More Alarming Information About Who J.D. Vance is and What he Believes Continues to Surface
We begin with the flow of alarming revelations emerging from research into who Trump’s pick for Vice President is. Although J.D. Vance was recommended by Don Jr., his real champion was Peter Thiel, who along with Vance consider their “house political philosopher” to be Curtis Yarvin, the techno-authoritarian who believes unproductive people should be converted into biodiesel to power municipal buses. Joining us to discuss Vance’s ties to the prince of dark money, Leonard Leo, is Andy Kroll, a reporter for ProPublica covering voting, elections, and other democracy issues. He was previously the Washington bureau chief for Rolling Stone and a senior reporter at Mother Jones, where his work on self-dealing during the Trump presidency sparked multiple congressional investigations. He is the author of A Death on W Street: The Murder of Seth Rich and the Age of Conspiracy. We discuss his latest article at ProPublica, “In Private Speech, J.D. Vance Said the ‘Devil Is Real’ and Praised Alex Jones as a Truth-Teller.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear as a Possible Running Mate For Kamala Harris
Then we look into Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear as a possible running mate for Kamala Harris and speak with Dewey Clayton, professor of political science at the University of Louisville, Kentucky and an expert on American politics and U.S. social movements. We discuss Beshear’s popularity with Republicans in his Red State and how that might translate nationally, as votes for Harris from Republicans disenchanted with Trump.
Netanyahu’s Visit With Biden and Harris, Followed by His Meeting Tomorrow With Trump
Then finally, we assess today’s White House meeting between Netanyahu, President Biden, and Vice President Harris, followed by his meeting tomorrow with Trump, and speak with Steven Simon, who served on the National Security Council staff as senior director for Middle Eastern and North African affairs from 2011 to 2012. He also worked on the NSC staff 1994 to 1999 on counterterrorism and Middle East security policy. Currently a Fellow in International Affairs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he is the co-author of The Age of Sacred Terror, and his latest book is Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East. We discuss his article at Responsible Statecraft, “Will drafting ultra-Orthodox to fight upend Israel’s government?”