Iran War Update: Ultimatum

On tonight’s show, I’m covering how the war in Iran keeps expanding while the stated US goals keep shifting. Trump is now openly threatening to blow up Iran’s desalination plants and other civilian infrastructure, even as reports suggest the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of possible ground operations and a much broader phase of the war. I’ll also get into the latest signals that Washington is still trying to negotiate, while at the same time changing the public rationale for the conflict yet again.

I’m also looking at how the war is widening across the region and beyond. That includes the growing threat around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, the Houthis’ formal entry into the conflict, the risks to shipping and energy markets, and the rising economic fallout from oil and jet fuel spikes. I’ll also cover reports that Iran struck US planes in Saudi Arabia, that American service members were wounded, that Russia may have provided satellite help before the attack, and that cracks are now showing inside NATO and among US allies over support for the war.

And I’ll finish with the domestic political fallout, which is getting worse for Trump. New polling shows his numbers sinking, including on inflation, jobs, tariffs, immigration, and the Iran war itself, while Republicans are reportedly still considering cutting health care spending to help cover the costs. I’ll also touch on the humanitarian toll, including reports that a new US missile killed civilians in Iran, and then wrap with several other major stories in the news tonight, from immigration and tariffs to a strange Army helicopter incident and Trump officials rushing to dig up old FBI files on political enemies.