Iran War Update, Live with John Aravosis

On tonight’s show, I’ll be discussing the latest in the Iran war, including reports that negotiators are heading back to Pakistan, Trump blurting out that Iran may be preparing a “huge offer,” and new concerns that Iran dropped more mines in the Strait of Hormuz. We’ll also talk about the Reuters report that the Pentagon has been looking at ways to punish NATO allies it thinks didn’t sufficiently back US operations in Iran -- including the absurd idea of suspending Spain from NATO, which NATO then had to explain isn’t actually a thing. And we’ll get into the bigger cost of this war: US bomb and missile stockpiles reportedly depleted, commanders in Europe and Asia less ready, and a price tag approaching $1 billion a day. Then there’s the political/economic fallout. Saudi Arabia is reportedly backing out of a $200 million commitment to the Met Opera because the war is hitting the Saudi economy. Poll after poll is showing Trump getting absolutely hammered on the economy, with independents turning sharply against him, voters furious about gas prices, and even a chunk of 2024 Trump voters now supporting impeachment. And at the same time, Trump is online in the middle of the night posting increasingly unhinged stuff about treason, the 2020 election being “wiped from the books,” and the Southern Poverty Law Center somehow being part of another grand conspiracy. Totally normal. Nothing to see here.And we’ll hit the rest of the madness too: Trump claiming Obama blocked a Spirit Airlines merger years after Obama left office and decades after People Express went out of business; the Justice Department literally bringing back the firing squad; Republicans floating a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell if she talks to Congress; Kash Patel’s old arrests resurfacing while he faces scrutiny over drinking; and Trump-approved taxpayer payouts to Carter Page, Michael Flynn, and Ashli Babbitt’s estate. Plus, the Trump family’s reported billions off the presidency, the hideous Reflecting Pool renovation, the acting Navy secretary worried about witchcraft, and yes, tomorrow night is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.00:00 - Welcome, setup, and tonight’s big Iran/economy/polls show01:38 - Trump is in serious trouble in the polls03:42 - Iran negotiations may be back on -- and Trump conveniently announces it right before the market closes04:13 - Trump’s Friday pattern: miracle Iran claims, market manipulation, and fake optimism05:09 - Iran reportedly drops more mines in the Strait of Hormuz05:37 - Trump’s incoherent Strait of Hormuz story: he wants it closed, open, closed, and open again08:23 - Reuters: Pentagon looked at ways to punish NATO allies over Iran war support08:39 - Trump reportedly considers suspending Spain from NATO -- except he can’t09:03 - Trump threatens to reassess US support on the Falklands/Malvinas10:08 - Why picking Argentina over Britain would be geopolitical malpractice11:09 - Trump’s deeper attack on NATO and US national security11:35 - More reported NATO punishment ideas -- and what wasn’t in the Pentagon email12:00 - Trump’s World Cup stunt: punishing Iran and rewarding Italy17:16 - Israeli intelligence reportedly thinks Mojtaba Khamenei is dead17:40 - Why Israeli intelligence may know more about Iran than almost anyone18:29 - Intelligence, disinformation, and what to believe about Iran22:33 - Saudi Arabia pulls back from a $200M Met Opera deal because of the war’s economic impact22:49 - NYT: Iran war drains US bombs and missiles and costs nearly $1B a day23:03 - Trump claims Obama blocked a 2024 Spirit Airlines merger with an airline that died in 198724:39 - Trump’s Justice Department brings back the firing squad27:45 - Trump boosts treason claims against Hillary Clinton, Obama, and Brennan28:14 - Trump’s 1:13 a.m. meltdown over the Southern Poverty Law Center and the 2020 election33:17 - Republicans float a Ghislaine Maxwell pardon so she’ll talk to Congress33:55 - Kash Patel’s old public urination and intoxication arrests resurface34:34 - Fox News poll: Democrats lead Republicans on the economy for the first time in 16 years37:52 - Trump’s economy approval collapses from +6 to -3238:28 - Trump has the worst presidential economic net approval on record39:18 - Independents are abandoning Trump on the economy40:15 - Cook Political Report: independents say Trump failed on cost of living40:27 - Reuters poll: gas prices are a huge problem, even for Republicans40:57 - One in five 2024 Trump voters supports impeaching him41:22 - Fox poll: 55% say Trump lacks the mental soundness to serve41:50 - Jim VandeHei’s warning: Republicans know they’re in a huge hole43:30 - Why a Democratic House would create subpoena hell for Trump43:54 - Democrats threaten to go after the Ellison/CBS/CNN empire44:42 - Mother Jones: preventable child deaths after Musk dismantled USAID44:54 - DOJ expected to drop the Jerome Powell investigation -- with a catch45:41 - Trump-approved taxpayer payouts to Carter Page, Michael Flynn, and Ashli Babbitt’s estate47:23 - Bernie Sanders: the Trump family has made $4B off the presidency48:17 - Trump turns the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool into a swimming pool49:31 - Donald Tusk says there are “no Russians in the room” -- then Slovakia’s Fico walks by51:55 - Trump honors Georgia women’s tennis by shaking only the men’s hands53:38 - The official photo shoves the women behind the men55:04 - Trump’s new acting Navy secretary worries about witchcraft57:13 - White House Correspondents’ Dinner preview: Trump, no comedian, and press cowardice58:52 - Tomorrow’s member Coffee Talk reminder59:50 - Conservative comedians, why the right struggles with culture, and the arts01:01:57 - Why education, empathy, and the humanities tend to repel MAGA01:09:42 - Closing remarks and signoff This is a public episode. 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