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- [00:00]
A
There is the high level committee, which is just JD Vance on our side, who before the talks even started was like, look, I don't really know anything about this stuff, but I'm just going to go in there and chat him, chat him up.
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B
I guess we all know JD Vance's personality wins over everybody.
- [00:14]
A
Yes. I mean, if that man. Yeah. Could talk a woman in white gloves into a ketchup popsicle, you know what I mean? Just charm.
- [00:21]
B
Exactly. That's what we all say. I'm Jane Coston and this is what a day. The show. Wishing a happy 11th anniversary to one of the best days of my life. Take it away 2015 MSNBC.
- [00:42]
A
We have read from the bench there is a right to marriage equality. I repeat, speaking to you from the steps of the Supreme Court, there is a right to marriage equality. Read just from the bench now. Waiting to get the opinions as they come running out of the court. Thomas. We do.
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B
This is a big day again.
- [00:56]
A
Ari Melber is standing there telling us that the court has ruled in favor of marriage equality in the Ogre Rafael case.
- [01:02]
B
Yes. Eleven years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5 to 4 decision that the 14th Amendment guarantees the right to marry to same sex couples. Marriage, it turns out, is pretty cool. On today's show, we talked to Tommy Vitor about the negotiations to maybe, possibly, perhaps end President Donald Trump's war in Iran. Before we get into all that, here's what we're following. Today, Friday, June 26th,
- [01:28]
A
there's a new Gallup in NBC poll came out, I think four days ago. Listen to this. Only 29% of Democrat voters now say they are proud to be American. Over half now say they want to live in another country. Go, go, go. We can't deport that many.
- [01:54]
B
Hmm. Mike Johnson, why do you think people are ashamed of being American right now? Maybe it's the administration you coddle day in and day out while it runs roughshod over pretty much everybody. Unfortunately for us, House Speaker Mike Johnson was just an opening act for the Faith and Freedom Coalition Policy Conference today. President Trump headlined the conference and talked all about his love and tolerance for all humanity. Well, kind of.
- [02:20]
A
Our founders invoked the creator four times in the Declaration of Independence.
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B
Four times.
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A
I wasn't mentioned once. I'm very upset. Not once. Been reading all of those reports. Religion's really, it's going up. If that were stock, we'd be very, very rich, all of us. I think I'd be the greatest communist in history.
- [02:41]
B
Aside from blaming former President Joe Biden's administration for what he described as persecution of Christians by the government. Trump also bragged about establishing a White House faith office and took credit for restoring Christmas. Remember how you didn't celebrate Christmas under Biden? You're welcome. Moscow's Defense Ministry said Ukraine launched a major Thursday night attack on a dozen Russian regions Russian held Crimea and the surrounding seas. It appeared to be one of Kyiv's biggest drone assaults since the Kremlin's full scale invasion more than four years ago, with Russia's defense ministry saying its air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones. Ukrainian long range drones have been battering Russian oil production and energy facilities, according to Western officials and analysts. Ukraine's campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalled Moscow's efforts on the battlefield and heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- [03:35]
A
The rules governing classified and national defense information apply equally to everyone, regardless of position and regardless of how long you
- [03:46]
B
have served with the United States government.
- [03:49]
A
This morning, just moments ago, John Robert
- [03:52]
B
Bolton II pled guilty in federal court
- [03:56]
A
to the unlawful retention of national defense information.
- [04:01]
B
I'm sorry, did U.S. attorney Kelly O. Hayes just say the rules governing classified and national defense information apply equally to everyone? I think she did, which is weird because there was a man who kept classified documents beside his toilet. Maybe ask him about it. In pleading guilty to a single count of illegally retaining national defense information, John Bolton, former Trump administration national security adviser, sealed a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid prison time. Bolton agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine, forfeit his retirement, pay for his federal service and perform up to 100 hours of community service. If you're wondering why Bolton and why now, all you have to know is that he became an outspoken critic of Trump after serving in his first administration. Bolton is scheduled to be sentenced in October. Burr it's cold in here. That's because New York the Independent Rent Guidelines Board just froze the rent New York City Mayor Zoram Mamdani has made good on a signature campaign pledge. On Thursday, the city's Rent Guidelines Board, an independent panel of mayoral appointees, approved a rent freeze on one year and two year leases for people living in about 1 million rent stabilized apartments. It's another big win for Mamdani, who also slayed earlier this week when three congressional candidates he endorsed won the races in stunning fashion, unseating two Democratic incumbents and bucking the party establishment. And that's the news. Let's talk about the war in Iran. Vice President J.D. vance has been given a job no One really wants ending the incredibly unpopular Iran war. He's been tasked with leading negotiations with Iranian counterparts to find a lasting solution that he thinks could transform the Middle east, because that's so easy. But there are many, many obstacles in his way, like his boss, President Trump. See, Trump is very wishy washy on Iran. One day he's threatening to end Iranian civilization. Another Iranian leaders are very rational people who are just looking to help their country. And as the US and Iran attempt to hammer out not just an end to the war, but a new nuclear deal, the President seems markedly uninterested in the whole thing. So for more on the mess that is trying to end the Iran war, I talked with Tommy Vitor. He's the co host of Crooked Media's Pod Save the World. Hey, Tommy.
- [06:23]
A
Hello, my friend. How you doing?
- [06:24]
B
I'm all right.
- [06:25]
A
Happy World Cup.
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B
Happy World Cup. Sadly, that's not what we're here to talk about.
- [06:29]
A
We have the fever.
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B
We do. We 100% do. So direct talks between the US and Iran are expected to start again next week, according to Pakistani mediators. Who all is at the table from each country.
- [06:42]
A
I think now it's going to be just the technical experts there. There is the high level committee which apparently it's just JD Vance on our side, who before the talks even started was like, look, I don't really know anything about this stuff, but I'm just going to go in there and chat him, chat him up.
- [06:56]
B
I guess we all know JD Vance's personality wins over everybody.
- [06:59]
A
Yes. I mean, that man. Yeah. Could talk a woman in white gloves into a ketchup popsicle. You know what I mean? Just charm.
- [07:06]
B
Exactly. That's what we all say.
- [07:08]
A
So it's just technical experts. Yeah, I think it's technical experts are going to try to hammer out some sort of deal. But, you know, ultimately King Trump is going to have to decide or agree to whatever this is. So it's at his whim.
- [07:21]
B
And of course, Israel is not involved.
- [07:25]
A
No.
- [07:26]
B
Which is interesting.
- [07:27]
A
It is interesting because they are very much a party to the deal. They have been told that they will now have a ceasefire in Lebanon. They're not happy about that.
- [07:35]
B
No, they're not.
- [07:36]
A
No. Netanyahu has an election coming up in October. He's very worried about this election because not only does it he need to stay in power, but staying in power keeps him out of jail. Right. So that's the stakes for him. And he is getting crushed in Israel because of this deal, because everyone thinks it's weak. He's getting attacked from the left. From a hawkish perspective, he's getting attacked from the right. Everyone hates it, so he's going to be looking for ways to blow up the deal.
- [08:00]
B
We'll get back to my conversation with Tommy in a moment. Because like Katy Perry, Trump is hot and then cold, yes, and then no, in and out, up and then down on Iran. So there's a lot more to cover. But if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Spotify and Apple podcasts. Watch us on YouTube and subscribe. Share with your friends. More to come after some ads what a Day is brought to you by Americans United for Separation of Church and State this hasn't gotten a lot of airtime, but President Trump's Religious Liberty Commission has been meeting regularly not to focus on religious liberty for all, but rather how to further a Christian nationalist agenda in the us Religious freedom is meant to protect individuals rights to hold and practice their beliefs without interference so long as they don't harm others, including children. Pretty sure we can all agree on that. Yet that's exactly what has happened when taxpayer funded adoption and foster care agencies deny kids a loving home that treats them with dignity. Religion is also being used as a tool to discriminate and only allow people who are of the right religion to serve as foster parents. That's exactly what's happened to multiple of Americans United's clients. Liz and Gabe Ruaton Ram, a Jewish couple in Tennessee, were ready to foster to adopt a child until a state funded agency refused to work with them because they are Jewish. Amy Madonna, a Catholic mother of three, was rejected because she did not agree to an Evangelical Protestant statement of faith. Fatima Marouf and Bryn Esplin were turned away because they are a same sex couple. If you believe religious freedom should protect everyone, not be weaponized to turn away qualified families looking to foster and adopt children, we need you to join the fight now. Visit au.org crooked to learn more and become a member today. This fight is far from over and every one of us has a part to play. What a Day is brought to you by Smalls Smalls Fresh Cat Food is protein packed recipes made with preservative free 100% human grade ingredients you'd find in your fridge and it's delivered right to your door. Smalls fresh, gently cooked food is made without preservatives. Smalls cat food leads to high protein and improved hydration that equals strong bones and toned muscles. Cats use protein as their main energy source. More protein means more fuel and sustained energy. After switching to smalls, 88% of cat owners reported overall health improvements. And if you're spooked by commitment, you can try Smalls Risk Free. They'll refund you if your cat won't eat their food. So stop serving your little carnivore a bowl of processed shortcuts for a limited time because you are a what a day listener. Get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping and free treats for life when you head to smalls.com wad that's 60% off your first order, plus free shipping and free treats for life when you head to smalls.com wad let's get back to my conversation with Tommy Vitor. What do we know about what the US And Iran have agreed to right now?
