Trump promises to hit Iran 'hard' as ceasefire crumbles

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0:26The unity in that room was incredible. The, yeah, really a love. It was sort of pretty wild. There was a love in that room that was great. President Trump closes out the NATO summit with big feelings. It's Wednesday, July 8th, and this is Here and Now, Anytime, from NPR and WBUR Boston. I'm Ashley Locke. Today on the show, the FIFA World Cup is now down to just eight teams. And Emmy nominations are in for this year's best TV shows. There's all of these important people watching us right now. What if we trip? What if we fall? What if I have a wardrobe malfunction? But first, oil prices rose and stocks fell this morning after President Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran over and vowed to escalate strikes on Iran tonight.

1:19At the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump again insisted the U.S. should control Greenland. He slammed European allies as hopeless, threatened trade ties, and scolded those that didn't support the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Trump, though, redoubled his commitment to Ukraine in its war with Russia and the core mission of NATO. John Feiner was a senior national security advisor in the Biden and Obama administrations. He joins Indira Lakshmanan to unpack what happened at the summit. So sitting next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump seemed to go above and beyond a request from Ukraine for more Patriot missiles.

1:59Let's listen. So one of the things we're going to be talking about is we're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool, right? This way you can't complain that we're not giving them enough. Make them yourself. So, John, Ukraine has been using Patriot missiles since 2023, a year after Russia invaded. It seems like a big step to let them manufacture their own. And Trump said that the company that produces the missiles hasn't been informed of the deal. What should we make of this? So, look, I think it's a big and relatively welcome step. But I say relatively because there is a lot we still don't know.

2:37We don't know, for example, how long it will take to get these production lines up and running. Ukraine obviously has an immediate need that can be met by the provision of Patriot interceptors that have already been manufactured. But countries, including the United States, are unwilling for now to part with more of these given the threat that exists both from Iran in the Middle East and from Russia in Europe. And so as a medium-term solution to this problem, And potentially, Trump seems to have licensed the company that makes Patriots to produce this capability in Ukraine. We just don't know how soon, how fast and whether the quality will be of the same standard of the Patriots that are manufactured in the United States.

3:19OK, well, briefly, might this be the security guarantee that Trump says he's trying to negotiate for Ukraine? So I don't think the provision of Patriot missiles or even the ability to manufacture Patriot missiles is the security guarantee that Ukraine is looking for. What Ukraine is looking for is a clear commitment militarily from countries in Europe and ideally from the United States to come to its defense in a more meaningful way should there be a peace agreement that Russia ultimately violates. And I think that the terms of that are still very much under negotiation between the Ukrainian government and the allies that are supporting it.

3:55All right. John, there was a moment when Trump mistakenly called President Zelensky President Putin, and then he made a joke of it, asking reporters what questions he should ask the Russian president if they were together. And one journalist responded with this suggested question. When will he end this war? That's a good question. I don't think I've ever asked him that question. I've been asking that question. So it sounds like Trump is being facetious there, but being serious, Trump spoke with Putin on July 4th for nearly 90 minutes. Now he's giving Ukraine the right to build its own Patriot missiles.

4:30Has the U.S. made any progress towards ending this war? The reason the war is not over is because Russia is unwilling to stop waging war on Ukraine or to reach a settlement on terms that are just or acceptable to the Ukrainian government. And until there is enough pressure on Russia to do that, the war is not going to end. Obviously, we've all been reading about how on the battlefield in recent weeks, Ukraine has been making significant gains for the first time in many years. That is increasing the pressure on Russia. President Trump licensing patriots arguably helps in that regard. But until there is enough pressure on Russia for it to come to the table and negotiate decent terms, the war is not going to end.

5:10And for now, every indication is that Russia is not looking to negotiate, but actually to escalate against Ukrainian civilians and even against European countries that support Ukraine. All right, John, let me ask you. Trump here was repeating his demands for Greenland. Denmark is not giving way on that. He also said he's going to cut off trade with Spain because it's not contributing enough to NATO, although that's not how trade with the EU works. He's constantly lashing out at NATO allies, and yet there's a communique. They've gotten some things done. What struck me was the first item on their communique is reaffirming Article 5, which is mutual defense.

5:48That seems so basic. I'm not quite sure how that's a, you know, takeaway here or a deliverable, but you tell me what stands out for you. This is the sort of one step forward, one, two, sometimes three steps backwards approach to foreign policy that has characterized the Trump administration's second term. Yes, the NATO communique language is relatively positive and favorable, including when it comes to Article 5. But I think there remain real questions about the president's own personal commitment to the alliance and to Article 5. And at the end of the day, what an alliance actually is, is the belief that countries will be there for other countries in the alliance when they are attacked.

6:30And when President Trump does things like threatening another NATO country, which Denmark is, or threatening severe economic retaliation or even other retaliation against Spain, another NATO ally, He is calling into question America's commitment to the alliance writ large in ways that are destabilizing and in ways that will be heard loud and clear in places like Moscow, no matter what the language of the communique says. All right, John, we only have a couple seconds left. We can't leave out Iran. Trump has vowed more strikes tonight. He's threatened to renew the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, seize Karg Island, where Iran refines its oil.

