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TRANSCRIPT
Jane Coaston: It’s Wednesday, April 8th, I’m Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, the show that was really excited that Michigan won the Men’s Basketball National Championship on Monday night. But that wore off pretty quickly thanks to the president’s thinly veiled threat of imminent annihilation of millions of people written on a social media platform made just for him. [music break] On today’s show, we are jumping right into the Iran war and the 11th hour ceasefire that everyone seems on board with, for now. But let’s back up a bit. President Donald Trump posted a disturbing threat on Truth Social on Tuesday morning. If Iran did not meet his demands by 8 p.m. Eastern, quote, “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” He went on to tease the potential attack in words fit for the trailer of a shitty TV show’s season finale. But the threat sounded to a lot of Americans like the president was promising to kill millions of people, decimating the entire nation of Iran in the process. Especially when Vice President JD Vance said this while stumping for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Tuesday.
[clip of Vice President J.D. Vance] So they’ve got to know we’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use. The President of the United States can decide to use them and he will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of conduct.
Jane Coaston: Ominous. But then, an hour and a half before his deadline, Trump posted on Truth Social again. This time, he said that after conversations with officials from Pakistan, he would, quote, “agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.” That is, if Iran agrees to the, quote, “complete, immediate, and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz.” And the Iranian regime agreed, sort of. In a statement, the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic said that it would cease, quote, “defensive operations if attacks on Iran stopped,” and that it would coordinate passage through the Strait of Hormuz with the country’s armed forces. But there is still a lot we don’t know. For one thing, that statement also said that Trump had accepted the framework of Iran’s 10-point peace proposal. But that peace proposal includes a lot of factors that seem like non-starters. Like charging $2 million per ship that crosses the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon. So after a day filled with panic and fear for so many people, we were left with just as many questions as we had before. What now? To find out, we spoke with Arizona Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari shortly after the news broke that US and Iranian officials had agreed to a ceasefire. Representative Ansari, welcome to What a Day.
Yassamin Ansari: Hi, thank you for having me.
Jane Coaston: We’re recording at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. And less than 30 minutes ago, President Trump posted on Truth Social that after talking with officials from Pakistan, he has agreed to a two-week ceasefire. He also said that this is subject to Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The New York Times is reporting that Iran has accepted a ceasefire, all of this has just happened. What’s your reaction to this update?
Yassamin Ansari: Well, I mean, I am incredibly relieved. I have not been able to sleep for many days now, um given all that has been going on and Trump’s, you know, threats of literal genocide and war crimes and language that to me sounded like he was considering using a nuclear weapon on Iran. So I’m relieved that others had to get involved, that other countries got involved and some sane actors came to the table and pushed. Donald Trump, who is clearly unhinged to restrain himself and work towards compromise. I think that we are going to see some right-wing outlets and Republicans praise Trump and say that this strategy worked. But I just wanna say that what we have experienced today and over the last 48 hours with Donald Trump’s behavior, proves that this man is mentally not there and unfit to be president. You cannot take to social media and conduct foreign policy and threaten to say you’re going to end the civilization of a country of 90 million people. That is an impeachable offense to me. That is grounds for removal for office. He is not there, and he has proven time and time again that the 25th Amendment must be invoked. And this was the most egregious example. This has been a horrific time for so many people around the world. 90 million Iranians were thinking that their country was going to be bombed to oblivion tonight. I mean, what kind of hell is this that the United States is unleashing on innocent civilians? So I’m relieved that that’s not happening tonight, but now we have a two-week ceasefire and you know another deadline that Donald Trump’s gonna impose in two more weeks of of theatrics from him and I want to see people in his cabinet step up and speak out and stop normalizing this insanity.
Jane Coaston: You were calling for, and are calling for Trump’s cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment and remove the president from office because of everything you just said. Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse tweeted on Tuesday quote, “Unfortunately invoking the 25h is not realistic right now.” Do you think it’s realistic?
Yassamin Ansari: Nothing is realistic until you make it realistic, until you make it and force it to reality. I have started calling upon J.D. Vance, a man with presidential aspirations in 2028, who has long said he’s against endless wars and who allegedly today leaked something to the press about how he was against this war. If J.D. Vance is serious about running for president in 2028, this could be a moment where he could be a hero to this country and show actual leadership. He has the power to assemble the cabinet and invoke the 25th Amendment. It is upon us as members of Congress to sound the alarm, to build the public pressure, and to make it so it is inevitable for something like this to happen, because that is the magnitude of the crisis right now with Donald Trump, a man who is an authoritarian in this country, and wants to be an emperor on the global stage, and it is putting every single American in danger, and this moment is one that every single Republican will be judged on. So I take this very seriously. I have been calling colleagues all day. I’ve been doing everything I can, even as a lowly freshman member, to organize because I think this is that urgent and that apocalyptic. And even the recent announcement of a ceasefire, again, a sigh of relief for this moment, It doesn’t change the root problem. That Donald Trump is an unhinged, madman, unfit to keep us safe as President of the United States.
