The Gist - Not Even Mad: Jeff Nussbaum & Dan Rothschild

Jeff Nussbaum and Dan Rothschild debate the Iran war's shaky public support, the administration's failure to make a clear case for sacrifice, and whether the mission is deterrence, regime change, or just another round of mowing the lawn. Then they turn to the Democrats who won in 2025, asking whether Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill, and Zohran Mamdani are actually governing on affordability or drifting toward the usual cultural and ideological fights. Plus, in Goat Grinders, conference badges, left-side driving in St. Lucia, and the humiliations of the new Acela.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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PBS News Hour - World - Iran’s new supreme leader vows continued retaliation across Gulf and oil routes

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed in a written statement that Iran's retaliation throughout the Persian Gulf will continue. The widening conflict has pushed oil back above $100 a barrel, rattling global markets. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports from Qatar. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Newshour - Ambassador says Iran unbowed by Israeli and American attacks

As Iran releases the new supreme leader's first statement, we hear from the country's UN ambassador, Ali Bahreini. We also track the expanding Israeli military assault on Lebanon, and ask how the insurance industry is handling the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies.

Also in the programme: British tourist among those arrested in Dubai for having missile photographs on his phone; and a tribute album for the jazz musician Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth.

(Photo: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei; Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

PBS News Hour - World - Middle East analysts on what the Iran war has accomplished and how it might end

For an assessment of where things stand with the war in Iran, Geoff Bennett sat down with Alan Eyre and Behnam Ben Taleblu. Eyre was part of the Obama administration's negotiating team for the nuclear deal with Iran and is now at the Middle East Institute. Taleblu is at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he is the senior director of their Iran Program. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - Middle East analysts on what the Iran war has accomplished and how it might end

For an assessment of where things stand with the war in Iran, Geoff Bennett sat down with Alan Eyre and Behnam Ben Taleblu. Eyre was part of the Obama administration's negotiating team for the nuclear deal with Iran and is now at the Middle East Institute. Taleblu is at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he is the senior director of their Iran Program. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - Lebanese Christian villages caught in Israel-Hezbollah war

The Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation orders for downtown Beirut ahead of airstrikes, as well as a second, sweeping evacuation order for southern Lebanon. That means around 10% of Lebanese territory is now subject to Israeli evacuation notices. This latest war has killed nearly 700 Lebanese and forced 800,000 more from their homes. Special correspondent Simona Foltyn reports from Beirut. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - Art Beat - Remembering neon artist and glass-bending master Wil Kirkman

Neon signs aren't as ubiquitous as they once were, but the artistry has been receiving renewed appreciation. Wil Kirkman was well-known for his ability to make and repair intricate and fragile glass lights. Kirkman died of cancer last year, but Marcia Franklin of Idaho Public Television got the chance to see him at work before his passing and reports for our arts and culture series, CANVAS. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Marketplace All-in-One - Refineries brace for crude drought

President Trump’s war with Iran continues to provoke economic consequences. With the Strait of Hormuz closed, Middle East crude oil will be blocked from reaching refineries, including those in California. In this episode, what happens if those refineries run out of oil. Plus: Single-family home construction slows as costs rise, winter Paralympians face unique obstacles, and fickle weather reshapes the ski resort business model.


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Consider This from NPR - Should the U.S. be in business of assassinating foreign leaders?

In the opening strike of their war on Iran, the US and Israel killed the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is an exceedingly rare instance of democracies killing a foreign head of state.

It’s not the first time the United States has been involved in the killing of a foreign leader, but it’s something U.S. leaders and the American public have long wrestled with. 

NPR’s Ryan Lucas reports. 

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Mallory Yu and Erika Ryan, with audio engineering by Jay Czys.

It was edited by John Ketchum and Anna Yukhanov. 

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.


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