7:06He's called the Iranian peace negotiators dishonest and cuckoo. Read between the lines for us. Will any of this deter Iran? The way to think about this is that we are in a new normal in which the war will not go back to the full-on combat that characterized it before. But there will be these periodic skirmishes because there was no real clarity between the two sides when they reached a ceasefire that they claimed ended the conflict. And so this will be fought out diplomatically, economically, and unfortunately sometimes militarily for the foreseeable future. John Feiner is Joe Biden's former principal deputy national security advisor and co-host the Long Game podcast.

7:46Thank you, John. Thanks, Indira.

7:54Coming up next, a preview of what's ahead for the beautiful game.

8:03The World Cup started with 48 teams. We're now down to just eight. Commentator Sean Wheelock joins Robin Young to rehash some of the biggest moments so far. Quarterfinals are set tomorrow. France faces Morocco here in Boston on Friday, Spain and Belgium in Los Angeles. Over the weekend, it's Norway and England in Miami and in your hometown, Kansas City, Argentina and Switzerland. Argentina, number one in FIFA world rankings, but often listed behind Spain and France in the betting. And they almost lost two big games to small countries. Tiny came Verde, which lost 3-2. And yesterday, Egypt led the match 2-0 until the 79th minute when Argentina had that stunning comeback, winning 3-2 again.

8:50Not without some complaints. We'll get to that. But first, your take on those matches with Argentina. No nation wins the World Cup, Robert, without facing adversity and indeed overcoming adversity. And that's what you've seen now in the last two matches in the knockout phase from Argentina. Egypt on the verge of recording what I would consider one of the five biggest upsets, if not one of the three biggest upsets in World Cup history. Again, as you mentioned, leading defending world champion Argentina 2-0 into the 79th minute. Three goals, though, from Argentina in the span of 14 minutes, the second of which scored by Lionel Messi.

9:22And it's a 3-2 win for Argentina. So from a massive potential upset to a huge come-from-behind win for Argentina. And just briefly talk about the complaints. This is VAR, the video assistant referee. Today, the Egyptian Football Association is calling attention to decisions made by referees in yesterday's match, including an Egyptian goal that was disallowed after a VAR review. Thoughts? VAR is video assistant referee. And Robert Green, the former England goalkeeper, who was one of the match commentators on the U.S. broadcast for Fox, essentially said during his match commentary, this is not why VAR was put in.

10:03VAR was put in to determine things like, was there a handball in the penalty area to lead to a penalty kick? Did the ball fully cross the line to be a goal? Would this be worthy of a tackle that would be a red card? So the disputed goal, it's a foul essentially, as Robert Green pointed out on his commentary, 100 yards away. which then led into a counterattack, an Egypt goal 58th minute that was disallowed. I like to quiet that a little bit because Egypt then did come back and still go up two goals to nil. So I don't believe in the predetermined goal, Robin. If Egypt has that goal stand, it doesn't mean they're going to score a third goal.

10:40The reality for Egypt is they're reeling. Again, they were up 2-0 in the 79th minute, and they gave up three goals to lose in the full 90 minutes. Yes, amazing. Okay, Norway's Erling Haaland, he of the blonde ponytail and the deep-set eyes. He's been leading the rowing chance in the stands, you know, after his wins. He's possibly the MVP in this whole cup, you say. What do you expect from him against England in Miami this weekend? Erling Haaland is an amazing player. His father, Alfinga Haaland, played in the English Premier League in the 1990s. But on the world stage, when you talk about players such as Neymar for Brazil or Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal or Lionel Messi for Argentina, he's lost in the shuffle.

11:24But he plays for Manchester City. He's one of the top goal scorers over the last four English Premier League campaigns. Fans in Europe, fans in England, certainly in Norway know Holland. But now I think the world is really knowing Erling Haaland. So next up is England. By the way, that's my wife's home nation, so she'll be supporting England. But a part of me likes Norway in this match. It's a winnable match. And again, with Haaland playing his club football for Manchester City, he understands the English game. He regularly competes during the Premier League season against these English players.

11:55England is the favorite, Robin, but Norway could definitely win this match and go through to the last four. OK, Sean, we're up against it here, but I just have to ask the U.S. men's national team. You know, they had that loss to Belgium after President Trump intervened to get a player back. Do you agree with critics that the U.S. in that moment lost what was an underdog status? You know, globally, they'd been embraced. Your sense, just in a few seconds here, of their future. I believe, Robin, that the U.S. definitely were vilified going into that with factors beyond their control. However, the U.S.

12:29wasn't going to win this World Cup. The U.S. has emerged as a nation, and we've talked about this on the program over the previous three weeks. If they overachieved, they could have reached the last four. But round of 16 is basically commiserate with the talent of this U.S. squad. Yeah, but being an underdog is sometimes a nice thing to coast on for a while. And if that's gone, we'll see. Soccer commentator Sean Wheelock, thank you so much. We'll talk to you again. Thank you, Robin.

