The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Podcast: MS NOW
Host: Jen Psaki (with Phil as substitute host)
Episode Title: Trump spins weird Iran fantasy narrative contradicted by reports
Date: March 18, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode delves into three major threads shaping U.S. politics in March 2026:

1. Illinois Democratic Primary Night: Updates and analysis of competitive races that could shape state and national politics—including heated contests influenced by outside money and progressive challengers.
2. Trump’s Iran War Narrative: A thorough fact-check and discussion about President Trump's public justifications for the Iran war, including his dubious claim of a former president’s "endorsement," repeated statements at odds with available intelligence, and growing cracks within his administration’s own ranks.
3. Press Freedom Under Pressure: How the Trump administration’s campaign to demand favorable war coverage is playing out in U.S. media, including threats to broadcast licenses and the implications for democracy and journalism.

The episode features guest insights from data reporter Ali Velshi, Congressman Jim Himes, and journalists Terry Moran and Elise Labitt.

Illinois Democratic Primary Night: Analysis and Key Races

(Segment begins ~01:01)

Key Points

• Senate Race to Replace Dick Durbin:

  • 49% of the vote in, Juliana Stratton (Lt. Gov) leads at 38.5%, followed by Raja Krishnamoorthy (33%), and Robin Kelly (20%).
  • Key counties, like DuPage, are outstanding (01:54).
  • No major party flips expected; “hotly contested” because the winner will likely serve as senator (03:13).

• Notable Congressional Primaries:

  • District 9 (Evanston/Chicago): Mayor Daniel Biss leads with 30%. Kat Abu Ghazala (progressive, age 26) follows at 24%—on track to be the youngest woman elected to Congress if she wins.
    • “All eyes were on her because she’s 26 years old… At this point, it becomes a little hard at 84% to see how she makes up the 5,000 vote difference. But anything can happen.” – Ali Velshi (02:44)
  • District 8: Melissa Bean (former Rep.) pulls ahead at 58% reporting.
  • Influence of AIPAC money:
    • Heavy AIPAC support for Laura Fine (trailing at 20%); PAC also backed Bushra Amiwalla (5%).
    • “AIPAC ended up running ads that were supportive of Bushra Amiwalla... She told AIPAC, ‘I’m not interested in your money.’…It’s meant to be a distraction and confusion.” – Ali Velshi (04:49)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "There's a lot of APAC money that was spent in that race... reminds me of the New Jersey race with Malinowski." – Phil (04:25)
• “The APAC money has gone to Laura Fine... AIPAC ended up running ads that were supportive of Bushra amiwallah. She’s at 5% right now. So it hasn’t had much of an impact.” – Ali Velshi (04:49)

Additional Update Toward End

• Stratton extends her lead with 68% of votes in. Donna Miller wins District 2; Jesse Jackson Jr.'s comeback bid fails. Melissa Bean remains ahead in District 8 (43:07).

Trump’s Iran War Narrative vs. Reality

Segment starts ~05:40

Trump’s Claims and Contradictions

• Dubious Presidential Endorsement:

  • Trump claims a former president told him, “I wish I did it” about launching the war in Iran—but refuses to name him.
    • “I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career, even though he’s got no career.” – Donald Trump (06:39)
  • All four living ex-presidents’ spokespeople deny any such conversation.

• Denial of Prior Warnings About Iranian Retaliation:

  • "Nobody expected that. We were shocked." (08:44)
  • Reuters: Trump was warned of likely Iranian retaliation on Gulf allies before the war.

• Uncertainty Over Iranian Mine-Laying:

  • Trump: "We don’t know that they’ve dropped any [mines]. We’re not sure that any have been dropped in.” (10:01)
  • NYT: US officials confirm Iran is actively laying mines (10:20).

Analysis

• Phil: "Every day, Trump seems to say something about this war that is directly contradicted by reporting." (07:19)
• “It’s not just the reporting that is contradicting Trump these days. It’s also his own officials... many of them were sources for all those stories.” (10:20)

Deep Rifts and Personnel Drama in the Trump Administration

Segment ~11:30 – 16:05

Joe Kent’s Resignation

• Joe Kent, Trump’s National Counterterrorism Center director (and former MAGA candidate), resigns over the war.
  • In public letter: “I cannot in good conscience support this ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat... We started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
  • Trump: “I always thought he was weak on security... It’s a good thing that he’s out.” (12:05)

Gabbard’s Contradictory Position

• Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence), previously anti-war, issues statement: “[Trump] is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat.”
  • “Tulsi thinks Trump alone gets to decide what is and is not an imminent threat, which…contradicts her now former close advisor, Joe Kent." – Phil (13:58)

“Based on Feelings” Decision-Making

• Montage of Trump and officials citing "feelings" as justification for war:
  • “The president had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the United States.” (15:36)
  • "When are you going to know when it’s over? When I feel it." – Trump (15:51)

Key Quotes

• “The only thing that matters is how Trump feels at any given moment. And at this point, Trump and his lackeys have no problem admitting this is all about Trump’s big, big feelings.” – Phil (15:14)
• “It has been Trump’s feelings and vibes dictating US Strategy in this conflict.” – Phil (16:05)

Congressional Insight: Rep. Jim Himes on Intelligence, Russia, and the War

Starts ~18:37

Intelligence & “Imminence”

• Tulsi Gabbard’s statement doesn’t cite intelligence for an imminent threat, only Trump’s judgment.
  • "She didn’t say the intelligence community believes there was an imminent threat or that there was reporting... because there was not an imminent threat to the United States." – Rep. Jim Himes (19:17)
• Joe Kent’s resignation, while from a controversial figure, is unprecedented for its direct criticism from within the Trump circle.

