Shifting Alliances: The U.S.-Israel Dynamic

Leaders in France, Canada, and the U.K. have stated they would recognize and call for Palestinian statehood at the next General Assembly of the United Nations. The calls from world leaders come on the heels of troubling images of starvation and famine in Gaza. President Trump has long been an ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but Trump also pushed back against Netanyahu’s claims that there was no starvation in the region. It’s a rare pressure campaign on the Israeli government to improve conditions for Palestinians as the conflict between Israel and Hamas wages on. But will it result in meaningful change? Are other factors playing into Trump’s callout?

Republican legislators in Texas will discuss redrawing the state’s congressional map during a special summer session. The plan, first floated by the Trump administration, could create five new seats in the House of Representatives if approved. Democratic officials in and out of the Lone Star State are trying to figure out how to fight back. Do they have any choice? And who does the move benefit?

The newest frontline of the culture war? The movie Superman and blue jeans. KCRW discusses the latest “woke” controversies.