Jane Coaston: Yeah, I actually want to talk a little bit about what all of this has been like for you. When President Trump made the decision to attack Iran in February, you released a statement condemning the attacks. But you also said, quote, “as the daughter of Iranian immigrants who fled this regime, I know personally what its violence means. Members of our family and friends were brutalized and murdered by the Islamic Republic.” What has it been like for you to witness this war as part of the Iranian diaspora? And especially for so many Iranian Americans, there’s been so much hope that this could be the end of this regime. But then Trump talks about like, we wanna bomb them back into the stone age where they belong. I’m sure you may still have friends and family in Iran. What has that even been like? And have you been able to get in touch with any family who are still there?
Yassamin Ansari: The entire experience has been something I never wanted to experience, to be completely honest. Um. Look, for for me, I have a very nuanced perspective on everything that has been going on. I understand and have empathy for the fact that many Iranians in the diaspora and inside the country are so desperate for regime change, because this is an awful, murderous regime in Iran. Like, I really condemn any on the left or the right who try to diminish the brutality of this regime. That is unacceptable to me. I’ve seen it in my own party. It’s not real, it’s not based in data. Just in January, thousands were massacred by this regime and it’s been 47 years of serious repression. That being said, I’m an American congresswoman and I know Donald Trump. I’ve been dealing with this administration firsthand for 15 months. I’ve seen the way Donald Trump operates, the way he has no regard for human life, the way has happily ripped away healthcare and food assistance from millions of Americans, enriched his own family, and after all of those horrific actions, has taken on this new role where he is, you know, abducting the leader of Venezuela and stealing all the country’s oil and just replacing Maduro with Delcy Rodríguez, which is the same regime. So, especially after that experience, it was clear to me that Donald Trump isn’t interested in genuine regime change in Iran. Now, regime change is a very difficult thing to accomplish, so that’s a separate conversation. But even if that was the goal, it wasn’t the goal here, right?
Jane Coaston: Right.
Yassamin Ansari: I mean, we’ve heard Donald Trump say over and over again, we have a new regime.
Jane Coaston: Right.
Yassamin Ansari: They’re filled with more moderate people.
Jane Coaston: Yeah, he said, quote, “we have complete and total regime change, where different, smarter and less radicalized minds prevail,” which I’m like, do you think anyone in Iran or outside of Iran would agree with him on that?
Yassamin Ansari: No, I have spoken to Iranians. I just spoke with a 25-year-old doctor who was helping patients who were wounded with gunshots during the January massacres. And he was giving me his take on the war. He said the regime has been even more repressive since this war started. They now have the besiege. Um. There’s kind of like their paramilitary force on the streets having checkpoints. They’ve started executing people, accusing them of being spies. Our war is also giving the regime more propaganda tools, right? So when we’re bombing civilian infrastructure, when we are, when Trump is coming out publicly and saying, we actually armed these Kurdish forces and the guns never got to the protesters, you are literally handing this regime propaganda to then say, well, these protesters must have been spies and they must have been double agents and they have been, you know, agents of our enemies, and so now they’re executing them. So nothing about this war, even if it was about regime change, which it is not, and if it was about democracy and freedom for Iranians, which Trump has said it is not, we’re going about it the wrong way. And so that’s been heartbreaking from a diaspora perspective, because I will tell you that I’ve been getting relentless attacks from the 30-40 percent minority who are very supportive of this war and are chanting phrases like, MIGA, make Iran great again. And they think you know they think the worst of me being against this war. But I you know I know better, I know what Donald Trump is, I know what we’re dealing with Benjamin Netanyahu. And as time has gone on, I will say though, you know it’s now been 39 days of this war, the tide has definitely changed. I mean, even the voices coming outside of Iran. What people are most afraid of is is that Trump will hit the civilian infrastructure and continue to bomb, and the regime will be even more powerful at the end of it, and they’re going to be left with an even more repressive regime. So for a moment of just sadness, this is a devastating lose-lose situation for Iranian people, and they feel very alone.
Jane Coaston: We’ll get to more of my conversation with Representative Ansari in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Spotify and Apple podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. [music break]
[AD BREAK]
Jane Coaston: Let’s get back to my conversation with Arizona Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari. Let’s go back to Congress. Some congressional Republicans have publicly voiced objections to the president’s violent threats against Iran. What’s your response to them, considering that the GOP has done nothing to actually push back against the military action in Iran?
