Frannie Block, a reporter at The Free Press, writes about how money, power, and ideology shape the narratives espoused by the media, elite institutions, and governments — both foreign and domestic. Our conversation focuses on her recent article “How Qatar Bought America.”

Block has become one of the leading figures in uncovering efforts by the tiny nation of Qatar to influence significant sectors of American life, from K-12 education, to universities and think tanks — and even the highest levels of government.

Her reporting reveals how Qatar uses its vast financial resources in a soft power campaign to shape American politics and soften its image to the American public — while supporting Islamism and jihadism — to position itself as one of the world’s major brokers of diplomatic negotiations.

What we discussed:

• How Qatar is shaping American education, media, and politics through soft power.
• When nearly $100B is invested across U.S. sectors, what does Qatar expect in return?
• How close ties to Trump allies may reveal deeper foreign influence.
• Why a tiny Gulf state is straddling jihadist ideology and U.S. diplomacy.
• When lobbying laws are weak, how much foreign sway goes unnoticed?