Trump says 'there will be bombing' if Iran does not make nuclear deal | The Excerpt
On Monday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: President Donald Trump, in an interview with NBC News, said 'there will be bombing' if Iran does not come to an agreement with the U.S. over its nuclear program.Trump also told NBC he does not plan to fire any of the top security officials involved in a leaked Signal group chat. Paste BN Congress Reporter Savannah Kuchar looks at some potential national implications of a court election in Wisconsin. Some have been rescued following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar. But the death toll is stretching into the thousands. Paste BN National Correspondent Trevor Hughes talks about what might be next for the U.S. Postal Service and how USPS is ingrained as a cultural institution.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Monday, March 31st, 2025. This is The Excerpt.
Today, Trump threatens Iran with bombings. Plus, we take a look at the potential consequences of a court race in Wisconsin, and let's talk about the Postal Service.
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President Donald Trump yesterday threatened Iran with bombings and secondary tariffs if the country did not come to an agreement with the US over its nuclear program. In a telephone interview with NBC News, Trump said US and Iranian officials were talking, but he did not elaborate. Trump though said, quote, "If they don't make a deal, there will be a bombing, but there's a chance that if they don't make a deal that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago," unquote.
In Trump's first term, he withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed limits on Iran's disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief/ Trump also reimposed US sanctions. Since then, Tehran has surpassed the agreed limits in its escalating uranium enrichment program. Iran has said its nuclear program is entirely for civilian energy purposes.
Trump also told NBC over the weekend he does not plan to fire any of the top security officials involved in a leaked Signal group chat where plans to attack the Houthis in Yemen were discussed. He said that he doesn't fire people because of fake news and witch hunts. On Monday, Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he was inadvertently included on a Signal group chat by Mike Waltz, Trump's National Security Adviser. The chat included Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, among others.
On the chat, Hegseth shared detailed plans for an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen, including strike times and weapons details, raising concerns about how the administration is handling sensitive national security information. The White House, though repeatedly said no classified information was shared.
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Beginning with a contentious court race this week in Wisconsin, 2025 has a handful of key elections that could shape both parties' path forward. I spoke with Paste BN Congress Reporter, Savannah Kuchar for a closer look at that Wisconsin race and more. Savannah, always a pleasure.
Savannah Kuchar:
Hi, Taylor. Thanks for having me.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks for hopping on. So just tell us about this court race in Wisconsin. What's being decided?
Savannah Kuchar:
On Tuesday, Wisconsin voters are going to be going to the polls to decide the outcome in a race for the state Supreme Court. There's a vacated seventh seat. A judge, who retired, has left the seat vacated. And conservative Brad Schimel and liberal Susan Crawford, both circuit court judges, are up as contenders for the seat.
It's a nonpartisan election, but the judges do have ideological leanings and voters will be deciding between the two of them. And whoever they pick will ultimately decide whether the court overall leans 4-3 conservative ideologically or 4-3 liberal ideologically.
Taylor Wilson:
Interesting. So what are some of the issues, Savannah, potentially at stake really in this election?
Savannah Kuchar:
Yeah, so there are issues both at the state level and also some national implications. In Wisconsin some of the issues that we could see impacted by the outcome Tuesday, one of the headlining issues is abortion, again, which has been of course a big one since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. There is a 19th century abortion ban in Wisconsin that could come up for a decision before the court, and ultimately, whichever way the court leans could decide whether this ban is enforced or not. Along with abortion, there's also issues like union rights and voter ID laws that could be up for a decision.
And beyond the state itself, there's also concern about redistricting. The state maps were redrawn a couple of years ago at the court's direction. They declined at the time to hear a request to redraw the congressional map, so it's unclear if they would actually review that this time around if a lawsuit came up. But both Republicans and Democrats are raising alarms about how this could impact how the congressional districts are drawn.
