American Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson hosted right-wing activist Nick Fuentes on his popular podcast published Tuesday, in a viral interview where the two discussed their shared criticism of "Christian Zionists" and the perceived allegiance of "Jewish neoconservatives" to Israel, a stance that aligns with Fuentes's long-standing 'America first' views.

The conversation, which drew swift reactions online, centered on neoconservatism and Jewish identity, with Fuentes arguing that the Jewish diaspora's loyalty to Israel undermines American national interest. Carlson, while distancing himself from Fuentes's more extreme rhetoric, expressed strong opposition to Christian Zionism, calling it a "heresy" and sayng he disliked it more than any other group, a position that has triggered many pro-Israel neoconservatives.

The interview marked the first public meeting between the two conservative figures, with Fuentes asserting that "neoconservatism" and Israel policy are deeply motivated by Jewish ethnic identity and religious allegiance, framing the diaspora as unassimilable and prioritizing Israel over the United States or any other host country.

Fuentes, who has faced accusations of antisemitism, also claimed his best friend and assistant are Jewish.

Carlson agreed with Fuentes on the critique of U.S. foreign policy toward Israel, calling the relationship "insane and it hurts us," and condemned the Israeli position that all Gaza residents are terrorists by birth, calling it incompatible with Christianity and Western civilization.

On the topic of women, Fuentes, who many suspect is a homosexual, expressed contempt for feminism, pornography, and marijuana, claiming they ruin young men, a view Carlson did not challenge.

Fuentes, 27, recounted his radicalization, beginning as a fan of neoconservative Jewish figures like commentators Mark Levin and Ben Shapiro, but breaking with them over their pro-Israel stances, particularly after being targeted with censorship push by The Daily Wire and other Jewish-run media outlets and platforms, for questioning U.S. support for Israel.

Carlson, while rejecting the idea that "the Jews" are responsible for global issues, acknowledged the power of the "Christian Zionists" like U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and former President George W. Bush; and expressed offense at the ideology as a Christian.

The interview sparked swift reactions online many pro-Israel neoconservative and Jewish commentators, condemning Carlson for "platforming" "known antisemite;" and Senator Ted Cruz stating, "It’s remarkable, and sad, watching Tucker turn into Nick Fuentes."  They argue that platforming of Fuentes signals a dangerous shift toward mainstreaming so-called antisemitism within the conservative movement.

However many prominent conservatives online, praised Carlson for courageously upholding the American spirit of open dialogue, debate and free speech. They argue that the best response to 'bad speech' is more speech not less, and that de-platforming and ostracizing people only leads to more radicalization and extremism.

NASA's experimental X-59 QueSST (Quiet Supersonic Technology) jet successfully completed its first test flight on Tuesday, from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, marking a major milestone in the development of quiet supersonic flight technology. The aircraft, designed to break the sound barrier without producing a disruptive sonic boom, took off at about 1413 UTC, flew at subsonic speeds and reached a peak altitude of 3,660 meters, as planned for its initial test phase.

The flight, which lasted about one hour, was conducted by NASA’s lead test pilot Nils Larson and was accompanied by a chase plane.

The X-59, a one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft designed by NASA and built by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works for NASA, is designed to cruise at Mach 1.4 (or 1,490 kph) at an altitude of 16,764 meters, more than twice as high and nearly twice as fast as conventional airliners.

Its unique, elongated shape is engineered to transform the explosive sonic boom into a much quieter "sonic thump," comparable in volume to slamming a car door, which could allow future supersonic commercial flights over land.

The first flight was a lower-altitude loop at about 386 kph to verify system integration, airworthiness, and safety, with subsequent flights planned to progressively increase altitude and speed until supersonic flight is achieved.

The test flight occurred after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted its five-decade-old ban on supersonic flights over land in June 2025, paving the way for new noise-based certification standards.

NASA has invested over $518 million since 2018 in the X-59 program, and the aircraft was named 2025’s “Coolest Thing Made in California” by the California Manufacturers & Technology Association earlier this month.

The X-59 is equipped with an eXternal Vision System (XVS) to compensate for reduced forward visibility due to its long nose, and features a life support system, ejection seat, and g-suit for pilot safety.

The flight marks the transition from ground testing to airborne operations, with data collected from the X-59’s Flight Test Instrumentation System (FTIS) to inform future regulatory changes for supersonic flight.

If the X-59 can prove that "quiet" supersonic flight is possible, the restrictions on breaking the sound barrier above the populated U.S. could someday be lifted, allowing commercial supersonic flight.

After this first flight, the X-59 will now reside at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, where it will undergo a testing campaign that will involve flying the jet over microphones placed throughout the desert and trailing other aircraft equipped with special air sensors through its shockwaves.

The QueSST program emerged in the mid-2010s as NASA's renewed push to enable overland supersonic flight by demonstrating boom mitigation viable for regulatory reconsideration, building on decades of low-boom research enabled by modern computational tools for precise pressure signature shaping.

In February 2016, NASA contracted Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works for the X-59's preliminary design phase, selecting the firm for its historical proficiency in secretive, high-performance experimental programs such as the SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Nighthawk.