Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar 3/17/26: Trump Demands $100 Billion, Rachel Maddow Deranged Monologue, US World Order Collapse, Trump NatSec Resignation
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Mar 17, 2026 Glenn Deason, professor and YouTuber on Russian affairs and geopolitics, breaks down the Iran war's wider fallout. He discusses regime change risks, how Europe and China are affected, and the push toward a multipolar world. Conversation also covers U.S. strategic priorities clashing with regional aims and the political shock of a national security resignation.
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War Funding Will Force Deep Domestic Cuts
- Funding the Iran war will likely require a massive supplemental (~$100 billion) that forces cuts to domestic programs like Medicare and SNAP.
- Krystal Ball details war costs: carrier repairs ($70M), $200M/month for a carrier strike group, reservist activations, and rising munitions expenses.
U.S. Equipment Economics Are Unsustainable
- The U.S. fights with very expensive systems (e.g., $30M Reaper drones, Tomahawks) against cheap adversary kits costing thousands, producing unfavorable economics.
- Krystal Ball cites ~10% MQ-9 fleet lost, $30M unit cost, and only 57 Tomahawks produced last year to show supply fragility.
War Could Accelerate Decline Of Dollar Hegemony
- Escalating war spending while the dollar's reserve status is pressured risks accelerating U.S. economic decline.
- Saagar Enjeti cites Yanis Varoufakis and BRICS moves (oil deals in yuan) as forces that could weaken demand for dollars.