Peace plans, pancakes, and pricey pout—what could go wrong?

The morning starts heavy and honest. We confront reports of Hamas carrying out public executions in Gaza mere hours after a high-profile peace plan was signed—an unsettling collision of ceremony and reality. I don’t linger on gore, but I refuse to downplay what public violence is designed to do: project control, breed fear, and turn crowds into witnesses. It’s a stark reminder that documents can be signed in one room while power is performed in another.

From there, the tone shifts to something strangely revealing: New York City’s love affair with waiting in line. Hours for bagels, noodles, pancakes—queues that double as status symbols, social rituals, and proof-of-experience on your feed. I gripe about “online” versus “in line,” then admit the upside: people outside together, trading stories and finding meaning in a slow moment in a fast city. The line becomes a stage where scarcity signals quality and patience becomes pride.

Finally, we examine a $160 Louis Vuitton lipstick and a $250 eyeshadow palette developed with Pat McGrath. Refillable packaging adds an eco-friendly note, but the price tag raises the real question: what are we buying—formula, craftsmanship, or the story a logo tells? I respect the creativity and still say no to the markup. Your values, your wallet, your call.

To wrap, I ask for something joyful and communal: what’s your favorite Diane Keaton movie? Annie Hall, Something’s Gotta Give, The First Wives Club, a Godfather deep cut—tell me what sticks and why. If this mix of tough news, city culture, and thoughtful consumer talk resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more curious listeners can find us.

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Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast. 

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Transcript

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Cold Open & Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Hello, good morning, happy Wednesday. Um, I have three stories and one is pretty serious. Then we're gonna go to silliness. And I really don't know any other way to transition. It was I was getting up late this morning. I had to rush and try to find something, and these are the three that popped out at me at 3 30 in the morning before coffee. Okay, so let's get started, shall we? The first one, you know, Trump's big peace peace deal, and I think it's already starting to go sideways. Not Trump's fault, of course, but Hamas carries out public executions just hours after peace treaty signing. Now

Hamas Executions After Peace Plan

SPEAKER_00 0:56

again, this is Hamas and this is in Gaza, and this is of their own people. It's not the hostages or anything like that. Still, still, it's horrible. So Hamas carried out a mass public execution in Gaza on Monday. Gruesome video shows as the bloody thirsty terror group desperately seeks to maintain control over the Palestinian enclave and punish those it deems collaborators with Israel. So this is probably gonna happen a lot. This is horrible. The barbaric reprisal came just hours after President Trump declared the end of an age of terror and death and signed a document enshrining his 20-point peace plan. The graphic footage shows eight badly beaten, blindfolded men kneeling in the street before each is shot dead by Hamas gunmen in front of a cheering crowd. In front of a cheering crowd. Let that sink in. The terror group said without providing evidence that the killings targeted criminals and collaborators with Israel, the BBC reported. Among those killed was Ahmad Ziddin al-Taribin Taribin, reportedly responsible for recruiting agents to a rival non-Hamas aligned militia. Israel Outlet News reported. So this is all over. I don't know if you're gonna see it or not. They, oh my gosh. There are pictures of this. I luckily I don't see the video, but they have the pictures of them before they were shot. It's awful to see this. Uh I mean these people are not gonna stop. This article goes on and on. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna read it word for word for you. Maybe you'll hear it, maybe you'll maybe you won't. But if you know about it, so you can go look it up if you'd like. Alright, next up we have this is the most asinine thing I've ever heard of. Now, and I've heard of a lot of asinine things, but here we go. Waiting online. Why do they say online? It should be waiting in line for meals is

