Trump's promising peace, but that could still come with problems
Left, Right & Center
KCRW
4.2 • 4.8K Ratings
🗓️ 17 October 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
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Summary
Despite President Trump declaring the war in Gaza “over,” the situation on the ground is far from certain. Israel has threatened to block some of the humanitarian aid approved in the deal until Hamas fulfills its promise of returning all the bodies of dead hostages. That hasn’t deterred the president from promoting himself as a peacemaker. What’s motivating his aggressive push to take credit for the deal?
The Middle East is just one part of Trump’s foreign policy push. Just this week, he agreed to provide $40 billion in relief for Argentina’s struggling economy. However, Americans are hoping he narrows his focus to domestic issues. Recent polling shows that concerns about the economy remain top of mind for most, and there are worries that Trump isn’t focused enough on reducing inflation. Is the administration running the risk of losing touch with voters?
Many of us are trying to reckon with a culture that glorifies the “grind” of constant work. Focusing solely on rest and relaxation is one way of pushing back, but what if you overdo it? In the constant search for balance, one writer shares thoughts on “pruning” our lives to provide room for reflection and real connection.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there, it's David Plotz, host of Slate's Political Gab Fest, the longest running politics podcast. |
| 0:06.6 | It can be hard to know what news is worth your attention, which is why every week my co-hosts, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson and I find the most important stories of the week so you don't have to. |
| 0:15.6 | We dig into everything from Trump's immigration policies to critical court cases and everything in between. |
| 0:21.5 | We also keep some good humor while doing it. Why is the tick-tack shape that way? Listen to the political |
| 0:26.9 | GabFest now and join us as we go even deeper on the daily news you're already following. That's |
| 0:31.6 | Political GabFest wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to left, right and center, everybody. I'm David Green. We really appreciate you being here. |
| 0:41.2 | And we want to turn first to the situation in Gaza. All eyes remain on the Gaza Strip right now after |
| 0:48.3 | that recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. In his visits to the Israeli parliament and also to a peace |
| 0:56.1 | summit in Egypt, President Trump made this declaration. After years of suffering and bloodshed, |
| 1:01.9 | the war in Gaza is over. Humanitarian aid is now pouring in, including hundreds of truckloads |
| 1:08.7 | of food and medical equipment and other supplies, |
| 1:11.9 | much of it paid for by people in this room. |
| 1:14.5 | In reality, we should say the promise of peace still seems pretty tenuous. The return of 20 |
| 1:20.8 | Israeli hostages held by Hamas and 2,000 Palestinians held as prisoners in Israel did trigger |
| 1:26.5 | the first phase of this peace deal. The next phase |
| 1:29.6 | may hinge on Hamas, quickly returning the bodies of all 28 dead Israeli hostages. So far, they've |
| 1:36.3 | returned some, claiming that the rest are difficult to recover amidst the rubble and destruction |
| 1:41.1 | throughout Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, has threatened to block aid if bodies |
| 1:45.6 | are not returned soon, all of which has been highlighting the fragility in all of this. |
| 1:51.7 | But just getting to this point is an achievement. And here at home, both Republicans and |
| 1:57.8 | some Democrats have been praising President Trump for his central role in this. |
| 2:02.5 | Sarah Isger is back with us this week. On the right, she is senior editor at the dispatch. She hosts |
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