What Next - What Can a Senator Do to Stop Trump?
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3.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 8 April 2026
⏱️ 25 minutes
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Summary
Where was Congress while the president threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight”?
Guest: Senator Mark Warner, U.S. Senator from Virginia, top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | At 806 yesterday morning, President Donald Trump logged on to Truth Social to issue a threat. |
| 0:13.0 | A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. |
| 0:18.9 | He began. |
| 0:20.4 | And then, I don't want that to happen, but it probably will. |
| 0:28.3 | Trump was threatening Iran, of course. |
| 0:31.4 | He had already threatened their power plants and bridges on Easter Sunday. |
| 0:35.3 | He'd even given a deadline, 8 p.m. Eastern Time, |
| 0:39.3 | like he was hosting a primetime special. |
| 0:42.7 | I read about this escalation with alarm. |
| 0:45.9 | Virginia's Senator Mark Warner did too. |
| 0:49.1 | So we hopped on a call while we waited to see what the president might do. |
| 0:54.4 | Yeah, I remember when the world used to listen to the president of the United States, |
| 0:59.4 | usually with respect. |
| 1:01.5 | And even if they didn't agree with that president, |
| 1:06.0 | they know, I guess, since it's only been he, |
| 1:09.3 | he would normally speak fairly rationally. |
| 1:12.4 | This is, this is wild. |
| 1:16.4 | I really didn't think I could be shocked. |
| 1:18.2 | I was beginning to reach the level of saying, I understand that shocking things come from |
| 1:23.2 | the president, but I really feel like the last two days have revealed that there are like |
| 1:26.4 | new places to go. |
| 1:29.0 | Yes. You never know, is it born up, simply born of his own frustration that he's not able to |
... |
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