I’m opposed to this war. The Trump administration did not consult the American public or try to persuade Congress before authorizing the strikes on Iran. I don’t think the administration is prepared for what the strikes might unleash.
But I wanted to try to understand President Trump’s decisions from the perspective of somebody much friendlier to his foreign policy. Nadia Schadlow is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and served as a deputy national security adviser during Trump’s first term. She led the drafting and publication of the 2017 National Security Strategy of the United States.
In this conversation, Schadlow gives the conservative case for war with Iran, and for attacking without first building support in Congress or with the public. And I ask her how she squares Trump the candidate, who ran on a promise of not starting new wars, with the Trump of today, who’s deposed two heads of state since the start of 2026, and now says he won’t rule out boots on the ground in Iran. Is there a consistent worldview here? Or did Trump change?
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris with Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. 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, Rollin Hu, 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.
The war in Iran enters its second week and Donald Trump declares that it's about to end — and also that it's going to last a very long time. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett react to the president's conflicting statements, the cascading global energy crisis he created, and the way Republicans — especially warmonger Lindsey Graham — are reacting to the war. Then, they discuss why some Democrats are hesitant to cut off funding for the strikes, the administration's arrests of American citizens protesting its deportation campaign, and the Trump sons' new business venture: drone warfare. Then, Tommy talks to Congressman Pat Ryan, an Iraq War veteran, about our new war and what Democrats can do to oppose it.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
The Iran war is a little over a week old and the Trump administration has supplied more than a dozen explanations about why, exactly, it began. Confused? Well, now we’re getting wildly conflicting messages about how that same war will end, with the president telling CBS News Monday that the war is “very complete, pretty much.” Later that same day, he told GOP lawmakers that it’s not. Robin Wright, an expert on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East who contributes to the The New Yorker, explains where the war goes from here.
And in headlines, President Trump promotes the questionably named “Save America Act,” the Department of Justice makes a shady deal with Live Nation, and artificial intelligence company Anthropic sues the Trump administration for labeling it a security-related supply chain risk.
Consulting firms are striking a series of lucrative deals with AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic in an effort to help other companies make use of the cutting edge tech. WSJ’s Allison Pohle shares what’s behind the trend. Plus, WSJ media reporter Alexandra Bruell explains why AI could be a surprising savior for local news. Isabelle Bousquette hosts.
Consulting firms are striking a series of lucrative deals with AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic in an effort to help other companies make use of the cutting edge tech. WSJ’s Allison Pohle shares what’s behind the trend. Plus, WSJ media reporter Alexandra Bruell explains why AI could be a surprising savior for local news. Isabelle Bousquette hosts.
More than a thousand ships are stranded outside the Strait of Hormuz, bobbing in the water. A big reason? Insurance. War insurance premiums have skyrocketed since the war with Iran began. It’s an add-on that covers things regular insurance doesn’t, like missile strikes. And shippers don’t want to foot the bill or put their crews at risk. Cue the traffic jam.
On today’s show, how a critical trade chokepoint became the parking lot of the sea. And taking stock of President Trump’s plan to offer reinsurance to get these ships sailing again.
Lillian Li says Bad Asians was drawn from her upbringing in a hypercompetitive Chinese-American community. In the novel, four 20-somethings, who grew up in a similar environment, confront the challenges of the 2008 financial crisis and begin to let loose. Their former classmate documents their frustrations in what becomes one of the first viral YouTube videos. In today’s episode, Li speaks with Here & Now’s Scott Tong about the initial privacy of the early internet, exploding Asian American stereotypes, and why she wanted to write about friendship.
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Today, guest host Selena Simmons-Duffin is exploring a detail very personal to her: How the number of older brothers a person has can influence their sexuality.
Scientific research on sexuality has a dark history, with long-lasting harmful effects on queer communities. Much of the early research has also been debunked over time. But not this "fraternal birth order effect." The fact that a person's likelihood of being gay increases with each older brother has been found all over the world – from Turkey to North America, Brazil, the Netherlands and beyond. Today, Selena gets into all the details: What this effect is, how it's been studied and what it can (and can't) explain about sexuality.
Interested in the science of our closest relatives? Check out more stories in NPR's series on the Science of Siblings.
Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/
About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today’s top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell.
