U.S. evacuees stranded; 11+ nations thrust into conflict; MAGA turning on Trump?; Also: VA win in Gerrymander Wars, but SCOTUS blocks NY...
By Brad Friedman on 3/3/2026, 6:44pm PT  

Amid life in war time, we are forced to jam several hours worth of news into today's tightly-packed, 57-minute BradCast. Join us, won't you? [Audio link to full show follows this link.]

FIRST UP... Donald Trump's ridiculously ill-considered War on Iran is already a disaster in myriad ways. It has already directly impacted at least 11 additional nations beyond Iran in the Gulf and even into Europe. It is already spiking the global price of oil and natural gas and roiling markets. Trump has no idea who will replace 86-year old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of the new war apparently along with a whole bunch of potential successors. Trump concedes the next leader may be "as bad" as the last one. While the State Dept. warned Americans on Monday (three days after bombing began!) in more than 15 countries to evacuate immediately, airspace is closed, the U.S. is providing Americans no way to get out, embassy staffs have been cut to the bone, many have no Senate-confirmed Ambassador, leaving thousands of Americans stranded. Trump's war is already wildly unpopular among Americans, but even MAGA leaders appear to be turning against it (and maybe him). And the entire campaign now seems almost certain to end in disaster for Iranians and potentially Americans in various ways.

NEXT... The best way to move beyond the nightmare that the U.S. and world have been thrust into under Trump still remains at the ballot box, where it was Election Day today in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas, and where voters are participating in the first statewide primaries of the critical 2026 midterm elections. (Noteworthy results on tomorrow's program.) Beyond that, the Gerrymandering Wars sparked by Trump and Republicans in Texas last year are continuing in the courts this week. Good news out of Virginia, where a state court ruled Monday that the Democratic state Legislature's Special Election set for April 21 for voters to decide if they want to draw a new U.S. House map will go forward, even as GOP challenges to the process continue. The new maps, if adopted, may flip four seats from "red" to "blue" this November. (Early voting in that VA Special Election starts Friday.) But very bad and foreboding news from the wildly corrupt U.S. Supreme Court majority on Monday. They reached into an ongoing court process in the state of New York to block a trial court order that would redraw a U.S. House District in NYC due to the dilution of Black and Hispanic voters on Staten Island and a part of Brooklyn. The case hasn't even reached the state Supreme Court in NY and yet SCOTUS has already stepped in to block it, in violation of their own precedents. This is bad news for several reasons beyond NY, as discussed on today's show.

FINALLY.... Desi Doyen joins us for our latest Green News Report, kicking off our 17th Anniversary celebration of the world's longest-running (and best!) radio report connecting the climate change dots over your public airwaves! Even with Donald Trump doing his best to undermine humanity and the world, we've still got some very hopeful news to hang our green hats on today! Please tune in! (And please feel free to help us as we head into our 18th year with a much-needed donation! We remain 100% listener supported, thanks only to YOU!)

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