- [10:53]
A
Well, so right now there is a 60 day sanctions waiver that allows Iran to sell oil and gas and petroleum products. Steve Ratner, a progressive economist, estimated they could make up to $10 billion off of just that license over two months. But the Iranians are saying they could make 40 billion.
- [11:11]
B
Yes.
- [11:12]
A
So there's a range of estimates out there. At some point in the near future, Iran will get access to about $24 billion in unfrozen assets or currently frozen assets that will be unfrozen. This is basically money they made selling oil that got locked up in random bank accounts because of sanctions. And they're also going to try to hammer out a nuclear deal, which, you know, sounds like they haven't really started on that yet. But it does sound like Iran has at least agreed to down blend their highly enriched uranium stockpile, but maybe not ship it out.
- [11:41]
B
So here's where I'm at. As you said, the Trump administration has promised to give Iran a lot of Money in this MoU, despite Trump's claims that it wouldn't do that. It would. This week the president said that the US Is going to use those frozen Iranian assets to buy soybeans from American farmers. For the Iranian people to all of this, I have one question. What, like, what do we what's happening here? Like, I am struck by just this rapid shift from we're going to destroy Iranian civilization. And even before Trump, this is part of the axis of evil 2. They seem nice. Everything's cool. We're going to give them soybeans and money.
- [12:29]
A
Oh yeah, it's a real vibe shift. Everything is different. So on the soybeans thing, Trump is claiming that the unfrozen assets will be used to buy US Agricultural products. As far as I can tell this is made up out of nothing. J.D. vance said this was Jared Kushner's brilliant idea. But the, the MOU says the following, that the unfrozen funds, quote, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. So if they want to buy soybeans, they can, but they don't have to under the terms of the deal. So I just don't, I truly don't know what the hell Trump is talking about on the vibe shift thing. Yeah, Trump has talked, gone from talking about Iran as our mortal enemy, as this, you know, theological, you know, sort of like religious based extremist group to potentially our best friends in the region. I personally think that's a good thing. Like the United States talk, people, lawmakers in the US Talk about Iran in a crazy way. We hype the threat. We don't talk about them like they are human beings with politics and a diversity of opinions. It's like this monolithic evil that must be countered. That's stupid. It's a country of 90 million people with leaders who are human beings who make political decisions just like anyone else. Like, we should treat them more like a regular country.
- [13:46]
B
Also, it's pretty evident to me that we actually don't care about the evil that they do. They are executing protesters at a faster rate than they were before. Yeah, but J.D. vance thinks, hey, let's take Revolutionary Guard members who the US has designated them to be terrorists, and they're just going to go, like, be part of this and they'll talk to centcom. Like, it's not just that we don't treat them as human beings. It's that like all of the bad stuff that they do do, we just clearly don't actually care very much about. And is evidenced by all of this.
- [14:19]
A
Well, yeah, look, Trump doesn't give a shit about human rights violations, whether it's in Iran or Saudi Arabia or Russia or China or any of his favorite autocratic regime. North Korea, for example. Right. Trump. Trump just doesn't care about human rights. This whole idea that he was going to ride to the rescue of the Prot Was always made up. And in fact, he probably, he certainly harmed them. JD Vance talks about the war like the benefit was the friends we made along the way. Like, literally, he was like, the cool thing is now we have someone to talk to.
- [14:48]
B
Yeah. And I want to say old Ayatollah.
- [14:51]
A
Yeah.
