Putin’s Ukraine Escalation, Kathy Hochul Headscarf Controversy, Iran Retaliation Fears | Your News Talk America | September 1, 2026

Your News Talk America

Tuesday, September 1, 2026 · with Jake Smith

9:00 · Show Open: Has America Lost Its Soul?

Jake opens the show with a hard look at new polling on political violence. A recent Emerson poll found that roughly one in six voters call the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson at least somewhat acceptable, with similar numbers for the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Jake asks what has changed in the country that a growing share of Americans now cheer on cold blooded murder rather than condemn it, and looks at the cheering section that has formed outside the Lindsay Clancy trial.

Source: Wall Street Journal, "Americans Who Find Killing Acceptable"

Panelists: DIAL producers and callers

9:20 · Times Square Stabbing and a 9/11 Retrospective

A knife wielding attacker stabbed two people, killing one, in Times Square before NYPD officers took her down. Witnesses say the attacker yelled that she would rather kill both victims, and video of her raises questions about why she was out on the street at all. Jake also asks about the optics of Governor Kathy Hochul choosing to wear a headscarf while visiting an Islamic Center in Queens just ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and gets Chief Chell's own recollections of that day.

Sources: FOX 5 NY · New York Post

Panelist: John Chell, former NYPD Chief of Department and 2029 candidate for New York City Mayor · Bio

9:35 · Iran Retaliation Fears and the Army Secretary's Resignation

Captain Sadler joins Jake to game out what U.S. retaliation against Iran could look like, including whether limited strikes are on the table and whether a heavily fortified Kharg Island would be a realistic target. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Iran would immediately reciprocate if the U.S. returns to its commitments under the interim deal signed in June, a statement Jake and Sadler read as a sign Tehran is not talking as tough as it once did.

Separately, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to the President. That comes as Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen called for the prosecution of the source who leaked a classified Aug. 14 Secretary of Defense Orders Book showing top military leaders warned War Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonged, large scale operations against Iran risk weakening America's ability to confront threats at home.

Sources: Jerusalem Post, Pezeshkian statement · Jerusalem Post · Fox News · Washington Post · Marc Thiessen on X · New York Post

Panelist: Captain Brent Sadler, U.S. Navy (ret), Senior Research Fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology, Allison Center for National Security, The Heritage Foundation · Bio

10:00 · Putin Eyes Ukraine Escalation Amid Trouble at Home

The Economist reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears poised to escalate his nearly five year war against Ukraine even as casualties mount, frustration grows inside Russia, and NATO allies grow more alarmed. Putin has shown no sign of retreating despite Russia's failure to win a decisive battlefield victory and increasingly successful Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russian territory. Speaking to students in Moscow, Putin compared international conflict to the natural world's food chain, and after Ukrainian drones struck Russian refineries and logistics hubs he warned Ukraine had opened a "Pandora's box" and promised blowback on the most sensitive sectors of its economy.

Sources close to the Kremlin told the magazine Putin spent weeks weighing his options before apparently deciding to escalate, even as frustration spreads among Russia's elites nearly five years into a war without achieving its major objectives. Putin may view ending the war without capturing all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region as a threat to his own grip on power. "They will hang me," Putin reportedly told associates at one point during the war.

Source: The Economist via Newsmax

Panelist: Paul McCarthy, Senior Research Fellow for European Affairs, Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, The Heritage Foundation · Bio

10:20 · G20 Preview: Bessent's Economic Pressure Campaign on Iran

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived at a Group of 20 finance ministers reception in Asheville, North Carolina, looking to marshal global support for his "Operation Economic Outcast" campaign against Iran. He was joined by Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh and was later seen with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon outside the reception. Bessent spent last week previewing measures meant to isolate Iran from global markets by punishing countries and institutions still doing business with Tehran. The two day gathering in the Blue Ridge Mountains will also cover bond market unrest, trade disputes, artificial intelligence, and inflation, with a Treasury spokesperson saying Bessent will push a U.S. led agenda on long term growth and private sector demand. Jake and Degner also ask whether Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is warming up to a rate increase this fall.

Sources: New York Post · New York Post · New York Post

Panelist: Dr. Jeffery L. Degner, Research Fellow, American Institute for Economic Research · Bio

10:30 · Putin's Ukraine Escalation: A Global Security View

Jake returns to The Economist's reporting on Putin's apparent decision to escalate the Ukraine war, this time with a global security lens. Dr. Callahan weighs in on why the Kremlin, nearly five years into a war without its major objectives, may see backing down as more dangerous to Putin's grip on power than continuing to fight, and what "They will hang me," a line Putin reportedly told associates, signals about his thinking.

Source: The Economist via Newsmax

Panelist: Dr. John Marshall Callahan, Professor, Institute of World Politics, former deputy spokesperson at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence · Bio

11:00 · The Latest From Kiev and a New Welfare Data Report

Dr. Graceffo brings the latest from Kiev as Putin's escalation plans reportedly include drafting an additional 300,000 soldiers, and Jake asks where those recruits will actually come from given Russia's already strained manpower. The segment also covers a new Gateway Pundit report finding more than half of immigrant led households in the U.S. receive some type of welfare benefit.

Sources: The Economist via Newsmax · The Gateway Pundit

Panelist: Dr. Antonio Graceffo, PhD, economist and national security analyst focused on China and Russia, reporter for The Gateway Pundit · Bio

11:30 · Is the Meta Settlement Going to Backfire?

Meta's settlement with state attorneys general is being celebrated as a win over Big Tech, but Robert Bork Jr. argues it may be closer to the opposite, a case study in how regulation ends up entrenching the companies it is meant to restrain. Meta will pay billions to settle claims involving Facebook and Instagram and has agreed to an elaborate regulatory regime for users under 18, including daily use limits, nighttime restrictions, school hour notification limits, enhanced age verification, and outside audits. Bork argues the fix requires Meta to get considerably better at identifying minors, meaning the government is effectively protecting children's privacy by requiring a company to know more about them.

Jake also gets Bork's reaction to Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina's comments Sunday about Justice Clarence Thomas.

Panelist: Robert Bork Jr., President of the Antitrust Education Project and coauthor of The New Paradox: Antitrust and the Threat of Conservative Socialism · Book

Powered by your voice. DIAL is the only listener platform of its kind in talk radio, where your questions and votes help direct what Jake covers live. Learn more at RealNewsTalk.com.