The Culture of Waiting in Line

SPEAKER_00 3:20

latest NYC trend with eager diners starving in hours long cues. We call them lines over here, not cues. You call them cues in England if you'd like. Alright, so in a city that prides itself on moving fast, nothing's slower or suddenly trendier than waiting online. It's not online, it's in line. Stop it. These days it seems that New Yorkers will stand around and wait for just about anything. A bagel, a buzzy bowl of noodles, or the vague promise of vibes. This these young people. From hours long lines for dine for dinner at downtown hotspots to pancake loving crowds rising early for brunch all over town, one of the world's quickest paced places has fallen in love with standing still. These people will say they will wait in line for hours just to go eat. No, thank you. I am not doing that. At least they're not using DoorDash and have it delivered. At least they're going out. This is a step in the right direction, I guess. They're going out and about, and maybe that's their social activity to stand in line with their friends. Maybe, maybe that's a maybe okay. Now that I've reassessed this, this might not be a bad thing because they're out, they're outside, they're outdoors, and they're socializing. So this might be good. Lines in the restaurant industry have to do with status, the status that the restaurant holds in the diner's mind, and the status the restaurant gives the diner when they post it on social media. The longtime local critics said, like it or not, says Queen's culinary consultant Joe DiStefano, the big dumb line, has become a fixture of city dining. Like that classic Seinfeld episode, The Chinese Restaurant, where Jerry, George, and Elaine spend the night waiting for a table that never opens. New Yorkers are turning the agony of waiting into an unexpected badge of honor. So there you have it. I'm not gonna go on and read this. There's more to it. My gosh, there's this is a long article. It goes on and on and on. Okay, so you can go finish reading that if you like. I did not put it on my X feed, but it is on the New York Post app if you want to go find it. Um, which I don't think you do. All right, moving on to the last one. Now, look, I'm a girl, I like lipstick, I like makeup, but I am not paying $160 for a Louis Vuitton lipstick. So Louis Vuitton now is in the makeup line world. No, thank you. But people will do it. Now, the one only

Louis Vuitton’s $160 Lipstick

SPEAKER_00 6:05

good thing about this is that they have refillable compacts, and I don't know if the lipstick is refillable or not. But still, I'm not paying $160 for some makeup. No. Louis Vuitton is in is on everyone's lips, literally. That's how this article starts. Last month the house introduced its first ever makeup collection, ultra-luxury lipsticks, balms, and eyeshadow in refillable monogram tubes and compact. So the lipstick is refillable in its own glossy red Soho Pop-up store. Located at 104 Prince Street, the dedicated boutique showcases the color essentials. Developed in partnership with famed makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath, below, runway beauty legend and creative director for the line. Working backstage for over 20 years at the Louis Vuitton fashion shows, I am thrilled to now play such a key role in the launch of La Beauty La Butte Louis Vuitton, which is the result of extraordinary craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation. So there you have it. Now you can get your Louis Vuitton and your lipsticks and eyeshadows. But you can you're gonna pay, you're gonna pay $160 for the lipstick, and you're gonna pay $250 for the eyeshadow palette, which comes with four different colors. But the compacts are refillable and the lipstick tubes are refillable, so keep that in mind. But I'm not doing it, I'm not paying that much for just for just because it's Louis Vuitton. No, thank you. Okay, that's that. And this was a short episode, so we need to get on to the question of the day. All right, let's talk about Diane Keaton. My question of the day is going to be what is your favorite movie with Diane Keaton in it? I know The Godfather, right? But she doesn't play a key major role in The Godfather. I mean, yes, she plays, what is it, Al Pacino's

Question of the Day: Diane Keaton

SPEAKER_00 8:07

wife or girlfriend, or whatever, but uh I don't think she has a major role in it. Um, and then I've not seen Mr. Goodbar. I don't even know what it's about. I've seen Annie Hall, but it's been a long, long, long time. I'll probably have to re-watch Annie Hall. Um and let's see. And of course, I've seen Something's Gotta Give. We we I re-watched that the other day and The First Wife Club. I'm gonna have to go through a list of her movies and watch them all because I love Diane Keaton. She ranks right up there with Nora Efron for me. If you don't know who Nora Efron is, look her up. She I think she wrote when Harry Met Sally, but she's directed a lot of rom-coms. Yes, I know. She's Nora Efron was a total liberal, total liberal, but I still loved her. I loved her, I love her work, I love her writing. She's a writer. I have her books, uh, her essays. Loved her. Okay, so let's see. I guess that's it. That's all I've got for you today. Happy Wednesday and have a good one. Thanks for listening. Bye.