Left, Right & Center

Can Europe trust Trump’s vision for peace?

As peace talks between Russia and Ukraine continue, last week the White House released its National Security Strategy. The strategy, viewed favorably by Moscow [https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-us-security-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-moscow-nato/], was critical of the European Union and views the suppression of far-right politicians as a threat to peace and democracy in the region, especially in resolving the war in Ukraine. A US-brokered peace plan would see Ukraine cede the Donbass region to Russia, a non-starter for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. President Trump sees it as the best way to end the bloodshed, but the plans have also concerned European leaders. What’s the president’s motivation for peace? The National Security Strategy also outlined immigration as a threat to European democracy. There were warnings that Europe risked “civilizational erasure" if it failed to curb mass migration. What is the tie between peace and President Trump’s skepticism on migration? Also, our panel answers your questions.  Can you still be a fiscal conservative and a social progressive without contradicting yourself? What happened to virtue in politics?

Trump rants, Hegseth deflects while Congress looks for answers

At the end of a cabinet meeting this week, President Trump unleashed controversial comments about Minnesota’s Somali community. The president said he “[didn’t] want them in our country” and referred to Minnesota’s Somali-American congresswoman Ilhan Omar as “garbage”. His diatribe came as reports surfaced of ICE raids in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region targeting Somalis in the area. The Department of Homeland Security said that there would be increased focus on immigrant communities in the wake of the November 26th shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., which had no connection to Somali-Americans. Is the administration clouding legitimate questions about immigrant vetting with its actions? Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continued to deny reports he ordered an illegal strike on a boat suspected of trafficking drugs in the Caribbean. Congressional Armed Services Committees have opened investigations into the attack. What could accountability look like legally and politically? A new feature on X reveals where accounts on the app originated from . A number of popular accounts posting about American politics were exposed as foreign users. Is there any way to push back on the influence of foreign actors on social media?

Why are executions on the rise in the US?

President Trump has been a vocal supporter of capital punishment, even before his foray into politics. Now in his second term, he’s instructed the Department of Justice to help states facilitate more executions, and death row executions have reached the highest number in over a decade. Does Trump see  political value in capital punishment? What can we glean about our own values from the push for more executions? America’s youngest voters are going through hard times, facing an uncertain job market [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ai-replacing-entry-level-jobs-gen-z-careers.html] and high costs of living. Throw in a lack of faith in democracy and you’ve got a generation of voters who are less engaged than any other age group. We’ll discuss the political trends defining Gen Z, and ask how political leaders can ignite their political spark. Presidential pardon power has often been scrutinized - on the Left, Right & Center. One listener has an idea about how to fix it.

From Question Everything: The Epstein Files

This week we bring you an episode from Question Everything [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/question-everything/id1765799296], another KCRW podcast. Host Brian Reed brings together the reporters who know the Jeffrey Epstein case best – along with one of their Trump-supporting producers – for drinks and a candid, no-holds-barred conversation. They compare notes, challenge each other’s assumptions, and reveal what it really takes to separate fact from rumor in a story that has tested the limits of journalism. It’s one of the most provocative and confronting discussions Brian’s ever hosted about power, accountability and what’s at stake when the media goes up against billionaires and their networks. Check out the Question Everything Substack [https://questioneverything.substack.com/], by the way, where we get into juicy behind the scenes details and other good stuff from our episodes.  “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW [http://www.kcrw.org] and Placement Theory [http://www.placementtheory.com]. Drinking and fact-checking don’t always go hand in hand, so clarifying and correcting a few statements from the conversation here – which honestly in themselves give a sense of just how many crannies of global power the tendrils of the Epstein story reach into.  We reached out to Anouska De Georgiou to see if she wanted to comment, but we didn’t hear back.  Leslie Wexner is not the founder of Victoria’s Secret – he bought the company in 1982, and he said Jeffrey Epstein had stolen $46 million from him, not $60 million. Meanwhile investor Leon Black paid Epstein $170 million for supposed tax advice – not $160 million.  Virginia Giuffre sued Prince Andrew as an individual, not the Crown itself. Tara Palmeri’s reporting that Elon Musk dm’d Virgina Giuffre saying Trump would release the files is based on Virginia telling her this – Tara didn’t see the DM.  At one point, Eric says that in 2015, Roger Stone called Epstein’s island a “democrat orgy island.” Really, Stone wrote a book excoriating the Clintons called The Clinton’s War on Women, and there’s a chapter in there called Orgy Island, which highlights Bill Clinton’s friendship with Epstein. So Roger Stone didn’t call Epstein’s island a democrat orgy island. Just “orgy island.”  And last, but not least: the pope who was in a picture with Jeffrey Epstein, which was displayed on Epstein’s credenza, was John Paul II.

Trump faces one crisis after another

President Trump signed a bill ordering the Department of Justice to release all unclassified material related to Jeffrey Epstein. The bill - signed on November 19th - calls on the DoJ to deliver the files within 30 days. The president initially resisted Congressional efforts to sign the bill before reversing course ahead of a House vote. Democrats rallied around the push to get the files out, but are they picking the wrong fight?  The affordability issue was a boon for Democrats in their sweeping victories in the 2025 elections. It could be the defining issue of the midterms. In the face of a cost of living crisis, the president rescinded a number of tariffs on vital goods last week. Will it be enough to win back the political ground he’s lost? Plus, the redistricting effort in Texas faces a loss in federal court. Could that impact the effort to create more seats in California and other blue states that looked to counter Texas Republicans? As we look ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday, the panel shares what they're thankful for (with help from a few friends). Plus, KCRW remembers broadcasting pioneer Susan Stamberg.