Background Briefing: October 14, 2025
Hamas Moves to Assert Control Over Gaza Making the Prospect of an Arab/Muslim Police Force Taking Over Dubious
We begin with the scant details in the Israel/Hamas peace plan that are more about the destination than how to get there. With Hamas displaying its priority of taking control of Gaza and executing its Palestinian enemies rather than handing over the remains of Israeli hostages, we discuss the gulf between Trump’s declaration of peace and actual peace. Joining us is Asher Kaufman, Director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and a professor of History and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to that, he taught at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and was a research fellow at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, and headed its Middle East Unit. Kaufman is the author of Contested Frontiers: Cartography, Sovereignty, and Conflict at the Syria, Lebanon, Israel Tri-Border Region and his latest article at The Conversation is “Trump’s Gaza Plan: A Bit of the Old, a Bit of the New – And The Same Stumbling Blocks?”
While Trump, Miller and Vance’s Demonization of the American Left is Ludicrous, We Look Into Rifts Between the Fundis and the Realos
Then, with Trump, Miller and Vance calling Democrats far left lunatics, Communists and terrorists, we look into the reality of a inchoate and fractured American left as well as divisions among Democratic socialists and speak with Harold Meyerson, one of the nation’s best-known progressive columnists and editor-at-large of The American Prospect. He’s also a former Washington Post columnist and executive editor of LA Weekly, and has written for a number of prominent magazines and newspapers, we discuss his latest article at the American Prospect, “The Rift in American Socialism.”
How Far Will the Country Sink Into the Trump Abyss of Corruption, Venality, Malevolence and Vulgarity?
Then finally we assess how far the country will sink into the Trump abyss of corruption, venality, malevolence and vulgarity or will the ineptitude of the bottom-feeders in his cabinet and the ignorance of the courtiers surrounding the grifter-in-chief mitigate the damage and slow our descent into ignominy? Joining us is Nina Burleigh, a senior editor at The New Republic, best-selling author, documentary producer, and publisher of the Substack American Freakshow. A professor at New York University’s Arthur J. Carter Journalism Institute, she has written seven books, the latest of which include Golden Handcuffs: The Secret History of Trump’s Women, and she has a new novel, Zero Visibility Possible. She is the Producer of a recent documentary series on Apple TV, “Epstein’s Shadow” and we discuss her article at The New Republic, “Everybody Around Trump Hates the Unhinged Laura Loomer. Except Trump.”