13:03coming up what this year's emmy nominations say about the state of tv

13:14the television academy announced its emmy nominees today breakout hits like widow's Bay and Pluribus led the pack, along with returning shows like The Pit. I still can't forget that tearjerker ending to last season. Everything's gotta be just fine. You've got so many wonderful things to see and so many people to love ahead of you. NPR critic at large Eric Deggans joins Indira for more on what shows made the cut. So Eric, the big story today seems to be the success of a new Apple TV show called Widow's Bay. What is it about? And why did it get so much love from the Academy? Well, this is a really sort of interesting show that melds together all these different genres.

14:00It stars Matthew Rhys as the mayor of this town in New England that wants to be the next Martha's Vineyard. He's trying really hard to get a visitor from the New York Times to write something good about the town. But there's all this weird supernatural stuff going on there, right? So part of it is a comedy because there's all these eccentric natives there who are just acting bizarrely. And then there's a whole supernatural element that he finds out he wants to try and shrug it off, but it turns out it's real. Okay. And so this is just a really ambitious show that's really well made that blends a bunch of different genres and sort of feels like the cutting edge of television today.

14:40I think that's why it's so popular. Wow, okay. I really don't like horror, but is it comedy enough for those of us who like comedy? Yeah, I think it's more of a thriller kind of horror kind of thing. There's a supernatural element to it, but it's much more, you know, there's a comedy element to it. And the denizens there are so eccentric. And, you know, so there's a lot there for people. And I think, you know, if you're somebody who likes horror but isn't that drawn to comedy, you might like the show. And if you're somebody who doesn't like horror, you might be drawn to the comedic elements of it.

15:12Again, another reason why I think it really took off. And it debuted so close to Emmy's deadlines that some of the episodes aren't even eligible to win because they broadcast after the deadline. All right. Well, HBO and Apple TV really dominated the best drama field. Tell us about the frontrunners. Who do you think deserves to win? So best drama, well, it's always a very competitive field, but the pit is just head and shoulders above a lot of the dramas there. It is, again, this show that I think people like because at its heart, it's this medical drama. It's about an emergency room in a Pittsburgh hospital.

15:48But it also has all these elements that make it feel very modern, like modern television. It is in real time. You're spending 15, 16 hours with these doctors in an emergency room. And they're struggling with of-the-moment kind of things. As you know, in the latest season, ICE visited the emergency room and arrested one of the workers there. And so you have the appeal of a classic medical drama, but all the cool elements of modern television. And it just swept the supporting acting nominations. There's 14 slots for best actor or actress as a supporting actress in a drama. And they got seven of them.

16:29They got half of them. So I think the pit is going to do really well. Incredible. Well, for comedy, I absolutely love hacks on HBO. I think the writing and the acting in every role are so incredible. This is its fifth and final season. It got a whopping 24 nominations, the most ever for a comedy in a single year. Will it take all the statues home or what other great comedies should we be watching that have a shot? Right. Well, I will say, and to pardon the pun, but my hack for figuring out how TV shows are going to do at award ceremonies is to look how many nominations they got overall. So the fact that they got the second most number of nominations of any show.

17:07And as you said, they equaled. See, they set the record for most nominations in a single year for a comedy last year. They tied with the studio, I think. So they managed that feat again. And they're the only comedy to get that many nominations this year. They're incredibly popular. It's the final season. They're really going to want to honor it. It kept up the quality season after season, which you know as a fan. And Gene Smart basically plays this veteran comedian who hires a younger millennial as their head writer. And they have this really weird sort of relationship where they are frenemies and then they're friends.

17:45And then in the final season, they really kind of figured out how to reconcile their friendship, which I think a lot of the fans really like. So I think that show is going to do well. Quickly, Stephen Colbert, nine nominations for the last season of The Late Show. He's poked fun at President Trump for years. He's well-liked in Hollywood. Is he likely to win for emotional reasons or would he have won anyway, briefly? Well, I mean, you know, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert got nominated for Best Variety Talk Show since 2017, like every year. So I think he would have been nominated anyway. But I think the fact that he got nine nominations, Saturday Night Live got a few more nominations, but no other talk show like his got that many nominations.

18:27There's a groundswell of support for him, and I think the industry is rallying behind him because of how he lost his gig. All right. Well, I just want to mention the late actor-director Rob Reiner got a posthumous acting nod for his guest appearance on The Bear. Eric Deggans, what a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much. Always fun. Can't wait to talk to you after the Emmys happen. Absolutely. We'll talk about the winners.

18:52Here and Now Anytime comes from NPR and WBUR Boston. Today's stories were produced by Lynn Menegon, Jenna Griffiths, and James Master Marino. Today's editors were Todd Munt, Migaela Rodriguez, Michael Scotto, and Kat Welch. Technical direction from Caleb Green and Matt Reed. Our theme music is by Mike Moschetto, Max Liebman, and Chris Bentley. Our digital producers are Allison Hagen and Grace Griffin. Here and now's executive producer is Alan Price. Thanks for listening. Back with you tomorrow. Thank you.