Background Briefing (5am)

Asher Kaufman / Nitish Pahwa / Amanda Tyler

A 60-Day Ceasefire Expected Soon Between Israel and Hezbollah

We begin with the likelihood of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, expected to be announced soon by President Biden and President Macron of France, once the Israeli Knesset has voted to approve the 60-day ceasefire in which Hezbollah retreats to the north and Israel retreats in the south of Lebanon. Joining us is Asher Kaufman, Director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and a professor of History and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to that, he taught at Hebrew University, Jerusalem and was a research fellow at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, where he headed its Middle East Unit. He is the author of Reviving Phoenicia: The Search for Identity in Lebanon. His latest book is Contested Frontiers: Cartography, Sovereignty, and Conflict at the Syria, Lebanon, Israel Tri-Border Region.

With Elon Musk Musing About Buying MSNBC, We Look Into the Future of Cable TV

Then with Elon Musk musing with Donald Trump Jr. and Joe Rogan about buying MSNBC, with Don Jr. joking about castrating Lawrence O’Donnell, we examine the possibility of Trump taking a cue from Hungary’s dictator Orban to get his rich cronies to buy up TV networks to control and spread the government line. Joining us is Nitish Pahwa, a writer for business and tech at Slate, covering topics including social media, the financial industry, climate science, and artificial intelligence. His work has also appeared in New York Times, Mother Jones, Vox, NBC News, and Business Insider, and others. We discuss his latest article at Slate, “Cable TV Is on Its Very Last Legs. Next Year May Be the End.”

Christian Nationalists Make Inroads Into Indoctrinating Texas Schoolchildren

Then finally, we assess the advance of Christian Nationalism in America’s failing education system following Friday’s vote of the Texas State Board of Education to approve a “Bible-infused” curriculum for elementary school students. Joining us to discuss how young kids in Texas will no longer be able to tell the difference between faith and fact is Amanda Tyler, the executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism. A member of the Texas and U.S. Supreme Court Bar, she has worked in Congress and in a private legal practice and has served as a law clerk for a federal judge. Her latest book is How To End Christian Nationalism.