Robert Siegel

I'm Robert Siegel, and we're hearing the news now from multiple outlets citing many sources that Michael Jackson has died.

The singer was found at his home today where he reportedly was not breathing.

He was rushed to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Hi, I'm Robert Siegel in conversation about politics with, as always, E.J.

Dionne.

Great to be with you always, Robert.

And we're happy to welcome for the first time Times Opinion columnist Carlos Lozada.

Long-time listener, first-time caller.

We have lots to talk about today, but I want to start on the war in Iran, which is said to be in a state of ceasefire at the time of this recording.

So a quick question for both of you.

First, E.J., did the U.S.

just win a war, lose a war, or is it too soon to tell?

Let's move to a question that you, Carlos, wrote about in a very interesting essay recently.

You wrote that the U.S.

has, and I quote, ceased to be the leader of the free world.

You later wrote, in place of the Pax Americana, we are seeing a sort of Lax Americana, a world in which a careless and uninhibited and incurious U.S.

superpower struts across the chessboard heedless of the dangers it's creating for itself and for the world.

So the sun has set on us, eh?

Carlos, how, I mean, it's something like the demand for Greenland.

Is that a bell that cannot be unrung?