Trump's Lonely War

Summary

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Podcast Summary: What A Day – "Trump's Lonely War"

Date: July 28, 2026
Host: Jane Coaston
Guest: Tom Bowman (NPR Pentagon Correspondent)

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the rapidly spiraling war in Iran initiated by President Trump, the information blackout from the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the recent passing of Senator Lindsey Graham—a central champion of hawkish U.S. policy toward Iran and military intervention. Host Jane Coaston is joined by NPR’s Tom Bowman, who discusses the unprecedented lack of transparency at the Pentagon, the political vacuum in Congress post-Graham, and the broad unpopularity of the Iran war.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Lindsey Graham’s Legacy and Funeral

• Lindsey Graham’s Death and Influence:
  • Funeral at Washington National Cathedral attended by major world leaders such as Marco Rubio (Secretary of State), Pete Hegseth (Defense Secretary), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli PM), and Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukrainian President)
  • Graham’s decades-long advocacy for military intervention, especially against Iran; footage shown of his emotional reaction as Trump ordered strikes
  • Political vacuum left by Graham’s passing; lack of comparable champions for aggressive Iran policy in Congress
• Notable Quotes:
  • Jane Coaston (02:01): “President Trump almost sounded normal as he spoke before guests gathered at Washington National Cathedral for Lindsey Graham’s funeral. Emphasis on almost.”
  • Guest (05:45): “Look what we’ve done here. Why not? I almost cried. Yeah, I mean, like, how long have we been pushing this?”

2. The Iran War – Increasing Unpopularity and Uncertainty

• Public Perception:
  • The Economist reports the Iran war is now America’s least popular conflict on record
  • Key architects (Trump, Graham, Netanyahu) underestimated Iran’s ability to resist and respond, especially regarding closure of the Strait of Hormuz
• Failed Expectations and Reality:
  • Tom Bowman explains leaders expected quick regime change, only to see prolonged, costly conflict
• Notable Quote:
  • Tom Bowman (08:20): “People are souring on the Iran war. They want it to end. Of course, Defense Secretary Hegseth was supportive… Vice President J.D. Vance was a little more reluctant.”

3. Pentagon Information Blackout

• Press Restrictions:
  • Hegseth’s Pentagon has transformed the press office into a classified area. Last press briefing: May 5th, 2026
  • Reporters were asked to sign an “edict” barring them from soliciting info that isn’t officially released; many, including Tom Bowman, refused and turned in their badges
• Impact on Journalism:
  • Reporters must rely on unofficial contacts in Capitol Hill and embassies; official Pentagon briefings and transparency compared unfavorably to even Rumsfeld-era press relations
• Notable Quote:
  • Tom Bowman (00:00, 10:14): “Reporters that have been covering the Pentagon for a long time… refused to sign this edict… which basically turns us into stenographers and not journalists.”
  • Tom Bowman (11:57): “And then [the Chinese military attaché] said, ‘Oh, just like us.’”

4. The Depleted U.S. Missile Stockpile Debate

• Contradictory Public Statements:
  • Despite official Pentagon denials, congressional sources and public comments confirm the U.S. missile stockpile (especially Patriot missiles) is dangerously low due to simultaneous Iran and Ukraine conflicts
  • UN Ambassador Mike Waltz publicly acknowledged the depletion
  • Raytheon manufactures only about 600 Patriot missiles per year; ramp-up will take years
• Notable Quote:
  • Tom Bowman (16:13): “Clearly the missiles have been depleted. …He [UN Ambassador Waltz] said it himself. So we know that for a fact.”

5. Casualty Reporting Obfuscation

• Casualty Data Manipulation:
  • Pentagon shifted war death statistics to a less visible “Overseas Operations” website; family members upset about reclassification
  • Historical manipulation of “wounded in action” stats, but this is unprecedented for the “killed in action” category
• Potential Impact on Benefits:
  • Uncertainty about how reclassification could affect families’ benefits and honors
• Notable Quote:
  • Tom Bowman (17:48): “As far as killed in action, I have not seen anything like this… everyone’s scratching their head saying, that doesn’t make any sense.”

