The Tea with Myriam Francois

Has feminism gone too far? Across Western democracies, nearly 60% of Gen Z men now say men face more discrimination than women. Some call it backlash. But the data points to a generation of young men increasingly shaped by algorithm-driven content that distorts feminism, women’s rights, and the meaning of equality itself.

So what’s really driving this shift? This week on The Tea, we’re joined by bestselling author and feminist activist Laura Bates to unpack the growing backlash against feminism, the rise of the so-called manosphere — and the emerging “womanosphere” — and how algorithm-driven radicalisation is reshaping ideas about gender, power and truth.

From the attention economy to masculinity politics, we ask: is this a culture war between men and women — or something deeper being engineered beneath the surface? And who is profiting from it?

Also in the show:
⚡ Institutional misogyny across policing, politics, media, and justice
⚡ Violence against women and girls — a public health crisis
⚡ Algorithms, social media, and misogynistic radicalisation
⚡ Andrew Tate and the mainstreaming of the manosphere
⚡ UK Online Safety Act — protection or mass surveillance?
⚡ Men’s mental health crisis
⚡ The Gisèle Pelicot case and global “rape academy”
⚡ Manosphere meets the far right
⚡ From Narah Smith to Savannah Stone: the rise of the “womanosphere”
⚡ Freya India and feminism’s blind spots
Our guest argues that we’re not passive users of big tech — we’re active citizens with real choices to make about the technologies we use, the AI tools we adopt, and how we embed them in our lives.
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#TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #LauraBates #GenderPolitics #Feminism #GenZ #Manosphere #womanosphere #GenderEquality #UKPolitics #USPolitics #CurrentAffairs #news

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.theteanetwork.co

Eight months on from the so-called ceasefire in Gaza, the headlines may have moved on — but Israel's assault has not. The siege remains. The starvation continues. The displacement continues. The destruction continues.

This week on The Tea, we speak to Dr Mads Gilbert, the award-winning Norwegian doctor and long-standing advocate for Palestinian liberation. Having worked in Gaza for decades, Gilbert offers a devastating account of what he describes as a deliberate campaign of deprivation — one designed to destroy the very foundations of life.

Water and food supplies have been strangled. Hospitals have been besieged and bombed. Doctors have been detained and killed. Every university in Gaza has been attacked. Schools, ambulances, and civilian infrastructure have all come under fire.

This is not collateral damage. It’s a deliberate process of deprivation — one that has systematically targeted the very foundations of life.

Also in the show:
⚡ A remarkable story of survival: the world record in resuscitation from hypothermia
⚡ The Oslo Accords: corruption allegations and links to Jeffrey Epstein
⚡ The mystery of the missing Oslo documents
⚡ The so-called ceasefire? It’s a re-occupation line
⚡ UNRWA and the blockade preventing aid from reaching Gaza
⚡ Israel's impunity and the failure of Western governments to act
⚡ The systematic targeting of hospitals, doctors and medical infrastructure
⚡ Horror and abuse inside Israeli prisons
⚡ Israel and the “weaponisation” of solidarity
⚡ Palestinian resistance and the right to resist occupation
"The Palestinian people, with their heroism and sacrifice, are fighting a struggle for all of us against a new wave of brutal colonialism.” Our guest argues that “if we are to take our responsibility seriously, we have to stand with them."

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#TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #MadsGilbert #Gaza #Palestine #Israel #UNRWA #WestBank #genocides #CurrentAffairs #News #Politics #HussamAbuSafiya

AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Mads Gilbert
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producer: Nadège Bizimungu
Assistant Producer: Poppy Jacobs
Research: Constance Creswell
Video Editor: Max Bubnov
An MPWR Productions show.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If free speech is the foundation of a free society, what happened this week raises a disturbing question: are we sleepwalking into fascism?

Our guest this week, political commentator and founder of The Young Turks, Cenk Uygur, was barred from entering the UK, alongside Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, after criticising Israel, in a move that has sparked alarm over the future of free expression itself.

When does criticism of a state become "a question of public order"? Who gets to decide which opinions are acceptable? And why are some voices increasingly being shut out of public debate?
In this explosive episode of The Tea, Cenk joins us to discuss the power of pro-Israel lobbying networks, the campaign to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism, and why Western governments are becoming increasingly hostile to dissenting voices.
Also in the show:
⚡ Israeli influence and pressure on universities
⚡ How TYT has become a target in the war over Israel criticism
⚡ Why the US can fund Israel’s wars but struggles with basic healthcare
⚡ Larry Ellison, media consolidation, and control of political narratives
⚡ How the history of Israel-Palestine is framed in mainstream media
⚡ After Iran: Is Turkey the “next threat”?
⚡ “Greater Israel” and the ideological battle over Zionism
⚡ Valentina Gomez and the framing of Israel criticism as extremism
⚡ New law linking US and Israeli military more closely
⚡ The role of lobbying and money in shaping US congressional priorities
As Cenk argues: Israel is not the root cause but a symptom of a deeper system—where money and influence shape policy, and multiple lobbies exert outsized power over democratic decision-making.
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#TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #CenkUygur #HasamPiker #Israel #travelban #Palestine #freedomofspeech #USPolitics #UKPolitics #HomeOffice #news #currentaffairs
AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Cenk Uygur
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producer: Nadège Bizimungu
Assistant Producer: Poppy Jacobs
Research: Sana Serrouk, Martha Missingham
Video Editor: Max Bubnov
An MPWR Productions show.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.theteanetwork.co

