If that’s you, please know that you can continue being on the Patreon for free after that initial year. Just message me closer to the date and I’ll send you a free invite. That initial support is, I’m hoping, enough for me to make this project financially sustainable, and I’m grateful for the 200 or so listeners who currently support TFTT on Patreon. Just a note: If you have an iPhone, I recommend subscribing from a browser instead of your Patreon application as it’s less expensive for you to do so since Apple decided it can rip people off through the Patreon app.Newsletter: Subscribe to HauntologiesSocial Media: I'm on Bluesky and Instagram.Contact: To collaborate, reach out on ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com / Signal @ Ayoub.02Credit: Elia Ayoub (host, sound editor, episode design), israa' (host), the rosa artist (TFTT theme design, 2026-), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design, 2022-2026), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design),<a href="https://www.mollycrabapple.com/" targe
- Oct 5, 20261h 12m
Arab Parenthood and Genocide (E226)
Last time, I sat down with Shui-yin Sharon Yam to talk about ambiguous loss, diasporic parenting and grieving the what-ifs. Thank you to those who sent me nice feedback about that one. As you might imagine, it wasn’t an easy one to record, but it felt necessary after I realised that we all experience ambiguous loss in one way or another. Today I’m talking to Heba Gowayed. She is a writer and associate professor of sociology at CUNY Hunter College and Graduate Center. Her research and writing centers the lives of people who migrate across borders and the unequal and often violent institutions they face. I wanted to have Heba on to talk about a piece she had written for In These Times called “On Parenthood and Genocide,” which was republished in the book “We Grow the World Together: Parenting Toward Abolition” edited by Maya Schenwar and Kim Wilson. Heba, like me, has a kid who is roughly the same age as mine. We’re both raising them in mixed Arab/non-Arab families in the diaspora in the West, and we have both been deeply impacted by what it all means in the context of a genocide against our people, especially as both of our kids were born end of 2023. In fact, this episode will be out not long before the third anniversary of the ongoing Western-backed Israeli genocide against Palestinians, which itself started about a week before my own kid was born. So it’s all been a bit much to be honest with you, but I hope you’ll find something in this episode regardless of whether you’re a parent or not. The monstrosities unleashed by the Israelis have contributed to an acceleration of the decline of whatever is left of international human rights, a decline that authoritarian governments everywhere are enjoying. I believe that part of how we fight back is through understanding what is actually happening, and the stories we talk about here - mine and Heba’s - are only a part of a much wider trend that is affecting millions.Admin: You can still register for my November class, the 5th and last class on modern Lebanese history and politics before I take a long break from it all. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Lebanon and why it matters so much to today’s geopolitical nightmare, I think you’ll benefit from taking this class. I have a lot - and I do mean a lot - of episodes that I’m recording in the coming weeks. If you choose to support this podcast on Patreon.com/thefirethesetimes, you’ll get early access to al of them. If you have an iPhone, I recommend subscribing from a browser instead of your phone as it’s less expensive for you to do so because Apple thought it wasn’t screwing over creators enough.. You’ll also get exclusive access to the video episodes, our monthly hangout as well as other perks such as the upcoming Discord channel, discounts on upcoming merch, that sort of thing. I’m also working on two separate mini-series that will be released to Patreon supporters all at once, with the public getting them once a month as of 2027. So if this is something you can afford, please consider giving it a shot with a yearly donation. If it doesn’t work out for you after a year’s time, you can stay on the Patreon for free (just message me then) and not lose access to anything. I only ask for an initial year-long commitment, which is cheaper for you than paying monthly anyway. Masterclass on Modern Lebanon: Registration is now open for November 2026.Newsletter: Subscribe to HauntologiesSocial Media: I'm on Bluesky and Instagram.Contact:
- Sep 28, 20261h 27m
Ambiguous Loss and Diasporic Parenting w/ Shui-yin Sharon Yam (E225)
Over the past few years, I’ve had to reckon with loss and grief that felt unresolved, and perhaps unresolvable. It’s something we’re all dealing with in different ways. When loved ones die, we know they’re dead. Everything that comes with that remains horrible, even maybe unbearable, but there is no ambiguity over the fact that a loss happened. That’s not the case with ambiguous loss, the reality that every loss does not hold the promise of anything like resolutions. Take people who were forcibly disappeared in war. Their loved ones just don’t know for sure that they’re dead. There have been cases of people thought to be disappeared actually coming back from the dead, as it were. When the Assad regime fell nearly 2 years ago, there were some Lebanese prisoners released that were ostensibly missing since the 80s. Loved ones of those disappeared just don’t know, and many end up expressing a sense of paralysis, as it time was frozen the day they disappeared, and never unfroze. Linear time stops making much sense. Has a year passed since the ‘death’? What if they’re still alive? Can one even live with that, or is one stuck. Ambiguous loss can also be more ‘mundane’, for lack of a better term. I’ve moved a lot these past few years. Ever since I left Lebanon in 2015, I’ve moved places and countries many times. Each move brings with it good and bad, and the bad can be a sense of loss that is both permanent and unsettled. In that, ambiguous loss is as universal as it gets. We just don’t usually have the