Background Briefing: October 20, 2026
Hegseth Showing Up In Israel Fuels Speculation a Joint U.S./Israeli “Shock and Awe” Strike Will Happen Before Israel’s October 27 Election
We begin with Hegseth in Israel meeting with his counterparts which fuels speculation that a joint Israeli/U.S. “shock and awe” strike on Iran is likely to happen before Israel’s October 27 election or just after the U.S. November 3 midterms. Joining us is Paul Pillar, who served for 30 years as an analyst at the CIA, in which his last position was National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia. Previously, he served as chief of analytic units at the CIA covering portions of the Near East, the Persian Gulf, and South Asia. He has also headed the Assessments and Information Group of the DCI Counterterrorist Center, and was deputy chief of the center. He is currently a nonresident senior fellow of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University and an Associate Fellow at the GenevaCenter for Security Policy and a nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. His latest book is Beyond the Water’s Edge How Partisanship Corrupts U.S. Foreign Policy and we discuss his article at Responsible Statecraft, “By pursuing a big ‘win’ in Iran, Trump is destined to lose.”
An Update From Paris on the Student Riots and the Collapse of the Political Center
Then we go to Paris for an update on the student riots and the collapse of the political center as young voters in both France and Germany are increasingly supporting the far right or the far left. Joining us is David Andelman, the Executive Director of The RedLines Project. Formerly a columnist at CNN, he is the twice winner of the Deadline Club Award, and a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. He is the author of A Red Line in the Sand: Diplomacy, Strategy, and the History of Wars That Might Still Happen. Formerly a correspondent for The New York Times and CBS News in Europe and Asia, he runs the Substack blog Andelman Unleashed.
Background Briefing’s Anna Leah on the Apparent Republican Spoiler or Plant Running as a Democrat in Montana’s U.S. Senate Race
Then finally, Background Briefing’s Anna Leah looks at the U.S. Senate race in Montana where Democrats are throwing their support behind an independent candidate, while rumors persist that the Democratic candidate is at best a spoiler, or is at worst a Republican plant herself. Former longtime Democratic senator Jon Tester told the Washington Post she is a “Democrat who is really a Republican.” Right-aligned super PACs threw almost $2 million in the primary to help make sure Alani Bankhead was the candidate, but independent Seth Bodnar’s campaign is currently outflanking hers financially. Neither have enough support on their own to defeat the Republican, according to leading polls. Joining Anna is Mike Dennison, a dean of Montana political reporting, having covered the state for over 40 years. He most recently served as Chief Political reporter for Montana Television News and contributes to the Montana Free Press and others, and wrote Inside Montana Politics: A Reporter’s View from the Trenches.