This is the Daily Blast from the New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.

I'm your host, Greg Sargent.

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gave an extraordinary speech

lacerating Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel over the horrific civilian toll in Gaza.

Schumer suggested that Netanyahu has lost his way, is prioritizing his own political needs over his country, and is turning Israel

into a global pariah. Schumer called for new leadership. This is an important moment in

U.S. politics. The highest-ranking Jewish elected official is trying to unite the Democratic

coalition at a moment when the war in Gaza is badly straining that coalition by speaking up for

Palestinian rights and a two-state solution. Here to help explain all this today is Randy

Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which is promoting an Israeli-based

peace effort called Standing Together, and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dion, who writes regularly

about intra-co-co-o-litional tensions among Democrats. Welcome, Randy and E.J. Great to be with you, Greg,

and congratulations on creating an essential podcast real fast. It's great. Thank you, Greg. Thank you, E.J. It's great to be with both of you.

Randy, you're hosting a big event with Standing Together next week. What is this group doing in the U.S.?

And how is it attempting to build bridges among different constituencies in the United States?

So standing together is a grassroots group of Palestinians and Jews that are Israeli citizens.

Basically, 20% of the Israeli citizenry is Arab or Palestinian.

You know, there's clearly an overlap.

But so, so these young adults basically created a group several years ago that have talked

about there has to be a third way. There has to be a way where both Arabs and Jews in not only the

state of Israel, but hopefully a separate state of Palestine, are actually able to live in peace,

equality, and security, not dissimilar than what was in the Declaration of Independence

...