What Joe Biden Got Right—and Wrong—Last Week in the Middle East

In this week’s The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman evaluate President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel in the wake of the Hamas attacks and highlight particularly bad U.S. responses to the war in the Middle East.

0:24: President Biden visits Israel

16:24: Bad U.S. domestic responses to the war in Gaza

26:52: Weekly Listener Question

42:13: House Republicans’ enduring embarrassment

48:23: This week’s cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

Unimaginable Force,” by Liz Wolfe

U.S. Faces Risks in Spreading Israel-Hamas Conflict,” by J.D. Tuccille

Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis Argue Who Is More Hostile to Refugees from Gaza,” by Joe Lancaster

Trita Parsi: Is De-escalation Feasible in the Middle East?” by Zach Weissmueller and Liz Wolfe

Who Is—and Isn’t—Ready To Change Their Minds About the Gaza Hospital Blast?” by Matt Welch

Disinformation Reporter Ben Collins Failed To Correct the Gaza Hospital Story,” by Robby Soave

What Happens Next in the Israel-Hamas War?” by Zach Weissmueller and Liz Wolfe

Biden’s Foreign Policy Is Adrift,” by Bonnie Kristian

“I find such unrestrained xenophobia particularly disgusting,” writes Nick Gillespie on X.

“I urge @Heritage to delete this utterly disgusting, xenophobic post,” writes Justin Amash on X.

Why America Shouldn’t Resettle Palestinians,” by Lora Ries

The Case Against Government-Provided Paid Parental Leave,” by Veronique de Rugy

This Law Will Kill Opportunities for Pregnant Workers,” by John Stossel

Jim Jordan Is Trying To Buy the Speakership With Tax Breaks for Wealthy Residents of Blue States,” by Eric Boehm

Jim Jordan: The Perfect Speaker for a Policy-Free GOP,” by Eric Boehm

In Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese Plumbs the Depths of American Depravity,” by Peter Suderman

Martin Scorsese Is a Grumpy Old Fart—and Wrong About the State of ‘Cinema,'” by Nick Gillespie

Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

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Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: “Angeline,” by The Brothers Steve

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