On Saturday 28th February, the US and Israel launched a military attack on Iran, targeting the country's missile infrastructure, military sites and leadership.
In response, Iran launched a wave of strikes across the region, including on Israel and the Gulf states.
Iran has a stockpile of ballistic missiles, which it’s firing at neighbouring countries. These countries in turn are using interceptor missiles to try and shoot them down.
But is it clear who will run out of missiles first?
Contributor:
Kelly Grieco, senior fellow at the Stimson Center
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Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Series producer: Tom Colls
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Our Washington Commentary Columnist Jamie Kirchick joins us to discuss Trump's firing of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and his new pick for the position, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. Plus, Tucker Carlson's newest antisemitic conspiracy theory involving Chabad, and the Russian connection to the Iran war.
As we celebrate the Centennial of the birth of Murray Rothbard, we look at his commentary on the American Revolution, where it promoted liberty and where the creation of the Constitution became liberty’s roadblock.
The night shift isn’t for everyone, but it often means a boost in pay and a foot in the door. Yet a smaller share of Americans are working the graveyard shift than in decades past. Today on the show, where did all the third shift workers go? Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour.
The current US conflict with Iran has its roots in the CIA-backed coup in 1953, which removed a democratically-elected prime minister and replaced him with the Shah. The Shah’s government ultimately collapsed, leading to the current Islamic republic.
Last Friday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that he was breaking the Pentagon’s contract with the A.I. company Anthropic and would declare the company a supply chain risk — a designation for companies so dangerous, they can’t exist anywhere in the U.S. military supply chain. What makes this so wild is the military is still using Anthropic’s A.I. system right now. They reportedly used it during the raid to capture Maduro in Venezuela, and are now using it in the war in Iran.
This story raises so many questions: Why does the government think Anthropic is so dangerous? How exactly is the government using A.I. right now? How do they want to use A.I.? And who should ultimately control this powerful and uncertain technology?
Dean Ball is a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation and the author of the newsletter Hyperdimensional. He served as a senior policy adviser on A.I. for the Trump White House and was the primary staff writer of their A.I. action plan. But he’s been furious at the Trump administration for how it has been handling the conflict with Anthropic. So I wanted to have him on the show to explain why.
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris with Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
Trump abruptly fires Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Dan and Jon discuss the Congressional hearings that led to her dismissal, Trump's announcement that Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin will replace her, and the future of DHS. Then they react to the administration's ever-shifting justifications for their war with Iran, Republicans voting with Democrats to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Epstein files, how MAGA is already attacking James Talarico, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's new target: Dunkin' Donuts. Then, Dan talks to Politico senior political columnist Jonathan Martin about Tuesday night's results, the tense Republican runoff in Texas, and Jmart’s forthcoming podcast series, On the Road with Jonathan Martin.
In today’s episode, two authors tackle everyday experience through short-form writing. First, The Irish Goodbye is a collection of micro-memoirs by the poet Beth Ann Fennelly. In these recollections, she considers childhood, marriage, and old friends – and she told NPR’s Scott Simon about the immense difficulty she had writing about her sister’s death. Then, Anne Fadiman joins Simon to discuss Frog: and Other Essays, in which she takes on topics like a printer, an unpettable pet, M&Ms, and the rules of grammar.
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