6. Strategic Consequences and U.S. Isolation

• Damaged Credibility and Alliances:
  • Gulf Allies and U.S. bases have taken heavy damage; billions of dollars needed for reconstruction
  • Effect on regional partnerships—some may reconsider U.S. military presence due to increased risk
• Iran’s Strengthened Position:
  • Talks between Iran and Oman to jointly manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, signaling Iran’s effective control
• Notable Quotes:
  • Tom Bowman (20:36): “The Gulf countries were hit hard by Iran… [U.S. bases] have been hit pretty hard… billions of dollars [in] damage… not getting much information on [it].”
  • Tom Bowman (21:57): “All reports indicate that it’s more of a hardline regime now than before the war started.”

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Pentagon Transparency:

  • Tom Bowman (11:57): “[The Chinese attaché] said, ‘Oh, just like us.’” relating Pentagon press restrictions to Chinese censorship.

• On Lindsey Graham’s Hawkish Passion:

  • Guest (05:45): “Look what we’ve done here. Why not? I almost cried. Yeah, I mean, like, how long have we been pushing this?”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – 00:32 | Tom Bowman describes Pentagon press restrictions
• 01:42 – 02:01 | Lindsey Graham’s funeral and legacy
• 05:38 – 05:56 | Footage of Graham’s pride at Iran war launching
• 07:03 – 09:41 | Discussion about who’s advocating for escalation post-Graham
• 09:41 – 10:14 | Pentagon blackouts and lack of press briefings
• 11:55 – 12:08 | Chinese military attaché compares Pentagon policy to China’s
• 16:13 – 17:02 | Depleted missile stockpiles confirmed
• 17:48 – 19:20 | Unprecedented manipulation of casualty reporting
• 20:11 – 22:19 | Strategic consequences, regional blowback, and Iran’s strengthened position

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains a measured, analytical, and somewhat sardonic tone. Jane Coaston is insightful, sometimes wry, making complex national security issues feel urgent and accessible. Tom Bowman provides seasoned, candid reporting, underscoring the gravity of Pentagon opacity and the morass created by the Iran war.

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Conclusion

If you need a tight, well-sourced overview of the current Iran conflict, its political fallout, and why American journalists are struggling to tell the truth amid Pentagon secrecy, this episode is essential. It unpacks both the strategic blunders and the information war, showing how American democracy is tested in times of foreign conflict and domestic obfuscation.

Transcript

[Tom Bowman]

Reporters that have been covering the Pentagon for a long time. We refused to sign this edict which basically said you can't solicit information from anyone at the Pentagon. Basically, you can't go to your sources and say, hey, what's really going on, you know, with the depleted munitions missiles? How many do they have? Who's worried about it? And so forth. What the edict said was you basically have to wait for us to release information and only then can you report on it, which basically turns us into stenographers and not journalists.

[Jane Coaston]

Foreign. I'm Jane Costen, and this is what a day. A show that wasn't really wondering what former New York City mayor and former attorney for President Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani was up to, but now knows via

[Guest or Co-host]

Rudy Giuliani, Buona Serra yes, yes, yes. We are in Italy, but we're in a very special place where on top was virtually a mountain. It's called Marlianna. It's about 20 miles from Monte Catini and about 40 or 50 miles from Florence, equal from Pisa. But it's more important than that. This was the birthplace of my paternal grandfather, for whom I am named.

[Jane Coaston]

Take notes. That's how you do a proof of life video. On today's show, we get into Trump's war of choice in Iran and how reporters are making sense of it with little to no help. From The Pentagon with NPR's Tom Bowman. Before we get into the irony of a president claiming no more forever wars and then starting a new one, here's what we're following today, Tuesday, July 28th.

[Guest or Co-host]

But no matter how heated things got in Washington, virtually everyone, Republican or Democrat, liked Lindsey.

[Tom Bowman]

Well, not everybody, but it sounds good. Not everybody. He was a tough cookie.

[Guest or Co-host]

Okay.

[Tom Bowman]

I have to be. I have to veer from this for a second. He was a tough cookie, Darlene.

