It Could Happen Here: "Executive Disorder" – War on Iran, Kristi Noem, Sea Mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Proton Mail

Podcast: It Could Happen Here (Cool Zone Media / iHeartPodcasts)
Date: March 13, 2026
Hosts: Garrison Davis, Robert Evans, James Stout, and Mia Wong
Episode Theme:
A comprehensive analysis of the week’s biggest stories from the edge of US-led conflicts, domestic politics, mounting global instability, and the intersection of tech and security – with the war on Iran, the collapse of global oil infrastructure, eruptions in US political leadership, and digital privacy scandals taking center stage.

Overview

This episode dives into the ongoing war between the US, Israel, and Iran; key personnel shifts in the Trump administration; the global ramifications of mining in the Strait of Hormuz; American foreign policy maneuvers across Latin America and the Middle East; new waves of techno-capital’s role in the infrastructure sprint; and a critical privacy story centering on ProtonMail. The hosts emphasize how the convergence of military aggression, economic pressure, surveillance, and misinformation are accelerating global instability — but, as always, they leaven the doomsaying with their trademark sardonic humor and pop-cultural tangents.

Key Discussion Points

1. Opening – Absurdity and Collapse as Background Radiation

• Espresso Proteini: Buffalo Wild Wings' new espresso martini with muscle milk and Buffalo dry rub amuse the hosts.
  • Robert Evans: "It's the dry rub muscle milk combo." (04:07)
  • James Stout: "It'll kill your toilet." (04:24)
• AI-altered media: Ben Shapiro’s supposed eyebrow memes spark a brief reflection on the danger and whimsy of modern misinformation (05:10–06:14).

2. International News: Syria & Afrin Developments

• Hundreds returning to Afrin after years of Turkish occupation, highlighting the slow process of rebuilding for displaced Kurds (06:24–07:10).
• Leadership shifts: Sipan Hamel appointed Deputy Minister of Defense for Eastern Syria; the passing of Saleh Muslim, prominent PYD leader (07:10–07:36).

3. Epstein Case: New Files & Zorro Ranch

• Department of Justice releases files tying Trump and Epstein's victim; FBI investigation into Zorro Ranch proceeds under its current owner — Texas candidate Don Huffines (07:36–09:46).
  • Quote: "Huffines might have evidence that Jeffrey Epstein murdered people." (09:46, Evans)

4. Personnel Shifts: Kristi Noem Fired, Markwayne Mullin Appointed at DHS

• Kristi Noem’s abrupt removal from DHS and her soft landing as "special envoy" for Shield of the Americas (09:48–10:49).
• Markwayne Mullin, MAGA loyalist and member of Cherokee Nation, is set to take over at DHS. Hosts discuss the racist, bigoted reactions to his Indigenous identity (11:01–12:55).
  • James Stout: "It's not what you claim. It's who claims you is the way I've had it." (12:55)

5. Shield of the Americas: Trump Doctrine’s Next Phase

• Explanation of the coalition: Multiple Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, USA) participate; Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela are notably absent (13:54–15:31).
• Graphic design roast: the Shield’s website and logo look straight out of 2005 (14:32–14:45).
• The coalition is an extension of the “Don Roe Doctrine” — hosts reflect on Trump’s adoption of the Monroe Doctrine tradition (15:36–16:18).
• Recent U.S.-assisted (or directed) anti-cartel strikes in Ecuador and their real goal: expanding anti-migrant, anti-asylum policies via FTO/DTO (Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization) labels (16:23–20:33).
  • "This is potentially very concerning...I want to do more reporting on the Trig Bar." (18:22, Stout)

6. US Munitions & War with Iran: “Running Out of Bullets”

• The U.S. has been redeploying missile/drone defenses to the Middle East, leaving other regions vulnerable (20:33–22:22).
• Iranian Shahed drone penetration of air defenses climbs from 6.7% to over 25% in under two weeks (22:00–22:21).
  • Garrison Davis: "Oh, wow." (22:21)
• Plan for future segment: “How America is Running Out of Bullets” (22:31).

7. Mines in the Strait of Hormuz: Bottleneck of Civilization

• Iran preemptively mines the Strait after Trump muses about “taking over” the passage (25:47–26:22).
  • "Trump started publicly musing, maybe we'll just take over the Strait of Hormuz. And Iran started mining the shit out of it." (25:47, Evans)
• The U.S. Navy has withdrawn its dedicated anti-mine ships (“Avenger” class), leaving “Little crappy ships” (LCS) and untested mine countermeasure packages as fallback (27:00–31:44).
  • Reading from the US Naval Institute, host details shambolic mine countermeasures development (28:23–31:20).

8. On the Ground in Iran: Kurdish Policy & Military Trends

• Discussions with Kurdish groups reveal U.S. unwillingness to support land incursions into Iran (32:33–33:14).
• Iran’s internal crisis worsens: continued U.S./Israeli bombing affects essential infrastructure, exacerbates water shortages, and impacts large prison populations (33:32–35:16).
• Nuclear ambiguities: the difficulty of actually “destroying” Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles; much of the current focus is on conventional targets, not regime change (35:30–36:10).

9. Threat of Escalation: Carrier Killers, Blumenthal’s Outrage, Russian Targeting Aid

• Concerns over hypothetical Iranian acquisition of Chinese “carrier killer” missiles, which could precipitate catastrophic escalation (37:20–38:06).
• Sen. Blumenthal sharply criticizes the administration’s answers on costs, risks, and the specter of US boots on the ground (38:06–41:00).
  • "[I am] left with more questions than answers, especially about the cost of the war...I will demand answers because the American people deserve to know..." (38:06, Blumenthal)
• Russia aids Iran with satellite intelligence, helping target US assets (reported by Washington Post) (38:44–39:54).

