From Trump, With Impunity

Oct 31, 2025

Jonah Valdez, an Intercept reporter focused on Gaza, shares firsthand accounts revealing that the ceasefire is essentially defunct, with ongoing Israeli airstrikes provoking widespread despair among civilians. He emphasizes the Palestinians' struggle for survival amidst systematic violence. Matt Sledge, covering U.S. politics and finance, delves into the implications of a controversial Binance pardon linked to the Trump family, raising concerns about quid pro quo arrangements. Together, they explore the intersection of geopolitics and domestic interests in a turbulent climate.

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INSIGHT

Ceasefire Allows Start-Stop Violence

The so-called ceasefire has repeatedly failed as Israel resumes strikes under narrow conditions.
Jonah Valdez says the agreement gives Israel leeway to restart attacks whenever it chooses.

ANECDOTE

Voices In Gaza Reject Ceasefire Narrative

Gazans interviewed by Jonah and Takwa Al-Wawi overwhelmingly say there is no ceasefire and call the violence a continuation of genocide.
Many survivors view Israel's goal as mass expulsion and see through diplomatic narratives.

INSIGHT

Hope Shapes Gazan Responses

People in Gaza avoid declaring the truce dead because hope helps survival and access to aid.
Valdez notes survivors prefer sustaining any truce that may save lives.

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Once again, Israeli bombs rained down on Gaza. The latest wave of strikes killed more than 100 people, mostly women and children, according to health authorities.

The bombardment marked the deadliest day since the weeks-old U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on October 10 — a ceasefire Israel has repeatedly broken with impunity.

“As the Trump administration likes to say, the ceasefire is still in place. And the media has parroted that as well. But an overwhelming amount of people that we spoke to on the ground are saying that there is no ceasefire with killings being at this rate. This is a continuation of the genocide,” says Intercept reporter Jonah Valdez. Palestinians “have a very crystal-clear view of Israel's policy and their goal of wanting mass expulsion from Gaza. ... Those who are surviving it and living it are seeing through the propaganda that the ceasefire is still in place.”

On The Intercept Briefing, Valdez joins host Jordan Uhl and reporter Matt Sledge to explain why President Donald Trump “has a lot to gain from continuing to tell the public that there is a ceasefire” and to discuss the news stories published on The Intercept this week.

“It's important to mention this layer of hope that exists. No one wants to call the ceasefire dead prematurely because if it surviving allows for other Palestinians and Gaza to survive,” Valdez adds, “then, you know, of course they have vested interest in seeing the truce live on.”

And back in the United States, Trump’s pay-to-play approach to running the government continues unabated. Trump recently pardoned the billionaire crypto king, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, whose company has done business benefiting the Trump family.

“Binance overnight became the biggest customer of the Trump family venture, which is called World Liberty Financial,” Sledge points out. “I think a lot of skeptics out there are saying, like, ‘Boy, this sure just looks exactly like pay to play, like quid pro quo.’”

Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

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