America has learned nothing from its wars. Not Iraq. Not Afghanistan. Not 9/11. And now, with Iran, the cycle is repeating itself. For 23 years, Michael Scheuer served inside the CIA. In this week’s episode of The Tea, he joins us to pull back the curtain on what he calls America’s “imperial hubris” — a foreign policy driven by arrogance, endless intervention, and political capture.
From Israel’s influence on Washington to the failures of the War on Terror, Scheuer argues the US keeps repeating catastrophic mistakes — while the cost is paid in blood, instability, and permanent war.

“America is still trapped in a cult of World War II, acting as though it remains the unchallenged power of 1945, despite decades of global backlash.”
Also in the show:

⚡ 9/11, bin Laden & missed opportunities
⚡ Israel’s grip on US foreign policy
⚡ The CIA rendition program
⚡ Iran — another example of American hubris
⚡ Trump’s “anti-war” promises — and the reality
⚡ The business of war — and who benefits from endless conflict
⚡ The cost of being under Israel’s thumb
⚡ Sanctions as a failed policy
⚡ AIPAC’s deep influence on Congress and the Senate
⚡ Is America drifting toward another civil conflict?

“Trump’s words and actions are a reminder that we’re at the bottom of the barrel. How long can we keep voting for people who don’t do what they say they’re gonna do?”

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#TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #MichaelScheuer #Trump2026 #USPolitics #Iran #CIA #Israel #Zionism #MiddleEast #news # #currentaffairs

AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Michael Scheuer
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producer: Sana Serroukh
Assistant Producer: Poppy Jacobs
Research: Constance Creswell
Video Editor: Max Bubnov
An MPWR Productions show.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.theteanetwork.co

What happens when one of the most dangerous political theories of our time goes mainstream?

This week in San Diego, two teenagers opened fire at a mosque, killing three people, in an attack reportedly tied to a manifesto driven by “Great Replacement Theory”— the belief that immigrants, Muslims, and minorities are “replacing” white populations.

But San Diego is not an exception. From Christchurch and El Paso to Buffalo, the GRT has become the ideological spine of modern mass violence.
In this episode of The Tea, historian and bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi joins us to unpack how an extremist conspiracy theory evolved into one of the world's most influential political narratives.

The GRT transforms demographic change into an existential threat. It turns diversity into invasion, and violence into “defence.” So who is driving this shift — and whose interests are served by its spread?
Also in the show:

⚡ The origins of the GRT — from Renaud Camus to mainstream politics
⚡ The White House, “remigration,” and the normalisation of extremist rhetoric
⚡ GRT and the myth of “Judeo-Christian” that serves Israel’s agenda
⚡ Anti-racism and DEI — the corporate backlash against structural change
⚡ The rise of “Great Replacement” financiers and politicians
⚡ Tommy Robinson, Elon Musk, and the politics of hate
Kendi argues that confronting this ideology requires rejecting the zero-sum logic at its core. And recognising that shared humanity may be the only way to break the cycle of fear, division, and violence.
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#TheTeaWithMyriamFrancois #IbramXKendi #Islamophobia #IslamicCenter #SanDiego #GreatReplacementTheory #USPolitics #UKPolitics #news # #currentaffairs

AUDIO CREDITS
Presenter–Producer: Dr. Myriam François
Guest: Ibram X Kendi
Senior Producer: Sara Farolfi
Producer: Nadège Bizimungu
Assistant Producer: Poppy Jacobs
Research: Sana Serrouk, Martha Missingham
Video Editor: Max Bubnov
An MPWR Productions show.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on The Tea YouTube series and podcast are their own and do not reflect those of MPWR Productions or its licensees. The appearance of this YouTube programme and podcast on social media platforms does not imply endorsement by MPWR Productions. MPWR Productions disclaims any liability for damages arising from the use of the podcast and its recordings to the fullest extent permissible by law.

This video is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the guest and creators. The inclusion of public figures or journalists is based on publicly available information and does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.

The views in this video do not establish a professional relationship with viewers and do not constitute legal, professional, or personal advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.