terminology to understand it better. So I had Shui-yin Sharon Yam on to talk about ambiguous loss. She is Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies, and a faculty affiliate of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Kentucky. This was actually her suggestion. Yam is a returning guest of TFTT. She was on in 2022 to talk about “Untellable Stories, Reproductive Justice & Complicating Acts of Advocacy” and before that in 2020 to talk about “Hong Kong, Disappearances and the Emotional Cost of Disinformation.”Poetry: Homelands Under X-RaySharon's Recommendations:Past Lives (Movie)Wayward Lives by Saidiya HartmanAll Fours by Miranda JulyAdmin: I have a lot of episodes that I’m recording in the coming weeks. If you choose to support this podcast on Patreon.com/thefirethesetimes, you’ll get early access to all of them. You’ll also get exclusive access to the video episodes, our monthly hangout as well as other perks such as the upcoming Discord channel, discounts on upcoming merch, that sort of thing. I’m also working on two separate mini-series that will be released to Patreon supporters all at once, with the public getting them once a month as of 2027. So if this is something you can afford, please consider giving it a shot with a yearly donation. If it doesn’t work out for you after a year’s time, you can stay on the Patreon for free (just message me then) and not lose access to anything. I only ask for an initial year-long commitment, which is cheaper for you than paying monthly anyway. Masterclass on Modern Lebanon: Registration is now open for November 2026.Newsletter: Subscribe to HauntologiesSocial Media: I'm on Bluesky and Instagram.Contact: To collaborate, reach out on ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com / Signal @ Ayoub.02Credit: Elia Ayoub (host, sound editor, episode design), the rosa artist (TFTT theme design, 2026-), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design),<a href="
- Sep 14, 202644 min
Fascists Really Believe It w/ Toby Buckle (E224)
Do fascists really believe in fascism? Yes, yes they do, and we need to stop pretending otherwise to better equip ourselves against them. I had the writer Toby Buckle (Political Philosophy Podcast) on to talk about his essay “Fascists Really Believe It” for Liberal Currents. Recorded 26 August 2026. Patreon release 27 August 2026 (+ video exclusive). I was previously on his podcast to talk about fascism and fiction. You can support The Fire These Times on Patreon and in return get: early access to all episodes, exclusive videos, mini-series, access to our monthly hangout as well as the Discord channel, discounts on merch, personalised thank you cards, and more to come.Masterclass on Modern Lebanon: Registration is now open for November 2026.Newsletter: Subscribe to HauntologiesSocial Media: I’m on Bluesky and Instagram.Related episodes:The rise of end times fascism w/ Astra Taylor and Naomi Klein (E200)Our Mirror Worlds w/ Naomi Klein (E182)The Stories That Fascism Fears Most w/ Jessie Gender (E199)American Neocons, Christian Zionists & Israeli Fascism w/ Atalia Omer (E176)Lebanon and the Threat of Christian Fascism w/ Justin Salhani (E158)Understanding (Anti-)Fascism w/ Shane Burley (E125)Organizing Against Ice w/ Nicole Bedera, Aydin and Ed (E211)Contact: To collaborate, reach out on ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com / Signal @ Ayoub.02
Get The Fire These Times summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Listeners also like.
The Deprogram
Three hosts from different continents critique late-stage capitalism and challenge ideological norms through sharp anti-system commentary.
A World With
Futures In Draft & Storythings
Economist Podcasts
Daily global news analysis from correspondents on major international stories.
Pod Save the UK
Comedians and journalists analyze UK politics with guests, offering insight and solutions on current events.
Radical with Amol Rajan
Amol Rajan interviews global radicals, pioneers, and innovators shaping the future on issues like AI, climate, and politics.
Rethinking Palestine
A Palestinian policy analyst hosts discussions with experts on current events and enduring issues affecting Palestinians globally.
The Real Story
Experts and decision makers analyze and debate major news stories.
Interesting Times
Explores global shifts and emerging trends through interviews and analysis on the evolving world order.
92NY Talks
Recorded conversations from 92nd Street Y featuring prominent thinkers, artists, and leaders discussing culture, ideas, and society.
It Could Happen Here
A daily chronicle of societal collapse and the search for a better future amid the ruins of the old world.
Reply All
A podcast that explores the internet and its impact on modern life through investigative stories and personal narratives.
Things You Can't Un-Hear
Maritza Barone
About The Fire These Times
A podcast about the world we live in by an anti-authoritarian Libano-Palestinian migrant journalist and historian somewhere in the UK. “Where we tell our hardest truths, and find one another" - Naomi Klein.To support: https://www.patreon.com/thefirethesetimesArt by https://therosaartist.com
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from The Fire These Times in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's The Fire These Times daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of The Fire These Times as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the The Fire These Times podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official The Fire These Times product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Elia Ayoub.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts, any in the catalog. Basic raises that to 15, Pro to 40 and Max to 100. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does The Fire These Times release new episodes?
The Fire These Times publishes biweekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does The Fire These Times cover?
The Fire These Times covers topics including News, Politics. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting The Fire These Times summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.