Topic: King Abdullah Ii

Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced questions regarding the U.S. refusal to call for a ceasefire despite the rising death toll of children in Gaza. King Abdullah of Jordan criticized the international community, stating that Palestinian lives appear to matter less than others. Blinken reiterated that every life has equal worth but placed the ultimate responsibility for the suffering on Hamas.

King Abdullah II of Jordan tells Charlie Rose that the fight against ISIS is a "Third World War by other means" and a generational struggle. He emphasizes that Muslim countries must take ownership of the problem, calling the extremism a "Muslim problem" and "evil." Abdullah also notes the global nature of the threat, mentioning fighters traveling to Syria from the Caucasus and Western China.

An anecdote describes King Abdullah II's frequent visits to San Francisco, where his security detail reportedly brandishes automatic weapons from SUVs in Union Square. The King is noted for his fondness for Morton's Steakhouse and his education at Georgetown and in the UK. The hosts compare the Western media's shifting portrayal of Middle Eastern leaders like Bashar al-Assad to corporate treatment of fired employees.

King Abdullah II of Jordan met with the US Armed Services Committee in Washington on the same day the execution video went viral. Senators John McCain and Joe Manchin call for expedited military aid to Jordan, leading the hosts to theorize that Jordan is being positioned as the regional proxy to take out the Assad regime in Syria under the guise of fighting ISIS.

Protests erupt in Jordan over rising fuel prices and government corruption, with demonstrators calling for the fall of the regime. The hosts discuss King Abdullah II's lineage and the use of U.S.-supplied non-lethal weapons against protesters. A tangent explains the origin of the band name "Steely Dan" from a William S. Burroughs novel.