(‘Alternate Shots’, Episode #37. Co-hosted by Richard Haass and John Ellis. Produced by Dale Eisinger. Recorded, 3 September 2026. If you prefer, you can listen to this episode (and all previous episodes) by clicking on these hyperlinks: Apple, Amazon, and Spotify. We’re on a number of other podcast platforms as well. And YouTube!)
This week on ‘, said by some to be America’s fastest-growing podcast, Richard and I discuss whether declaring the Iran war over makes it so. Richard is (surprise!) skeptical: a blockade remains an act of war, retaliation remains likely, and the United States is still stuck in the gray zone between ceasefire and conflict.
We also examine Russian support for Iran, the anti-American axis on display at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Turkey’s hedge, the Venezuelan oil deal, the thermometer of inflation (diesel), the building blue wave (?), and the risks of AI agents escaping their sandboxes (the Hugging Face hack).
Finally, because every reputable outlet needs a sports section, we return to Richard’s delusions regarding the New Jersey Football Giants and the welcome return of the great Odell Beckham Jr. All in ~30 minutes.
(Odell Beckham Jr. “The catch”. *Photo credit: *** The New York Times)
