How To Lose a War in Six Months

As casualties mount and gas prices rise, the White House knows it may be losing its chance to resolve its war with Iran in time to prevent a midterms wipe-out for Republicans. To plumb the depth of the political damage and assess the decisive races, Harry talks with Susan Glasser, Astead Herndon, and Juliette Kayyem. The group breaks down Trump’s decision to go back to war, Hegseth’s worrying obfuscations about American casualties, the transformed Maine Senate race, and the no-holds-barred fight for the future of the Democratic party playing out in Michigan.Mentioned in this episode:

Susan’s analysis: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/susan-b-glasserAstead’s show America, Actually: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/america-actually-with-astead-herndon/id1890552134Juliette’s Substack: https://substack.com/@juliettekayyemAstead’s interview with Abdul El-Sayed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE9quwCWKuYNew Yorker reporting on former Biden administration officials and Gaza: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/27/how-biden-emboldened-israels-aggression-toward-gaza-and-iran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices