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Trump’s VP Pick J.D. Vance Espouses Economic Populism But Will He Actually Be a Working-Class Ally?

After Ohio Senator J.D. Vance makes his nomination official as the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 2024, we spend the show looking at his record. We begin with a discussion on Vance’s professed economic populism with independent journalist Zaid Jilani and The Nation’s Chris Lehmann. Jilani argues Vance’s pro-working class image is not only genuine, but that he may also hold enough sway to bring the Republican Party closer to the labor movement.

DNC Makes Moves to Lock In Biden as Nominee Early, Despite Growing Discontent Among Democrats

The Democratic National Committee is moving to confirm President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee with a “virtual roll call” as early as next week, despite serious doubts from many Democratic lawmakers and voters about his viability following a disastrous debate performance in late June. “Joe Biden could be nominated for president next week, even though the convention is almost a month away,” says The Nation’s John Nichols.

Milwaukee Immigrant Rights Advocate Slams “Sickening” Rhetoric at RNC as Trump Vows Mass Deportations

Anti-immigrant hate speech and misinformation about the U.S.-Mexico border took center stage on the second day of the Republican National Convention. Donald Trump’s campaign screened an ad that scapegoated migrants and asylum seekers for rising crime in the U.S. and falsely claimed Biden’s so-called open border policies have facilitated the smuggling of fentanyl.

J.D. Vance Praised 9/11 Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones as Truth-Teller in Private 2021 Speech

Ohio Senator J.D. Vance is preparing to make his first speech Wednesday at the Republican National Convention after being tapped by Donald Trump to be his running mate. On Tuesday, ProPublica published a newly uncovered speech Vance made a year before he was elected to the Senate in which he said “the devil is real,” praised conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, denigrated transgender people and more. We speak with reporter Andy Kroll, who says the video “gives this unvarnished look into what J.D.

Samuel Sharpe Shooting: Ohio Cops in Wisconsin for RNC Kill Unhoused Black Veteran

Activists and community members in Milwaukee gathered in the streets Tuesday to condemn the police killing of 43-year-old Milwaukee resident Samuel Sharpe. The officers who killed Sharpe, an unhoused Black veteran, are from Ohio, part of a group of 4,500 law enforcement officials in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. But the shooting took place a mile from the RNC’s proceedings.

Jury Convicts NJ Senator Bob Menendez of Taking Bribes from Egypt & Qatar

A federal jury on Tuesday convicted New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of corruption on all 16 counts he faced. He was found guilty of bribery, wire fraud, extortion, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. Award-winning investigative reporter Bob Hennelly, who has been covering Menendez for decades, says it’s a “condemnation of the political culture of New Jersey that’s corrupt.

“Blank Check” for Genocide: Court Dismisses Palestinians’ Case Against Biden Admin over Gaza War

A lawsuit led by Palestinians and Palestinian Americans that accused President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials of enabling genocide in Gaza was rejected Monday by a federal appeals court, which upheld a lower court’s dismissal of the lawsuit. The three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court ruled that courts cannot review the executive branch’s decisions on foreign policy, even when there is a risk of breaking domestic and international law.

“He’s a Fake”: Robert Kuttner on How J.D. Vance Disguises His Anti-Worker Views as Economic Populism

We speak with journalist Robert Kuttner about Donald Trump’s selection of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance to be his running mate in the 2024 election. Vance rose to fame in 2016 after writing the memoir Hillbilly Elegy about his upbringing in Appalachia. He was elected to the Senate in 2022 with the backing of right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel, who spent $10 million on his candidacy.

“Genocidal Man” vs. “Fascist Man”: RNC Protesters Decry 2024 Choices, Call for Justice

“We were given a genocidal man and a fascist man, and that is a terrible decision to pick from,” says one of the protesters who joined a broad coalition of progressive groups and unions to march in Milwaukee against the Republican Party Monday on the first day of the Republican National Convention. We speak with people calling for an end to racist policies supported by the GOP; defending the rights of women, LGBTQ people and abortion access; supporting Palestine and more.

Trump-Appointed Judge Dismisses Classified Documents Case Against Ex-President on First Day of RNC

As the Republican National Convention opened on Monday, Donald Trump scored a major legal victory when a Trump-appointed federal judge in Florida dismissed the criminal case against the former president for illegally keeping classified national security documents after his presidency ended. Judge Aileen Cannon ruled Attorney General Merrick Garland had no power to appoint Jack Smith as a special counsel. Her ruling stunned many legal experts, and the Justice Department plans to appeal.

Voices of the Unhoused: Poor People’s Army Sets Up Encampment Near RNC to Protest GOP Policies

In Milwaukee, Democracy Now! speaks with members of an unhoused encampment that’s been set up just minutes from the site of the Republican National Convention to protest policies that have exacerbated poverty and a housing crisis nationwide. The encampment is organized by the Poor People’s Army, which is also set to host a protest rally and march on the first day of the convention. Cheri Honkala, the national spokesperson for the Poor People’s Army, also joins us in Milwaukee.

Jeff Sharlet on Trump Assassination Attempt, Authoritarian Violence & Project 2025

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, we speak to writer Jeff Sharlet, author of The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War. Sharlet says, “The Trump campaign and this kind of authoritarianism is driven by not just the use of violence, not just the invocation of violence, but a kind of reverence of violence, a redemption through violence.

“An America Awash in Guns”: Brady President Kris Brown on Trump Shooting & the Need for Gun Control

Saturday’s assassination attempt of Donald Trump is widely viewed as the Secret Service’s biggest failure since 1981, when a gunman shot President Ronald Reagan just over two months into his first term. Reagan was hospitalized for nearly two weeks. Three other people were injured, including Reagan’s press secretary James Brady, who was shot in the head and left partially paralyzed.

“I’m Bored, So I Shoot”: How Israeli Troops Are Authorized to Shoot Palestinians Virtually at Will

We speak with reporter Oren Ziv of +972 Magazine, whose latest investigation details how Israeli forces in Gaza have been authorized to open fire on Palestinians virtually at will. Six soldiers who fought in Gaza describe a near-total absence of firing regulations, with soldiers shooting as they please, setting homes ablaze, leaving corpses to rot on the streets and more.

In Rare News Conf., Biden Vows to Stay in Race, Defending Record on Ukraine, NATO & More: A Roundtable

As the world watched Thursday night, President Biden held his first solo press conference this year, after hosting a NATO conference in which he accidentally referred to Ukrainian President Zelensky as Russian President Putin before quickly correcting himself. While speaking with reporters, Biden defended his record and vowed to “finish the job,” but at one point referred to Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.

Fmr. Israeli Peace Negotiator Daniel Levy: Netanyahu Is “Trying to Do Everything to Prevent a Deal”

Former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy discusses ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the ruling party in the Gaza Strip, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued hostility to compromise and the Biden administration’s ineffectual mediation. Contrary to its claims of brokering peace, the U.S. “will continue to send the weapons” Israel uses to devastate Gaza, unremittingly fueling an increasingly unpopular war, says Levy, who is now president of the U.S.

Should Biden Step Aside? Wajahat Ali & Norman Solomon Debate Democratic Options for 2024 Race

As calls mount for President Joe Biden to step down as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee over concerns surrounding his mental and physical capacity to lead, we host a debate between two longtime members of the Democratic Party: Wajahat Ali, who recently authored a column subtitled “Biden Is Very Old and Out of Touch, and Here’s Why You Should Vote for Him,” and Norman Solomon of RootsAction.org, which sponsors the Step Aside Joe campaign.

“I’m Bored, So I Shoot”: How Israeli Troops Are Authorized to Shoot Palestinians Virtually at Will

We speak with reporter Oren Ziv of +972 Magazine, whose latest investigation details how Israeli forces in Gaza have been authorized to open fire on Palestinians virtually at will. Six soldiers who fought in Gaza describe a near-total absence of firing regulations, with soldiers shooting as they please, setting homes ablaze, leaving corpses to rot on the streets and more.

In Rare News Conf., Biden Vows to Stay in Race, Defending Record on Ukraine, NATO & More: A Roundtable

As the world watched Thursday night, President Biden held his first solo press conference this year, after hosting a NATO conference in which he accidentally referred to Ukrainian President Zelensky as Russian President Putin before quickly correcting himself. While speaking with reporters, Biden defended his record and vowed to “finish the job,” but at one point referred to Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.

Fmr. Israeli Peace Negotiator Daniel Levy: Netanyahu Is “Trying to Do Everything to Prevent a Deal”

Former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy discusses ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the ruling party in the Gaza Strip, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued hostility to compromise and the Biden administration’s ineffectual mediation. Contrary to its claims of brokering peace, the U.S. “will continue to send the weapons” Israel uses to devastate Gaza, unremittingly fueling an increasingly unpopular war, says Levy, who is now president of the U.S.

Should Biden Step Aside? Wajahat Ali & Norman Solomon Debate Democratic Options for 2024 Race

As calls mount for President Joe Biden to step down as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee over concerns surrounding his mental and physical capacity to lead, we host a debate between two longtime members of the Democratic Party: Wajahat Ali, who recently authored a column subtitled “Biden Is Very Old and Out of Touch, and Here’s Why You Should Vote for Him,” and Norman Solomon of RootsAction.org, which sponsors the Step Aside Joe campaign.

Biden Digs In

Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here.
On the eve of the Republican National Convention, President Joe Biden appears more determined than ever to continue his bid for reelection.

Fmr. Israeli Peace Negotiator Daniel Levy: Netanyahu Is “Trying to Do Everything to Prevent a Deal”

Former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy discusses ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the ruling party in the Gaza Strip, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued hostility to compromise and the Biden administration’s ineffectual mediation. Contrary to its claims of brokering peace, the U.S. “will continue to send the weapons” Israel uses to devastate Gaza, unremittingly fueling an increasingly unpopular war, says Levy, who is now president of the U.S.

Should Biden Step Aside? Wajahat Ali & Norman Solomon Debate Democratic Options for 2024 Race

As calls mount for President Joe Biden to step down as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee over concerns surrounding his mental and physical capacity to lead, we host a debate between two longtime members of the Democratic Party: Wajahat Ali, who recently authored a column subtitled “Biden Is Very Old and Out of Touch, and Here’s Why You Should Vote for Him,” and Norman Solomon of RootsAction.org, which sponsors the Step Aside Joe campaign.

“I’m Bored, So I Shoot”: How Israeli Troops Are Authorized to Shoot Palestinians Virtually at Will

We speak with reporter Oren Ziv of +972 Magazine, whose latest investigation details how Israeli forces in Gaza have been authorized to open fire on Palestinians virtually at will. Six soldiers who fought in Gaza describe a near-total absence of firing regulations, with soldiers shooting as they please, setting homes ablaze, leaving corpses to rot on the streets and more.

In Rare News Conf., Biden Vows to Stay in Race, Defending Record on Ukraine, NATO & More: A Roundtable

As the world watched Thursday night, President Biden held his first solo press conference this year, after hosting a NATO conference in which he accidentally referred to Ukrainian President Zelensky as Russian President Putin before quickly correcting himself. While speaking with reporters, Biden defended his record and vowed to “finish the job,” but at one point referred to Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.