And then of course, beyond that, some national implications, is this is just widely being viewed as a potential referendum on both President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk, testing their popularity. As well as seeing whether Democrats are gaining any more favorability with voters coming off a pretty rough 2024.
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah. Just on that note, just going with the right first and then the left. I mean, is that really why Donald Trump and Elon Musk are so focused on this race, Savannah, some of those issues you just outlined?
Savannah Kuchar:
We have seen Elon Musk put a ton of money into this race. I think some of the latest numbers were showing spending somewhere around 20 million and counting. We'll have to check filings later and see where that lands. But he's putting a lot of money into this, into something that he says he is opposing what he calls "activist judges." We have seen the courts across the country try to restrain some of the moves that Donald Trump is making, and so that could be part of what's motivating him.
Democrats are alleging that he is motivated by the lawsuit in Wisconsin actually by Musk's vehicle company, Tesla. Tesla is suing Wisconsin. Democrats are saying that he's being influenced by that, wanting to stack the court in his favor. The other thing is just like I said, seeing how voters feel about Trump since he took office for a second time and seeing if they're still feeling good about him because Wisconsin was a key battleground state in 2024.
Taylor Wilson:
Okay. And how important really is this race for those on the left, Savannah?
Savannah Kuchar:
Over on the left, we've seen Democrats struggle to recoup after 2024 nationally. In Washington, they are out of power in both the White House and both chambers of Congress. So really Democrats have been especially focused on these state and local races that have been happening already throughout 2025.
And they've had some wins so far, but Wisconsin is really seen as the first real and most viable test for how they're doing with the voters. I mean, they've had some recent record lows in terms of popularity, and so again, just seeing how voters are feeling about the Democratic Party and whether they can recover that image after last year's election.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. Clearly lots at stake in Wisconsin, but I know that race is not the only one coming up this week and beyond, Savannah. What else are you keeping an eye out for?
Savannah Kuchar:
Wisconsin's on Tuesday, but so is special elections in Florida in two different districts. One to replace former representative Matt Gaetz, who resigned at the end of last year, as well as in a district that was previously represented by Mike Waltz, who is now National Security Adviser. So the races to replace both of them, those elections are happening in Florida on Tuesday.
And then beyond this week there's some other key elections in 2025, including two governor's races, one in Virginia and one in New Jersey. Both primaries happen in June, generals in November. And Virginia especially is held as this potential bellwether. It'll be especially important to watch if a Republican wins that state that's been shifting a little bit blue recently.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. Savannah Kuchar covers Congress for Paste BN. Great breakdown as always. Thanks, Savannah.
Savannah Kuchar:
Thanks for having me.
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Taylor Wilson:
Rescue and recovery operations continue in Southeast Asia after a serious earthquake last week. The quake devastated Myanmar in particular, killing some 2,000 people. Amid the destruction searchers have found a number of people alive days after Friday's tragedy, but they're now stressing that a window to find more survivors is closing. One official said chances of survival diminish after 72 hours. The US has pledged $2 million in aid through Myanmar-based humanitarian assistance organizations. Thailand's official death toll was at 18 yesterday but may increase, with dozens of people still missing at the site of a collapsed building as of this morning.
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The US Postal Service faces potential major changes as the Department of Government Efficiency works across the government. I spoke with Paste BN National cCrrespondent Trevor Hughes about what's next for USPS and its significance for Americans. Trevor, thanks for hopping on, sir.
Trevor Hughes:
Yeah, happy to be here.
Taylor Wilson:
Let's just start with this, Trevor, before the broader conversation around the Postal Service, but what sorts of cuts is DOGE eyeing here?
Trevor Hughes:
Well, it's unclear. DOGE is primarily working in the executive branch, and the Postal Service is not part of the executive branch, but they have signed an agreement with DOGE to take a look at things.
DOGE is looking at a number of things. They could close post offices, which is very controversial, or they could even consider privatizing the service, which is something that other countries have done. And if you think closing a single post office is controversial, well, privatizing them, that is a whole other level.
