Is Iran getting reckless?

The threat from IranThe Trump administration has given mixed messages about exactly why US jets have been moved from RAF Fairford. It's still unclear whether there was a terror plot and whether Iran was involved and no one has been charged, but there's speculation that Iran could be activating terror cells around the world.Midterm U-turnDonald Trump has made a rare U-turn. He has said he plans to pay for controversial television ads using funds from his Maga Inc. super Pac rather than the federal government after being accused of using taxpayers' money for campaign ads.America's death penalty problemThe Pentagon has announced that the Fort Hood attacker, Nidal Hasan, will be executed by firing squad. Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers in 2009, injuring another 32. The announcement comes just after Tennessee's botched execution of Christa Pike. We look at the history of the death penalty in America and ask if there really is any way to kill someone without violating the US constitution, which bans cruel and unusual punishment.What went wrong with Doge? Katy has interviewed Michael Lewis whose new book Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State tells the story of the people who stood up against Doge. Elon Musk and his team of young cost-cutters would even set up camp in government buildings.Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday TimesGerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street JournalProducers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry KitsonExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture: Getty ImagesAudio: Reuters, @WhiteHouse on X00:00 - Is Iran’s Strategy a Sign of Strength or Weakness?00:18 - B-1 Stealth Bombers Pulled After RAF Fairford Arrests01:35 - Washington Weighs the Iranian Drone Threat04:38 - Are U.S. Bases Worldwide Becoming Easy Targets?08:44 - Soaring Diesel Prices & Trump's Midterm Nightmare10:53 - Trump Backs Down On Federal-Funded Campaign Ads13:55 - The Death Penalty: Botched Executions vs. Firing Squads21:42 - Michael Lewis Exposes What Really Happened Inside DOGE23:32 - Why Elon Musk’s Government Cuts Completely FailedThis podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.