Israel’s newest military operation in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah stirs concerns of catastrophe for Palestinians in Gaza, and prompts the United States to condition its offensive military aid for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war broke out; Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Ankara, Turkey, to continue their diplomatic efforts; the seventy-seventh Cannes Film Festival showcases new films ranging from niche to blockbuster; and Russian President Vladimir Putin orders tactical nuclear weapon drills as a signal to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Mentioned on the Podcast

Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice 

“Anyone Who’s on the Ground in Gaza is in ‘Danger,’ WFP Chief McCain Says,” NBC News

Jacques Audilard, Emilia Perez

Christina Bouri and Diana Roy, “Few Options for Gazans as Israel Enters Rafah,” CFR.org

Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis 

David Cronenberg, The Shrouds 

“Emmanuel Macron In His Own Words,” Economist

Yorgos Lanthimos, Kinds of Kindness 

George Miller, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga  

War in Gaza Update: The Rafah Incursion and Negotiations Over Hostage Release and Ceasefire, Council on Foreign Relations

“Why Lithuania is Considering Sending Soldiers to Ukraine,” Financial Times