Dirty Moderate with Adam Epstein

Shabbos Kestenbaum is a graduate student at Harvard University, researching the intersections between between public policy and contemporary Jewish life in the United States. Shabbos is the lead plaintiff against Harvard University alleging pervasive and systemic antisemitism. Shabbos has appeared on CNN, Fox News, and in The New York Times, and has testified in front of the United States Congress, among other forums, to advocate for the American Jewish community. Currently, Shabbos is working with Congress to pass major pieces of legislation to combat antisemitism.Adam and Shabbos sit down to discuss the raging antisemitism on college campuses, what the campus protests are really about and the palpable dread felt by Jewish people everywhere since the pogrom of Oct 7 and what can be done about it. As the world's oldest hatred flares up yet again, Adam and Shabbos's discourse is a painful, if potentially healing one that's indispensable. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

When he was elected Lt. Governor of Maryland in 2003, Michael Steele made history as the first African American elected to statewide office; and again with his subsequent chairmanship of the Republican National Committee in 2009.A longtime political analyst and contributor  to MSNBC, Michael is currently the co-host of MSNBC's “The Weekend,” which airs Saturdays and Sundays at 8AM EST.Having recently appeared on Michael's podcast “The Michael Steele Podcast,” Adam turns the tables and is able to ask Michael all about his life , his time as the first black party chairman for the RNC, the racial cross currents of the GOP before it became Trumpified, and why he remains a Republican, *though of the Never Trumper sort. This discussion between Adam and Michael is a conversation that might as well have never ended, and we are overjoyed to see these 2 lock arms in the fight to save democracy. Listen, Like, and Subscribe to Michael's fantastic podcast here: https://michaelsteelenetwork.com/podcasts/Watch The Weekend on MSNBC:  https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekendFind Michael on Twitter/X:  @michaelsteele Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

Ron Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan, grew up in Los Angeles and Sacramento while his father served as Governor of California from 1967-1975. After a brief career as a classical ballet dancer, Ron Reagan has spent the past 40 years as a correspondent, host and political commentator in television and radio, chiefly for MSNBC and Air America. He has written for many publications — Esquire, Newsweek, The New Yorker and Playboy among them — and is the author of the New York Times bestseller, My Father at 100. He is a board member of the Freedom from Religion Foundation and has spoken frequently in support of the separation of church and state. Ron and his Italian wife, Federica, divide their time between Seattle and Tuscany.Adam sits down with Ron for a deeply personal interview with the son of the 40th president to everything from growing up as a Reagan, differing with his father on politics, being an atheist, and writing a poignant memoir about his father's formative years called “My Father at 100,” which was published in 2011. Of course, Adam and Ron also discuss how the party of sunny optimistic Ronald Regan could devolve into a den of lies, autocracy and a disdain for the rule of law in the thrall to Donald Trump.Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor, and activist from Wake Forest, North Carolina. John was one of our very first guests on Dirty Moderate over 2 years ago, and we were thrilled to spend time with this deep thinking, generous, loving, and spirited human again. A 25-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, John is committed to equality, diversity, and justice—both inside and outside faith communities. His work is a testament to finding meaning not only in our politics but in our lives. John's latest book, “Worth Fighting For” is a primer for all things human, humane and compassionate. John knows it's hard to always stay good but that's no excuse for not trying. His latest book is aptly subtitled “Finding Courage and Compassion When Cruelty is Trending.” Adam and John have a searching, moving discourse about all of these essential ideas and more. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

Stella is an Irish psychotherapist who had her own intense experience with gender as a child, and the resolution of her gender distress has made her curious about the wisdom of early intervention. As a result, in addition to facilitating a parent coachingsite that provides practical help to parents who are navigating their child's gender-related distress, and acting as the presenter for the documentary, “Trans Kids: It's Time to Talk (2018), Stella is the director of Genspect, an international organization that offers a healthy approach to sex and gender.Stella is the co-author of a 2023 book called “When Kids Say They're Trans,” a work which explicitly encourages parents not to immediately consider gender affirming surgery or other medical procedures that might prove irreversible. Stella and her colleagues argue that only parents know best and their book hopes to help parents everywhere support their child's identity without necessarily altering their biology. Stella joins Adam to discuss the current conversation over gender and children and argues that the though the science is far from settled, parents can, and should, love their children for who they are. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

