About this episode

Ben Domenech discusses the implications of the new Iran deal and its parallels to Ancient Rome with historian Victor Davis Hanson, while also featuring culinary insights from Christopher Kimball.

Is the new Iran deal a historic mistake, and is modern America repeating the fatal errors of Ancient Rome? Ben Domenech breaks down current foreign policy shifts with legendary historian Victor Davis Hanson. In this edition of The Big Ben Show, Ben unpacks his major reservations regarding the proposed Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) and what it reveals about American strength. Joined by Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, they dive deep into the administration's foreign policy strategy, the reality of regional military threats, and whether modern America is tracking the cultural, fiscal, and border-related collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Later in the episode, culinary icon Christopher Kimball joins the show to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary through our unique food traditions. Kimball shares budget-friendly cooking strategies to combat inflation, grilling secrets for your summer celebrations, and explores how GLP-1 lifestyle shifts are fundamentally altering American palates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Ben Domenech

Guests: Victor Davis Hanson, Christopher Kimball

Topics covered

• Iran deal
• foreign policy
• military threats
• American strength
• cultural collapse
• food traditions
• inflation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hoover Institution

Places: America, Ancient Rome, Western Roman Empire

More episodes of The Big Ben Show

• America’s 250th and the Fight to Come | The Big Ben Show · July 1, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Iran Deal Doubts, Disney’s FCC Fight, & House Drama | The Big Ben Show · June 24, 2026 · 52 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Big Ben Show podcast page.