Make America War Again

We woke up Saturday morning to the news that the U.S. is at war with Iran. By Sunday morning, we learned of the deaths of three U.S. service members and a promise of retaliation from Iran after U.S. and Israeli strikes took out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with dozens of other senior leaders. As we recorded this live episode, there are still so many unanswered questions. What comes next? Could more hardline forces take over? What does threatened retaliation look like? Is this about nuclear weapons and missiles? Why is the president posting on Truth Social about Iran meddling in the 2020 election? Is there any kind of plan? What’s the exit strategy? We could go on. Thanks to journalist Kevin Baron for joining us to chat through it. Baron served as the vice president of the Pentagon Press Association and also covered the Pentagon for many years. We discuss the parallel to other Middle Eastern conflicts, the motivation for this campaign, the timing, and what (more specifically, who) was missing at the Pentagon this weekend. Plus, what does regime change look like without organized opposition in Iran? Will there be a democratic process to put new leadership in power? What kind of extremism could arise? And what questions would Baron be asking if he were still at the Pentagon? We don’t have all the answers, but it’s a good start to lay out where we are and the concerns that exist.