10. Special Segment: The Economy & Markets (Mia Wong, 44:09)

• Markets are volatile, battered by swings in oil prices and presidential rhetoric about the war’s progress (44:09–45:44).
• Trump’s public assurances and reversals have become disconnected from actual military progress (45:44–47:00).
• The administration falsely claims to provide naval escorts for oil tankers, but the US Navy refuses such requests due to high risk (47:37–49:06).
  • "The US Navy has refused near daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz..." (47:37, Mia Wong quoting Reuters)
• Looming economic crises: not just in oil, but also in the “shadow banking” (private credit) sector, where withdrawals are spiking but data is opaque (49:06–50:35).
• Ongoing Israeli bombing and ethnic cleansing in southern Lebanon receives little attention (50:47–51:59).

11. US Politics: Texas, Tech, and Domestic Terror

• Trump delays his Texas primary endorsement to pressure the Senate on passing a voting restriction bill (SAVE Act) (51:56–53:11).
• “Ratepayer Protection Pledge”: Major tech firms (Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, xAI) agree to build private power infrastructure and foot the bill for their own data center energy needs – a prelude to deepening privatization of US energy infrastructure (53:24–54:57).
• White supremacist Jake Lang’s NYC protest against Muslim prayer is targeted by two attempted ISIS-inspired attackers with homemade IEDs; bombs fail, both teens apprehended (54:59–57:56).
  • "The only thing weird about it is that there's not a whole lot of that going on right now. But this is very similar to the people who were carrying out sympathetic ISIS attacks during...Mosul." (57:18, Evans)

12. Foreign Policy Spillover: Cuba Next?

• Trump signals a desire for intervention in Cuba, speaks of a “friendly takeover,” and references Marco Rubio as his pointman (57:56–60:41).
  • "It may be a friendly takeover, it may not be a friendly takeover, it wouldn't matter because they're...in deep trouble on a humanitarian basis." (58:50, Trump)
• Speculation: Cuba may be next after Iran; administration still focused on Iran for now.

13. Privacy & Surveillance: ProtonMail, FBI, and Legal Compliance

• 404 Media reports ProtonMail assisted the FBI in unmasking a Stop Cop City protester by providing payment data (not content).
• The hosts clarify Proton is a business compliant with Swiss law, not an activist org – privacy depends on user choices, esp. payment method (62:03–66:35).
  • "If you use a credit card, we do have access to the payment identifier, which can be used to identify the credit card holder..." (63:32, quoting Proton comms chief Edward Schoen)
  • "They are a business. They are not an activist organization." (64:15, Garrison Davis)
  • Proton’s compliance with legal orders correlates with user growth, not increased cooperation with authorities (65:01–66:09).

Notable Quotes

• "It's not what you claim. It's who claims you is the way I've had it." – James Stout on Indigenous identity debates (12:55)
• "Once it became clear that Iran started laying...mines in the strait, U.S. forces claimed to have sunk 16 minelayers...it sounds kind of desperate because the United States is in a uniquely dogshit position to deal with sea mines right specifically now." – Robert Evans (28:21)
• "[I am] left with more questions than answers, especially about the cost of the war...I will demand answers because the American people deserve to know..." – Sen. Blumenthal (38:06)
• "If you use a credit card, we do have access to the payment identifier, which can be used to identify the credit card holder..." – Edward Schoen, ProtonMail spokesperson (63:32, as read by Garrison Davis)
• "It may be a friendly takeover, it may not be a friendly takeover, it wouldn't matter because they're...in deep trouble on a humanitarian basis." – Donald Trump on Cuba (58:50)

Important Timestamps

• Espresso Proteini absurdity: 02:46–04:48
• Ben Shapiro AI meme/Media manipulation: 05:10–06:14
• Afrin and Kurdish updates: 06:24–07:36
• Epstein files & Zorro Ranch: 07:36–09:46
• Kristi Noem ouster/Shield of the Americas: 09:48–16:18
• Ecuador strikes, FTO/DTO designations: 16:23–20:33
• U.S. missile/munition shortages: 20:33–22:22
• Strait of Hormuz mines/LCS "little crappy ships": 25:47–31:44
• Iran war/Kurdish politics: 32:16–36:10
• Sen. Blumenthal, Russia aiding Iran: 38:06–41:00
• Mia Wong’s economic roundup: 44:09–51:20
• ProtonMail/FBI privacy segment: 62:03–66:35

Tone and Style

• The episode maintains an irreverent, darkly comic rapport, interspersing granular policy analysis and military details with gallows humor and pop culture asides.
• The hosts frequently puncture their own gravitas with derision or self-deprecation but underlying all is a genuine alarm at the pace and interconnectedness of global collapse.
• Discussion is deeply sourced, referencing primary documents, direct communications with actors (e.g., Kurdish leaders), and on-the-ground reporting.

For Listeners: Core Takeaways

• The war with Iran is going badly for both US munitions stocks and the global economy, with the Strait of Hormuz threatening a broader collapse.
• U.S. domestic politics sees both erratic leadership changes and the deepening privatization of essential infrastructure, with little functional resistance.
• Moves to further militarize foreign and domestic policy — from new anti-cartel coalitions to looming interventions in Cuba — signal a period where diplomatic norms are abandoned.
• Digital privacy is highly contingent, and users of services like ProtonMail should never assume total secrecy.
• The American public is being whiplashed between official narratives and reality, with misinformation (from AI memes to White House press briefings) increasingly central to policy-making and perception.

For more detailed references, see episode transcript segments at corresponding timestamps above.