Alternate Shots.
America's fastest-growing podcast.*
1. Item #6 in today’s News Items read as follows:
President Trump is unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal on resolving the two-month war, a U.S. official said, dampening hopes for a resolution to the conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fueled inflation and killed thousands. Iran’s latest proposal would set aside discussion of Iran’s nuclear program until the war is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved. That is unlikely to satisfy the U.S., which says nuclear issues must be dealt with from the outset, and Trump was unhappy with Iran’s proposal for that reason, a U.S. official briefed on the president’s Monday meeting with his advisers said, speaking on condition of anonymity. (Source: reuters.com, via asia.nikkei.com)
My podcast partner Richard Haass thinks the president should accept this approach and commence negotiations as quickly as possible. But what about the nukes? Richard says: put those negotiations off to a later date. What about tolls on ships passing through the Strait. If that’s what it takes to end the war, so be it. Details TBD.
That’s a quick intro to the first part of the discussion. We move on to discuss the Iranian economy (how long before complete collapse), the Ukraine War (I suggest the Pentagon acquire Ukraine Drone Engineering Inc, immediately) and Prince King Charles’ visit to America. (Sorry.)
We end with a sports triple-header: (1) The amazing Sebastian Sawe and his under 2-hours triumph at the London Marathon; (2) The R&A choosing Royal Lytham and St. Annes to host the 2028 Open Championship (complicating King Charles’ visit to the White House, as President Trump had been demanding The Open Championship be played at Turnberry) and, of course, (3) Richard’s never-ending insistence that things are getting better all the time for the New Jersey Giants football team. Suffice to say Mr. October’s $100 bill is unlikely to change hands.
(‘Alternate Shots’, featuring Richard Haass and John Ellis. Episode #25. Recorded 27 April 2026. Produced by Dale Eisinger. Click on the forward arrow to listen)
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* “Alternate Shots” may or may not be America’s fastest-growing podcast. Depends on how you look at it.
I'm a little surprised you have a podcast with Richard Haas. He worked for President George W. Bush and later on after he left the administration he severely criticized W.. President Bush was very upset and considered Haas to be ungrateful and attempting to separate himself from the administration when the going got tough in Iraq.