[Jane Coaston]

President Trump almost sounded normal as he spoke before guests gathered at Washington National Cathedral for Lindsey Graham's funeral. Emphasis on almost. Those in attendance included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr zelensky. Earlier today, Graham's flag draped casket arrived to Ray tribute at the U.S. capitol, where the Republicans served for more than 30 years. It's the start of two days of services. Graham will be buried Wednesday in his home state of South Carolina. Graham died suddenly earlier this month at his home in Washington following a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey and a visit to Ukraine. He was 71. Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has now been in the hospital for more than a month. And On Monday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear sent McConnell a letter demanding that he either prove that he can do his job or resign from office. Beshear addresses his letter to McConnell assuming, quote, that he is capable of reading and responding verbally and not incapacitated by means of consciousness or cognition. And the governor makes it clear that McConnell's total non participation in the actions of the Senate and lack of transparency with Kentuckians is a non starter. Quote, I understand anyone's desire for privacy, but when you run for office and serve as one of a state's two US Senators, you willingly abdicate much of your personal privacy. That's the deal and we all know it when we run. Beshear also sent a copy of the letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune. He wrote, if McConnell will not show his capacity to continue serving, Thune should investigate and begin the process of removing McConnell from office. Beshear ends the letter, quote, kentuckians are just asking you to be honest.

[Tom Bowman]

So this was high early on in 09. I just found all the classified stuff downstairs.

[Jane Coaston]

A conservative activist group has released audio tapes that appear to show former President Joe Biden sharing classified information with a biographer. The interviews occurred before his election to the presidency in 2020. The release of audio and transcripts by the Oversight Project comes after Biden lost a legal fight to keep his conversations with his memoir Ghostwriter private. The right wing group first sued to obtain the tapes after special Counsel Robert hur decided in 2024 not to charge Biden for how he handled classified information. Biden cooperated with Hur's inquiry and told the special prosecutor during his presidency that he did not intentionally mishandle any classified material. A Biden spokesperson blasted the release as politically motivated because of course, it was huge. Wildfires have driven roughly 330,000 people from homes and vacation sites across France and Spain. In Spain, people are bracing for another summer heat wave as the country deals with the largest fire in its recorded history. And in France, a fire west of Bordeaux has burned an area four times the size of Paris, forcing 220,000 people to evacuate. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said over the weekend it was very likely the largest civilian evacuation operation ever carried out in the country outside of war. And that's the news. Let's talk about the late Lindsey Graham and the war on Iran. Graham was an incredibly outspoken supporter of the Iran war. In fact, there was arguably no bigger supporter of the Iran war than Lindsey Graham. On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal shared footage from an unreleased documentary about Graham where the senator celebrated while watching President Trump discuss strikes in Iran shortly after the war began.

[Guest or Co-host]

Look what we've done here. Why not? I almost cried. Yeah, I mean, like, how long have we been pushing this?

[Jane Coaston]

I mean, you've been pushing this for years.

[Tom Bowman]

Right?

[Guest or Co-host]

Right.

[Tom Bowman]

It's here. I talked to Trump this morning.

[Jane Coaston]

Well, he's.

[Guest or Co-host]

Jack, it's the best thing I've ever done.

[Tom Bowman]

He loves.

[Guest or Co-host]

He loves blowing stuff up.

[Jane Coaston]

Yeah, that's probably true. But now Graham is gone, and the war he helps start is becoming increasingly unpopular. The Economist reported earlier this month that the war in Iran is America's least popular conflict since public poll tracking began. And thanks to a virtual Pentagon blackout on information, there's a lot we don't even know about this war in the first place. So, yes, this war could be even worse than we know. To talk more about the Iran war and how we can make sense of it with little to no clear information from the Pentagon, I spoke to Tom Bowman. He's the Pentagon correspondent for npr. Tom, welcome to what a day.

[Tom Bowman]

Good to be with you.

[Jane Coaston]

So both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended former South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral this afternoon after separate meetings with President Trump, literally back to back. Graham was a huge champion for both Ukraine and Israel in their respective wars. And there's this massive chasm in his absence now that Graham has passed. Who are Trump and Hegseth listening to when it comes to war?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, it's hard to say. I mean, there's still people on the Hill, Democrats like Adam Smith of Washington State and others, Mike Rogers and the armed services, very supportive of Ukraine. So a number of congressmen and senators are supportive of Ukraine. I think a lot of people are kind of souring on the Iran war. A lot of concerns about, you know, you're depleting the missile supply for defensive missiles. I think there's more support for Ukraine. Of course, President Trump is allowing Ukraine to build Patriot missiles in. In Ukraine. That will take quite a while, maybe a couple of years or so to get their factory up and running. In the meantime, Ukraine needs Patriot missiles to shoot down the incoming Russian missiles. So they'll have to get more from the United States as well as the European allies.

