Crooked Media - What A Day: Trump's empty war words

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 BY MATT BERG & CROOKED MEDIA

- CBS News moderator Margaret Brennan, intervening during a fight over immigration at the VP debate

Donald Trump keeps warning that we’re on the brink of World War III, as the situation in the Middle East becomes more perilous by the day. American officials and experts aren’t so sure.

Tensions in the Middle East reached new highs after Iran fired nearly 200 rockets at Israel on Tuesday, retaliation for Israel’s assassinations of top militant leaders backed by Iran. Israel is expected to strike back soon, and several Israeli soldiers were killed while fighting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon today. Former President Donald Trump is trying to politicize the moment: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are “leading us to the brink of World War III,” Trump said at a rally after Iran’s rocket attack.

As with most of Trump’s claims, this just isn’t true, according to officials and experts: “Trump’s WWIII comments are attention-seeking, lazy and ill-informed (shocking, I know),” a senior Biden administration official who works on foreign policy texted What A Day. Natasha Hall, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, echoed that analysis, saying that a so-called World War III “would involve far more actors than we have seen in this regional escalation” plus direct involvement from the United States.

Trump often touts his foreign policy record as president, saying that he was tougher on Iran and boasts of a comparatively peaceful Middle East. But as Pod Save The World explains today, Iran fired missiles directly at U.S. troops in 2020, causing more than 100 American soldiers to suffer from traumatic brain injuries — or, as Trump calls them, “headaches.” He also pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and recognized the occupied Golan Heights as Israeli territory, angering scores of countries. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), voted against the last supplemental funding bill for Israel, which included billions for the country’s missile defense systems.

So yeah, World War III isn’t on the horizon. But wider fighting contained to the Middle East does seem possible, and many are blaming the White House for failing to rein in Israel’s continued escalation of violence.

“The Biden administration has been calling for de-escalation, but to be frank, its efforts to achieve that have seen it ignored [and] humiliated,” Charles Lister, director of the countering terrorism and extremism program at the Middle East Institute, told What A Day. The White House says it will support Israel’s upcoming retaliation, but “Israel has to articulate a medium- and long-term strategy to the U.S.,” said the administration official.

It’s true that Biden and Harris haven’t been willing to force a ceasefire, approving billions of dollars in weapons for Israel to use in its war in Gaza, where the death toll has now exceeded 40,000. But Trump would almost certainly embolden Israel further. He alienated Palestinians as he tried to negotiate peace in the region, and Netanyahu believed that, with Trump in office, he could “beat the Palestinian cause into submission,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told the Washington Post.

Kamala Harris has signaled that she won’t change current U.S. policy toward Israel if elected. But Donald Trump, who says that he’s the “best friend that Israel has ever had,” would surely have a cabinet full of officials who see Gaza as nothing more than valuable “waterfront property.”

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan made public one of special counsel Jack Smith’s filings on his investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to overthrow the 2020 election. The 165-page document is spicy.

A few highlights from the document, per Politico’s Kyle Cheney: When he lost, Trump “launched a series of increasingly desperate plans to overturn the legitimate election results in seven states that he had lost,” Trump benched his legal team and put attorney Rudy Guliani in charge because he was cool with lying about the results. “Rudy tried to text a Michigan GOP leader a proposed resolution declaring the election in dispute — but he sent it to a wrong number,” Cheney writes. On January 5, 2021, MAGA strategist Steve Bannon on his podcast predicted that “all hell is going to break loose” the next day. He had spoken to Trump two hours before the podcast.

The election subversion case won’t be heard until after November 5, but Team Trump still isn’t happy about the document. And as a reminder: During Tuesday night’s veep debate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) refused to say whether Trump lost the election. Say your nightly prayers for democracy.

Join Pod Save America next Sunday, October 6th, at their LAST show of the year in their biggest venue yet: the Met Philadelphia! It’s your last chance to come to a show before the election, so don’t miss the opportunity to see the guys at their most anxious. They'll be joined by guest host, friend of the show Symone Sanders Townsend of MSNBC, and incredible guest, the delightful Senator Bob Casey. Get your tickets now at crooked.com/events. And for a limited time, we’re giving 15% off all non-VIP tickets with code PODSAVE15.

Kamala Harris traveled to Georgia today to speak about Hurricane Helene disaster relief efforts, announcing several measures the federal government is taking to help communities affected. The White House today also approved the deployment of 1,000 Army soldiers to North Carolina to help with delivering supplies like food, water, and medicine.

There was no clear winner in Tuesday night’s veep debate between JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), according to a snap poll. Democrats largely thought Walz won, while Republicans thought Vance came out on top. Helpful! Instructive!

Federal prosecutors may bring more charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams after he was indicted on corruption charges last week, they said during a court appearance today. Adams pleaded not guilty to the existing charges last week, but we’re certainly eager to hear what other alleged crimes he had cooking!

The Biden administration is backing dockworkers currently striking across the country, pressuring their employers to secure a better labor deal. On its second day, the strike is affecting food and automobile shipments, which could affect the economy ahead of the November election.

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