The Strait is open! (It’s closed.) We’re talking very powerfully! (They’re not.) We’re winning! (Nope.) Also, Greenland! Okay. Too much nonsense to make sense of on today’s BradCast. But it won’t stop us from trying. [Audio link to full show follows this summary.]
Today’s show is perhaps better listened to than explained. So I hope you’ll tune in! Among the stories we cover before moving to Callers for the back half of the show…
Donald Trump claimed J.D. Vance, Trump’s real estate pal Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner (who works for Iran‘s enemy, Saudi Arabia) were “heading over now” to Pakistan this morning for talks with Iran tomorrow as a fragile two-week “ceasefire” wraps up.
But Vance, at least, was still in the U.S. when Trump said otherwise, and Iran reports they have no plans to speak with the U.S. after a weekend of what they describe as piracy on the high seas. In fact, the U.S. reportedly attacked and took over an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel amid Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports and Iran’s blockade of the entire Strait of Hormuz.
If “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again,” as Trump claimed over the weekend before Iran announced they were closing the Strait, either they lied or he did. After it was opened for about a day over the weekend, it was closed again after Iran charged the U.S. with violating the ceasefire by blockading their ports and then attacking and stealing a cargo ship.
The supposed ceasefire ends as of Wednesday. Iran says they are ready and restocked for a long war. Is Trump? Is the U.S.? (Reminder: He first said his “little excursion” into war with Iran would take about 2 to 3 days. Then 4 to 5 weeks. We are now in week 8. On the other hand, that’s 8 weeks in which few have been talking about the woman who says she was sexually assaulted by Trump when she was 13. So the war isn’t all a loss for Trump.)
All of that, and much more news from his ill-considered war with Iran his failed negotiations; his latest promise that “the whole country is going to get blown up” if Iran refuses to make a deal; Iran’s accurate response that Trump is too “erratic” to make a deal with, and cannot be trusted to keep it; as his job approval ratings and support on both the economy and war continue over a cliff in advance of November Midterms in which Republicans believe they are “gonna get killed”.
In the meantime, more good news for Democrats at the polls in New Jersey late last week. It’s Election Day tomorrow in Virginia on redrawing U.S. House maps that could help flip as many as four seats from “red” to “blue” this November. And there is chaos and confusion in California‘s Governor’s race, which quite a few callers choose to chime in on today…
“Sundowning Gaslighter-in-Chief” a.k.a. “You Dirty ORANGE Maniac! You Blew It All Up! Damn You to Hell!”