Day: September 29, 2025

Trump Promises Eternal Peace in the Middle East With a Peace Plan Hamas Has Yet to Sign

We will begin with the rambling Trump/Netanyahu press conference today at the White House at which the press were not allowed to ask questions that Trump began by describing today as “one of the great days ever in civilization” before droning on endlessly praising himself for a peace deal that has yet to happen which he said would bring “eternal peace to the Middle East”. Joining us is Dr. Guy Ziv, a professor at the Department of Foreign Policy at American University’s School of International Service and Associate Director of the Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies where he teaches courses on U.S.-Israel relations, and Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. He 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 and is the author of Why Hawks Become Doves: Shimon Peres and Foreign Policy Change in Israel. His latest book is Netanyahu Versus the Generals: The Battle for Israel’s Future.

Trump Meets With Democratic Leaders to Avoid a Shutdown Making it Clear He Won’t Compromise

Then we examine the challenge for the Democrats to avoid getting blamed for a government shutdown about to begin tomorrow Tuesday at midnight after a last-ditch meeting today at the White House which Trump has made clear is not likely to result in compromise because the Democrats are such bad people with bad ideas. Joining us is James Thurber, the University Distinguished Professor of Government and Founder and Former Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, Washington, D.C. He is author of numerous books and more than eighty articles and chapters on Congress, interest groups and lobbying, and campaigns and elections and he is the author of Congress and Diaspora Politics: The Influence of Ethnic and Foreign Lobbying, Campaigns and Elections American Style, and, most recently, Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations.

Can Democratic Senators Convince the Public You Can’t Make Deals With Republicans Acting in Bad Faith

Then finally, with today’s White House meeting between Trump and the Democratic leaders, Schumer and Jeffries unproductive and very short, making a government shutdown that Trump clearly wants all but certain, we discuss how Senate Democrats can avoid blame by convincing the public they had no choice because you can’t make a deal with Republicans acting in bad faith. Joining us is Jim Manley, an independent public affairs consultant, Democratic strategist and 21 year veteran of the U.S. Senate where he served as senior advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for the last six of those years and, before that, served 12 years as an aide to the late Senator Ted Kennedy.