The Telegraph

Republicans are revolting over soaring prices from the Iran war and there is turmoil inside the Pentagon. The polls predict Donald Trump could lose the House and the Senate in the 2026 US midterms - are they right? On today’s bonus episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks with Politico’s senior defence correspondent Connor O'Brien and defence reporter Leo Shane III about why the economic fallout from the war is leading GOP candidates to distance themselves from Trump. The president is responding by taking $20 million in Homeland Security funds for personal ads that Democrats have described as “propaganda”. Plus, what we learned from Pete Hegseth’s ‘State of the Force’ address: the White House consolidates power over the US military, the growing Pentagon void from personnel cuts, and news of an Autonomous Warfare Command. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction & Midterm Polling Update 01:41 - Economic Impact of the U.S.–Iran War on the Midterms 04:13 - Campaign Trail Messaging & Voter Concerns 05:41 - Trump's Approval Ratings & DHS Ad Campaign 09:49 - Republican Midterm Strategy & General Election Bipartisanship 12:14 - Debating Airstrikes Against the Houthis 14:14 - Pentagon Budget Strains & Military Readiness 16:25 - State of the Force Address & Defense Initiatives 20:59 - Military Leadership Reshaping & General Officer Cuts 24:04 - Senior Defense Vacancies & Long-Term Military Strategy 27:24 - Political Oversight, Impeachment Votes & Defense Budget Battles 31:54 - Outro & Final Thoughts #USIranWar #USPolitics #Midterms2026 #Pentagon #Trump #MilitaryNews #Politico #DefensePolicy #ForeignPolicy #USMilitary CONTRIBUTORS: Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey Connor O'Brien, Politico senior defence correspondent @connorobrienNH Leo Shane III, Politico defence reporter @LeoShane CONTENT REFERENCED: US midterm elections 2026: How do they work and what could they mean for Trump? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/09/14/us-midterm-elections-2026/ Pete Hegseth vows to rid US army of ‘fatties, trannies and weirdos’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/10/01/pete-hegseth-elon-musk-us-military-state-of-address/ Stalled military nominees leave a Pentagon void https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/23/military-nominees-pentagon-void-01090209 Dems plot to take on Hegseth if they win in November https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/10/dems-plot-target-hegseth-01069194 Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 Bronze Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026 Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026 The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026 Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh Studio Operator: Andy Watson Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey ► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor ► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk ► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/