Red Scare: "Ayatoldya" (March 9, 2026)

Hosts: Anna Khachiyan & Dasha Nekrasova

Episode Overview

In this episode of Red Scare, Anna and Dasha return after a brief hiatus to dissect the recent U.S.-Iran conflict, the disintegration of MAGA’s confidence, and broader cultural anxieties radiating from both global politics and domestic malaise. The hosts fluidly move from condemnation of U.S. foreign policy to spirited commentary on contemporary cultural topics, including the portrayal of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in “Love Story” and the virality of "I Regret Having Children" essays. The tone is characteristically disaffected, ironic, and at times deeply melancholy about the direction of both politics and culture.

1. U.S.–Iran War and the Disillusionment of MAGA

Timestamps: 00:29–31:01

Key Discussion Points:

• Mercury Retrograde and a Blood Moon: The hosts open by ironically blaming astrological chaos for “minor interpersonal and bureaucratic snafus, not war with Iran” (00:41).
• Trump, Israel, and Iran:
  • The assassination of the Ayatollah and Trump’s escalation for Israeli interests.
  • Rubio’s open admission followed by evasive rollback ([02:36]).
  • Open acknowledgment of U.S. foreign policy being “ZOGged” (Zionist Occupied Government) ([03:23]).
  • Little effort to justify the war—no regime change narrative or WMDs; even prior pro-Trump influencers and loyalists are now divided.
  • Quote: “It’s a totally zogged war that no one wanted... that we didn’t vote for. It’s a betrayal.” – Anna ([03:23])
• Collapse of Messaging and Confidence:
  • Trump inner circle in chaos; Marco Rubio blaming Israel, J.D. Vance silent, Hegseth “being a psycho” ([06:13]).
  • Israel “taking advantage” while America is under its control.
  • Sullivan vs. Soldo: Different editorial takes—Israel seeks nuclear exclusivity; US and Israeli interests may now be at odds ([07:05]).
  • Discussion of oil shocks, global economic risk, and how the U.S. public will ultimately pay a price ([08:19]).
  • The new Ayatollah is the “hardline” son of the assassinated leader—“we just murdered his dad and his wife,” making him “even more of a hardliner” ([09:47]).

Notable Quotes:

• "There's no real unified messaging... no one wanted this war." ([05:50])
• "It does not feel like he’s made America great again. And I don't want it to go out like this." – Anna ([12:03])
• "We're taking a massive L here." ([05:35])

Memorable Moments:

• Anna expresses visceral, personal upset at the school bombing in Minob, referencing a little boy “waving goodbye to his mom” ([10:22]).
• Dasha notes the deep shame that comes with America’s actions feeling in service of another country, not patriotism ([10:53]).

2. The Fragmentation of the Right & Trump’s Tarnished Legacy

Timestamps: 15:16–31:01

Key Discussion Points:

• Right-wing Disarray:
  • Former Trump loyalists vowing to vote Democrat, others spinning desperate coping narratives (“plan trusting”).
  • The base is “taking an L.” Trump’s core successes (immigration, culture) are “not worth it for a zog war” ([12:32]).
  • Oil price apocalyptic scenarios and the likelihood of refugee crises, the irony of anti-immigration “America First” causing mass displacement ([14:35]).
  • The neocons of the Bush era at least had a “noble lie” (WMDs, spreading democracy); there’s not even that pretense now ([18:34]).

Notable Quotes:

• “I voted for Trump. I wanted the Ukraine war to end. I voted for America First. I didn’t vote for a war in the Middle East.” – Anna ([17:37])
• “If you're gonna do something abroad, you better have a... good reason that benefits America. And this has none of that.” ([30:51])

Memorable Moments:

• The hosts reminisce about previous wars and acknowledge things feel “worse” now ([18:18]).
• Dasha relays internet “doomer” takes—e.g., Curtis Yarvin warning about mass immigration as a consequence of war ([16:43]).
• Gallows humor about “annexing Greenland instead of carpet bombing Tehran” ([18:02]).

3. Contemporary Culture: ‘Love Story’ and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Timestamps: 31:09–58:25

Key Discussion Points:

• Escapism and Nihilism:
  • A pivot into TV talk (“My personal Iran is Ryan Murphy’s Love Story” — Dasha [31:11]), noting “time sunk fallacy” and Stockholm Syndrome with current pop culture ([31:27]).
  • Cultural moment around JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy nostalgia; the show’s imperfect casting, costume, and character takes ([38:08]).
• Media Criticism and Gender:
  • Debates around Maureen Callahan’s Daily Mail excoriation of Carolyn Bessette, the nature of feminine mystique/“idolatry”, and the public immortality of beautiful dead people ([33:00], [35:02]).
  • Daryl Hannah’s op-ed on being negatively portrayed in the show, and her claim of being subject to misogyny and misrepresentation ([44:20], [45:58]).
  • Quote: “She’s not beating the bitch allegations by being a bitch about how she’s portrayed on the show.” – Anna ([44:29])
• Celebrity, Reputation, and the Female Archetype:
  • Musings on Carolyn as an “intact sense of self”—her mythic status regardless of moral flaws ([51:01]).
  • The tension between discretion and performative notoriety in Kennedy mythos ([54:30]).

