Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

Episode Date: August 28, 2025
Episode Title: Graham Platner Vs Susan Collins, Ana Kasparian Stuns CNN, Alleged Israeli P3DO Skips Court, Jeff Sachs Dire Warning

Overview

This episode delivers powerful discussions spanning American and global politics, media accountability, and international justice. The hosts—Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti—bring on guests from the frontlines: Maine Senate candidate and veteran Graham Platner, economist Jeffrey Sachs, and in-depth analysis of CNN’s Ana Kasparian shaking up establishment discourse. The central themes are the corruption and failures of establishment power—whether in the Senate, media, judiciary, or foreign policy—and the openings for independent voices to challenge that dominance.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Graham Platner: Maine Senate Candidate Challenges Susan Collins

(Starts ~02:26)

Background & Motivation

• Graham Platner, a Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, joins to discuss his insurgent campaign against longtime incumbent Susan Collins.
• Platner, a Maine native and former oysterman, bartender, and military veteran, grounds his campaign in a deep love for his home state and concern about economic precarity for working-class Mainers.

"Most people I know have two or three jobs... lots of non-traditional stuff like clamming, oyster farming, lobster fishing... the underlying structures that allowed us to live the way we do are beginning to fall apart."
— Graham Platner (03:00)

Military Service & Progressive Politics

• Platner recounts his early opposition to war (protesting Bush in 2002), yet enlists in the Marines:

"If you're a decent person, if you can maybe bring a little bit of decency into an indecent thing. I did believe that when I was a kid."
— Graham Platner (07:41)

• Served multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan; became increasingly disillusioned by the disconnect between ideals and U.S. foreign policy realities.

Veterans & Antiwar Critique

(11:03)

• Platner finds strong resonance among veterans regarding criticism of American militarism and the war in Gaza, regardless of their party alignment:

"I know a lot of vets who are conservative and progressive... who have the same critique that I do, that it was all bullshit and it was all meant to make somebody else very, very wealthy."
— Graham Platner (11:45)

Opposition to Israel’s Actions/Lack of Mainstream Blowback

(13:04)

• Platner’s outspoken criticism of the genocide in Gaza has drawn less backlash than anticipated; he sees a shifting public conversation, but notes the U.S. will "never be forgiven for what we have helped make happen here."
• He highlights a groundswell of grassroots energy supporting his campaign as working-class power.

Fundraising & Grassroots Momentum

(17:11)

• Raised $1 million in one week, entirely from small donors; 300 volunteers signing up daily.

"I think some people started to give up, not because they're apathetic ... we're talking about building working class power."
— Graham Platner (18:35)

Critique of Democratic Party Leadership

(20:04)

• Platner refuses to support Schumer or Jeffries for party leadership:

"They have grown up in a system that showed them a way to success that was not actually tied to reality... we need leadership that does understand that when they send out text messages saying we're in a fight for our democracy, we actually are."
— Graham Platner (20:33)

2. Ana Kasparian Stuns CNN on Israel, Media Accountability

(Starts ~26:22)

Calling Out Israeli Official’s Escape from Justice

• Ana Kasparian appears on CNN, shatters silence by mentioning an Israeli government official (Netanyahu aide) caught in an FBI sting for child sex crimes, allowed to post bail and flee to Israel.
• CNN panel is left speechless; hosts highlight that this marks the scandal's first mention on mainstream cable.

"She brings this up on the panel and there's just basically like, silence, and then they change the subject."
— Krystal Ball (27:01)

"They all know that it's messed up. They want to cover it. In fact, many of them congratulated me... and I was like, thanks, but, you know, when are you gonna cover it?... Silence. Nothing."
— Sagar Enjeti (28:20)

Exposing Gaza Famine, West Bank Hypocrisy

(32:02)

• Kasparian confronts the narrative, stating, "When you block humanitarian aid for three months, where do you think they're going to get the food from? ... Obviously, it's going to impact the hostages" (32:23).
• Questions why Israel is annexing the West Bank if the conflict is about Hamas.

"If this is just all about Hamas being bad guys, tell me about the West Bank... why all of these, you know, violent settlers are attacking and murdering Palestinians... with the backing of the IDF."
— Krystal Ball (35:48)

The Role & Power of Independent Media

• Hosts credit the Internet and independent outlets for bringing vital stories to the public that legacy media avoids.

3. Alleged Israeli Official, FBI Sting, and the Broken Extradition System

(Starts ~37:56)

Case Update: Tom Alexandrovich

• Alexandrovich, a top Israeli cybersecurity official and Netanyahu aide, caught in a Las Vegas FBI operation targeting child sexual predators.
• After posting bail, flees to Israel. Hires elite Nevada lawyer with political connections, appearing to leverage relationships and exploit the extradition process.

"He fled to Israel... the most powerful lawyer in Nevada, who donated to the state's attorney... There was a scandal in Vegas back in 2021—Pay to Play justice."
— Sagar Enjeti (39:00)

Broken U.S.–Israel Extradition Treaty

• Explains how Israel’s extradition process enables suspects to delay or avoid justice; example of another extradition taking 11 years.
• Lays out that, without unprecedented diplomatic pressure, Alexandrovich will likely evade meaningful consequences.

