Background Briefing: October 21, 2024

Having Failed to Take Hitler Seriously About What he Planned to Do, We Should Take Trump’s Fascistic Plans Seriously 

We begin with the failure of the Harris campaign to warn the American public that just as we should have taken Hitler seriously about what he planned to do (which he did), we should take our homegrown fascist Trump seriously about his intention to build concentration camps and round up political rivals and critics. Joining us is James Carville, an American political consultant, author, and occasional actor who has strategized for candidates in public office in the United States and in at least 23 nations abroad. A prominent Democrat, he is a pundit in U.S. elections who appears frequently on cable news programs, podcasts, and public speeches and he is the subject of a new feature documentary Carville: Winning Is Everything Stupid, now out in theatrical release and screening on Friday October 25 at the Laemmle Royal in LA.

 

Kamala Harris’ Stand on Gaza Satisfies No One

Then we examine how Kamala Harris’ stand on Gaza is satisfying no one as she gets hit from both sides with Israelis complaining she agreed with a pro-Palestinian protester that genocide is happening in Gaza, which she did not, while her acknowledgement that the humanitarian catastrophe is “real” did little to placate pro-Palestinian protesters. Joining us is Mitchell Plitnick, the president of ReThinking Foreign Policy and former vice president at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. A political analyst and frequent writer on the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy, he served as director of the U.S. Office of B’Tselem and co-director of Jewish Voice for Peace. He is the co-author with Marc Lamont Hill of Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics.

 

Were the Leaks From US Intelligence on Israel’s Plans to Attack Iran Authorized or Unauthorized? 

Then finally we will assess whether the leaks from US intelligence of Israel’s war plans to attack Iran were authorised or unauthorised and speak with Denver Riggleman, who supported advanced intelligence analysis and technical development programs for over two decades as an intelligence officer, NSA adviser, federal contractor, research and development technology lead, and CEO of support companies for the Department of Defense. A veteran of the Global War on Terror and multiple worldwide operations, he served in the US Air Force for nine active-duty years. A former Republican member of the House of Representatives from Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, and the former senior technical advisor for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, he is the co-author of The Breach: The Untold Story of the Investigation into January 6th.