Zack Smith on Kirk Trial, Rafael Mangual on Times Square Stabbing, U.S. Strikes IRGC Targets | Your News Talk America | September 2, 2026

Your News Talk America

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

9:00 AM · Show Open: U.S. Strikes IRGC Targets

Overnight U.S. strikes hit IRGC targets across Iran in retaliation for attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan and the UAE.

Targets included air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites.
U.S. forces struck two IRGC tankers Tuesday, the first direct retaliatory strike on Iranian ships since the war began, according to Axios, citing U.S. officials. The tankers were anchored off Iran’s coast north of the U.S. naval blockade line when U.S. drones hit their engine rooms.
The Financial Times reports Russia has secretly helped Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles since 2023, under a program codenamed C430L arranged through Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the U.S. sanctioned NPO Mashinostroyenia.
IRGC responded with missiles and drones headed toward Jordan, shot down before reaching U.S. bases. Officials say there is no major damage to U.S. bases in the region, and note Iran’s command and control structure is not centralized, leaving it unclear who inside the IRGC remains alive.
Open question: why didn’t CENTCOM’s announcement of the strikes name specific IRGC targets?

Panelist: Lt. Col. Darin L. Gaub (Ret.), author of Veritas Vincit (Latin for “Truth Prevails”). About the book

9:20 AM · Reaction to the Overnight Strikes, Driscoll’s Resignation

Was the timing or scope of last night’s military operation a surprise? The targeted sites appear aimed at eliminating the IRGC’s ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Has Iran responded yet?
Reaction to the Financial Times report that Russia has secretly helped Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles.
What is behind Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation, and is the relationship between Hegseth and Vance strained because of Driscoll’s departure? More from The Hill

Panelist: Ryan Morgan, Pentagon and Military Reporter, The Epoch Times.

9:35 AM · Iran Retaliates: What Comes Next

A closer look at the overnight strikes on IRGC targets, the tanker strikes, and the reported Russia Iran missile program.
Putin has now publicly claimed he supports Iran.
IRGC missiles and drones headed toward Jordan were shot down before reaching U.S. bases; Iran’s fractured command structure leaves it unclear who inside the IRGC remains alive.
Why didn’t CENTCOM name specific IRGC targets in its announcement?
Professor Davis: Iran has now retaliated after President Trump warned of dire consequences if they did. What happens now?

Panelist: Professor Paul Davis, Institute of World Politics. Four decades of strategic and tactical political/military analysis spanning the Cold War to the current upheaval in the Middle East; an expert in cyberterrorism and intelligence. Full bio

10:00 AM · Kirk Assassination Trial Moves Forward, Clancy Jury Deadlock

A Utah judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors presented enough evidence for Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, to stand trial on all seven charges. Robinson pleaded not guilty moments after the ruling.
Judge Tony Graf also ruled prosecutors may continue seeking the death penalty, finding the state established probable cause for the victim targeting allegation that allows the capital sentencing enhancement to move forward.
A retired Massachusetts Superior Court judge pushed back on predictions that the Lindsay Clancy murder trial will end in a hung jury, saying a verdict is still possible despite Tuesday’s deadlock note from the jury.
Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first degree murder in the deaths of her three children, Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under age 6, who were found strangled at the family’s home in January 2023.
Is Zack surprised the jury has not reached a decision given the planned, deliberate nature the prosecution has alleged? What happens next if the judge declares a mistrial?

Panelist: Zack Smith, Senior Legal Fellow of Courts and the Constitution at The Heritage Foundation; formerly an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Florida. Full bio

10:30 AM · Inside Iran: How Close to Uprising?

Recap of the overnight IRGC strikes and the reported Russia Iran missile program.
Colonel, given your connections inside Iran, what is the situation like on the ground? Are we any closer to a mass uprising?
Do the Iranian president’s most recent comments suggest a softening position, given that threats against the U.S. have recently quieted down?

Panelist: Colonel Wesley Martin, U.S. Army (Ret.). Served as senior Antiterrorism/Force Protection Officer for coalition forces in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 and 2, Senior Operations Officer for Task Force 134 (Detention Operations), and Commander of Forward Operating Base Ashraf. Full bio

11:00 AM · ICE Arrests, Cartels Training on Ukraine’s Battlefields

ICE arrests are breaking records. Are voters starting to think that visuals of ICE protests are hindering arrests and removals?
Mexican and Colombian cartels are reportedly exploiting Ukraine’s drone warfare expertise to upgrade their own capabilities, raising concerns about what could ultimately be used against the U.S. and its allies.
Members of the cartels are reported to have infiltrated the Ukrainian military.
Are the cartels planning attacks on the U.S. homeland in response to the administration’s campaign against drug boats?

Panelist: Todd Bensman, Senior Research Fellow for the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation. Full bio

11:20 AM · Has the Democrat Party Normalized Hostility Toward Jews?

Has the Democrat Party, including the DSA, normalized hostility toward Jews?
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El Sayed apologized for comments he made following an attack on a Detroit area synagogue earlier this year, as he works to ease concerns among Jewish voters ahead of the November election.
“I made a mistake,” El Sayed told the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, saying he should have issued a clear condemnation from the start.
His initial response said there was never a justification for attacking innocent people, but also described violence as cyclical.
Ken, do you accept his apology? Has El Sayed meaningfully distanced himself from Hassan Piker?
Reaction to New York Governor Kathy Hochul visiting an Islamic Cultural Center in Queens and wearing a headscarf, days before the 25th anniversary of September 11.
Ken’s latest Thought of the Week looks back at the lessons of that day.
Why was Ken in Las Vegas this week?

Panelist: Kenneth Abramowitz, author of The Multifront War: Defending America From Political Islam, China, Russia, Pandemics, and Racial Strife. Founder of SaveTheWest.com, dedicated to preserving Western civilization.

11:33 AM · Deadly Times Square Stabbing

A knife wielding attacker stabbed two people, killing one, in Times Square before NYPD officers took her down. The attacker reportedly yelled that she would rather kill both victims. More on the case
Video of the attacker raised questions about why she was out on the street unsupervised.
The victim, Erin Piacenti, 32, was a vice president at Bank of America who lived in Chester, New Jersey. She had recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary and welcomed a baby girl five months earlier.
Piacenti was stabbed in the abdomen by Pamela Cisneros, 49, while walking home through Times Square after her first day back at work from maternity leave, and later died of her injuries.

Panelist: Rafael A. Mangual, Nick Ohnell Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, City Journal contributing editor, and author of Criminal Injustice: What The Push For Decarceration And Depolicing Gets Wrong And Who It Hurts Most. Full bio

11:50 AM · Salute the Troops

A daily moment on Your News Talk America to salute the service members and veterans who keep America safe.

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