The High Cost of Hegseth and Trump's Forever War Hits Home

Sixty days. $25 billion. No open Strait of Hormuz, no enriched uranium recovered, no regime change, and gas prices up 42% since late February. That's the scoreboard on Iran, and it's the backdrop for Pete Hegseth's first real hearing — where combat veterans Seth Moulton and Pat Ryan finally put the Secretary of Defense through the wringer. Paul Rieckhoff joins the conversation to break down what oversight looks like when it actually shows up, why JD Vance and Dan Driscoll are watching, and why this war is metastasizing into something bigger than Iran.

From Marco Rubio floating strikes on Cuba to Trump leaning on Putin as a peacemaker, this is forever war logic dressed up in new packaging — all gas, no brakes, no congressional authorization, and no plus-up for the VA to care for the next generation of veterans it'll create. Paul also unpacks the Comey indictment, the chilling effect on Jimmy Kimmel and the free press, and why the King of England sounded more like Reagan on alliances than the current administration. If you're in the angry middle and tired of the rigged two-party system handing you half-cooked wars and culture-war theater, this is your no-BS briefing.