Yassamin Ansari: That that’s a good first step, but they need to do more. They need to be brave. The Republicans are going to lose the midterms in a landslide. This is not about winning elections anymore. This is about where you want to say you were and what you did during a grave moment in modern American history. And I think it’s not partisan at all. When the U.S. President is threatening genocide, that’s not partisan. And that’s why you’ve seen people like Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones and Marjorie Taylor Greene come out forcefully, more forcefully than some Democrats, about how evil and unhinged this is and that he needs to be removed from office. That needs to translate to the elected officials. The elected officials need to join us in getting a war powers resolution passed in Congress. They need to join us in the cabinet in working to remove Trump from office if the last you know 48 hours hasn’t demonstrated to us that we are dealing with a president who’s a severe national security risk to this country, then I don’t know what will wake them up. But I think we need more public pressure. I’m calling for working with groups on national protests across the country. This is very, very serious. And I know so much has happened in the last 15 months. It’s easy to be desensitized and tired and want to just tune it all out. But if there is a time to get involved, it is right now.
Jane Coaston: To that point, do you think Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries have done enough to push back against the Trump administration over the war, given that they are in the minority?
Yassamin Ansari: I think now is a good moment for that test. I believe that we should be called back to Washington, D.C. immediately, even if Mike Johnson and Republican leadership refuse to bring us back. I think we need to be there to demonstrate how important this is and call on them to return and vote on War Powers resolutions. We need to be outside of the White House, you know, calling on President Trump to change course. I think we need that leadership. I’m demanding that leadership, I have made my feelings known, um because again, this is not just, the healthcare fight is incredibly important, of course, it impacts millions of Americans economically. The the ICE fight, I’ve been at the forefront of the fight against ICE and the out of control budget and the murder of American citizens, extremely important, but what this is about is like truly the closest we’ve come to nuclear war since the Cold War. I mean, it is that serious, and I feel like we’re somewhat sleepwalking in the midst of all of it.
Jane Coaston: I know that this has this has been a crazy day for you, for basically everyone. What are your biggest concerns about the long-term impacts of this war on the Iranian people? Given that it seems as if regime change has ceased to be something anyone is trying to do, and given that my concern is that this conflict has in some ways made the regime even stronger because it makes it seem as if the only alternative to the regime is annihilation by American and Israeli forces. I’m curious as to your thoughts.
Yassamin Ansari: My concern is that we are not doing enough in a non-kinetic manner to support civil society in Iran, that we’re not doing enough to make sure that Iranians have internet access because 99% of the country is facing a regime-imposed internet blackout. And my concern is that we are not doing everything possible to actually create the circumstances for change. And let’s say Donald Trump makes a deal with this regime and they agree to his demands. They are going to be more repressive than they were before because they will now use this as a way to execute political prisoners by accusing them of being spies. It will entrench their power because they will have evidence that the United States and Israel chose to take out civilian infrastructure. I mean, we’ve already bombed schools and bridges. And we will have lost that opportunity for real change. I am urging the Trump administration in any negotiations to make human rights a real, real focus. For all of my doubts that I have about Donald Trump, he did say over and over again that help is on the way for Iranian people, that they should take over their institutions, that they should go protest, and tens of thousands of them got murdered during that process. So human rights and some baseline commitments from the regime around that has to be part of this process. And then ultimately sanctions relief is extremely, extremely important. Right now, the sanctions that the United States has in place, they’re not, you know, the buzzwords that are used are smart sanctions or targeted sanctions against regime officials. That’s not what’s happening. We have very broad blanket sanctions against Iranians that have made the economic situation in the country unbearable. I mean, people are struggling, there’s really no middle class, poverty is very, very real, and the war has doubled the price of everything. And so I think this method just showed that it didn’t work. You can’t force a country into economic collapse and then think that the civilian population has the tools to then change their government or improve their government. You have to make life easier for people and I think this method has failed um and I think we need to try something new.
Jane Coaston: Representative Ansari, thank you so much for joining me.
Yassamin Ansari: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with Arizona Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari. [music break]
[AD BREAK]
Jane Coaston: That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, Remind North Korea now is not the time! And tell your friends to listen. And if you’re into reading, and not just about how South Korea said North Korea launched two projectiles this week, like me, What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Jane Coaston, and North Korea, please stop. We’re dealing with enough as it is. [music break] What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Fohr. Our producer is Caitlin Plummer. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, and Ethan Oberman. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adriene Hill. Our theme music is by Kyle Murdock and Jordan Cantor. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. [music break]
