Does Anyone Know What’s Happening in Iran?

This week, editors Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch are joined by The Gist‘s Mike Pesca to discuss the ongoing Iran conflict, the unstable ceasefire negotiations, and whether anyone in Washington has a coherent explanation for what the United States is trying to accomplish. The panel examines President Donald Trump’s shifting rationale for the war, the growing pressure for regime change, and why so many of the same foreign policy debates from the Iraq era seem to be repeating themselves in real time. They also consider whether America’s political class has learned anything from the past two decades of interventionism.

Next, the panel turns to Spencer Pratt’s surprisingly competitive Los Angeles mayoral campaign and what his rise says about frustration with the city’s political establishment. They discuss why media coverage of Pratt increasingly resembles the early anti-Trump backlash, whether one-party political cultures are capable of meaningful reform, and why even critics of Pratt’s candidacy acknowledge that Los Angeles governance appears badly broken. The editors then revisit the panic surrounding Project 2025 and ask how much of the agenda actually materialized during Trump’s second term. Finally, the panel examines Trump’s controversial $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and why even some Republicans see it as an unprecedented abuse of executive power.

0:00—What have we learned from this war with Iran?

9:38—Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo clashes with the Trump administration

14:19—Spencer Pratt and the Los Angeles mayoral race

27:11—Listener question on Project 2025

37:28—The Anti-Weaponization Fund

47:29—Weekly cultural recommendations

Mentioned in the podcast:

“Yes, the Iran War Is a ‘War of Choice,’ and a Bad One,” by Nick Gillespie

“Why Does Trump Keep Bringing Up Decades-Old Foreign Grievances?” by Matthew Petti

“Drew Carey Goes on Foul-mouthed Rant About Spencer Pratt’s LA Mayoral Run: ‘F–k This Guy,'” by Antoinette Bueno

“The $1.776 Billion in Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ Fits a Pattern of Fanciful Figures,” by Jacob Sullum

“Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ Is Built on a Contradiction,” by Billy Binion

“The DOJ’s Flimsy Legal Theories To Support Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund,'” by Joe Lancaster