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The Greg Laurie Show, April 15, 2026

Deal or No Deal with Iran

The State Of The Economy & How To Lower Oil Prices

With Peter St. Onge, Senior Economist at The Heritage Foundation.

Iran’s Economy Is In Ruins. How About Our Own?

Josh responds to the pope’s recent comments about the war in Iran and examining how they square with Scripture. He also breaks down the latest developments in the ongoing peace talks between Israel and Lebanon and what the newest updates could mean for stability across the Middle East. Josh is then joined by Peter St. Onge, Senior Economist at The Heritage Foundation, to discuss the state of the economy and the real key to bringing oil prices down—both here at home and around the world. Later, Josh reacts to a major left-wing influencer once again making headlines with inflammatory comments, and he explains why Republicans would be wise to spotlight rhetoric like this to show just how far outside the mainstream parts of the modern Left have drifted.

What is a Win for the USA against Iran?

Iran Threatens To Disrupt Gulf Trade In Response To U.S. Naval Blockade

The commander of Iran’s joint military command has threatened to halt trade in the Gulf region if the U.S. does not lift its blockade on Iranian ports. U.S. Central Command says no vessels have made it past U.S. naval forces during the first 48 hours of the blockade Even so, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the war in Iran was “very close to over.” Trump also claimed that China has agreed not to provide weapons to Iran. Meanwhile, mediators’ efforts to extend a ceasefire between the United States and Iran have made progress as the warring sides are expected to resume negotiations.

Trump again threatens to fire Fed Chairman Jerome Powell

President Trump is again threatening to fire the Fed’s Jerome Powell if he doesn’t leave after his chairmanship expires next month. If Powell decides to stay on the central bank’s governing board after his term as chair expires, then the president says he’ll “have to fire him.” During a Fox Business interview, Donald Trump also refused to end a criminal investigation into a renovation project at the Fed’s headquarters. The investigation faces bipartisan opposition in Congress and has delayed Senate consideration of the president’s nominee to replace Powell when his term ends on May 15th.

Super Typhoon Hits U.S. Islands In Pacific Ocean

The super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean that hammered the Northern Mariana Islands flipped over cars, toppled utility poles and ripped away tin roofs. So far, there have been no reports of deaths. Authorities were just beginning to assess the damage left behind by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which first hit the islands Tuesday night local time and continued with a barrage of fierce winds and relentless rains for hours Wednesday. Power was out and many of the roads were impassible across Saipan, a U.S. territory that's the largest of the Mariana Islands and home to about 43,000 people, according to local officials. The storm also battered Guam, another U.S. territory and the site of several American military bases, with tropical force winds. The typhoon — the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth this year — was packing sustained winds of up to 150 mph (240 kph) when it made landfall on the islands, the National Weather Service said. The monster storm still had winds of 125 mph (200 kph) late Wednesday night as it pulled away to the north from the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota, the weather service said. Sinlaku is expected start curving toward sparsely populated volcanic islands in the far northern Marianas. It was still very windy and rainy roughly 24 hours after the typhoon rattled the islands, but much better than the previous night, said Jaden Sanchez, spokesperson for the Saipan mayor’s office. Preliminary reports include a lot of flooding, uprooted trees and downed power lines, but no deaths, he said. Images from Saipan showed residential lots littered with debris and mangled trees. Winds crumbled metal bleachers at a sports field. Resident Dong Min Lee shot video of a car sitting on top of two others in his apartment building’s parking lot. The winds tore off part of his balcony railing. The American Red Cross and its partners were sheltering more than 1,000 residents across Guam and the Northern Marians, agency spokesperson Stephanie Fox said.

Pileup Of About 70 Vehicles On Interstate In Colorado Sends 8 To Hospital

Crashes involving about 70 vehicles snarled a section of a snowy Colorado highway and sent eight people to the hospital. The pileup Tuesday prompted officials to close the eastbound side of Interstate 70 in Clear Creek County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Denver, the Colorado State Patrol said in a statement. Officials evaluated 19 people for injuries and took eight of them to the hospital, including one person who had “sustained serious bodily injuries,” according to the state patrol. Images online show multiple semitrucks involved in the pileup, with debris lining the roadway, fronts of vehicles smashed and at least one vehicle balanced partially off the ground. It was not immediately clear what caused the pileup.

Trump says Iran War is 'very close to over'

As the ceasefire holds, President Trump says the war against Iran may end soon. The president told Fox Business that the war in Iran was “very close to over” even though Iran has refused to meet U.S. demands about ending its nuclear weapons program. He also claimed that China has agreed not to provide weapons to Iran amid reports that Beijing has considered transferring arms. Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command says the blockade of Iranian ports, which began Monday, has been “fully implemented.”

