Albania Protests Halt Jared And Ivanka’s 'Epstein Island' Resort Scheme

Thursday, June 4, 2026, Istanbul Tiny Albania turned itself into a Balkan United Arab Emirates by cozying up to Israel and the administration of Donald Trump. It joined the Board of Peace, the sham organization used to deflect attention from the ongoing Israeli subjugation of Palestinians in Gaza.But it all blew up this week over plans to hand over precious coastal properties and an island to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump for a $4 billion resort scheme funded with ill-gotten cash from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. On today’s podcast, I detail how growing public unease over Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s enthusiastic embrace of Israel blew up in his face this week, forcing him to freeze the resort project. Plus, I discuss the ongoing low-level war between Iran and the US and, in an interview with India’s NewsX World, the complications that could arise when Team Iran arrives in the US for the World Cup this summer. Please listen or watch, share, comment, and subscribe. badlands is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe