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Speakerless House shows weakness to US adversaries, says Rep. Mike Waltz
It's not a particularly comfortable moment to be a House Republican on Capitol Hill. Unable to agree on a Speaker, the House remains paralyzed and unable to do crucial work on a wide array of domestic and foreign policy priorities. Israel, of course, is at the top of that list. Republican Congressman Mike Waltz worries that the paralysis on Capitol Hill is playing right into the hands of America's adversaries.
"Our adversaries smell weakness in Washington right now," Rep. Waltz tells Ian Bremmer on an episode of GZERO World. "We need to get our act together and move the country forward." And yet, the House remains without a Speaker. What will it take to remove this logjam and get the House back to work?
Watch more on this episode: America's tightrope walk with the Israel-Hamas war
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
Podcast: What's the US role in the Israel-Hamas war? Views from Sen. Chris Murphy & Rep. Mike Waltz
Listen: Two weeks into Israel's bloody war with Hamas, the death toll continues to mount, and amidst the rubble of bombed-out buildings, one thing seems clear: things are far from over. On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer asks what role the US government should play in the conflict and whether that role is as clear-cut today as it was after the attack on October 7. President Biden made a politically and personally dangerous trip to Israel this week, showing solidarity for America’s closest ally in the Middle East. But the administration must walk a fine line between supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and preventing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from spiraling out of control.
To get the view from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill, Ian speaks first with Senator Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and then with Republican Representative Mike Waltz of Florida, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It's a particularly timely moment to be on Capitol Hill, as House Republicans remain paralyzed over their inability to pick a Speaker. Senator Murphy and Congressman Waltz both comment on what toll that dysfunction is taking on US national security.
Subscribe to the GZERO World Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.- The Israel-Hamas war: Where we are, two weeks in ›
- Israel-Hamas War: The race to avert escalation in the Middle East ›
- Will Israel's war with Hamas spread north to Lebanon? ›
- Podcast: The war between Israel and Hamas and its unfathomable human toll ›
- Israel-Hamas war: Biden's second foreign policy crisis - GZERO Media ›
- Podcast: The path to a two-state solution for Israel & Palestine: Former PM Ehud Barak's perspective - GZERO Media ›
- Israel-Hamas war set to expand & directly involve US - GZERO Media ›
America's tightrope walk with the Israel-Hamas war
As the death toll mounts in Israel’s war with Hamas, Ian Bremmer looks at the role the US government should play in the conflict and whether that role is as clear-cut today as it was right after the attack on October 7. President Biden made a politically and personally dangerous trip to Israel this week, showing solidarity for America’s closest ally in the Middle East. But the administration must walk a fine line between supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and preventing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from spiraling out of control.
On this episode of GZERO World, we get the view from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill, first with Senator Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and then with Republican Representative Mike Waltz of Florida, a member of the House Foreign Affairs committee.
Also: a dispatch from Lebanon. A little over 50 miles from the Israeli border, there are few signs of the violent conflict capturing the world's attention. For now, at least. Further south, there have been almost daily exchanges of rocket fire between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that dominates southern Lebanon and is a regional power in its own right. GZERO correspondent Fin DePoncier is in Beirut to hear from its diverse population about what they think about their country's precarious position and what it would mean if Lebanon gets dragged into Israel's war with Hamas. Some people see themselves as entirely removed from the conflict, and others would pick up arms to fight, but everyone is bracing for the worst. For now, all eyes are on Hezbollah and the southern border.
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
- The Israel-Hamas war: Where we are, two weeks in ›
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- Israel-Hamas War: The race to avert escalation in the Middle East ›
- Ian Bremmer: Understanding the Israel-Hamas war ›
- What kind of leverage does Biden really have with Bibi? ›
- Biden seeks urgent aid package for Israel, Ukraine ›
- What we know (and don't know) about Iran's role in the Israel-Hamas war - GZERO Media ›
- Israel-Hamas war: Biden's second foreign policy crisis - GZERO Media ›
- Israel-Hamas war: "Just bring them back," says brother of 9-year-old Israeli hostage - GZERO Media ›
- Israel-Hamas war set to expand & directly involve US - GZERO Media ›
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Saving US hostages in Gaza: Use Egypt as intermediary, urges Rep. Mike Waltz
American citizens are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. President Biden has said that the US government is pursuing all available avenues to bring them home. But how does that happen? US Representative Mike Waltz is a decorated veteran and knows how hard it is to pull something like this off in the middle of a war zone.
"I could just tell you as a former Green Beret that for a hostage rescue to be successful down in the tunnels where it is incredibly difficult to intercept any type of communications, GPS doesn't work, is quite difficult," he tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World. "I mean, there is a reason Hamas has built this massive tunnel network. It's incredibly difficult to get to. They will constantly be moving them around. I mean, this is just a Gordian knot in terms of trying to get these folks militarily. So at the end of the day, we have, look, we have historic intermediaries."
But what happens when those intermediaries, like Qatar, are also housing top Hamas leaders? Tune into the latest episode of GZERO World for a full and nuanced episode on the ongoing crisis in Israel.
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
Should the US boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games?
Florida Congressman Mike Waltz has called for a US boycott of the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. Waltz, a conservative Republican and Trump supporter, makes his case not for military or economic reasons but for humanitarian grounds: "I don't see how, after unleashing Covid on the world, clearly covering it up, arresting journalists, arresting doctors, refusing to share data, and the ongoing genocide that two Secretaries of State from two different administrations have now agreed is happening, that we reward Beijing with this international platform to whitewash everything that they've done to the world."
In a conversation with Ian Bremmer, Waltz dismisses concerns that the US would be virtually alone in a boycott, citing China as an "insidious" threat because, "We're drunk on Chinese money and it's from sports, to Disney, to Wall Street, to our political class, to our universities, think tanks and political institutions." The interview on GZERO World airs on US public television starting Friday, April 23. Check local listings.
Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode.
- So, are we in a new Cold War or not? - GZERO Media ›
- Will the US and other Western countries really boycott the Beijing ... ›
- What We're Watching: US Olympic boycott threat, Myanmar junta ... ›
- How political sports boycotts (really) work - GZERO Media ›
- Would athletes be exempt from a Beijing 2022 Olympics boycott? - GZERO Media ›
“We’re going to see a descent back into chaos” in Afghanistan: Rep. Waltz
Conservative Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL) explains why he fears that a full US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will create a power vacuum in Kabul, leading to chaos, destruction, and a national security threat for the US that will eventually require troops to be sent back in. Waltz, a former Green Beret who served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and elsewhere, shares his concerns in a conversation with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World. He warns, "One of the things I don't know that everyone realizes is when the military goes, those contractors will go, the CIA, our eyes and ears on the ground will go." The interview on GZERO World airs on US public television starting Friday, April 23. Check local listings.
Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode.
A Republican Congressman’s take on the "Russia threat”
What is Russia's current threat level to the US? US Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL), thinks that the Russian government and other hardline regimes "smell weakness in Washington right now" and that the Biden administration's stance isn't tough enough. Waltz, who served as an advisor to George W. Bush, tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World that his recommended policy approach to Russia would be "Lethal aid to Ukraine. I think that's the only thing that the Russians will respond to." Watch the full conversation on GZERO World, airing on US public television starting April 23.
Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode.
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The case against pulling out of Afghanistan this year
Earlier this month President Biden did what three of his predecessors could not: he announced an unconditional end to the war in Afghanistan after twenty years of American boots on the ground. This week, US Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL), a combat-decorated Green Beret who served multiple tours in Afghanistan, joins GZERO World to explain why he thinks President Biden's announcement will end in catastrophe, for Afghans and Americans alike.
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- Is the US abandoning NATO in Afghanistan? - GZERO Media ›