On this edition of Your Call’s Authoritarian Playbook Series, we discuss Trump’s unprecedented actions in the US-Israeli war on Iran that has killed over 2,000 people and injured over 26,000 in Iran, and killed nearly 1,500 people and injured nearly 5,000 in Lebanon.
Last night, shortly before Trump’s 5pm PT deadline for Iran to give in to his demands, the US and Iran reached an agreement for a two week ceasefire that would include opening the Strait of Hormuz temporarily, while Washington and Tehran try to negotiate a peace deal. This came hours after Trump radically escalated his threats against on Tuesday morning, warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" if the deadline was not met, echoing the calls of past fascist leaders.
All of this comes as more than 70 Democratic lawmakers call for Trump to be removed from office through impeachment or the 25th Amendment, with some conservatives and recent Trump allies joining these calls, including the right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, former Trump official Anthony Scaramucci, and former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
What does the future hold for the US-Israeli war on Iran after the ceasefire? Will growing calls for Trump’s removal have an impact?
Guest:
Rebecca Lubot, visiting associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, and author of Keeping a Finger on the Button: Presidential Continuity and the Nuclear Age
Chris Geidner, publisher and author of Law Dork
Resources:
NPR: U.S. and Iran agree to a 2-week ceasefire, suspending Trump’s threats to annihilate Iran
The New York Times: Democrats Call for Trump’s Removal Over Threat to End ‘Whole Civilization’
The Guardian: Republicans silent as Democrats call on US cabinet to oust Trump over Iran
The New York Times: How Trump Took the US to War with Iran
The Atlantic: Did Trump Just Threaten to Use Nuclear Weapons in Iran?
Pressing Issues: U.S. Media Must Sound the Fascist Alarm Before It’s Too Late
Stop the War on Iran: National Day of Action (April 8th)
