It Could Happen Here Weekly 255

October 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

How Anti-Palestinian Racism Operates Through the Language of Anti-Semitism

Dan al-Kurd, a researcher of Arab and Palestinian politics, was invited to deliver introductory remarks at an event about higher education. He outlined the Trump administration's coordinated assault on universities—funding freezes, curriculum interventions, and the weaponization of Title VI anti-Semitism complaints. After his remarks, he was accused of downplaying anti-Semitism. This episode is his response: a reading of those remarks, followed by an explanation of why the accusation itself is a form of anti-Palestinian racism.

The Campaign Against Universities

Al-Kurd begins with the concrete details of what has happened to American higher education. Columbia University agreed to pay the Trump administration $220 million, punish 70 students including through expulsion, and appoint a vice provost to ensure a "balanced curriculum" within the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department—effectively placing the department under administrative receivership. This is one case among many.

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What you'll learn

1 It Could Happen Here Weekly 255 — Timestamped Outline
2 (03:02) **Dan al-Kurd on Anti-Palestinian Racism in Higher Education** - Researcher and analyst of Arab and Palestinian politics reads remarks he gave at an academic event, then explains why he was accused of downplaying antisemitism
3 (16:11) **Garrison Davis on Trump's 2026 Election Subversion Efforts** - Overview of executive orders, Supreme Court shadow docket rulings, and the SAVE system aimed at restricting voting access before the midterms
4 (59:49) **Mick, James Stout, and Molly Conger on the Save Europe Act** - Breakdown of the proposed European Citizens Initiative, its openly racist "great replacement" language, and the far-right figures behind it
5 (170:20) **Violent Escalation in the Netherlands** - Mick catalogs a wave of attacks on migrant centers in Spring 2026, arguing the Save Europe Act creates the conditions for violence while denying responsibility
6 (186:55) **Executive Disorder: Week of October 14-21** - Garrison Davis, James Stout, Mia Wong, and Robert Evans cover White House chaos, election interference, and global protests
7 (220:05) **Alberta Secession Referendum** - Garrison reports on the vote where Albertans rejected starting a binding separation process, despite US interference

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file:

Anti-Palestinian Racism
How Trump Will Try To Make Voting Restrictions Even Worse
The Save Europe Act and the Bad Faith Nazis Who Created It P1
The Save Europe Act and the Bad Faith Nazis Who Created It P2
Executive Disorder: Alberta Separatism, Ukraine's Starlink Predicament, Global Protests Continue

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Sources/Links:

Anti-Palestinian Racism

How Trump Will Try To Make Voting Restrictions Even Worse