This episode of The Morning Rundown looks at U.S. power and restraint at home and abroad, from the latest Iran crisis and debate over deterrence to the “No Kings” protests against Trump, before closing with NASA’s Artemis II plans, Jeff Bezos’ trillion-people-in-space vision, a UFC title upset, the success of “Project Hail Mary,” and the latest royal drama.

Maya and David explore how a conservative restraint-first approach can punish attacks on Americans without sliding into endless war, how protest language about monarchy and authoritarianism lands with everyday voters, and what these political and cultural stories reveal about who earns power, who inherits it, and who should set the rules when tensions are high.

• Iran and deterrence: What deterrence really means for U.S. troops and military families, how to respond forcefully without mission creep, and the diplomatic signals to watch for escalation versus restraint.
• Restraint-first security: A conservative framework that hits back hard at attacks on Americans while rejecting long-term nation-building and open-ended deployments.
• “No Kings” protests: How monarchy language shapes perceptions of Trump, the gap between protest messaging and working-class concerns, and the paradox at the heart of the “No Kings” framing.
• Republican strategy: Lessons for addressing fears about power, projecting unity, and keeping the focus on concrete policy instead of internal drama.
• Power, merit, and rules: Artemis II rescue planning as a taxpayer-justified project, skepticism about private control of space, and what a UFC upset, box office performance, and royal feuds say about merit, toughness, and inherited influence.

Listen in for a fast, grounded rundown that connects foreign policy, domestic politics, and culture through the common question of how power should be earned and constrained.