War With Iran

This week on The Necessary Conversation, we’re joined by a very special guest: Virginia House Delegate Jessica Anderson, who flipped the 71st District in 2025 by defeating Republican incumbent Amanda Batten and turning the seat blue. We talk war, the Epstein files, AI, media consolidation, and what it means for democracy right now.

⚔️ War With Iran

Despite campaigning as a “no new wars” president, Trump launched coordinated U.S.–Israel strikes across Iran, reportedly killing senior Iranian leadership and dozens of civilians, including children at a girls’ school. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks, killing U.S. troops. Trump did not seek congressional authorization.

We ask:

• Why are we at war with Iran now?
• Did Trump break his promise not to start new wars?
• Is this a distraction from the Epstein files or talk of postponing midterms?
• What about the civilian casualties?

🧾 The Clintons Testify

Bill and Hillary Clinton testified behind closed doors before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee about Epstein. Republicans refused to make the hearings public and later declared Trump “exonerated,” despite not subpoenaing him.

We ask:

• Why keep the hearings private?
• Is Trump actually exonerated?
• Why isn’t he being called to testify?

🚨 DOJ & The Missing Epstein Allegations

Multiple outlets report the DOJ’s Epstein archive appears to be missing FBI interview summaries involving sexual assault allegations against Trump. Over 50 pages of interview notes are reportedly absent, while ~3 million files remain unreleased despite the Epstein Transparency Act.

We ask:

• Why weren’t these pages released?
• Why are millions of files still withheld?

🧘 Simmer Down

Describe your perfect day.

🏛️ Trump’s Record-Length State of the Union

At 1:47:40, it was the longest SOTU ever—yet viewership was down. Trump touted tariffs (claiming foreign countries pay them) and painted a booming economy—while avoiding any mention of the Epstein files.

We ask:

• Why skip Epstein?
• Who really pays tariffs?
• Why was viewership lower?

🤖 The Pentagon vs. AI Guardrails

Pete Hegseth demanded AI company Anthropic remove safety guardrails for government use; the CEO refused, citing risks like autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. Trump ordered agencies to cease using Anthropic tech.

We ask:

• Should AI decide who to kill?
• Should AI be used for mass domestic surveillance?

📰 Ellison Buys Warner Bros. Discovery

Larry Ellison’s $110B acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery expands his media footprint (Warner Bros., DC, HBO, CNN, Discovery networks). Critics worry about consolidation and partisan influence.

We ask:

• Is media consolidation healthy for democracy?
• Do you care about potential bias in major networks?

This episode connects war powers, executive accountability, the Epstein files, AI in warfare, and media power—with Delegate Jessica Anderson in the room for a candid, high-stakes conversation.

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IG/Threads: @jessanderson4Virginia

X: @DelJessAnderson

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Bluesky: jess4va.com 

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