Politics + Media 101

A month into the devastating war between Israel and Hamas, Justin and John sit down with diplomat and analyst Aaron David Miller. An expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Aaron spent 25 years at the U.S. State Department advising Republican and Democratic secretaries of state on Middle East policy.Aaron describes how the horrific terror attacks on October 7th have affected Israel, how Israel and the United States perceive the increasing criticism of civilian deaths in Gaza, and how the conflict may unfold in both the immediate and long term.Find more of Aaron's analysis at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1744

India and Canada are engaged in a heated diplomatic dispute after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of planning the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, near Vancouver. Indian officials deny the allegation and accuse Canada of harboring terrorists affiliated with the secessionist Khalistan movement.To discuss these events, John sits down with Sadanand Dhume, Wall Street Journal columnist and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Sadanand describes the perspectives of different players and assesses how the feud might affect India's standing in Western capitals.Read more from Sadanand here: https://www.aei.org/profile/sadanand-dhume/

Justin and John discuss the efforts to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The two countries have been moving steadily towards strategic convergence, but Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has requested major concessions from the United States before formally establishing ties. John explains the Saudi approach and the reasons that American political figures - including Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner - have treated the issue as a priority.

Justin and John discuss the drama on Capitol Hill over government funding, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy works to avoid a government shutdown. McCarthy faces intransigence from renegade members in his own Republican caucus, including media lightning rod Matt Gaetz. Justin Higgins, a veteran of GOP congressional offices, explains the dysfunction engulfing the Republican faction.

After recent health scares for Senator Mitch McConnell, Justin and John discuss the difficult issues of age and health in political leaders. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Grassley are often criticized for delaying retirement, as is President Joe Biden. Justin recalls his experiences working with the office of Senator Thad Cochran, a powerful Senator who handed his responsibilities to his staff when his health declined. John offers some international comparisons, noting the trend of young leaders in Europe and elderly leaders in Africa.

After the first Republican primary debate, Justin and John try ranking the candidates according to their performances. Burgum, Christie, DeSantis, Haley, Hutchinson, Pence, Ramaswamy, and Scott are each evaluated, with Donald Trump looming outside the field.

Justin and John sit with Evan Drellich, senior writer at The Athletic. The group discuss baseball's major changes to game rules, assessing whether the sport can regain its place as the most popular pastime in American culture. Despite momentum with attendance and ratings, baseball faces challenges in a fragmented media system.Evan is the author of Winning Fixes Everything, a recent book about the Houston Astros cheating scandal. His articles for The Athletic can be found here: https://theathletic.com/author/evan-drellich/

A recent Wall Street Journal article reports that China and Cuba are working to establish a spy facility 100 miles from Florida.  To understand this development, John sits down with Dr. Evan Ellis, a research professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College and a Senior Associate at CSIS. Dr. Ellis describes China's activities in Latin America, assesses the level of threat, and evaluates the Biden administration response.Read more from Evan Ellis here: https://www.csis.org/people/evan-ellis

Justin and John sit down with technology reporter Katie Notopolous to discuss the new app Threads, launched in July by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta. The app seeks to supplant Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk, as the leading platform for microblogging and text-based social media. Katie gives her assessment of the new app's strengths and weaknesses, addresses the rivalry between the two enigmatic founders, and offers her thoughts about the shape of the digital industries today.

Justin discusses China’s military ambitions and 2027 timeline, and how Taiwan and the US are responding with Tingting Liu of TVBS.This is the second part of their discussion on Taiwan.