Author: Graham Fitzgibbon

Briefings

Background Briefing: November 2, 2023

On By gram

Increasing Tensions Inside the American Left on Campuses and Among and Between Arab and Jewish Americans Over the Gaza War

We begin with increasing tensions inside the American left and among and between American Jewish and Arab communities and on campuses which has prompted the head of the FBI to warn that violent reactions to Israel’s war in Gaza could spill over to the U.S. Joining us is Harold Meyerson, one of the nation’s best-known progressive columnists and editor-at-large of The American Prospect. We discuss his latest articles at the American Prospect “The Divisions in DSA and why, after 48 years in the organization, I’m quitting” and “Israel, Palestine and the Generational Rift Among American Progressives.”

 

As China Mourns Li Keqiang, Its Insecure and Unpopular Leader Xi Jinping Stifles Expressions of Grief

Then we look into how China’s Xi Jinping is suppressing public grief over the sudden death of China’s former premier Li Keqiang, and the extent to which the hardline leader, who has anointed himself leader into the future, is both unpopular and insecure in spite of having created the most ubiquitous surveillance state on the planet. Joining us is Andrew Nathan, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. His teaching and research interests include Chinese politics and foreign policy, the comparative study of political participation and political culture, and human rights. He is the author of a number of books including Chinese Democracy; Popular Culture in Late Imperial China, The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress, and China’s Transition; The Tiananmen Papers.

Will Minnesota’s Supreme Court Take the Insurrectionist Trump Off the Ballot Along With Colorado, New Hampshire, Arizona and Michigan?

Then finally we assess Thursday’s hearing before the Minnesota Supreme Court to have Donald Trump disqualified from the state’s 2024 ballot for insurrection under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which is also happening in Colorado, followed by New Hampshire, Arizona and Michigan. Joining us is David Schultz, a Professor of Political Science at Hamline University and University of Minnesota School of Law. He is the author of 30 books and various articles on American politics, ethics, election law, and the media, most recently Presidential Swing States: Why Only Ten Matter, Election Law and Democratic Theory , and American Politics in the Age of Ignorance: Why Lawmakers Choose Belief Over Research. He blogs at schultzstake.blogspot.com where his latest article is “If the US Presidential Election Were Held Today (Or Why Democrats Should be Beyond Worried.”)