(‘Alternate Shots’, Episode #41. Co-hosted by Richard Haass and John Ellis. Produced by Dale Eisinger. Recorded, 9 September 2026. If you prefer, you can listen to this episode (and all previous episodes) by clicking on these hyperlinks: Apple, Amazon, and Spotify. We’re on a number of other podcast platforms as well. And YouTube!)
1. This episode of America’s “remarkably fast-growing” podcast — Alternate Shots — begins with a status report on the Iran War (who will cry "uncle" first), President Xi's mysterious “rest breaks" at the recent White House summit meeting (is a “succession crisis” brewing?), the upcoming Israeli election, the U.S. abandonment of Ukraine, the "plague" outbreak in Siberia, Pete Hegseth's 2028 presidential campaign and OpenAI's astonishing breakthroughs in mathematics.
We end with the speedy departure of the New York Yankees from the MLB playoffs and the surprisingly competitive Nearby New York Giants. Will Mr. October need to hedge his bet?
“No” is the correct answer, but we’ll cover that off in November.
2. As faithful readers of News Items know, our movie editor Laure Sudreau was/is the executive producer of this summer’s sleeper hit movie: ‘DeGaulle’. From The New York Times:
In France this summer, filmgoers have been enthralled by the tale of a heroic loner, jousting with friends and enemies as he charts a perilous course back to his home. His name is Charles de Gaulle, and to many, he is only slightly less of a relic than that other wandering cinematic hero, Odysseus.
The breakout success of the biopic “De Gaulle” has surprised many in the French film industry. It has sold 5.3 million tickets in France, not far behind the 7.3 million sold for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” (Pathé, the distributor, has not yet announced plans to release “De Gaulle” in the United States.)
A two-part biography of a long-dead political figure does not seem the most obvious grist for a summer blockbuster, even a record-hot summer that drove people into air-conditioned theaters. For many French, particularly young ones, de Gaulle exists mainly as a name on schools, public squares and a big airport outside Paris.
And yet “De Gaulle,” directed by Antonin Baudry, has brought France’s World War II resistance leader gloriously to life for a new generation of French people. As played by the French-Armenian actor Simon Abkarian, de Gaulle is defiant, proud and unyielding — alternately inspiring and exasperating in his moral rectitude and sense of destiny.
At a time when the French distrust, if not openly revile, many of their political leaders, his uncompromising style resonates. At a recent screening in Paris, members of the audience were visibly moved by de Gaulle’s call to patriotism. As the lights came up, some dabbed their eyes with tissues. (Source: nytimes.com)
There’s good news on this: Part 1 of ‘De Gaulle’ will be in U.S. theaters on November 6, 2026. Part 2 arrives in theaters on December 4, 2026.
In the meantime: Laure’s Weekend Movie Pick:
“Whiplash” (2014) - directed by Damien Chapelle and featuring a young Miles Teller alongside JK Simmons. Teller is a driven young jazz drummer whose pursuit of greatness becomes a dangerous obsession. The film, which premiered at Sundance, was nominated for multiple Academy Awards and Golden Globes. It won Oscars for best screenplay, best sound mixing and best supporting actor (JK Simmons).
See you tomorrow.