Background Briefing: July 25, 2023

 

Deepening Divisions in Israel With the Country’s National Security Threatened by Netanyahu’s Power Grab

We begin with the deepening divisions in Israeli society as demonstrations over the future of Israeli democracy and against Netanyahu’s power grab mount with the country’s national security itself on the line as military reservists and IDF pilots threaten mutiny while Netanyahu’s right wing religious nationalist government panders to the ultra orthodox who do not participate in the military or defend the country as they live off welfare. Joining us is Dr. Guy Ziv, a professor at American University’s School of International Service who has worked in the U.S. Department of State, on Capitol Hill, and for leading non-profit organizations that promote American involvement in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. He is the author of Why Hawks Become Doves: Shimon Peres and Foreign Policy Change in Israel.

 

Scientists Predict a Tipping Point Where the Atlantic Gulf Stream Current Could Collapse as Early as 2025

Then we look into an alarming report from Danish scientists predicting that global warming could push the Atlantic past a tipping point, leading to the collapse of the Gulf Stream current as early as 2025. Joining us is Monica Medina, President and CEO of The Wildlife Conservation Society who until recently served as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment, and Science and Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, she served as principal deputy undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she led efforts on Arctic conservation and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

 

Is Governor Ron DeSantis Going the Way of Governor Scott Walker?

Then finally, with Ron DeSantis surviving a car accident unscathed while his campaign crashes as it burns through dwindling donations, we look into the comparisons between the rise and fall of Governor Scott Walker and the rise and fall of Governor DeSantis and speak with John Nichols, a national affairs correspondent for The Nation. He has written, co-written, or edited over a dozen books on topics ranging from histories of American socialism and the Democratic Party to analyses of US and global media systems. His latest book, co-written with Senator Bernie Sanders, is the New York Times bestseller It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism and we discuss his latest article at The Nation “Ron DeSantis Is Starting to Look Like a Scott Walker–Level Loser.”