[Jane Coaston]

I think to. To my point, Lindsey Graham wanted to go with to war with Iran a lot without him. Who is that voice who is still saying, let's go send ground troops, let's go after Cargill and who is there someone who is filling that role in Congress right now?

[Tom Bowman]

You know, not that I have seen. And again, I think people are souring on the Iran war. They want it to end. So I'm not sure there's a lot of support for continuing this. Of course, Defense Secretary Haig said this was supportive of this. Vice President J.D. vance was a little more reluctant. Basically what happened here was I think President Trump thought it would be easy. After the Venezuela mission and getting rid of President Maduro and then Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kind of had a meeting in the Situation Room at the White House and basically said, hey, we can do this. We'll decapitate the regime. Don't worry about the Strait of Hormuz because Iran will be so weakened they can't really do anything about it. And in both cases, that turned out to be false. They have a deep bench of leaders that can step in and clearly they were going to go after the Strait of horror moves. I was just talking to this retired general I know, four star general, and he was just beside himself. He said, listen, we've been studying this for 40 years and we realized the first thing Iran would do if you went to war with them is close the Strait of Hormuz, which is precisely what they did. But again, I think Netanyahu said, ah, don't worry about it, this will be over fast. And here we are almost at the end of July. Things started in February with no end in sight at this point.

[Jane Coaston]

Now, you joked before we started that you were covering the Pentagon in exile. And to that point, Pete Hegseth has run a remarkably opaque Pentagon. Under his leadership, the Department of Defense has made the Pentagon press office a classified area. There hasn't been a press briefing in months.

[Tom Bowman]

May 5th was the last press briefing,

[Jane Coaston]

which is a very long time ago. So also during a war, right? Exactly. So how are you getting information about the war right now when there are no press briefings and no one will tell you anything?

[Tom Bowman]

I still have contacts within the Pentagon that are willing to talk. I'm reaching out more to Capitol Hill. I'm also reaching out to the embassies here in Washington to find out what they're hearing, what they're talking about. So that's helpful. But you're right, you really need Pentagon briefings. You know, when I covered it during Donald Rumsfeld's time during the Iraq war and Afghanistan war, sometimes he would have two briefings a week and they generally would last an hour or so. And he would take Almost every question and stay there until the last question was asked. And even the couple of briefings that Hegseth has had. First of all, the reporters that have been covering the Pentagon for a long time, we refused to sign this edict, which basically said, you can't solicit information from anyone at the Pentagon. Basically, you can't go to your sources and say, hey, what's really going on? You know, with their depleted munitions, missiles, how many do they have? Who's worried about it? And so forth. What the edict said was you basically have to wait for us to release information and only then can you report on it, which basically turns us into stenographers and not journalists. And I was at this meeting of military attaches back last fall, one month after we all refused to sign this edict and turned our badges in, 60, 70 of us walked out. And this guy walks up to me, introduces himself. He's a Chinese military attache in Washington, spoke perfect English. His second tour in Washington, and we were talking about, you know, where have you been in the country? He said, I've been to 35 states. I said, I'm from the Boston area. He said, oh, I love Boston. They had this great little conversation. And then he said, hey, tell me about this new Pentagon press policy. And I explained it just like I did to you, that, you know, we can't solicit information, we can't go talk to sources, people in the building. We have to wait until they hand us information, and only then can we report on it. He said, oh, just like us.

[Jane Coaston]

