Friday Focus: America and Iran inch toward a deal as Trump’s corruption hits new depths

Another strange ping-pong week in America's conflict with Iran — and irresponsible reporting has given us so many mixed messages. Are we any closer to a deal? And why is Iran so hung up on the issue of nuclear weapons? Also off the negotiating table — much to the dismay of Israel — is one of Washington's original war aims: ending Iran's ballistic missile program and its support for terror proxies in the region. Meanwhile, Trump is delaying a weapons shipment to Taiwan on the heels of his visit with Xi Jinping in China. Is this a signal of weakening U.S. resolve to stand up for Taiwan? And how will this be read by American allies in Southeast Asia and Europe? In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Janice turn to one of the most outrageous moves Donald Trump made this week — one that pales in comparison to past indiscretions: negotiating a $1.7 billion settlement to compensate the January 6 rioters who supported the president's false election claims. This is corruption on a scale we have never seen before in the United States and a crippling blow to the independence of government institutions. Will Republican loyalists to Trump finally speak out against his blatant misuse of power? Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to to sign up. Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to to sign up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to Friday Focus: America and Iran inch toward a deal as Trump’s corruption hits new depths online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Friday Focus: America and Iran inch toward a deal as Trump’s corruption hits new depths is an episode from The Munk Debates Podcast by iHeartRadio Podcasts.

This episode is 25:10 long.

This episode was published on May 22, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Munk Debates Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.