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New York Times Investigated Israel Rigging Eurovision Voting to Boost Image

Breaking Points · 5/13/26: Trump Says He Doesn't Care About Americans Finances, Male Employment Craters, Israel Most Hated Country On Earth In New Poll · May 13, 2026
New York Times Investigated Israel Rigging Eurovision Voting to Boost Image
Breaking Points
Breaking Points
5/13/26: Trump Says He Doesn't Care About Americans Finances, Male Employment Craters, Israel Most Hated Country On Earth In New Poll
"New York Times did this somewhat belated, but, you know, kind of significant investigation into whether or not Israel manipulated the voting so that their star that they had representing their country would come out on top. In these countries like Spain, where people really, really hate Israel and are very pro-Palestine, somehow the Israeli artist won overwhelmingly in Spain. Netanyahu himself posted a graphic that was like, vote 20 times for our superstar."
The New York Times revealed Israel manipulated Eurovision contest voting to counter global hatred during the Gaza genocide, with Netanyahu personally urging citizens to vote 20 times. Investigators found anomalous results in countries hostile to Israel like Spain and small nations where few votes could sway outcomes. Crystal Ball said it reveals Israel's mentality: rather than change behavior, rig perceptions.

About this episode

Hosts Sagar Enjeti and Crystal Ball opened with devastating news for the Trump administration: inflation has spiked to 3.8%, the highest in three years, driven entirely by the Iran war and tariffs, wiping out all wage gains for American workers. In a stunning press conference clip, Trump said he does not think about Americans' financial situation at all when negotiating with Iran, focusing only on preventing a nuclear weapon Iran was never pursuing. The comment drew comparisons to unthinkable statements from prior presidents and was interpreted as a sign of Trump's cognitive decline and detachment. The episode examined how Trump's policies have systematically failed male workers despite his bro-centric campaign: nearly all job growth is in female-dominated healthcare and social assistance, manufacturing gains under Biden have been reversed, and deportations of mostly male immigrants have not opened up jobs as promised. Trump is now flying to Beijing with Elon Musk and other tech oligarchs to negotiate nearly $1 trillion in Chinese investment, completely abandoning his 2016 campaign promises to decouple from China and bring back manufacturing. The hosts then turned to global perception of the United States and Israel. New polling shows Israel is the most hated country on Earth, beating out North Korea, while the U.S. ranks just above Iran. A New York Times investigation confirmed Israel rigged Eurovision voting to boost its image during the Gaza genocide, with Netanyahu personally urging citizens to vote 20 times. The episode also addressed backlash to Nick Kristof's New York Times column documenting systematic rape of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces, with Zionists falsely claiming the story would be retracted despite the Times defending Kristof's extensively documented reporting. Throughout, the hosts emphasized how Trump's megalomania and foreign policy obsessions have created self-inflicted economic disaster while America's global standing collapses.

Key takeaways

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