Background Briefing: October 1, 2024
Iran Fires 200 Ballistic Missiles at Israel as the Escalation Ladder Has Both Threatening Responses and Responses to Responses
We begin with a volley of 200 Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israeli military, intelligence and offshore oil and gas facilities today resulting in no Israeli casualties with a Palestinian on the West Bank killed by falling missile debris. We discuss the escalation ladder with Israel vowing Iran will pay a heavy price and Iran warning “a subsequent and crushing response will ensue” to an Israeli retaliation. Joining us is Nicholas Heras, the Senior Director for Strategy & Innovation at the New Lines Institute. From 2016-2017, Nicholas served as the tenth 1st LT Andrew J. Bacevich, Jr., USA Fellow at Center for New American Security and he is the author of From the Bottom, Up: A Strategy for U.S. Military Support for Syria’s Armed Opposition. He recently conducted an extensive study on Iran’s proxies in the Middle East for the National Defense University.
As Michigan Shapes up to be a Critical Swing State, Could Jill Stein be a Spoiler Along With Conservative Muslims Making Alliances With the Christian Right
Then with Michigan shaping up to be the critical swing state in this election, not just for the Democrats winning the White House but also for holding the Senate, we speak with Andy Levin, who served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023, representing Michigan’s 9th District. Previously, he served as deputy director and acting director of Michigan’s Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth, and as Michigan’s first chief workforce officer, and in the Clinton administration, he worked in Secretary of Labor Robert Reich’s office to fend off Speaker Newt Gingrich’ efforts to weaken worker protections and served as staff attorney for the President’s Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations. We discuss the role of Jill Stein as a spoiler for Trump in the state and how conservative Muslims in the Detroit area are forming alliances with Christian Right supporters of Trump.