If you also don't aspire to China's journalistic norms, stick around. We'll get back to my conversation with Tom Bowman in a moment. In the Meantime, leave a five star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a day is brought to you by Fast Growing Trees. Did you know? Fast Growing Trees is America's largest and most trusted online nursery with thousands of trees and plants and over 2 million happy customers. They have all the plants your yard or home needs, including fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, shrubs and houseplants, all grown with care and guaranteed to arrive healthy. It's like your local nursery, but anywhere. You live with more plants than you'll find anywhere else. Whatever you're looking for, Fast Growing Trees helps you find options that actually work for your climate, space and lifestyle. Fast Growing Trees makes it easy to get your dream yard. Just click, order, grow and get healthy, thriving plants delivered to your door. Their alive and Thrive guarantee promises that your plants arrive happy and healthy. No green thumb required, just quality plants you can count on. Plus, get ongoing support from trained plant experts who can help you plan your landscape, choose the right plants and learn how to care for them every step of the way. My husband and I have loved giving gifts to our friends and family from Fast Growing Trees. They always arrive happy, healthy and ready for years of enjoyment. You don't need a big yard or a lot of space. You can grow lemon, avocado, olive or fig trees indoors along with a wide variety of houseplants, all grown with care and hand selected to thrive in your home. The experts at Fast Growing Trees have curated thousands of plants for every climate and growing zone so customers can find options that truly work for their yard. Right now they have great deals on spring planting essentials, up to half off on select plants and listeners to our show get 20% off their first purchase when using the Code Watt at checkout. That's an additional 20% off. Better plants and better growing at fastgrowingtrees.com using the code WATT at checkout fastgrowingtrees.com code WAD now's the perfect time to plant. Let's grow together. Use WAD to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply. This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack, hydration and coffee sponsor. IQ Bar Protein Bars, IQ Mix Hydration Mixes and IQ Joe Mushroom Coffees are the delicious, low sugar, brain and body fuel you need to win your day. All IQ Bar products are clean, label, certified and entirely free from gluten, dairy, soy, GMOs and artificial ingredients. And all IQ Bar products are packed with clean, delicious ingredients that keep you physically and mentally fit like magnesium, lion's mane and more. There are plenty of flavor combinations to choose from across all IQ Bar products, from Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Bars to Blueberry Pomegranate Hydration mixes to Vanilla Spice Coffee and even limited edition and seasonal flavors too. With over 20,000 5 star reviews and counting, more people than ever are fueling their busy lifestyles with IQ Bars, Brain and Body Boosting Bars, Hydration mixes and Mushroom coffees. Their Ultimate Sampler pack includes all three. I love grabbing an IQ Bar after a long run and right now IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ bar products including the ultimate sampler pack plus free shipping. To get your 20% off text WAD to 64,000 text WAD to 64,000 that's WAD to 64,000 message and data rates may apply. See Terms for details. Let's get back to my conversation with Tom Bowman. So the messaging that is coming from the Pentagon's official channels, which the Pentagon wants you to just write down, it contradicts a lot of the great reporting that we've seen from reporters like you and a lot of other folks who are still doing this work. And you mentioned about the U.S. munitions stockpile, that there have been multiple reports that that stockpile is dwindling between the Iran war and supporting Ukraine in its war against Russ Russia. But in June, Hegseth told CBS's Margaret Brennan, quote, that is a manufactured story that the media wants to peddle and ultimately our stockpiles are great and they are only getting stronger. So what's your understanding of what's going on here?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, clearly the missiles have been depleted. And the UN Ambassador, Mike Waltz, was on one of the news shows on Sunday basically saying, yes, we pause attacks on Iran because our missiles are being depleted. He said it himself. So we know that for a fact. We know talking to sources on Capitol Hill, there's a concern about it now, the missiles, the Patriot missiles, which are the best missile defense missiles in the world. Raytheon makes 600 of them per year. Right. They want to ramp that up to 2,000 per year, but that'll take a couple of years, two or three years to get to that level. So there is a concern about depleted munitions. It takes a while to manufacture these things. There's no question that this has hurt the missile supply.

[Jane Coaston]

What's really concerning in a lot of, for a lot of reasons is that the Pentagon has also been cagey about reporting casualties in the war. Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon changed the way it categorizes casualties related to the Iran war. Casualties since July 7, around when the ceasefire fell apart, are tracked on a website called Overseas Operations separate from the page on Operation Epic Fury. Now, to my recollection, I've now been through a couple of wars. As a person who's following the news and a person reporting on the news, I haven't seen something like this. I mean, going back before I was born, since like the Pentagon Papers, this idea of just not reporting information to the public, not giving out this information. Have you seen something like this?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, as far as killed in action, I have not seen anything like this. And usually within 24, 48 hours, they'll release those who are killed in action. Or what's curious about what happened recently in the past few days is the four service members who were killed, three in Jordan and then one in northern Iraq, those numbers were shifted from killed in action in the Iran war to overseas operations. So everyone's scratching their head saying, that doesn't make any sense. And I guess what the Pentagon is saying is, well, there was basically a. A pause in the fighting, so we're not adding them to Iran war killed, which upset at least one of the families. They said, listen, you know, my child should be listed as being killed in the Iran war because it's still ongoing. Now, I do know covering Afghanistan and Iraq spent a lot of time in both countries during the wars. Sometimes they were little, you know, fudged the figures as far as wounded in action. And, you know, if you were, let's say, in a car that was hit, hit a roadside bomb, maybe one was killed, and you banged your head and got a concussion, and it wasn't that bad, you could go back to duty within 72 hours, let's say. They usually would not count that as wounded. So they've been playing with the numbers really, for quite some time with wounded in action, but again, never with killed in action like we've seen just in the past week.

