What A Day - Israel, Hezbollah Conflict Risks Bigger Regional War

Episode Date: September 25, 2024

In his final address to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, President Joe Biden reflected on his foreign policy legacy and called on world leaders to “end this war” in Gaza. But privately, senior administration officials have reportedly acknowledged that Biden's time is running out to reach a deal for a ceasefire and the return of the remaining hostages to Israel before he leaves office. The prospect of a deal looks more distant than ever right now because of the rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Nahal Toosi, senior foreign affairs correspondent for Politico, talks about the situation in Lebanon and the risks of the conflict becoming a wider regional war.And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump promised women will “no longer be thinking about abortion” if he’s elected in November, the U.S. promised to send another $357 million in military aid to Ukraine, and the Justice Department sued Visa for monopolizing the debit card market. Show Notes:Check out Nahal's work – https://www.politico.com/staff/nahal-toosiSubscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Wednesday, September 25th. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What A Day, the show where we would also love a giant statue of Johnny Cash in our office, like the one recently installed at the U.S. Capitol. Finally, something me and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders can agree on. On today's show, Donald Trump talks about abortion and it's incredibly creepy. Plus, the Department of Justice sues visa. But first, President Joe Biden addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. He gave a farewell address to world leaders and reiterated his support for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms.

Bring the hostages home and secure security for Israel and Gaza free of Hamas grip. Ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war. But the prospect of a ceasefire looks more distant than ever right now. Fighting in the region is spreading along Israel's northern border. Israel's military says it has struck over a thousand targeted sites linked to the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon over the last few days. Thousands of people have fled their homes, and the Lebanese health ministry says nearly 600 people have died since Monday, including dozens of children. Hezbollah has returned fire into Israel. In response, the Pentagon's press secretary said earlier this week the U.S. will be sending a, quote,

small number of additional U.S. military personnel to the Middle East. To better understand just what's happening between Israel and Lebanon and the risk of a larger regional war, I spoke with Nahal Tusi. She's a senior foreign affairs correspondent for Politico. Nahal, welcome to What Today. Hey, thanks for having me. So both Israel and Hezbollah have been trading rocket fire regularly since October, but things have escalated significantly in the last week. Why? And where do things stand right now?

Well, I think that there's a sense among the Israelis that they have tried a lot to get Hezbollah to back off through its rocket fire, especially in the north of Israel. And they're kind of just done with diplomacy in a way. And they want to get Israelis who had to evacuate the north of Israel back home because they feel like if that doesn't happen, it's like Israel has kind of ceded a portion of its territory to Hezbollah. So this is a domestic issue as well. Oh, absolutely. This is attempting to get Israelis back on side who have had to evacuate the north of Israel. Right, right.

And regain your sovereignty over a certain stretch of territory. Degrade an enemy that is very, very strong, stronger than Hamas. And also fire a shot at Iran, Hezbollah's main backer, and say, look, we're strong as Israelis, and you're not going to be able to scare us. This is the tactic that people, it's called, it's called, this is a well-known tactic, but it's called escalate to de-escalate. Kind of like show this force in the hopes that Hezbollah will back down. The president of Israel said last week it escalated its conflict that Hezbollah will back down. The president of Israel said last week it escalated its conflict with Hezbollah because it had evidenced the group was planning an attack similar to Hamas's attack on October 7th, but he didn't offer any evidence. What do we know about

those claims at this point? I don't think that the Israelis are going to necessarily offer a lot of evidence about these kinds of claims. They often make these kinds of accusations, but they don't necessarily lay out what they know. And part of that, you know, could be because, honestly, they could be hyping it, but also they might not want to reveal their sources and methods for intelligence. I think even if that wasn't the case, the fact that Hezbollah has been acting out against Israel since October 8th, eventually this was kind of bound to happen. There were Israeli leaders on October 8th saying, we should go ahead and strike Hezbollah now. And this was almost a year ago, right, as they were also going after Hamas. So this was in a way

inevitable. And the question now is what happens next? So let's back up for a second. Who is Hezbollah? Who is Hezbollah? Ooh, it's almost like metaphysical or something. I don't know. Hezbollah is a Lebanese-based Shia militant organization that's about 40 years old, I believe. It's Iranian-backed. It's anti-Israel. And it has thousands of missiles and projectiles that it points at Israel and occasionally gets into skirmishes with. It effectively is kind of a state within a state in Lebanon.

And it's probably Iran's most powerful militia proxy and one of the best armed militias in the world. It's listed as a terrorist organization by the United States. And it's also a political force in Lebanon in the sense that it actually has influence in the States. And it's also a political force in Lebanon, in the sense that it actually has influence in the government. So it's very strong. And yet, I think the Israelis have shown recently that they can outmaneuver and outwit Hezbollah quite a bit. You used the phrase a state within a state just now. So can you tell me a little bit more about that? And what a Hezbollah war with Israel would mean for Lebanon more broadly? Lebanon is arguably a failing state. It has had everything from severe financial mismanagement and corruption to just a very weak military force. Do you remember a few years back there

was that massive port explosion that killed like hundreds? And it was basically because of poor working of the lebanese government and the people of lebanon are really frustrated with their own government and hezbollah is you know arguably first of all it's armed it has weapons and it arguably is kind of the strongest political force in the country but it's not like the lebanese people are necessarily thrilled you know to have this particular group be the strongest force in their country. So if there is this war at the end of the day, it's not like the missiles that hit a civilian are going to be like, oh, but this person was a Lebanese civilian who liked the Lebanese government versus one who supported his. I mean, civilians are already dying in this conflict or war or whatever you want to call it.

And it's probably just going to get worse. And what would that mean for Israel? Because as you mentioned, Hezbollah is backed by Iran and has much more advanced weapons and capacity than Hamas and Gaza. You know, in a way, it depends on what Iran wants it to mean for Iran. I mean, we have seen instances in which the Israeli allegedly, a lot of this stuff is allegedly, right, because Israel doesn't always take responsibility. But, you know, I've taken out a Hamas militant leader in Tehran, and yet the Iranians haven't necessarily responded in a way that they could have. But we've also seen the Iranians in the past for another attack, send

hundreds of missiles at Israel. I can tell you that there's diplomats from the United States and all over the world working fiercely to try to prevent this fighting between Israel and Hezbollah from dragging in Iran in a serious way further. But Iran has a choice. It can choose not to act or it can choose to act in a very minimal way. And it can also think to itself, look, maybe we let Hezbollah take this black eye for now. But we even ask Hezbollah, don't react too much because we don't want you to use up all your rockets and missiles right now. It's also worth remembering Iran is under heavy U.S. sanctions. It's financially struggling. It's not an easy time for it to carry out a war. But wars

can often be carried out on the cheap. I think that that in a way leads me to my next question, which is that President Biden has boasted about the fact that however messy, however difficult, he was able to get U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and end U.S. involvement in what he called the forever wars in the Middle East. To what extent is that at risk now? How real is the threat of the U.S. getting dragged into a bigger war in the region? So look, the U.S. is already in this war, if you want to call it a war, because the U.S. has already sent more military resources to the region, ships. We've helped Israel fend off the hundreds of missiles that Iran sent toward it a few months ago. If things get worse, I don't think the United States is going to abandon Israel. I think there's a very strong

possibility that we could get involved in more kinetic action going forward. But a lot is simply going to depend on where this conflict goes next and how big it gets. Nahal, thank you so much for talking to me. I really appreciate it. Thank you for having me. It's complicated stuff. That was my conversation with Nahal Toosi, Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent for Politico. We'll get to the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, watch it on YouTube, and share with your friends. We'll be back after some ads. And now, the news.

Because I am your protector. I want to be your protector as president. I have to be your protector. That was former President Donald Trump creeping me out, telling women that he will protect us at a Pennsylvania rally on Monday. Except he won't. He's the reason Roe vs. Wade was overturned and women in many states no longer have access to reproductive health care. Also, let's not forget that Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting author E. Jean Carroll, told Access Hollywood he could grab women by their genitals because he was a celebrity and seems unable to stop making sexist attacks against vice president

kamala harris because of course he can't women will be happy healthy confident and free you know when i was a little kid i believe that star wars was like a documentary and that maybe all of the events of The Empire Strikes Back actually happened somewhere. That is more believable than anything Trump just said. And if you thought those comments weren't insane enough, you will no longer be thinking about abortion. What is this, like hypnosis? I'm pretty sure that women will be thinking about reproductive rights even more if Trump makes it back into the Oval Office, especially since he endorses candidates like Bernie Moreno,

who is running for the Senate in Ohio. You know, the left has a lot of single-issue voters. Sadly, by the way, there's a lot of suburban women. A lot of suburban women that are like, listen, abortion's it. If I can't have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else. Okay, a little crazy, by the way, but especially for women that are like past 50, I think it was on. That was Moreno during a town hall last week saying it is, quote,

crazy for women to vote solely based on the right to control what happens to their bodies. Ladies be crazy, per the Republican Party. Police in Tempe, Arizona, are investigating what they say looks like gunfire damage at an office for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign. No one was injured. A Democratic Party spokesman says the damage appears to have happened overnight when no one was at the office, which is also used by the Arizona Democratic Party in various congressional campaigns. The incident is being investigated as a property crime, but with two recent assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump and the election approaching very soon, I personally do not feel great about everything

going on right now. Harris is scheduled to speak in Arizona on Friday, where she hopes to draw up support in a state that Joe Biden won by only around 10,000 votes in 2020. I'm so sorry. I know that you have your challenges, but I have to underline it and to repeat. We can't now be weak. We can't relax because we didn't stop Putin. Didn't stop him in his crazy ideas. That was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's message to the American people after thanking them for their support in an interview with ABC News that aired Tuesday morning. Officials told reporters later that same day that the United States will send a roughly $375 million military aid package to Ukraine.

The package will include cluster bombs, rockets, artillery, and armored vehicles. An official announcement is expected to happen when world leaders meet at the United Nations General Assembly today. This will be one of the largest weapons packages recently approved and is desperately needed as Ukraine continues to be outmanned and overpowered by Russian forces. And finally, have you ever had to pay an annoying fee just to run your debit card, say at like a small business or bodega? The Department of Justice is trying to change that by taking on what it claims is another monopoly, Visa debit cards.

On Tuesday, the DOJ filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Visa, claiming that the credit card company is monopolizing debit card networks by quote, using its dominance to thwart the growth of its existing competitors and to squeeze out any new options that may hit the market. The complaint also alleges that Visa makes more than 60% of debit transactions in the United States and the company charges over $7 billion in processing fees per year. And that's the news. A thing I have been cursed by is an ability to remember things. Not useful things

like, what day is it? Or, what is my address? But things like random Trump staffers. So if you don't know the name John McEntee, don't feel bad. He was a former UConn quarterback. Not a very good one. Then he became Trump's body man. Then he got fired by then White House Chief of Staff John Kelly for failing a security background check. And then he was later appointed senior advisor after Trump canned Kelly. You may also know him from his incredibly charming TikToks, like this one he made for his right-wing dating app, The Right Stuff. I always keep this fake Hollywood money in my car. So when a homeless person asks for money, then I give them like a fake $5 bill. So I feel good about myself. They feel good.

And then when they go to use it, they get arrested. So I'm actually like helping clean up the community, you know, getting them off the street. And of course, he's heavily involved in Project 2025. Work for the Heritage Foundation on their Project 2025, which is in charge of staffing the next administration should Trump win. Well, now Wired is reporting that he's stunningly a total creep who uses his dating app to prey on 18 year olds. Two women spoke with the outlet about their experience with McEntee, who allegedly uses the right stuff social media to try and lure women into visiting him in

person. One conversation reportedly began about a merch bundle, while the other transitioned from the dating app to texting and quickly turned sexual. Neither woman went to visit McEntee because ew. See, I don't know if you know this, but a thing about Trump World is that it seems to attract the worst possible people. Like Mark Robinson. People you would not let stay at your house. People to whom you would not loan your car. Like when Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned women were, quote, bleeding out in parking lots as a result of abortion bans at the debate,

McEntee posted this video to The Right Stuff's TikTok. Can someone track down the women Kamala harris says are bleeding out in parking lots because roe v wade was overturned don't hold your breath my good friend and journalist at the atlantic adam server coined the phrase the cruelty is the point talking about how trump and some of his supporters revel in the suffering of other people but i'd add to it the shittiness is the goal of course john mcinty, who helped make January 6th happen, and would likely be a top ally in a Trump White House the second time around, spends his time posting TikToks about how women suffering because of abortion bans are big liars,

and how much fun it is to trick homeless people while trying to pick up college freshmen. That's Trump world. The shittiness is the goal. McEntee is not fighting for the working man or the silent majority. He is a shitty person trying to benefit himself and himself only. Sounds extremely familiar. One more thing before we go. Don't miss this week's episode of Hysteria, where Aaron Ryan and Alyssa Mastromonaco break down the SAVE Act,

the House GOP bill requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship. They break down its implications for women who have changed their last names, giving you all the info you need just in time for voter registration. Tune in to new episodes of Hysteria every Thursday. And make sure to subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, say hello to the Johnny Cash statue, and tell your friends to listen.

And if you're into reading and not just the DOJ's antitrust hit list like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston. And Visa, please stop charging transaction fees to nice small businesses. What A Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded by Jarek Centeno and mixed by Bill Lance. Our associate producer is Raven Yamamoto. Our producer is Michelle Aloy. We had production help today

from Ethan Oberman, Tyler Hill, Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters, and Julia Clare. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our executive producer is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gillyard and Kashaka.