The case of the 'stolen' Ukrainian wheat
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 29 April 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
With the lack of progress in the negotiations between the United States and Iran, US intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if US President Donald Trump were to declare a unilateral victory in the two-month-old war, according to a Reuters report. Magid weighs in on any potential schism within the Trump administration as Iran's newest proposal appears to shelve the issue of a nuclear program -- the very reason the war was launched.
Amid a growing diplomatic incident, Israel said Tuesday it had yet to receive evidence that a shipment of Russian grain had been “stolen” from occupied Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv said it was preparing sanctions against those involved in the transaction. Magid unravels this tangled issue, which played out live on social media.
A list backed by the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party won most races in the weekend’s Palestinian municipal elections, election officials said Sunday, in a vote that for the first time in nearly two decades included a city in the Gaza Strip run by Hamas, the terror group that violently ousted Fatah from Gaza in 2007. We hear why this vote was significant -- and why it was not.
Last week, Wendy Sherman, who served as deputy secretary of state for much of former US president Joe Biden’s administration, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being responsible for the perpetration of a genocide in Gaza. Magid explains how this opinion, coming from a former Biden official, is being heard more as the Democratic Party looks ahead to the next election.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
US intel agencies examining how Iran would react if Trump declares victory in war
Trump reportedly unhappy with Iran’s proposal to reopen Hormuz but shelve nuclear issue
Israel says no proof Russian grain shipment ‘stolen,’ as Ukraine threatens sanctions
Smotrich confirms Finance Ministry hasn’t transferred any tax revenues to PA for past year
PA leader Abbas’s loyalists win local elections, including in Gaza’s Deir al‑Balah
Biden’s deputy secretary of state: Netanyahu helped ‘create a genocide in Gaza’
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. |
| 0:06.6 | Today is Wednesday, April 29th. |
| 0:08.9 | I'm Amanda Borchelle, Dan, in Jerusalem, with our U.S. Bureau Chief Jacob Magid in Chicago. |
| 0:14.5 | Jacob, thank you so much for joining me today. |
| 0:16.5 | Thanks for having me, Amanda. |
| 0:17.6 | It is always a pleasure seeing you. |
| 0:19.4 | And again, always thank you so much for staying up so late to speak with me in my very early |
| 0:24.6 | morning. |
| 0:25.6 | My pleasure. |
| 0:26.6 | Yofi, today we are going to discuss what is happening or more to the point not happening |
| 0:31.6 | in terms of Iran negotiations. |
| 0:33.6 | We're going to hear about any kind of potential schisms in the Trump administration over this. |
| 0:39.1 | We're going to talk about a voice from the past, Wendy Sherman, |
| 0:42.4 | and what she has to say about the Gaza War. |
| 0:44.8 | All of this and much more when we're back. |
| 1:00.5 | Welcome to the United States. What does it mean to be Jewish in America today? |
| 1:03.1 | And does your denominations still define that? |
| 1:07.1 | In a special series on Wondering Jews with Mikhail and Noam, |
| 1:12.8 | host Mikhail Bitone and Noam Weissman go deep on the question of Jewish identity in America. |
| 1:20.2 | Exploring where these denominations began, how they've changed, and what they reveal about Jewish identity right now. The series features some remarkable guests. |
| 1:23.0 | Historian Zev Elif on why denominations exist at all. |
| 1:27.2 | Professor Jenna Weissman Josslet on the restless genius of Mordecaplean. |
... |
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