[Jane Coaston]

What does. Trying to fudge those names and numbers of those killed in action, what does that mean for the military? And actually, to that point, what does it mean for the families? Could it change what types of benefits those families could get or the types of honors they might receive?

[Tom Bowman]

I don't have details on the beneficiaries and what they would lack if their loved one is not included as killed in action in a war. But some of the analysts basically say, yeah, some of the benefits, some of the honors they would not receive. If it's basically an overseas operation, death, I mean, that could be somebody falling off an aircraft carrier, right? And, you know, in the Caribbean or over in the Arabian Sea. But clearly that's far different from someone who dies in the course of a war.

[Jane Coaston]

Trump has shown us, shown me over and over, that it seems like he thinks he can do whatever he wants and it'll just all work out. But wars have opponents, and our opponent in this war, Iran, takes this war incredibly seriously, and it will not easily end it. Where do you think Trump's haphazard approach to this war leaves the US in the future? Where will this leave us for years to come?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, first of all, I mean, we talked about depleted munitions. That's part of the problem. I think the Gulf countries were hit hard by Iran. They've had damage to their facilities, infrastructure and so forth. Some of the US Bases have been hit pretty hard. And that's another thing we're not getting much information on. You're talking billions of dollars in damage to these bases, you know, in Jordan and Bahrain, in Kuwait. It's going to take a lot of money to rebuild those. And it also might, you know, have a cooling effect on relations with some of these countries. They may say, you know, we're not even sure we want American military in our country if, if we're going to be threatened by Iran. Right. And there's no sense that Iran is, is going to go away. Right. I mean, remember, they talked about regime change. They talked about people rising up. They talked about basically ending this Islamic regime. And that's clearly not the case. All reports indicate that it's more of a hardline regime than you saw before the war started. Right. And clearly they realize that they can take over this Strait of Hormuz or completely restrict the shipping. As we've seen, there is talks between Oman and Iran now. And apparently one of the latest items is they'll both manage the Strait of Hormuz and then you can pay voluntary fees for your ship going through either the route off Oman or the route off Iran. So we'll see what comes of that. But the bottom line is the Iranians realize that they can control the strait. There's no question.

[Jane Coaston]

Tom, thank you so much for taking the time to join me.

[Tom Bowman]

Great to be with you.

[Guest or Co-host]

Thanks.

[Jane Coaston]

That was my conversation with Tom Bowman, PENTAGON Correspondent for NPR. Before we go, we're just under 100 days out for midterms, which means we'll need all hands on deck to fight for every seat up and down the ballot. It's never been more important to plug in, pound the pavement and organize where you live. Vote Save America just debuted a new collection of T shirts featuring nine of the most crucial battleground states on the 2026 map. Get yours and rep your state today at store.cricket.com that's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe. Leave a review. Enjoy FOX News host Sean Hannity's deeply felt speech at Lindsey Graham's memorial service. And tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how look, you need to hear this for yourself.

[Guest or Co-host]

Lindsey. Mr. President, I would argue in my mind probably has a heavenly version of Mar a Lago. It may even be a little bigger. He may have a little more gold in the Oval Office, in his mansion, in heaven. And I wouldn't be surprised if he added one big beautiful ballroom and an arch somewhere on the property because he would want to obviously duplicate his dearest friend in life.

[Jane Coaston]

You, Mr. President, like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Coston, and I don't know which is more unbelievable, that heaven looks like Trump's private club or that Trump considered Lindsey Graham his dearest friend. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. Our show is produced by Kaitlyn Plummer, Emily Foer, Erica Morrison and Adrienne Hill. Our team includes Haley Jones, Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Joseph Dutra, Johanna Kayes and Desmond Taylor. Our music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Kantor. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.