Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News

Donald Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire with Iran created some frustration among those who support the war. Iran has never been a reliable negotiating partner, so why keep offering more chances for a deal? Trump would likely take a deal if he could verify compliance, especially one that transfers the “nuclear dust.” However, Trump understands that air strikes are less likely to produce his real objective in the war—regime change—than the blockade of Iran. The Iranian regime spent 47 years attempting to immanentize their peculiar, apocalyptic eschaton. The mullahs pursued nuclear weapons to start an apocalypse that would produce the messianic Twelfth Imam and spread their tyranny across the globe. Trump is now trying to immanentize the regime’s eschaton by forcing the cracks between its factions to produce a collapse. The blockade may well provide the best catalyst for regime change, which is the only real guarantee for security and peace in the region. Trump can afford to wait out the IRGC and let economic strangulation take its course. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Americans must worry that something akin to Munich 2.0 looms. Munich, of course, refers to the summit on the eve of World War II when European leaders appeased Hitler and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned from that summit, boasting infamously about, “peace in our time.” 2026 cannot become as infamous as 1938. The whole world knows what a victory over Iran looks like. President Trump should settle for nothing less than: President Trump’s place in history depends upon his resolve right now, as does stability for the entire region. Please hear me on this: It’s not too much to say that the next many decades for the whole world depend upon the president’s resolve this week and next. We cannot have another Munich. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her new book titled “Alito” Mollie Hemingway offers revealing insights — not just about the Supreme Court justice — but on how the left’s take-no-prisoners mindset has infected the high court. Hemingway recounts an episode before the release of the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade. With major security concerns including—you may remember—death threats, Justice Alito asked the liberal justices to expedite their dissents. Instead, tensions boiled over. Obama appointee Justice Elena Kagan lashed out at Justice Stephen Breyer, suspecting he might cooperate with the majority. No timeline for finishing the dissents was ever provided The left often warns that institutions have declined under Trump. But this troubling account is instructive. It’s a stark reminder: The left is willing to destroy any institution it doesn’t control. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent poll illustrates something profound about the ideological divide in America: 81% of Liberals see the 250th anniversary of America as a time “to reflect on the country’s shortcomings.” That’s a direct quote. So: Are we to celebrate a massively important anniversary about the greatest country the world has ever known or host one big Festivus party with an airing of grievances and processing of resentments? From the liberal/left/progressives in America, now we have the answer. For those paying attention, it’s been obvious for some time. Liberal America has backed Marxist organizations like BLM and has allowed the Socialist party to take over broad swaths of the Democratic party. It has featured a well-known Marxist-Leninist at Democratic party rallies and elected Democrats routinely go on his podcast. It’s all the result of an education system that has churned out tens of millions of students who are propagandized against American achievement and our true history—and a party that now views this country as a blight rather than a blessing. We must take back our education system—and fast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The practice of manufacturing collisions between the Vatican and President of the United States, has continued with Pope Leo XIV because he is new in the job. And President Donald Trump, of course, always provides copy. Take an unknown and mix in the very well-known, and a thousand columns are launched. The best commentary on this situation actually came from Vice President JD Vance more than a year ago. “It’s very hard to fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025,” Vice President Vance told me in March of last year. He added, “I try not to do that.” Reporters ought to be taking heed to that as they cover the pope and the president: Tell us what these principals said or posted if done specifically with the other party named. Don’t overlay prior points of view. That’s as silly as playing mind-reader. A suggestion: Whenever you hear or read a reporter asserting what a public figure “thinks” or “feels,” change your feed or at least turn on your misinformation shield. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Too many parents have faced the dilemma of how to help a child struggling with gender confusion. They’re often told anything short of affirming a new gender identity risks psychological harm—even suicide. New, comprehensive research from Finland contradicts that claim. It finds that mental illness isn’t caused by resisting transition. Rather, children who believe they were ‘born in the wrong body” are more likely to have underlying mental health issues. What’s more, those struggles don’t ease after efforts to “transition”: in fact, they intensify. Rates of mental illness rose from around 10 to 60 percent in boys seeking to become girls, and from roughly 20 to 55 percent among girls transitioning to boys. We’re not helping vulnerable children by denying reality. The transgender experiment has come at a steep cost, and it needs to end. Now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Congressman Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign for governor of California. Then, the very next day, he abruptly resigned from Congress. This followed a cascade of accusations involving sexual assault, misconduct, and unwanted, inappropriate messages. Clearly, the Democratic establishment wanted Swalwell out. The entire episode unfolded in a matter of days. But what’s most striking is that, by all accounts, people in political circles knew about Swalwell’s behavior for quite some time. Political insiders, journalists and left-wing influencers admitted this much on X. It was, apparently, an open secret. And yet, no powerful Democrats acted until Swalwell’s candidacy became a liability in the governor’s race. Then, suddenly, his candidacy was done. And then he was gone from the House. All in a matter of days. What a complete failure of moral, professional, and ethical responsibility — all the way around. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent days we’ve watched the NASA Artemis II mission that successfully sent four astronauts around the dark side of the moon. Human beings have now traveled a greater distance from the earth than ever before in history. Period. We’re talking about a distance greater by thousands of miles. As we watched the mission unfold, it was interesting to note the language coming from the astronauts—language filled with wonder that at least implies a creator. And then we saw the photographs—new, high-quality images of earth in our own time. It had been more than 50 years since the first photographs. I don’t know how a person can look these images and think, “What an interesting cosmic accident.” Of course, we know: There are many scientists absolutely determined to believe it so, consistent with a naturalistic understanding of the entire universe. But here’s the thing worth highlighting: It is very difficult to look at these images and say, “What a beautiful accident.” The entire picture points to a creator. It points to God. Remember that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Iranians had one reasonable chance to negotiate an end to the war. Donald Trump sent J.D. Vance, reportedly a skeptic of military action, to Islamabad to lead the American delegation. The Pakistan government urged the Iranians to take this seriously. Instead, the IRGC junta refused to negotiate at all on the main points of the conflict, especially their pursuit of nuclear weapons and claims of sovereign control of the Strait of Hormuz. Then: Trump ordered a blockade of all Iranian shipping through the Strait—a move that will cost Iran’s regime $450 million dollars a day in lost sales and eliminate their only reliable method of resupply during the war. The Iranians threatened to escalate, but Trump has his own escalation options too. As military analyst Sascha Bruchmann told a German news program, the Battle of Hormuz is a game of chicken, and “it is dangerous to play a game of chicken against Donald Trump.” That’s the lesson the world ought to be learning. It’s a lesson we need to see through to the end in Iran. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Iranians had one reasonable chance to negotiate an end to the war. Donald Trump sent J.D. Vance, reportedly a skeptic of military action, to Islamabad to lead the American delegation. The Pakistan government urged the Iranians to take this seriously. Instead, the IRGC junta refused to negotiate at all on the main points of the conflict, especially their pursuit of nuclear weapons and claims of sovereign control of the Strait of Hormuz. Then: Trump ordered a blockade of all Iranian shipping through the Strait—a move that will cost Iran’s regime $450 million dollars a day in lost sales and eliminate their only reliable method of resupply during the war. The Iranians threatened to escalate, but Trump has his own escalation options too. As military analyst Sascha Bruchmann told a German news program, the Battle of Hormuz is a game of chicken, and “it is dangerous to play a game of chicken against Donald Trump.” That’s the lesson the world ought to be learning. It’s a lesson we need to see through to the end in Iran. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ceasefire in Iran will be a big win for President Trump if the Strait opens and stays open—and we’ll know over the course of the two weeks whether or not that happens. If it does: The world’s oil supply will surge a bit and the remnants of the Iranian regime will have a chance to inventory the destruction that has rained down on their forces for five weeks. If the Strait doesn’t reopen—or the attacks on Israel or our Gulf allies don’t cease—another round of the third Gulf war will soon commence. President Trump issued his ultimatum. His never-evolving critics denounced his language though it got through to whomever is running the bunkers in Iran. The war is far from over, but long conflicts never resolve in a month, and this one is 47 years old. Fundamental things are afoot in the Middle East, most of them very good indeed. Freedom for the long-suffering Iranian people and stability in the Middle East has never been closer since 1979.. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump has done what seven presidents before him would not: he demolished the leading state sponsor of terrorism’s leadership, military, and nuclear abilities. For this, alone, the Nobel Peace Prize seems not quite enough. We shall see if the temporary cease-fire holds; perhaps it is a moment of calibration that may require further military action, as President Trump has shown his mettle in doing with Iran before. And for those who have chosen to ignore or forget Iran’s 47-year war against the United States and the West—slaughtering and maiming untold thousands of Americans and other innocents, including assassination plots against the President—if Iran fully breaks this ceasefire, they will teach the world again who they are and what they do. Meanwhile, critics blame Donald Trump for his rhetoric—of course having said nothing about the routine calls of genocide from Iran’s leadership or, for that matter, hundreds of thousands who take to the streets shouting, “From the river to the sea.” This is a moment to thank President Trump, not condemn him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

King Charles of Great Britain has sparked outrage and made one of the great unforced errors of recent UK history. After hosting an iftar at Windsor Castle last year and delivering messages for the Muslim holidays of Eid and Ramadan this year, he refused to offer an Easter message. The decision is striking. As King, Charles is the head of the Christian Church of England. And his country is deeply polarized amid rising extremism, as well as reports of the government’s years-long institutional failure to investigate and prosecute sexual abuse of young girls by Islamist gangs. The modern monarchy wields no political power. It exists only to provide a national symbol of unity, stability, and continuity. If it no longer serves that purpose, the taxpayers who subsidize it are justified in asking: What, exactly, is it for? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March the 1st marked the death of one of the most infamous murderers in American history. Abortionist Kermit Gosnell died in prison custody at the age of 85. Dr. Gosnell went to prison for committing the most heinous abortionist murder imaginable—he delivered babies who were born alive and then killed those babies. He inserted scissors into their spinal column and labeled their deaths as abortion. One trial witness said that a baby killed by Dr. Gosnell had “made noises, a whine, like my baby.” Let’s just understand how the law is operating right now. It is unlikely that those legal consequences would ever have come if Dr. Gosnell had used some other technique where his evil was not so obvious, where it was not so well-documented. The moral urgency of abortion, and even late-term abortion, is more apparent and horrific than any of us would want to see. That’s why we must press on in the fight for life. Human dignity depends upon that defense all the way from fertilization until healthy birth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a story that fills you with a very American kind of pride. In a risky and costly operation, the US rescued the missing pilot who had been shot down over Iran. The operation involved hundreds of intelligence and military personnel, Navy SEAL Team Six, Army Delta Force, CIA operatives who carried out a deception campaign, even the destruction of two damaged aircraft, all to find one man. Some questioned why America would go to such extraordinary lengths just to recover a single pilot. Of course, we wanted to deny Iran a propaganda victory and access to any intelligence the pilot possessed, but there’s more to it than that. We come from a Judeo‑Christian worldview. We believe every life is precious. We honor our fighting men and women, and we don’t leave any of them behind. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Washington Post, and others, are upset that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is hosting monthly worship services at the Pentagon. Unconstitutional, they say … Upending of norms … Breaking cohesion. Are they kidding us? First, I want my soldiers—especially in a time of war—being reverent and prayerful. Second, just how timid and weak are these Pentagon employees that they have to go off the record and run to the Washington Post to complain about this? One employee said, “If troops are trained to believe that ‘God is on our side,’ what precludes us from doing anything we want to win?” I don’t know—ask Lincoln, or Franklin Roosevelt, who led the largest public prayer in history on the cusp of D-Day. Ask Dwight Eisenhower who issued a prayer to the soldiers in World War II. Or, maybe, know that a great deal of just-war theory comes from famous religious leaders of yore. Journalists today just have no sense of history or context. Even the Unknown Soldier was known only to God. I’m Seth Leibsohn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Sunday is Easter, Resurrection Sunday, a great celebration day for Christians marking the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. The Christian church bears a mandate to proclaim the truth that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and that’s an indispensable truth claim of Christianity. The resurrected Lord gave the church a sacred commission to take the gospel, the message of Christ’s victory over sin and death to all the world. So: As the Christian church gathers to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians look back in thankfulness to that empty tomb and forward to the fulfillment of Christ’s purposes in us. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the promise of our resurrection from the dead and of Christ's total victory over sin and death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the very center of the Christian gospel. The empty tomb is full of power. I hope you’ll celebrate Christ’s work on our behalf this weekend. Happy Easter. Happy Resurrection Day to all. May the joy of the resurrection be yours. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump is on the cusp of a historic achievement. If the President oversees the toppling of the ruling regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, his achievements will rank with the greatest of those of any post-World War II president. That’s just an objective fact. If you don’t understand that fact, you haven’t been paying attention for more than 40 years. Iran is as evil a regime as exists on the planet. It is run by religious fanatics with a peculiar theology, rooted in end-times eschatology and “resistance” up to and especially including martyrdom. It cannot be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction or an arsenal of conventional weapons sufficient to deter normal regimes from stopping it from obtaining WMD, especially obtaining nuclear weapons. The result needed in the war has not yet been achieved. But if President Trump delivers it, only his critics incapable of basic objectivity will deny the significance of his order to take down the regime that has bedeviled the world for almost a half century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the holiest week in the Christian calendar. But for Christians in Syria and Nigeria, it was a day marked by bloodshed and tragedy. In Syria, sectarian attacks in a Christian town damaged homes, shops and cars—as men on motorcycles from a nearby Sunni Muslim town terrorized the community into the early morning hours. In Nigeria, the violence was even more horrific. Muslim gunmen attacked a university community, killing at least 30 people and injuring many more. Yet coverage of this violence was scant. Instead, there was widespread media outrage when Israel briefly paused public prayer gatherings due to Iranian missile threats—before quickly reversing course. There’s a very clear double standard. And it raises serious questions about whether Western media outlets are intimidated by Islamism. They certainly have not shown courage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those of us of a certain age will remember America’s 200th birthday well. It was a year-long celebration with pageantry and even commercials celebrating our patriotism everywhere. Now, months away from the date of our 250th birthday, all seems rather quiet on the Western civilizational front. Our Founders weren’t so sure we’d last anywhere near this long—and yet, here we are 250 years later. What changed in the last 50 years? The media and the academy, both of which have trained millions of pupils and teachers and citizens to view America as a down-market commodity. History professors literally sneer at efforts to restore and remind about the very field they supposedly care about: teaching American history. And a great socialist effort to undermine the exceptionalism of America, and pride in it, has taken over an entire political party. The great Czech writer Milan Kundera, put it that “The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory.” And that’s been the progressive effort here. We must know of it, we cannot let it prevail. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.