Trump vs. The Pope! The Scandal That Threatens Democratic Fundraising (with Kevin Ryan and Dave Levinthal)

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire after talks in Washington, with President Donald Trump saying it would take effect at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. He said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and plans to bring both to the White House for what he called a major step in relations between the two countries. The agreement is supposed to set up a longer-term framework for stability along the border and touch on broader security issues in the region. But it’s landing in a situation where fighting, pressure, and political signaling are all still active in the background. Trump also floated the idea that this could connect to a wider regional deal, including Lebanon’s relationship with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group that plays a major role inside the country. That ties into the bigger question hanging over all of this: Iran. U.S.–Iran talks recently fell apart without a deal, though the White House is still leaving the door open to more negotiations. Nothing is settled there, but it sits underneath almost every other move in the region. Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. In Washington, there’s a pretty straightforward way this is being read. Hezbollah’s strength in Lebanon is tightly linked to Iranian support. If that support weakens, the balance in the region shifts. If it doesn’t, then agreements like this stay limited in what they can actually change. At the same time, Trump has been talking about possible Supreme Court vacancies and new nominees if openings come up, including around Justice Samuel Alito. Nothing has officially changed, but the speculation is already part of the political environment. Any vacancy would go through a Republican-controlled Senate and could lock in the court’s current 6–3 conservative split for years. In Congress, a vote to block the sale of military bulldozers to Israel failed, but 40 Democratic senators supported it anyway. Another vote on restricting bomb transfers also picked up support from Democrats. These votes don’t change policy on their own, but they show a clear split opening up inside the party over military aid to Israel. That split isn’t total, but it’s real. Democrats are still generally aligned on Israel, but fewer of them are treating support as automatic, especially as the conflict continues and public pressure builds. Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:58 - RFK Jr. 00:05:43 - Religion and Trump’s Pope Feud 00:07:43 - Kevin Ryan on the Pope and Trump 00:54:33 - Update 00:54:49 - Israel-Lebanon 00:58:25 - Supreme Court Appointments 00:59:59 - Israel and Democrats 01:02:31 - Dave Levinthal on ActBlue 01:31:41 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe