The Daily - Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017

President Trump has said that a peace plan for Israelis and Palestinians would be the “ultimate deal.” But he is now putting that prospect at risk for the sake of a campaign promise. We also look at the carefully constructed apparatus that provided Harvey Weinstein with cover as accusations of sexual misconduct piled up. Guests: Mark Landler, a White House correspondent for The New York Times; Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the Times reporters who broke the story about the sexual misconduct accusations against Harvey Weinstein; Lauren O’Connor, a former employee of Mr. Weinstein. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Duration: 33m
Broadcast on: 06 Dec 2017
Audio Format: other

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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This podcast is supported by the Capital One Venture X Card. Venture X offers the premium benefits you expect, like a $300 annual Capital One travel credit for less than you expect. Elevate your earn with unlimited double miles on every purchase, bringing you one step closer to your next dream destination. Plus, enjoy access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. The Capital One Venture X Card, what's in your wallet? Terms apply, lounge access is subject to change. See CapitalOne.com for details. From the New York Times, I'm Michael Barbero. This is the Daily. Today, President Trump has called a Middle East peace plan the ultimate deal. So why is he knowingly putting it at risk? And dozens of women over decades in power. How Harvey Weinstein's complicity machine allowed it to happen. It's Wednesday, December 6th. So it was March of 2016, and candidate Donald Trump was making his first appearance at the APAC annual meeting in Washington. Mark Landler is a White House reporter for the Times. This is the largest pro-Israel lobbying group in America. Good evening. Thank you very much. It's a place that politicians and political hopefuls go to, to lay out their credentials for being a friend of Israel. I speak to you today as a lifelong supporter and true friend of Israel. And during his speech, Trump said the following thing. He said, we will move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem. And at the time, I remember thinking, yeah, fat chance. Politicians, particularly Republicans, have long campaigned on this promise. And when they get into office, they typically realize there are a whole host of reasons they can't deliver on it, and it quietly dies. It happened that way under President George W. Bush. So frankly, I took note of it. I didn't put a great deal of stock in it until this week. Mr. Trump called leaders around the Middle East today to tell them he is considering moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and recognizing the holy city as Israel's capital. The State Department is warning U.S. diplomats and their families to avoid Jerusalem's old city. There are fears of violence after President Trump told Arab and Muslim leaders. He has every intention of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and later moving the embassy there. Mark, what's the significance of where the embassy should be located? It's actually very simple. Embassies are located in capitals. That's true all around the world, and Israel is in a tiny category of having an embassy that is not in the capital. And the reason for that is that Jerusalem is essentially a city divided. You've got West Jerusalem, which is the capital or the de facto capital of Israel, where all the government ministries lie, the Prime Minister's office, the Knesset.

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