Episode Introduction
Two weeks before this episode was recorded, Iran launched its first direct military attack on Israel. On Podcast 188 of Breaking Battlegrounds, National Review senior writer Noah Rothman explains why he called it “a political sea change.” He then turns to the pro-Palestinian protests spreading across American campuses, USC’s cancellation of its main commencement ceremony and whether the country had reached “peak wokism.”
California Rep. Darrell Issa follows with two topics close to home: veterans preparing to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day with parachute jumps from original World War II transport planes, and San Diego’s emergence as the busiest area for migrant arrivals on the southern border.
Quick Answer
Breaking Battlegrounds Podcast 188, recorded April 27, 2024, features National Review’s Noah Rothman on Iran’s April 2024 attack on Israel, pro-Palestinian campus protests and USC’s commencement cancellation. Rep. Darrell Issa discusses veterans’ plans for the 80th anniversary of D-Day and San Diego becoming the top region for southern border migrant arrivals.
Episode Overview
The episode was recorded at the height of the spring 2024 campus protest wave.
Rothman starts with his National Review article on Iran’s attack. He argues it changed the politics of the region. He then looks at the encampments and demonstrations on American campuses. He focuses on USC, where administrators canceled the main-stage graduation for a class whose high school ceremonies had already been lost to COVID-19 in 2020. The segment ends with a broader question: had progressive cultural politics peaked?
Issa covers the plans of Republican veterans to commemorate D-Day’s 80th anniversary in June 2024 by parachuting from original World War II transport aircraft. He also explains the shift in border crossings that had made his home region of San Diego the leading area for migrant arrivals.
About the Guests
Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. He wrote The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun and Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America. He is on X at @NoahCRothman.
Darrell Issa has represented San Diego-area districts in Congress for more than two decades. At the time of recording he represented California’s 48th District. He is an Army veteran who reached the rank of captain. He founded a consumer electronics company that became the country’s largest maker of vehicle anti-theft devices, and he chaired the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee from 2011 to 2015. Update: On March 6, 2026, Issa announced he would not seek reelection. Proposition 50 had redrawn his district to favor Democrats, and he endorsed San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond to succeed him. He had already appeared on Breaking Battlegrounds to discuss the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Key Topics Discussed
- Iran’s April 2024 attack on Israel and Rothman’s “political sea change” argument
- Pro-Palestinian protests on American college campuses
- USC’s cancellation of its main 2024 commencement ceremony
- Whether “wokism” had peaked
- Veterans’ parachute jumps for the 80th anniversary of D-Day
- San Diego’s rise as the top region for southern border migrant arrivals
Noah Rothman on Iran’s Attack on Israel
In mid-April 2024, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles directly at Israel. It was the first direct Iranian military attack on Israeli territory, and nearly all of the projectiles were intercepted. Rothman discusses his National Review article, “Iran’s Attack on Israel Was a Political Sea Change,” and explains why he thought the attack reshaped regional politics, not only military calculations.
Update: The confrontation Rothman described grew much larger. Iran attacked Israel directly again in October 2024. In June 2025, the two countries fought a 12-day war, during which the United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities.
Campus Protests, USC’s Canceled Commencement and “Peak Wokism”
Rothman then discusses the pro-Palestinian encampments and demonstrations that spread across campuses in April 2024. He focuses on USC, which canceled its main commencement ceremony that spring. The graduating class had missed their high school graduations in 2020 because of the pandemic. Supporters of the protests described them as free expression against the war in Gaza. Critics, including Rothman, argued that many campuses tolerated intimidation and antisemitism.
The hosts and Rothman also ask whether progressive cultural politics had peaked. That theme runs through his book The Rise of the New Puritans.
Rep. Darrell Issa on D-Day’s 80th Anniversary and the San Diego Border Shift
Issa describes plans by Republican veterans to mark the 80th anniversary of the June 6, 1944, Normandy landings with parachute jumps from original World War II transport planes.
He then turns to the border. In spring 2024, migrant arrivals shifted west, and the San Diego region became the top area for southern border arrivals for the first time in decades. Issa gives his analysis of what drove that shift and what it meant for his region.
Key Takeaways From the Conversation
- Rothman argues that Iran’s first direct attack on Israel in April 2024 was a political turning point, not only a military one. The conflict later escalated to open war in 2025.
- Rothman uses USC’s commencement cancellation as an example of how universities handled the spring 2024 protest wave.
- Issa describes veterans’ plans to honor D-Day’s 80th anniversary with jumps from original World War II aircraft.
- Issa explains why San Diego became the leading region for southern border arrivals in spring 2024.
Listen to the Episode
- Breaking Battlegrounds on Apple Podcasts
- Breaking Battlegrounds on Spotify
- Breaking Battlegrounds on YouTube
Related Breaking Battlegrounds Episodes
Issa’s earlier appearance covered the Afghanistan withdrawal. It belongs with the show’s other Afghanistan coverage, including Dr. William Walters on Podcast 208 and Lynne O’Donnell’s account of Taliban detention.
For more on campus culture, see Ilya Shapiro on the illiberal takeover of law schools on Podcast 229, and Jon Levine on the students arrested at the Columbia protests. Border security coverage continued with Todd Bensman on Podcast 226.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Iran first attack Israel directly?
Iran launched its first direct military attack on Israel in mid-April 2024, firing hundreds of drones and missiles, most of which were intercepted. It attacked again in October 2024, and the two countries fought a 12-day war in June 2025. Noah Rothman discussed the first attack on Breaking Battlegrounds.
Why did USC cancel its 2024 commencement?
USC canceled its main-stage 2024 commencement ceremony amid campus protests over the war in Gaza. Many in that graduating class had already missed their high school graduations in 2020 because of COVID-19.
Is Darrell Issa running for reelection?
No. Issa announced on March 6, 2026, that he wouldn’t seek reelection after Proposition 50 redrew his San Diego-area district to favor Democrats. He endorsed Republican Jim Desmond to succeed him.
Who is Noah Rothman?
Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review and the author of The Rise of the New Puritans and Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America. He writes about foreign policy, culture and politics.
