Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News

Hugh Hewitt

Townhall Review is today’s top conservative weeke…

  • 1 minute
    Ed Morrissey: Trump's Blockade The Last, Best Bid for Regime Change in Iran

    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.

    24 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 minute
    Hugh Hewitt: We Cannot Have Another Munich

    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:

    • Iran’s abandonment of enrichment forever
    • the return of the so-called “nuclear dust”
    • an end to ballistic missile production
    • an end to support for the terror proxies—Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and:
    • The people of Iran must have their basic human rights restored

    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.

    23 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 minute
    Carol Platt Liebau: An Instructive Lesson From the American Left

    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.

    22 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 minute
    Seth Leibsohn: Our Challenge in the Face of America’s 250th

    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.

    21 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 minute
    Hugh Hewitt: The Pope, the President and Our Media

    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.

    20 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 minute
    Carol Platt Liebau: The High Cost of Our Social Experiment

    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.

    17 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 minute
    Carol Platt Liebau: Seeing Swalwell Clearly

    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.

    16 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 minute
    Albert Mohler: The Message of Artemis

    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.

    15 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 minute
    Ed Morrissey: It Is Dangerous to Play a Game of Chicken Against Donald Trump

    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.

    13 April 2026, 4:41 pm
  • 1 minute
    Ed Morrissey: It Is Dangerous to Play a Game of Chicken Against Donald Trump

    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.

    13 April 2026, 4:40 pm
  • 1 minute
    Hugh Hewitt: Fundamental Things Afoot in the Middle East

    The ceasefire in Iran will be a big win for President Trump if the Strait opens and stays openand 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.

    13 April 2026, 7:00 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App