Memorable Moments:

• Sarcasm about animal activism as a “red flag” ([60:38]).
• Connection between public image battles and personal insecurity; “If she really didn’t want this negative portrayal, she would have said nothing” ([57:36]).

4. Motherhood, Antinatalism, and the ‘I Regret Having Children’ Articles

Timestamps: 64:05–97:33

Key Discussion Points:

• Deconstructing Motherhood Discourse:
  • Review of The Cut’s “I Regret Having Children,” focusing on anonymous accounts of lost identity and disappointment.
  • Discussion of the lack of wider perspective—regret from new mothers may not represent broader truths, and the nature of identity lost through childrearing ([68:09]).
• Societal Atomization and Class Anxiety:
  • Notion that having kids reveals real class position, destroying “delusions” of social mobility ([74:20], [76:04]).
  • Hostility to contemporary articles that equate parental stress or lack of personal fulfillment to regret ([79:55]).
• Antinatalism as Nihilism:
  • Dasha and Anna distinguish between narcissism and genuine social myopia, noting that previous generations endured much worse without such existential despair ([77:00]).

Notable Quotes:

• “Everything that people have survived... even if they weren’t great parents or didn’t like being parents, didn’t matter because they believed... life would find a way.” – Anna ([78:25])
• “Losing your identity is a polite euphemism for having children reveal what socioeconomic class you really belong to.” – Dasha ([74:21])
• “Their house is cold and they can take a nap whenever they want, but for what?” – Anna ([86:00])

Memorable Moments:

• Sarcastic contrast: “Imagine showing a woman in Iran this article—Women in America regret having children. And, like, we might kill your kids” ([94:44]).
• Anna describes parenting as “gratifying in the long run, but... not in the short run. Not because children are annoying, but because you fail a lot as a parent” ([83:24]).
• Broader critique of millennial expectation that life must always be personally gratifying ([90:00]).

5. Cynicism, Community, and the End of the Episode

Timestamps: 97:33–102:20

Key Discussion Points:

• Losing Perspective:
  • The hosts reflect on nostalgia, the inability to live in the moment, and the changing meaning of “identity” as one ages ([99:10]).
  • Anna on the pain and complexity of watching one’s child grow up, as the chaos of the wider world seems to impinge on domestic happiness ([97:39]).
• On the State of the Discourse:
  • The article discourse is meant to create internet “wars” and performative outrage (“that’s how you get the clicks, baby” — Dasha [91:38]).
  • The hosts dismiss “heritage” gatekeepers online, questioning the utility of heritage appeals when duty and honor are lacking on every side ([90:27]).

Tone & Style Notes

• The conversation is suffused with self-aware irony, gallows humor, and fatalism, but also frequent moments of genuine empathy—especially when discussing children or the pain of war.
• Despite their arch tone, both hosts repeatedly circle back to moral and existential stakes, particularly the futility and nihilism of the present, both online and off.

Notable Quotes with Time Stamps

• “It’s a totally zogged war that no one wanted... that we didn’t vote for. It’s a betrayal.” – Anna ([03:23])
• “It does not feel like he’s made America great again. And I don’t want it to go out like this.” – Anna ([12:03])
• “If you’re gonna do something abroad, you better have a... good reason that benefits America. And this has none of that.” – Anna ([30:51])
• “She’s not beating the bitch allegations by being a bitch about how she’s portrayed on the show.” – Anna ([44:29])
• “Everything that people have survived... even if they weren’t great parents or didn’t like being parents, didn’t matter because they believed... life would find a way.” – Anna ([78:25])
• “Their house is cold and they can take a nap whenever they want, but for what?” – Anna ([86:00])

Key Timestamps

• 00:29–06:13: Setting context, war with Iran, media reactions.
• 07:05–10:43: Editorial perspectives (Sullivan, Soldo), Ayatollah assassination, school bombing.
• 12:03–18:34: Trump’s record, MAGA’s crisis of belief.
• 31:09–59:50: ‘Love Story’, pop culture disillusionment, Daryl Hannah controversy.
• 64:05–97:33: Motherhood regret articles, critiques of contemporary feminism, societal atomization.
• 97:33–102:20: Nostalgia, identity, personal reflections, end of episode.

Summary for New Listeners

This wide-ranging episode exemplifies the unique Red Scare mix: an incisive, mournful indictment of geopolitical catastrophe; fragmented confidence in American politics; and wry, knowing takes on the psychic and cultural fallout now shaping American society. Darkly funny, unapologetically despairing, Anna and Dasha drift between the “global hell” of failed wars and the spiritual malaise of atomized, post-family existence—finding new ways to talk about old problems, and never letting the listener forget: no calamity, personal or political, goes uncritiqued.