Taylor Wilson:
And I mean, can they actually have any say over the Postal Service, Trevor? Who actually makes these decisions?
Trevor Hughes:
The Postal Service is actually governed by a board of governors and they are supposed to have the freedom to run the Postal Service, but Congress gets involved all the time. I mean, I was reading some correspondence from the postmaster general who was complaining that members of Congress will contact him to talk specifically about a piece of equipment in a specific building. That they want their post office in their town to remain open, even if it doesn't make logistical sense to keep it there.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, in terms of the economics, Trevor, I mean, the Postal Service clearly does lose a lot of money every year. Is that fair to say?
Trevor Hughes:
Oh gosh, yeah. I mean, we're talking like 9.5 billion dollars last year. But you have to ask the question, what do we get for that money? And Postal Service unions and their supporters would say it's not a question of losing money or making a profit, it is a service. We don't look at the Education Department and say, "Well, they don't turn a profit." We don't look at the military and say, "Well, they don't turn a profit." And the Postal Service for many people is an integral part of what makes this country America.
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah. I want to get to that, Trevor, a little bit, some of the historical significance, the cultural significance here. I mean, how really is the Postal Service part of the American identity?
Trevor Hughes:
What's fascinating to me is that the post office actually predates the United States of America. Ben Franklin was the first postmaster general, and that was in 1775, a year before we declared independence.
So this idea that we are a nation knit together by the men and women who handed deliver letters and postcards and wedding invitations and newspapers, that is something that has been part of this country literally from before day one. In fact, there's an argument to be made that America got its start being such a literate country because newspapers were essentially delivered free to subscribers. And so when you have an army of workers, we're talking like 635,000 people, and they are in every community in this country. It is deeply woven into the fabric of this country from the get-go.
Taylor Wilson:
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has led efforts to restructure USPS in recent years. Per Reuters, he's cut forecasted cumulative losses over a decade from 160 billion to 80 billion. Those are forecasts, but he stepped down last week, Trevor. What kinds of cuts have already been made under his watch and what might this change in leadership mean going forward?
Trevor Hughes:
Some of the changes are not really obvious to people. I mean, you don't necessarily notice that it might take a day or two longer for a letter to arrive, but those are the kinds of behind the scenes changes. They've also increased the use of contractors instead of union workers. One of the things I think is fascinating is that they've been pivoting toward electric vehicles. Using electric vehicles will save the Postal Service a huge amount of money because they're existing vehicles, the ones who you see on the street all the time, those things cost like $4,000 a year each in repairs. And so replacing those with new vehicles will end up being cheaper in the long run.
The postmaster general, the one who's just left, one of the other things he did is he reduced the workforce of staff. And so they're currently going through a round of early retirements or buyouts where they're losing 10,000 people. That sounds like a lot, but when you have 635,000, that's actually only 1.5% of the whole workforce. The Postal Service is so popular with people, it's almost impossible to make changes. I mean, and that's something that DeJoy talked about in resigning, was this idea that it has been an uphill battle all along because Congress tries to stop them at every turn.
Taylor Wilson:
And I'm guessing this conversation isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Trevor Hughes is a national correspondent with Paste BN. Thank you, Trevor.
Trevor Hughes:
You bet.
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Taylor Wilson:
Later today we'll have another episode of Forum. Here's that show's host.
Michael McCarter:
Gen Z is having fewer kids. Does the declining birth rate in the United States worry you?
Hi, I'm Michael McCarter, Vice President of the Gannett Opinion group. We asked readers this question as part of Forum. It's a new initiative from the Paste BN Opinion team. Each week we hone in on a different issue that is hotly debated and that Americans are starkly divided on. Tune in today at 4:00 PM Eastern to hear our bonus episode of Forum, with the voices of listeners and readers just like you.
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Taylor Wilson:
And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio. If you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson. I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.