We're telling you about a tense meeting at the United Nations that has the Israeli ambassador calling on the UN secretary-general to resign.
And a woman snatched from her home and held hostage by Hamas spoke about her experience publicly.
Also, prosecutors building cases against former President Trump are getting help from more of his ex-lawyers.
Plus, more than 40 states are suing the company behind Facebook and Instagram, there's new data about Americans taking sick days off, and movies are being delayed.
Navigating through the intricate web of Middle Eastern geopolitics, few are better equipped to provide insights than Itamar Rabinovich in his compelling book,Middle Eastern Maze: Israel, The Arabs, and the Region 1948-2022 (Brookings Institution Press, 2023). In this update to his earlier work, The Lingering Conflict published by Brookings in 2012, Rabinovich delves deeper, and informs readers on the recent twists and turns of the Middle East conflict.
With a storied career as both an academic historian and a diplomat — notably, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S and a peace negotiator with Syria — Rabinovich brings a unique blend of scholarly rigor and real-world experience. This allows him to place Arab-Israeli dynamics not just as a standalone issue but within the broader canvas of Middle Eastern regional and international politics.
A significant highlight of the book is Rabinovich's attention to the evolving roles of regional powerhouses Iran and Turkey. However, his analysis doesn't stop there. The United States, being a global superpower with intricate ties to the Middle East, gets its due attention, especially its special relationship with Israel and the transitions in its Middle Eastern policy from the Trump era to the Biden administration.
The book is timely and relevant, covering pivotal moments and shifts, such as:
The groundbreaking Abraham Accords signified a fresh direction in Arab-Israeli relations.
Russia’s decisive military intervention exacerbated the tumultuous Syrian civil war and its far-reaching implications.
The rise and subsequent decline of the formidable Islamic State.
The mounting tensions surrounding the Iranian nuclear ambitions.
And lastly, Israel's own internal challenges marked by prolonged political instability.
For those seeking a nuanced understanding of Middle Eastern geopolitics and the ever-evolving Arab-Israeli relationship, Middle Eastern Maze promises to be an instructive read, enriched by the author's unique vantage point at the intersection of history, diplomacy, and contemporary politics.
Renee Garfinkel, Ph.D. is a psychologist, writer, Middle East television commentator and host of The New Books Network’s Van Leer Jerusalem Series on Ideas. Write her at reneeg@vanleer.org.il. She's on Twitter @embracingwisdom. She blogs here.
Twitter began life as an accident. In the beginning, even its founders weren’t sure what it was: the internet’s town square, a real-time information source, or the next Facebook, maybe? Twitter's power has always been misunderstood -- by its leaders, by its users, and lately, by the world's richest person.
On stage in Toronto, with the help of shoe designer Aurora James and shoe historian Elizabeth Semmelhack, we go over a few shoes- and what they say about ourselves and the world.
House Republicans still can’t elect a speaker after three weeks of infighting. New York Times columnist David Leonhardt joins Andy to look at what the speaker battle signals for the future of U.S. democracy at a time when the world is in turmoil. They also discuss why Republicans continue to win elections, despite their dysfunction and lack of clear agenda. Plus, David shares why he thinks voters are turned off by some Democratic messaging and end up voting against their self-interest.
Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/
Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165
The whirlwind saga to choose the next House speaker continues. After three rounds of secret votes late Tuesday night, House Republicans nominated Rep. Mike Johnson as their latest contender. The move came after Rep. Tom Emmer dropped out of the race just hours after he was selected as the GOP’s speaker designee.
One of the two Israeli hostages recently released by Hamas told reporters she “went through hell,” during her two weeks in captivity. More than 200 others are still being held by the militant group. Meanwhile, Israel has continued its bombardment of Gaza, despite calls from UN Secretary General António Guterres for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
And in headlines: former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was reportedly granted immunity by special counsel Jack Smith, more than three dozen attorneys general are going after Instagram’s parent company for features they say are hurting kids, and the United Auto Workers union once again expanded its ongoing strike.
Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee
41 states just filed a blockbuster lawsuit against Meta, claiming it is harmful and addictive to kids — This could be Zuck’s “Big Tobacco” moment, and it’s because of FOMO.
The fastest-growing restaurant in America is Texas Roadhouse — From Applebee’s to The Olive Garden, chain restaurants are enjoying a resurgence.
And Kristen Bell & Dax Shephard’s diaper startup, Hello Bello, has filed for bankruptcy — Because there’s a dirty secret about the Direct-To–Consumer business model.
Some people keep dogs in their backyards. In the Florida Keys, some residents have deer the size of a golden retriever in their yards. As sea levels rise and salt water climbs higher on the islands, it's shrinking habitat for this deer — which already has an estimated population of at most 1,000. Today, host Regina G. Barber hears from reporters Nate Rott and Ryan Kellman about the Key deer, and how rising sea levels are forcing wildlife managers to ask big questions about the future of the subspecies.
In this episode, we incorrectly stated that Valerie Preziosi is the founder of Key Deer Alliance. In fact, she is the founder and director of the organization Save Our Key Deer.
There are growing concerns over who is crossing America’s border with Mexico in light of the war between Hamas and Israel.
“This is absolutely a concern,” Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham says of the threat of terrorists taking advantage of the lack of security along America’s southern border.
“We are seeing over 200 people on the terrorist Most Wanted List that we have caught alone this year,” according to Buckingham, adding that “we are exceeding six year cumulative records for people coming from countries that sponsor terrorism. This has always been our concern from day one. It is why you need a secure border.”
Buckingham’s joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the security concerns at the border following a memo from Customs and Border Protection’s San Diego Field Office warning of Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine attempting to cross the border.
The San Diego unit “assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to, the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the southwest border,” according to the memo, which was first reported Monday by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to obfuscate travel to or from the U.S. to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico,” that CBP memo says.
In addition to discussing the threat an open border poses to the nation, Buckingham explains why President Joe Biden is constructing a 17-mile section of border wall in South Texas.