Russia’s Role and Geopolitical Consequences

• Growing evidence that Russia is providing advanced military support to Iran and benefiting:
  • “Who’s the big winner here? Russia is the big winner here for three reasons...” – Rep. Himes (22:48)
  • 1. Revenge for US support to Ukraine
  • 2. Financial gain via sanctioned oil exports
  • 3. Distraction from Ukraine—increased US focus on Middle East benefits Russian goals

Internal Dissent and Administration Dysfunction

• J.D. Vance, Trump’s VP, hedges on direct support for the war (24:39 – 24:51).
  • “That’s J.D. Vance hedging his bets... He’s keeping that lane open politically speaking.” – Himes (27:06)
• Trump and his team struggle to answer basic questions about the war’s progress, strategic aims, and embassy attacks, often passing questions among each other (17:22 – 17:35, 27:35).

Homeland Security Risks & Personnel Gaps

• Key intelligence and counter-terror experts have been fired or left their posts, weakening US homeland defenses.
  • “This just got very real... because we don’t control all the levers anymore." – Rep. Himes (30:07)
  • "The very best people have been let go."

White House War on the Press and Democratic Accountability

(Segment ~33:32)

Administration’s Offensive on Media

• Broadcast License Threats:

  • Trump’s FCC chair, Brendan Carr, threatens to strip licenses from networks deemed unfavorable—linked to a Mar-a-Lago Trump meeting.
    • “Trump and Carr are actually trying to send…They want the press to positively spin the news about the war.” – Phil (33:32)
    • “They want the press to make it sound good for Trump. That is patriotic in their view.” – Phil (34:15)
  • Notable: FCC has no power to unilaterally revoke licenses over “unpatriotic” coverage.

• Conservative Media Chorus:

  • Clips: “We kind of just won the war.” (Ali Velshi, 35:08); “Did you see it? They gave us pretty much everything we want.” (Rep. Himes, 35:11)
  • Expectation that “every network needs to get on board with that.” – Unidentified Official (35:27)

Journalists' Perspective

• "We're supposed to cover the war accurately, okay? And accurately means on the facts and with the American people. They need the information... straight." – Terry Moran (36:45)
• “What we are hearing from Trump and Brendan Carr is watch out if we don’t like your coverage of the war. We are coming down on you…because they want to keep Americans in the dark.” – Terry Moran (37:09)
• “The frustration [from the administration] is that we're not focusing on the successes… focusing on the critical nature. And look, that is something that the press does.” – Elise Labitt (38:07)

The Deterioration of Gov’t–Media Relations

• “The toxic relationship between the president…and now the administration and the press is making it harder to cover the war responsibly.” – Elise Labitt (39:34)
• “You’ve got to fess up… if you are caught in some information that’s not accurate. But that’s like a continuous lying cycle.” – Phil (39:34)
• Trump touts "reshaping the media," listing journalists like Terry Moran as 'accomplishments.'

Final Illinois Primary Updates

(43:07)

• Senate: Stratton leads convincingly as more votes roll in.
• Congressional races:
  • Donna Miller wins District 2; Jesse Jackson Jr. loses comeback bid.
  • Melissa Bean leads in District 8; race remains close with votes still coming in.

Notable Quotes (w/ Timestamps)

• On Trump’s “endorsement” claim about Iran war:

  • “I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career, even though he’s got no career.” – Donald Trump (06:39)

• On personnel chaos:

  • “I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security. It's a good thing that he's out.” – Donald Trump, on Joe Kent (12:05)

• On “imminent threat” justification:

  • “She is the senior most intelligence official and she didn’t say that the intelligence community believes that there was an imminent threat... because there was not an imminent threat to the United States.” – Rep. Jim Himes (19:17)

• On the press:

  • “We're supposed to cover the war accurately, okay? And accurately means on the facts...” – Terry Moran (36:45)
  • “The toxic relationship between the president in particular and now the administration and the press is making it harder to cover the war responsibly.” – Elise Labitt (39:34)

• On administration decision-making:

  • "The only thing that matters is how Trump feels at any given moment." – Phil (15:14)

Key Timestamps At a Glance

• 01:01 – 04:49: Primary night coverage, Illinois races, AIPAC influence
• 05:40 – 16:05: Trump's Iran war claims, fact-checks, resignations, “vibes-based” justifications
• 18:25 – 31:46: Congressman Himes on intelligence, Russia, Team Trump splits, security fallout
• 33:32 – 42:15: Suppression of press, journalists' panel, press freedoms under fire
• 43:07 – 44:28: Closing election updates with Ali Velshi

Takeaways

• The 2026 Illinois primaries reveal intra-party tensions, outside influence, and generational divides among Democrats.
• Trump's public claims about the Iran war are systematically contradicted by public reporting and, increasingly, his own former officials.
• The Trump administration is exerting explicit pressure on the press to support its war narrative, threatening core democratic norms.
• The U.S. intelligence apparatus is hamstrung by partisan appointments and resignations; Russia gains strategic advantage as U.S. focus shifts.
• Journalists stress the importance—and growing difficulty—of providing the public with accurate war coverage in the face of state pressure.

For anyone seeking a raw, inside-the-room guide to the Illinois primaries, the mechanisms behind Trump's Iran war, and the current threats to press freedom in wartime America, this episode is must-listen political radio.