The Republican midterm convention is officially underway in Dallas, but Joe Pags quickly turns to President Trump's striking new prediction: He says the Iran war will end "immediately after" the November election, arguing Tehran is trying to influence the midterms and can't withstand U.S. economic pressure much longer. Oil prices are surging amid renewed fighting, and while Trump says negotiations remain possible, he says they're not what the administration is currently pursuing. Pags also gets into Russia and Ukraine after Trump says the biggest obstacle to a deal is that Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy simply "hate each other," while contrasting Trump's frequent exchanges with reporters with the previous administration. Then Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers the latest on Iran before the phones open up. Plus, former U.S. Marine Mike Jernigan joins Pags for a deep dive into one of the biggest questions of the conflict: Is the Strait of Hormuz actually open or closed? What's happening to ships trying to move through it, why is Kharg Island so strategically important to Iran's oil exports, and what should Americans understand about the battle for one of the world's most critical waterways? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pags dives into Secretary of State Marco Rubio's trip to Ecuador, where Rubio is expanding the U.S. fight against drug trafficking organizations, announcing plans for additional security assistance and designating Los Tiguerones as a foreign terrorist organization. Pags reacts as Rubio speaks bluntly to reporters about the violent groups behind the drug trade. Then things get personal as Pags gives an update on Mama Pags recovering from hip surgery, talks about why "temporary" really does mean temporary, and celebrates the explosive growth of his bodycam YouTube channel. The midterm convention is officially underway in Dallas, and James Talarico is walking back his past statement about there being six sexes, saying there are two and admitting he "missed the mark." Then longtime political strategist Roger Stone joins Pags for a wide-ranging conversation spanning his days working for Richard Nixon, the 2026 midterms, the Russia-collusion investigation and questions surrounding the origins of that narrative, allegations involving foreign interference in the 2020 election, and Stone's perspective on the political landscape heading toward November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pags keeps one eye on the Republican midterm convention in Dallas as Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks about fraud and Rep. Byron Donalds fires up the crowd, while Pags asks the bigger question: What is the future of the country going to look like—and are Americans actually going to show up and vote? The convention is a two-day Republican gathering centered on the midterms and President Trump's agenda. Then Hunter Biden raises eyebrows by saying he "may have to" run for president in 2028, although he stopped short of announcing a campaign. Things get much more serious when Pags reacts to a senior Anthropic safety researcher estimating a greater than 10% chance that advanced AI could kill all humans within the next decade—an estimate Pags says should be ZERO. Experts emphasize that such probabilities are subjective estimates, not scientifically established odds. And for the stupid story of the day, Seattle police spark ridicule after an official referred to people known for gun violence as "trigger-pullers." Plus, Roger Stone returns for Part 2 of his wide-ranging conversation with Pags. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pags dives into the stunning fallout from the Lindsay Clancy mistrial—and somehow the story keeps getting more unbelievable. After an 11–1 jury split favoring a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity verdict, Clancy's attorney is now publicly asking President Trump to consider a pardon, despite the case involving Massachusetts state charges outside presidential pardon power. Pags wants prosecutors to seek a retrial and reacts to jurors revealing just how close Clancy came to being acquitted of murder, with one holdout refusing to join the other 11. Then another horrifying case enters the conversation: an Illinois mother accused of killing her young son had reportedly shown an interest in the Clancy case. Pags takes calls and sounds off on the disturbing stories and theories people will believe before turning to the tragedy in Miami, where authorities have identified five victims killed in the Amazon cargo plane crash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pags starts with the Republican midterm convention in Dallas and argues it shouldn't simply turn into another Trump rally as Republicans try to make their case to voters. Ken Paxton is campaigning in Texas with major outside support, while President Trump is once again trolling the internet—this time posting a map showing Canada, Mexico, Greenland and more covered in the American flag. Pags asks the bigger question: Do posts like this actually persuade anyone to vote Republican in November, or are they just memes for people who already support him? Then Attorney General Todd Blanche honors Rudy Giuliani before Pags turns to a much more serious moment: the approaching one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk's death. The Dallas convention itself is planning a remembrance of Kirk, whose assassination left a major void in conservative youth politics. Kay Hill joins Pags for Part 1 to examine where the Republican Party stands today, Kirk's lasting impact on younger voters, whether anyone has stepped up to fill the messaging void he left behind, and what Republicans need to communicate as they head into the midterms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pags and the crew tackle a huge question for the conservative movement: Who steps up next? Is Vice President JD Vance the future of the Republican Party, could Marco Rubio eventually make a run for the White House, and has Rubio shown a side of himself that even Pags didn't know was there? With Vance already drawing significant 2028 attention, Pags uses a baseball analogy to ask who the conservative movement's next "cleanup hitter" really is. Then, with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, Pags reflects on just how dramatically America—and New York City politics—have changed since that seemingly normal week before the attacks. Kay Hill returns for Part 2 as the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination approaches. Kirk's influence on young conservatives remains significant, while Turning Point USA continues trying to carry his political and organizational legacy forward. Can anyone fill the void he left? And with Republicans gathering in Dallas for an unusual midterm convention this week, Pags and Hill dig into the GOP's messaging challenge and the future voices competing to shape the party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The verdict is in—or rather, there isn't one. The Lindsay Clancy trial ends in a mistrial after an 11–1 deadlock, and Joe Pags has serious questions about how it got here. Why wasn't this jury sequestered? Why did the defense reportedly try to remove the lone holdout juror? And is it normal to try to remove a juror simply because they won't agree with everyone else? The phones light up before former Bexar County DA and current defense attorney Nico LaHood joins Pags for Part 1 of an incredible legal breakdown. What could the prosecution or defense have done differently? Who actually requests jury sequestration? What instructions does a judge give jurors, and could the judge individually question them about whether they're following the law? Most importantly, how did 11 jurors end up on one side with just one refusing to move? LaHood takes Pags inside the courtroom strategy and explains what happens next after a case that has left listeners furious. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pags kicks things off with a surprisingly relatable battle over iCloud storage before turning to Maria Bartiromo and the growing speculation that she could become President Trump's next press secretary. Would she actually make the jump from television to the White House podium? Then former Bexar County DA and current defense attorney Nico LaHood returns for Part 2 of the Lindsay Clancy mistrial discussion. How did this jury end up split 11–1? Why was there one holdout when the others were ready to decide the case differently? Who could have requested sequestration, and could keeping the jury together have changed the outcome? LaHood also explains how judges handle deadlocked juries, whether jurors can be questioned individually about following the law, and when—if ever—a juror can be removed simply because they refuse to agree with everyone else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pags starts with some lighter stories, including a so-called "prophet of doom" getting credit for predicting the death of a 96-year-old—and Pags has a little fun with just how impressive that prediction really was. Then things get serious as Enes Kanter Freedom files a federal lawsuit over his removal from a WNBA game. Pags breaks down the case and explains why he thinks Enes Freedom is ultimately going to lose, drawing a comparison to the bodycam videos he's been covering and the way a simple traffic stop—like getting pulled over for not using a blinker—can quickly turn into a much bigger confrontation. Then Evita Duffy joins Pags for a fun change of pace, talking about the Great American Road Trip, life on the road and her perspective as one of the country's outspoken young conservative voices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pags digs into the escalating U.S.-Canada "trade war" and asks the question a lot of Americans are probably wondering: What is actually happening here? President Trump hosts travel executives in the Oval Office and doesn't mince words about Canada, while Pags breaks down why America trades certain goods with its northern neighbor in the first place—and why he believes more of that production is now coming back home. Callers jump in with their own takes before Pags turns to the Lindsay Clancy trial, where the jury has been released after reaching a second deadlock. Pags compares it with the 2019 South Carolina case of a father convicted of murdering his five children, where jurors reportedly took just two hours to agree on the death penalty. Why such dramatically different outcomes? Pags puts the cases side by side in an incredible breakdown of guilt, mental state and how juries view two horrific crimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices