Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on Iran War, Teleprompter betting and Trump's pricey social media subscription
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Richard Arnold, morning to you. Hey, Mike.
How has the Iran conflict escalated with recent US combat deaths?
So it seems all back on, doesn't it?
Yeah, the war has taken a tough turn, hasn't it, with the first U.S. combat deaths in four months since the start of this thing, as the fight seems to be escalating day by day. Two American troops killed by an Iranian strike in Jordan, another person still missing. So is this edging towards a wider war yet again? The White House sent out Chris Wright, the Energy Secretary, to respond to the latest challenges, he says, of what some now are calling Trump's forever war.
Yes, this mission will go on until the mission is done.
Hmm. It is a growing challenge. Back in March, it was that same Energy Secretary who said the war would be over with quickly.
I think that this conflict will certainly come to the end in the next few weeks.
Well, it's now almost five months with little sign of any real diplomacy. Secretary Wright now saying... We've pivoted. To what? The U.S. is responding to Iran's missiles and drones with anti-missiles that It costs around $2.5 million apiece for drones that were bought for maybe $50,000 each. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who is on the Intelligence Committee, says Trump also turned his back on an aid offer from Ukraine.
What evidence suggests the fighting could widen into a broader war?
the only country that has devised a technique of counter-Iranian drones, at $5,000. They've done it so effectively. They offered us all of that technology for free, and the Trump White House basically said to the Ukrainians, thanks, but no thanks.
Well, Kuwait now is accusing Iran of targeting civilian sites. They say one of their power and water plants has been struck a couple of times in two days. Kuwait relies on desalinated water for about 90% of their drinking water, so they are vulnerable to this sort of attack from Iran. The US has responded with a strike on an Iranian nuclear power plant under construction. There was no nuclear material at that site when inspectors from the IAEA visited some time back, but... The UN's nuclear watchdog is calling for a restraint. However, today comes word that the Pentagon is sending more warplanes to the region from Britain and Germany, suggesting that a further escalation is more likely.
Explain to me, Richard, how you sell your social media posts to traders and you are the president and there isn't a series of lawyers looking to take this somewhere. Well, let me tell you.
This is the latest in profiting from the presidency. Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, now is looking to provide early access to his social media posts for big money, for a measly $100,000 US per month. You. You could be the first to know what Trump will say. And there's also a daily special. Just for now, don't let this opportunity slip by, folks. You can get that monthly rate down to $60,000 US if... you sign up for at least three years. Such a deal, such corruption, says Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.
This is the president saying, give me a cut and I'll give you the opportunity to make money off my statements, just as I make money off my own statements.
Trump critics note that his stock advisors have invested in stocks whose share prices have been boosted by White House announcements along the way. Trump's saying he's not involved in any of those investments, but Trump's financial report The other week showed his money managers made an eye-popping 21,000 securities trades in six months. Some of those trades came in stocks directly affected by Trump policy announcements. For instance, when Trump announced the computer company NVIDIA would build supercomputers in this country, his advisors had bought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of NVIDIA stock just before that announcement. Trump's financial disclosures show... as we spoke at the time, that he'd made some $2 billion during the start of his second term, much of it in crypto.
Meantime, there is the revelation this week that Trump's teleprompter officer, Gabriel Perez, made over $100,000 by betting on the prediction market, Calci, as to what Trump is going to say in big speeches that Perez already had seen.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:02
2
How has the Iran conflict escalated with recent US combat deaths?
0:02–1:10
3
What evidence suggests the fighting could widen into a broader war?
1:10–3:45
4
Why are US anti-missile costs vs Iranian drones a strategic concern?
3:45–4:26
5
How did Ukraine offer drone-defeat technology and why was it reportedly rejected?
4:26–4:34
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