It's the Brian Lera Show on WNYC. Good morning everyone.

New Jersey, Congress. It's the Brian Laracheo on WNYC.

Good morning everyone.

New Jersey Congress member Mikey Cheryl

is just back from the Munich Security Conference

and the Middle East, and she joins us now. She went to Israel, Jordan, and Egypt in addition to Munich, including

the Rafa crossing at the Egyptian border. Rafa being where most Gaza residents have concentrated now at Israel's direction, caught between being

used as human shields by Hamas in its last military stronghold and Israel's willingness to kill thousands of civilians to fight Hamas faster.

Congresswoman Cheryl supports the current negotiations said to be making progress toward a temporary cease fire and hostage and prisoner exchange.

And as a Navy veteran who worked in the Middle East has a master's degree in global history

from the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science, and is now a member of the House Armed Services Committee,

it could be very interesting to hear her take on what might be done to save more civilian lives right now if the two warring

parties insist on continuing the fight and also on longer term solutions going

forward in the context of the history of the region.

Congresswoman Cheryl spent nearly 10 years on active duty in the Navy,

flying missions throughout Europe and the Middle East.

She then attended Georgetown Law School and served as a Russia policy officer in the US Attorney's

Office in New Jersey. Obviously Russia is also very much in the news right now with the death of

Alexei Navalny and a pro- Putin wing of the Republican Party

rising. Also just this morning President Biden announced 500, 500 new sanctions

on Russia so we'll talk about that too.

Congresswoman Cheryl is a Democrat who represents New Jersey's 11th

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