Truth About War Polling, and Sen. Rand Paul on Inflation, Gas Prices, and How Iran Could Go "Endless"

Next Up with Mark Halperin

MK Media

News, Daily News, Politics

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 March 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tensions with Iran are escalating, and new risks are emerging that could make the mission far more difficult than the Trump administration expected. Mark uses his reported monologue to break down the military, strategic, and public perception challenges now facing the United States, including, most immediately, the zero-sum fight to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the role of drones and asymmetric warfare, and why growing concerns inside Washington are raising questions about how the conflict could unfold. He also explains why public opinion may ultimately become the decisive factor in the mission’s success or failure. Then Sen. Rand Paul joins the program for a wide-ranging conversation about the war with Iran, warning that the conflict could become another long and costly Middle East war if leaders are not careful about defining clear goals. He also discusses why he believes the national debt poses the greatest long-term threats to the United States, how inflation and tariffs are affecting the economy, and why rising gas prices and economic pressure could shape the next election. Plus, Sen. Paul offers an intriguing answer when asked about his chairing the upcoming confirmation hearing involving his colleague Sen. Markwayne Mullin. Cardiff: Get fast business funding without bank delays—apply in minutes with Cardiff and access up to $500,000 in same‑day funding at https://Cardiff.co/MARK Bank On Yourself: Discover the retirement plan banks Don't want you to know about—get your free report at https://BankOnYourself.com/Mark ShipStation: Streamline your shipping and save up to 15 hours a week with ShipStation—try it free for 60 days at https://ShipStation.com using code NEXTUP.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello and welcome in everybody and welcome to Next Up. I'm Mark Kaeperneditor-in-chief of the
0:06.5	live interactive video platform Two-Way and your guide to everything coming up in real time and in the
0:12.4	future, everything that's coming next up. I'm glad you're here. A lot to talk about in the midst of
0:17.2	the conflict with Iran and a great guest to share with you, Rand Paul,
0:25.6	the senator from Kentucky, whose views are different on many issues from a lot of his colleagues and who speaks for tens of millions. I'm always grateful for his time with him to hear his point
0:30.8	of view, which is so underrepresented on so many topics. So Rand Paul will be here in a minute.
0:35.8	But first, I'm going to give you my reported
0:38.7	monologue talking to people in the United States and around the world about the status of the
0:43.2	conflict with Iran. The mission is righteous and the goal of making sure Iran is not a threat
0:50.4	is shared by so many. But this complexity of what's happened in the last few days has
0:56.3	turned me concerned, not about the bravery and strength of America's men, American men and
1:02.6	women's fighting strength, but about the challenge of reopening the straight-of-war moves and the
1:08.1	other things that have gone on in the last 36 hours or so.
1:15.9	I'm going to share with you my reporting on why this has raised the level of concern about where things are now. It's a snapshot of the moment and where they might be headed. So take a quick
1:21.8	break. When we come back, my reported monologue on the status of the conflict with Iran. That's next up.
1:29.4	Small businesses. They're the backbone of the conflict with Iran. That's next up. Small businesses, they're the backbone of the American economy, but getting funding
1:32.9	from traditional banks can be an uphill battle. Of the 36 million small businesses in the United
1:38.4	States, over 70 percent, they report needing additional capital each and every year.
1:43.5	While revenue is at an all-time high for
1:45.6	the big banks, they're tightening standards and approving fewer loans than ever, leaving owners
1:50.7	stuck with mountains of paperwork. But if you want those bank rates without the bank delays,
1:56.1	check out cardiff.co slash mark for up to $500,000 in same-day funding.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from MK Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of MK Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.