Nick: The Biden administration's foreign policy efforts are once again in the spotlight, as U.S. Officials push for more hostages to be released by hamas. On that, and what's ahead in the Republican presidential primary, we turn to the analysis of Capehart and Johnson. That's Jonathan Capehart, associate editor for the Washington post, and Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of the Washington free beacon. David brooks is away. Thanks, guys. Great to see you. Happy day after Thanksgiving. Jonathan Capehart, I wonder if we can look at Biden's policy overall for Israel. How do you rate it right now? Jonathan: First, today is a great day that we have seen some hostages of the couple hundred that have been held hostage in gaza be released. That is primarily the efforts of the United States, Qatar, Israel, but really, the president of the United States pushing really hard to get to some kind of situation where hostages can be released, there can be a pause in the fighting so that humanitarian relief could get inside gaza where the people who desperately need it, the Palestinians who desperately need it. It doesn't mean that this is by any means over or that there are not more pitfalls to come. But with that incentive in the pause, meaning if 10 more hostages are released, there will be an extra day in the pause. It is my hope that that does indeed happen, and that this pause lasts longer than the four initial days. Nick: What do you think president Biden should be focused on? Either this pause or relief into gaza, or the release of U.S. Hostages? Eliana: I wish it was an either-or question and I could give you a simple answer. But the president has to be under enormous pressure to secure the release of the American hostages. He has indicated he does not even know the location of all the American hostages. And today, we saw the release of 13 hostages, none of them were Americans, and I do think he is under enormous pressure. He has got to get some American hostages out under this deal. Going forward, he is coming under huge pressure from the left flank of the democratic party to pressure Israel to stop its war. From my vantage point, the president has to resist that pressure and allow Israel to continue the war at the end of this pause. It is worth noting, hamas has already violated the terms of this agreement. The red cross was supposed to be able to see and evaluate the hostages. They were not permitted to do so. Civilians were not to return to the north of gaza, and hamas is encouraging them to do so. I think president Biden has got to give Israel the green light, when it wants to do so, to resume this war. Nick: Let's think about that, resisting pressure. There is a lot of pressure on the left, some of it generational, but not all of it, to call for a cease-fire. That is not something many members of the democratic party have followed. Yet, there are calls for the president to basically rein in the Israelis even more. Can he resist that pressure? Should he resist that pressure? Jonathan: He can resist that pressure. He will resist that pressure. And he should resist that pressure. I would say to my democratic friends that we have to remember that president Biden is president of the United States, not the president of Israel. He has no control over prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He can strongly suggest, he can strongly talk to him behind-the-scenes, more strongly than the words he uses, the president uses in public, but president Biden is doing absolutely everything he can to encourage a small D democratic nation, which has its own national security interests, to act in the best interests of small D democratic values. I would also say to my democratic friends and to others, you've got to remember for all the talk about president Biden being oh-so old and he is too old for the job, he has 36 years in the senate, eight years as vice president of the united States. It is coming in handy right now when we boast need it. This is the time when president Biden is at his best. He knows what he is doing. I just wish that Democrats in general, and the American public in particular, would give him the grace and give him the room to exert American will and American pressure as much as he can on a situation that is infinitely more complex than a lot of his critics give it credit for. Nick: Eliana, when it comes to the power of the purse, the president has asked for some $60 billion for Ukraine aid, tying that to $14 billion for Israel. Is that effort to tie Ukraine and Israel aid dead or still alive in congress? Eliana: The Ukraine aid in particular is controversial among Republicans. I personally wish it wasn't, but it is. And we have had Democrats come forward and say Republicans wanted to tie additional money for the border, and it currently is in this bill, and that is controversial among the Democrats. My guess is that ultimately the senate may come under pressure to split this bill into pieces. Right now, it is the Israel money, the Ukraine money, and these border security measures. I cannot predict what will happen with that bill, but there are parts of it, the Ukraine money controversial on the right and the border security money controversial among Democrats. I think it will be a tough sell. Nick: Let's switch over to Republican politics. Basic question, can anybody stop trump? Jonathan: Right now, no. Last I saw, he is 20 or 30 points ahead of Ron Desantis and Nikki Haley, who are battling for number two. But what I really think we are looking at right now is we are looking at poll numbers that show Donald Trump far and away the front runner for the Republican nomination. But I am looking for is what happens on the night of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries? When those poll numbers give way to actual votes. Donald Trump will be in trouble if his actual vote totals, his actual vote margin, assuming he comes in first place, is dramatically smaller than the huge leads we see he has over Ron Desantis and Nikki Haley. I think for the folks battling it out for number two, the person with the wind in her sales and at her back is Nikki Haley, from the infighting we are seeing in Ron Desantis' camp, the slide he is experiencing might be inexorable. Nick: Eliana, is Iowa a must win, or a must proving you have positive momentum for Ron Desantis, and is New Hampshire the must win or proving you're gaining positive momentum for Nikki Haley? Eliana: Iowa is a must win for Ron Desantis. He has staked so much energy on that state, and I do believe he has got to win there to keep his campaign alive. These guys are not running for understudy or second-place. They are running to displace former president Donald Trump and to win this nomination, and by the same token I think Nikki Haley has to win one of these early states. She is performing best in new Hampshire. I think Chris Christie has to drop out of this race for her to do that. His votes are likely to go to her. A win in New Hampshire would set her up nicely for her home state of South Carolina, which comes next. Donald Trump remains the strong front runner, but we have seen crazier things happen. Never say never. There is another debate, at least one more, between now and then. Poll after poll shows that Republicans may say they support trump, but they also say they are open to other candidates. So we will have to see what happens. Nick: I have 40 seconds left. I have to say I am grateful for my family and support. Each of you have 20 seconds. Jonathan, what are you grateful for? Jonathan: Nick, I am grateful for science. On Sunday, I tested positive for covid, so I have been at home since Sunday, and three years ago right now, the nation was listening to ambulance sirens, hearing about hospitals that were overflowing with people who had come down with coronavirus, people who were intubated, folks who passed away without being able to see their family. And because of science, I got a positive covid diagnosis and the most major thing I have had to deal with are the sniffles. I am thankful for science. Nick: And we are thankful you are feeling relatively well. Eliana, you have about 20, 30 seconds. Eliana: Nick, I am with you. I am grateful for my family, and particularly watching these excruciating scenes of families in Israel. I pray for the return of their small children, many under the age of five. I am grateful for the health, safety, and security of my daughter, and to live in what hopefully still is the greatest country in the world. Nick: Eliana Johnson, Jonathan Capehart, thank you very much both. Jonathan: Thank, Nick. Eliana: Thank you.