Melania Trump pushes for foster care program update

Melania Trump planned a rare appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to join a roundtable discussion with House lawmakers who are sponsoring legislation to update a nearly 30-year-old foster care program by broadening access to a range of services. The first lady began working on foster care issues after President Donald Trump's first term in office ended in 2021. Her trip to the branch of government at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue follows a similar and successful lobbying effort last year for Congress to send legislation to the president to protect women and children from online sexual exploitation. The visit also comes a week after Melania Trump's surprise on-camera statement at the White House in which she denied ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his crimes, and urged Congress to hold a hearing for his victims. She also demanded an end to “lies” linking her to the late financier and convicted sex offender. The first lady said on social media that she looked forward to working with Congress to “advance new legislation designed to protect and empower individuals from the foster care community.” Their shared mission, she said, is "to strengthen America’s next generation.” She was meeting Wednesday afternoon with members of the House Ways and Means Committee, and people who were in foster care. Republican and Democratic members of the committee have introduced several bills to update the Chafee foster care program to improve outcomes for young people aging out of the foster care system. The measures would increase their access to housing, education and workforce training programs, among other things, to help them succeed in the transition to adulthood and independence. The program provides support to foster youth and former foster youth, ages 14 to 21, as they leave the system. The committee said the bipartisan proposals would be the most significant update since the Chafee program was created in 1999. The Government Accountability Office published a report in January 2025 detailing how states were returning millions of dollars in unused Chafee program funds to the federal government, despite unmet needs of foster youth. Last November, President Trump created the “Fostering the Future” program by executive order to have federal entities, nonprofits, educational institutions and the private sector work together to improve career and educational opportunities for children raised in foster care. The first lady, who joined her husband in the Oval Office for the executive order signing, separately spearheads a broader “Fostering the Future” initiative that is part of the “Be Best” child-focused campaign she launched during his first presidential term. The program offers scholarships to current and former foster youth. Last month, she hosted a similarly themed summit with counterparts from more than 40 countries and called on them to work together to improve access to education and technology for children around the world. In March 2025, Melania Trump used her first public appearance after resuming the role of first lady to join a Capitol Hill roundtable discussion of the Take It Down Act. President Trump signed the bill into law two months later, making it a federal crime to knowingly publish or threaten to publish intimate images without a person’s consent. Last week, Melania Trump and the White House separately called attention to the first conviction under the new law after an Ohio man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to cybercrimes that included real and AI-generated sexually explicit images and threats of violence to numerous victims.

Pakistani Delegation Arrives In Tehran To Arrange More U.S.-Iran Talks

Pakistan’s army chief has arrived for talks in Tehran in the latest diplomatic move to ease tensions in the region and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran. That's according to the Pakistani military, which said Wednesday that the delegation included Field Marshal Asim Munir, the country's interior minister and other senior security officials. The military said the visit was “part of the ongoing mediation efforts,” but gave no further details. Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator in the conflict. It also hosted rare direct talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad.

Erika Kirk withdraws from TPUSA event over threats

Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, withdrew on Tuesday from a Turning Point USA event featuring U.S. Vice President JD Vance due to threats on her life, the vice president said. "I know that she did get some threats," Vance told an audience of University of Georgia students in Athens, Georgia. "I was a little worried that we were going to have to cancel the event because Erika was not going to come, and she was very worried about it." Vance said he had talked to the Secret Service and was not concerned about his own safety. He gave no details about the threats to Erika Kirk, who is the CEO of Turning Point USA. The Secret Service and Turning Point did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A gunman, who faces murder charges, killed Charlie Kirk in September during a campus speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Authorities describe the shooting as politically motivated. Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA to galvanize young voters for conservative causes. The killing intensified debate over political violence in the United States, prompting condemnation from officials across the political spectrum and leading to increased security at subsequent campus events involving high-profile political figures.

Treasury Says 53 Million Filers Used New Trump Tax Exemptions

The tax filing deadline for most Americans is Wednesday, and the Trump administration is highlighting the impacts of Republicans' massive tax and spending law. The law includes eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, exemptions for interest on certain car loans, and new deductions for some seniors. The administration says more than 53 million filers claimed deductions under these provisions, as of Tuesday. Despite these changes, recent polling shows that 7 in 10 Americans still think their taxes are too high. The IRS has faced leadership turnover and workforce reductions, and on Wednesday, its CEO Frank Bisignano is set to testify before the Senate Finance Committee.