"All of the facts currently indicate that with the sham extradition treaty that we have with Israel, it's effectively not one. It might as well not exist."
— Sagar Enjeti (43:03)

"The point just broadly, is that the special treatment this guy has gotten already is crazy. Fled to Israel... everything here stinks. It stinks to high heaven."
— Sagar Enjeti (44:43)

Official Israeli Deceit

• Israeli officials lied about the arrest; only under pressure did the truth emerge.

4. Dire Warning: Professor Jeffrey Sachs on Israel, U.S. Policy, and the Global Order

(Starts ~51:15)

No Solution from Kushner/Blair/Trump; The Urgency Is Genocide

• Sachs dismisses reported post-war Gaza meetings led by Kushner/Blair/Trump as irrelevant to actual urgent needs: ending Israel’s mass starvation and genocide in Gaza.

"This is not the way to any solution right now... The way to a solution lies in immediately ending the genocide that's underway."
— Jeffrey Sachs (51:50)

Global South’s Limited Response; U.S. Hegemony Enables Atrocities

• While most of the Global South routinely condemns Israel, there is little diplomatic or economic action—partly due to fear of U.S. reprisals.

"Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and most other groups in the world, and I would say the UN General Assembly... are openly aghast."
— Jeffrey Sachs (55:47)

• Suggests measures such as suspension from the UN, diplomatic breaks, and sanctions—calling Israel “completely lawless, murderous, genocidal” (57:34).

Disconnect Between U.S. Public & Policy Elite

(58:22)

• 77% of Democratic voters say the Gaza war is a genocide, yet Democratic leadership is unmoved.
• Sachs attributes this to executive-branch and deep-state dominance over foreign policy; Congress irrelevant and compromised by money and blackmail.

"In foreign policy, public opinion plays almost no role in the United States ... This is executive branch, largely covert ... The Congress is suborned by the military industrial complex... There's just a tremendous amount of buying of votes and corruption and threats against individual congressmen. I'm sure the Epstein files play some role in this. Epstein was a Mossad agent."
— Jeffrey Sachs (59:37)

The West’s Lack of Honest Engagement With Russia

(64:17)

• Traces the roots of Europe–Russia insecurity, U.S./UK refusal to accommodate Russian security concerns, and the continuous provocations that led to war in Ukraine.
• Argues Europe needs direct diplomacy with Russia, not via the White House or through narratives of unprovoked Russian aggression.

The World at Its Most Dangerous Since WWII

(72:25)

• Sachs underscores a dire warning: The world faces unprecedented nuclear, political, and moral danger, with Western “values” openly exposed as complicit in genocide.

“We have no rules of the road right now... Western values has been exposed to mean open genocide... we're in an extraordinarily dangerous world."
— Jeffrey Sachs (72:25)

"It's a pretty, pretty slender and fragile thing to depend on the United States when public opinion is against you as your sole source for survival. So I think Israel has put itself at absolutely mortal risk."
— Jeffrey Sachs (74:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Graham Platner on U.S. Wars:
  "All of your ideals... your willingness to put yourself out there, to put your life on the line ... you come back and you realize it was all for nothing." (11:28)
• Ana Kasparian on CNN Panel:
  "When you block humanitarian aid for three months, where do you think they're going to get the food from?... they're going to starve to death as well." (32:23)
• Sagar Enjeti on Mainstream Media Silence:
  "They all know that it's messed up. They want to cover it... but, you know, when are you gonna cover it?... Silence." (28:20)
• Jeffrey Sachs on American Foreign Policy:
  "Public opinion plays almost no role in the United States in general... Congress is suborned by the military industrial complex to begin with, by the military contractors." (59:37)

Episode Structure: Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:26]–[23:46]: Graham Platner interview—background, campaign themes, critique of military/foreign policy, Senate race strategy.
• [26:22]–[35:48]: Ana Kasparian’s CNN panel appearance; media accountability on Israel and Gaza.
• [37:56]–[47:40]: Alleged Israeli official’s evasion of U.S. justice system and broken extradition.
• [51:15]–[74:49]: Professor Jeffrey Sachs: U.S.-Israel-Gaza/Russia policy, warning of global instability.

Takeaways

• Establishment politics and media are being disrupted by independent, non-corporate voices. Platner’s candidacy and Kasparian’s interventions show growing public hunger for accountability, authenticity, and working-class power.
• U.S. foreign policy operates with almost total autonomy from public opinion, deeply enmeshed in corruption, moneyed interests, and covert operations, sustaining impunity for allies and war policies.
• International justice is largely toothless when elite interests are at stake; the case of the Israeli official highlights systemic failures of extradition, media, and diplomatic accountability.
• Global security stands at a precipice. Sachs’ analysis warns that absent fundamental shifts in U.S. and allied behavior, the world faces its most dangerous moment since WWII—morally, politically, and existentially.

For listeners and non-listeners alike, this episode stands as a forthright indictment of elite impunity, establishment hypocrisy, and the urgent need for movement politics and truthful media in confronting the world’s gravest crises.