Mark Halperin kicks off today’s episode with a sweeping reported monologue on Donald Trump’s escalating pressure campaign over Greenland and what it reveals about his broader foreign policy theory of the case and about his unique decision making style. Mark lays out five fundamentals about the president and this international controversy, from Europe’s dependence on U.S. power and Trump’s obsession with leverage to the idea that markets, not Congress or NATO allies, may be the only real constraint on how far he goes.
Mark then turns to Iran and the aftermath of the mass protests, breaking down why Trump’s decision not to strike was not a sign of weakness, but a calculated bet. He walks through the internal and allied pressure that shaped the decision, the risks of retaliation and regime consolidation, and why the story of Iran’s uprising may be closer to the beginning of the end than the end itself.
Finally, Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik joins the show to explain what will actually matter in the 2026 midterms, why Trump’s standing on the economy is the central metric, and how structural realities in the House map could limit the implications of even a wave election. Sosnik also outlines what Democrats need to do to rebuild with working-class voters, why candidates define party brands more than messaging, and what traits the 2028 electorate may be looking for when the next presidential fight begins.
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