The Rita Cosby Show: Hour 2 | 04-06-26

April 7, 2026·42 min·3 clips

President Trump gives Iran 24 hours to open the Strait of Hormuz or face obliteration.

1. The Rita Cosby Show Hour 2 on April 6, 2026, aired with the US-Iran military deadline set for 8 p.m. Eastern the following night, framing every segment against the question of whether Iran will come to the table. 2. Rita Cosby hosts solo; Secretary of State Marco Rubio, astronomer Dr. Steve Cates (Dr. Skye), and caller guests including Judith from Brooklyn and Joaquin from Pennsylvania provide the episode's main voices. 3. The episode's through-line is the intersection of American military assertion—Iran, NATO, Space Force—with perceived domestic hypocrisy from Democratic politicians and media commentators. 4. Trump told reporters that Iran 'cannot have a nuclear weapon,' called Iranian leaders 'lunatics,' and warned they 'better open the Strait of Hormuz or we will send them to the Stone Age,' with the deadline described as less than 24 hours away. 5. Trump named South Korea, Japan, and Australia as countries that refused to provide assistance despite hosting large numbers of US forces, with Australia linked to Great Britain and European Union ties. 6. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that NATO allies refused US basing rights and overflight rights during the Iran operation and said the US would 'reexamine the value of NATO and that alliance' after the conflict concludes. 7. Rubio cited 'hundreds of billions of dollars, trillions of dollars' spent on NATO and US forces stationed in Europe while allies denied basic cooperation requests, naming the situation as a 'one-way street.' 8. Rubio and Cosby noted that the head of NATO, Mark Rutte, was scheduled to visit Washington later in the week, raising the stakes for those conversations. 9. Marco Rubio revoked the green cards of Qasem Soleimani's niece and grandniece, who were found living in Los Angeles, described as living 'lavishly' and publicly calling America the 'great Satan' on social media while stuffing Hermes clothes in a car trunk at the time of their arrest. 10. A new ransom note was sent to TMZ from the same sender as prior notes about missing Nancy Guthrie, 84, mother of Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie, who had been missing 65 days; the note claimed to know where the body is and requested half a Bitcoin. 11. Savannah Guthrie returned to the Today Show while still unaware of her mother's whereabouts; Cosby played the clip of her colleagues greeting her and praised her as showing 'remarkable courage.' 12. Astronomer Dr. Steve Cates, known as Dr. Skye, briefed Cosby on Artemis II's historic moon flyby, confirming the crew surpassed the Apollo 13 distance record from April 15, 1970, and witnessed a total solar eclipse from 4,000 miles above the lunar surface. 13. A new lunar crater was named for Artemis II commander Reid Weissman's late wife Carol, who died from cancer, spelled C-A-R-R-O-L on official lunar maps. 14. Dr. Skye noted that the spacecraft would reenter the atmosphere at approximately 25,000 miles per hour and splash down in the Pacific Ocean around April 10th, with a critical capsule separation maneuver required at the correct atmospheric entry angle. 15. A Soviet Union probe called Zond 5 sent two tortoises—unfed during the mission—as the first creatures near the moon, before any human lunar missions; Dr. Skye speculated their offspring may still be alive. 16. The Artemis crew photographed meteor strikes onto the lunar surface from 4,000 miles altitude, prompting Dr. Skye to speculate that future lunar habitation might shelter inside existing craters to protect against radiation and debris. 17. Streamer Hasan Piker was played saying he has 'no issue' with Hezbollah and comparing their US terrorist designation to Nelson Mandela being labelled a terrorist until 2008; Congressman Ro Khanna told NBC's Meet the Press he had no regrets about appearing on Piker's podcast. 18. Khanna was also played calling for Trump's impeachment over the Iran operation, describing it as a 'disastrous war' and accusing Trump of 'threatening war crimes' by discussing strikes on power plants and electricity infrastructure. 19. The episode is aimed at conservative WABC Radio listeners following the Iran operation, US space programme developments, and debates over Democratic political associations and rhetoric. 20. Those seeking independent verification of the military casualty figures, Artemis mission technical data beyond what Dr. Skye provides, or perspectives from Democrats other than brief adversarial clips will not find those here.

As heard by us

A hard-edged politics hour that turns one deadline into a broader argument.

The Rita Cosby Show uses President Trump’s deadline on Iran as a jumping off point for a tense hour about pressure, allies, and the risk of escalation.

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Why you'd press play

You want a Trump-forward take on Iran, NATO, and the allies who did not help.

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