Trump's Iran Dilemma: Peace Candidate or Authoritarian Leader?

The New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz joins Tyler Foggatt for another episode of “How Bad Is It?,” a monthly series that examines the health of American democracy. They discuss whether the President’s recent strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities may threaten his “America first” coalition, how the threat of war may enable him to consolidate more power domestically, and whether Trump’s use of the National Guard to quell protest in Los Angeles is truly undemocratic.

This week’s reading:

• “Zohran Mamdani’s New York City Miracle,” by Eric Lach
• “Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Declaration of Independence,” by Ruth Marcus
• “A.I. Is Homogenizing Our Thoughts,” by  Kyle Chayka
• “Heir Ball: How the Cost of Youth Sports Is Changing the N.B.A.,” by Robin Wright
• “Can Ayatollah Khamenei, and Iran’s Theocracy, Survive This War?,” by Antonia Hitchens 

To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com.

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.