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B
What a jerk.
- [14:53]
A
I just want to be like, hey, J.D. like, you could have just called them up, had some meetings, had some secret meetings. You know, you didn't need to bomb them. So you get an email address over there. But he seems to think that that's the upside.
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B
So we also know that Trump is very hot and cold on Iran, really, depending on the day. Apparently today he's a little cold.
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A
He's pissed.
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B
He posted on Truth Social today that Iran made, quote, a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement by launching at least four drone attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Which brings me to my next question. The Strait of Hormuz, which was open before all of this. I think it's important to mention that. What's going on there? What's happening?
- [15:28]
A
I think what's happening is the Iranians are saying that you can only pass through the Strait of Hormuz if you follow a designated route. And ships that go outside of that designated route are getting punished with drones, armed drones exploding on their decks. So the idea that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open and we're back to normal, and oil and gas is transiting through there in record numbers, like, it's all just bullshit. Like, Iran is demonstrating that they will be controlling the Strait of Hormuz going forward, and they're setting up all this infrastructure to charge fees, that is tolls, which Trump says won't exist, but will in the future.
- [16:05]
B
We mentioned Israel a little bit earlier. In the midst of all of this, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon despite President Trump's polite requests that they stop doing that. Trump made the point that, like, you know, not every apartment building contains Hezbollah. Like, you gotta stop doing this. Which I was, like, worst person, you know, makes a great point. So the US Started this war with Israel. Like, this goes back to last year. Can it make a successful peace deal without it? Because to your point, Netanyahu is under a lot of internal political pressure to not stop doing any of this.
- [16:37]
A
Yeah, I mean, look, the Israelis are occupying, like, six miles of territory into southern Lebanon. They have said clearly that they have no plan to withdraw troops or get out of Lebanon. Hezbollah is an organization that exists to resist Israeli occupation. So there's going to be clashes there. I think the question is can, you know, Trump, I think, said a ceasefire in the Middle east sometimes is about shooting less. Right. And he was, like, saying something that sounded ridiculous but had some truth to it. I think the question is, will the Israelis start bombing Beirut again? And if that happens, that's the sort of scenario where I think you see Iran fire back directly at Israel and
- [17:17]
B
things kind of pop off to that point. Trump has said many, many, many times that the Iran war is over or almost over or basically over. But given Israel, given everything we've just talked about, are we actually close to a deal? Because the White House just asked Congress for billions more dollars for, quote, urgent needs related to Operation Epic Fury. So like at the end of the day, is the war coming to an end? Where are we?
- [17:47]
A
I mean, I think we have a ceasefire. It seems clear to me that Trump politically does not want to resume fighting because he knows it will lead to closure. The straight or moods, gas prices go up. Bad politics for him. Right. So he just wants this thing done and dusted. Now the question is, do we have a nuclear deal? Absolutely not. Not even close. We'll see if they can negotiate one in the next 30 to 60 days. Consider me not all that hopeful. My guess is Trump just kind of drags this thing out, extends the ceasefire, kind of punts the harder questions forward for as long as he can. But you know, we'll see.
- [18:20]
B
Tommy, as always, thank you for joining me.
- [18:22]
A
Thank you for having me.
- [18:24]
B
That was my conversation with Tommy Vitor, co host of Crooked Media's pod. Save the world. Before we go, guys, CrookedCon 2026 is happening November 5th through 7th in Washington D.C. it's going to be even bigger than last year and last year was pretty big. Not to brag. And I'll be there. We continue to believe that the answer to rising right wing authoritarianism is a massive, welcoming pro democracy movement strong enough to defeat it. Friends of the Pod subscribers get an exclusive discount on the all day event on November 7th. In addition to many other perks we can't wait to tell you about. Go to crookedcon.com to nab your tickets and find out how to become a friend of the pod. If you're not already, we can't wait to see you there. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe. Leave a review. Welcome back, Gracie, the previously lost Giraffe. And tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, not just about how Gracie the giraffe went missing from a ranch in the Texas hill country, but she was found safe and sound today about four miles from home. Like me, what a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe@cricut.com subscribe I'm Jane Kostin and if you're wondering, hey, how exactly does a giraffe, which is roughly 18ft tall, go missing? Your guess is as good as mine. What a Date 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 Case and Desmond Taylor. Our music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Kanter. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.