This week marked a dramatic escalation in Syria’s 13-year civil war. Rebel factions launched their most audacious offensive in years, capturing Aleppo, the focal point of the war for over a decade. This marked the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s government and its Russian- and Iranian-backed allies in nearly a decade.
Syrian and Russian forces are currently unleashing joint air strikes in a desperate attempt to reclaim the city. Iran has thrown its weight behind al-Assad, promising increased support to shore up his faltering grip on power.
But Syria is just one piece of a much larger—and far more dangerous—puzzle.
The Middle East is on a knife’s edge. Just last week, Israel and Hezbollah reached a fragile ceasefire along the Lebanon border, but tensions remain high. In Gaza, Israel has continued its operations against Hamas, who still hold 63 hostages. And then there’s Iran—the architect of much of the region’s instability—whose escalating provocations make it seem like a direct war with Israel is no longer a question of if, but when.
These conflicts are deeply interconnected, and the fall of one domino could set off far-reaching consequences. The potential power vacuum left by a weakened al-Assad regime could reshape alliances and alter the balance of power in ways that reverberate from Tehran to Tel Aviv, and from Moscow to Washington.
To help us make sense of these rapidly unfolding events and their implications for the region, Michael Moynihan is joined today by Haviv Rettig Gur, a senior analyst at The Times of Israel and one of the sharpest minds on Middle East politics.
In this conversation, they unpack what’s going on in Syria, the root causes of tribal war and dysfunction across the Arab world, the ceasefire in Lebanon, what comes next in Gaza, the weakening of Iran, and what all of this means for Israel and the United States.
If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today.
For thirty years between 1455 and 1485, England suffered its greatest civil war at that point.
The war was ultimately over succession to the throne and who should be king.
The period was filled with death and bloodshed, and when the dust settled, it left England a changed country and set the stage for its later ascension.
Learn more about the War of the Roses, its causes, and its resolution on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
We’ll tell you about where wintry weather is settling in as Americans dig out from mountains of snow.
Also, we’ll explain a landmark climate case before the U-N’s top court, and what makes the pardon for President Biden’s son, Hunter, unprecedented.
Plus, the holiday theme on display this year at the White House, a financial setback for the world’s richest man, and what kind of deals you can expect on this “Travel Tuesday.”
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
This episode is brought to you by Trade Coffee. Trade Coffee is offering their best savings of the year on gift subscriptions right now, so head to drinktrade.com/newsworthy to send a personalized coffee subscription in minutes.
And by Quince.Gift luxury this holiday season without the luxury price tag. Go to Quince.com/newsworthy for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!
President Biden pardons his son Hunter—a move he'd once promised not to make—and the backlash is immediate. Republicans are calling it a political favor, while some Democrats argue it undermines trust in the justice system. Meanwhile, Trump promises to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel, a loyalist known for wanting to prosecute Trump's enemies (including journalists), even as his pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, faces new allegations of workplace misconduct—and a scathing email from his own mother. Plus, Bernie Sanders finds surprising common ground with Elon Musk, and Cheryl Hines posts a Black Friday thirst trap.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
We do the work of having conversations and connecting to people by reviewing last week’s Pod Save America episode featuring Kamala Harris’ top campaign staff. Through their telling, it was an amazing feat of data, precision and triangulation that somehow came up just slightly short, but we look at some different “stories to tell” from what they’re able to reveal about the campaign’s strategy. Plus, a Thanksgiving poem from Matt.
Felix’s new series “Searching for a Fren at the End of the World”, an examination of the last 50 years of Conservative media, premieres next Wednesday, December 11, right here on your Chapo feed.
Author Marisha Pessl has always loved puzzles and board games. She's intrigued by the feeling of forced companionship that comes from solving a puzzle together. Her new novel, Darkly, follows a teen named Arcadia and six others as they embark on an internship with the renowned game design company Darkly. Working on the mysterious island that houses the Darkly headquarters, they come across mysteries of the company and its owner. In today's episode, Pessl speaks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the idea of contained chaos and how the mysteries of the past can unlock the mysteries of the present.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
It's a huge development in a war that had seemed to be at a standstill.
In a matter of days, rebel groups in Syria took control of most of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city. It had been in the hands of the autocratic Syrian government since 2016.
The Syrian regime, led by President Bashar al-Assad, now stands on questionable footing for the first time in years.
In neuroscientist Kelly Lambert's lab at the University of Richmond, rats hop into cars, rev their engines and skid across the floor of an arena. Researchers taught these tiny rodents to drive — and turns out, they really like it. But why? Host Regina G. Barber talks with Kelly about her driving rats, and what they tell us about anticipation, neuroplasticity, and decision making. Plus, why optimism might be good for rats, and for humans too.
Want to hear more fun animal stories? Let us know at shortwave@npr.org — we read every email.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
