Day: April 19, 2026

With What Trump Calls the Strait of Iran Closed Again, It’s Clear Whoever the Administration is Talking to Are Not in Charge of Iran

We begin with the Strait of Hormuz being closed again after Trump and Iran’s FM said it was “completely open,” suggesting the US is not talking to the right people and that, if anyone is in control of the Iranian government, it’s the IRGC. Joining us to assess whether the war will resume when the ceasefire ends on Wednesday is Juan Cole, a professor of Modern Middle Eastern and South Asian History at the University of Michigan. He is also the author of the blog Informed Comment at JuanCole.com and the author of Engaging the Muslim World, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires and most recently, Gaza Yet Stands. We discuss his latest articles at Informed Comment, “Iran: Strait of Hormuz is Open; but with Conditions” and “South Korea, Asia, Livid about Israeli role in Fuel Crisis.”

Although Trump Forced Netanyahu’s Hand Prohibiting Him From Bombing Lebanon, the Israeli Public Wants the IDF to Finish Off Hezbollah

Then with Trump forcing Netanyahu’s hand saying Israel is “prohibited from bombing Lebanon” we look into domestic pressure on Israel’s PM from an overwhelming percentage of Israelis who want the IDF to finish the job and wipe out Hezbollah which the Lebanese government appears unable to bring under control. Joining us is Thanassis Cambanis, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and Director of the Center for International Research and Policy. Until recently, he worked as a journalist based in Lebanon and his books include A Privilege to Die: Inside Hezbollah’s Legions and Their Endless War Against Israel, Once Upon a Revolution: An Egyptian Story, and most recently, Shia Power Comes of Age: The Transformation of Islamist Politics in Iraq, 2003-2023.

How to Remove an Increasingly Mentally Ill Trump From Office

Then finally we examine what can be done to remove an increasingly mentally ill Trump from office when the only mechanism available requires a gutless Vance and a craven and cowardly Republican Congress to invoke the 25th amendment. Joining us to discuss how to intervene when a mental patient needs to be committed is Dr. Allen Frances, a Professor Emeritus and former Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Duke University. He is the author of the award-winning international bestseller Saving Normal and the reference work Essentials of Psychiatric Diagnosis and his latest book is Twilight of American Sanity: A Psychiatrist Analyzes the Age of Trump, now out in an updated paperback version.