Raging Moderates: Trump Threatens to WIPE OUT Iran and Triggers 25th Amendment Calls (preview)
April 8, 2026·11 min
Jessica Tarlow opens the preview with Katie Phang as her guest, joking through what she calls Taco Tuesdays. She lays out Trump's social media post warning that a whole civilization could die tonight if Tehran does not open the Strait of Hormuz by his 8 p.m. deadline. He has threatened to decimate Iran's bridges and shut down its power grid, moves Tarlow notes could constitute war crimes. Iran has vowed crushing retaliation if civilian infrastructure is hit, and despite a reported 10-point Iranian proposal, no breakthrough is in sight. A clip of Trump's presser plays. Phang says she does not believe the U.S. will annihilate Iran but is alarmed that no one in the administration is reining Trump in. She singles out Pete Hegseth as a chef's kiss match for Trump, with no morality or measure, and worries about an Easter Sunday post that escalates rhetoric. The hosts move into the absence of adults in the room. Tarlow flags a second U.S. military attack on Karg Island that day — a double tap rather than a new operation, and notably without Israeli involvement — as evidence the actual U.S. posture is more targeted at oil than country-leveling. They debate whether General Dan Kane is one of the few adults left. Tarlow concedes Kane has been kissing the ass at press conferences, calling Trump a man who keeps his promises in the context of rescuing downed service members, but says she can tolerate that flattery if it keeps Kane in the situation room rather than handing it to Trump, Stephen Miller, and Hegseth alone. Phang says the praise is North Korean and gross. The hosts also reference Dan Driscoll as a possible Hegseth successor. Phang closes by venting that the world is being divided up by a handful of autocrats and wannabe dictators like Trump and Orban — small men with big dreams and very powerful weapons. Tarlow plugs the Raging Moderates Substack, the Monday Rage newsletter, and the Webby Award for Best News and Politics podcast. The preview ends with a SAS sponsor read.