Reed Galen is a co-founder of The Lincoln Project, host of the Lincoln Project podcast and author of The HomeFront Substack, and a self-proclaimed Cassandra. Reed is an independent political strategist who has spent years advising Fortune 500 companies, and has also worked on several prominent republican campaigns.He joins Adam to assess the Never Trump movement( of which they are both part) from 30,000 feet and the precariousness of democracy. How will Trump's legal predicaments affect his electoral fate? What percentage of independent/Haley voters does Biden need to win re-election? Is to easier to run against Trump when he is the incumbent than when he is a challenger? Has Biden lost the center over his policies on the border, campus protests and inflation? It's America or Trump and you can't have both as Adam and Reed discuss and drive home.Subscribe to Reed's Substack The Home Front here: https://reedgalen.substack.com/Follow Reed on Social: Twitter/X @reedgalenAll things Lincoln Project here: https://lincolnproject.us/Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

William Inboden is Professor and Director of the Alexander Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, and Peterson Senior Fellow with the Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.  He joins Adam in a discussion centering around his latest book“The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan in the White House and the World.”Inboden's masterly book provides a definitive account of  Reagan's strategic approach to diplomacy, his nuanced statecraft, and the impact of his decisions on the global stage. This compelling book is a must read especially for its analysis of Reagan's policies of peace through strength. An examination of Reagan's military buildup and tough rhetoric towards the Soviet Union are central to Reagan's legacy, but Inboden goes beyond the surface to explore how Reagan the “cowboy” became Reagan the diplomat,  and emerged as arguably the most consequential 20th century president next to FDR.Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

Mona Charen is a conservative American journalist, columnist, commentator and best selling author. She is the Policy Editor of The Bulwark, and host of the Beg to Differ podcast, which you need to subscribe to immediately.  Mona fell hard for William F. Buckley as a teenager, and her first job was as editorial assistant at his National Review. She went on to write speeches for first lady Nancy Reagan and then for the Gipper himself.  Looking toward the 1988 race, Vice President George H.W. Bush wasn't conservative enough for her. Fast forward through 4 best selling books (see below for links) and much prestige to CPAC-2018, where she got booed and seemingly harassed enough by the MAGA crowd for her views that security chose to escort her out of the building for her own safety.  Folks, this is NOT Lincoln's, Reagan's or Mona's Republican party. Adam talks to Mona about her career as a conservative thinker, what being a “Never Trumper” means and about whether or not a new center right party might emerge and what that would mean for a potential post-Trump era conservative movement.Mona's books: Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got it Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First (2003)Do-Gooders: How Liberals Hurt Those They Claim to Help (and the Rest of Us) (2005),  Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch with Science, Love, and Common Sense (2018) Hard Right: The GOP's Drift Toward Extremism (2023)Mona's New York Times Op-Ed about her CPAC experience: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/25/opinion/im-glad-i-got-booed-at-cpac.htmlThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

As the host of the podcast History of the Land of Israel, and his own YouTube show, Israel Explained, Shaiel Ben-Ephraim spends his time thinking about Israel and assessing Israel's long term goals. Given Iran's attack on Israel, we invited Shaiel back to Dirty Moderate so he and Adam could discuss the implications of Iran launching drones and missiles, including ballistic ones, directly at Israel for the first time in Israel's history. What does this mean for the stability of the region( or instability?) Arab nations like Jordan and Saudi Arabia joined Irael in intercepting these missiles, as the United States and the UK. And what does this mean for the Israel Gaza war? If you are not subscribed to Shaiel's shows and following him on Twitter you are missing out. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shaielbTwitter @academic_laThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel! Are you registered to VOTE?

Mike Gonzalez is the Angeles T Arredondo E Pluribus Unum Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. He is a longtime journalist who currently writes for The Washington Examiner. Prior to that, he wrote for the Wall Street Journal, where he was based in Hong Kong. Mike is an ardent conservative and he sees the re-election of Trump as the only stopgap against the progressive onslaught of the left. His latest book is “NextGen Marxism: What it is and How to Combat it,” which might as well his own ideological manifesto. Mike and Adam don't agree on Trump in the least, and they spar respectably on various issues. They find enough common ground, however, to affirm Adam's long held belief that democracy depends upon our disagreement. Purchase Mike's excellent book here Explore the work Mike and his colleagues do at The Heritage Foundation hereCurious about Al Gore's concession speech after listening to Mike and Adam? Watch it here Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

George Washington claimed that anyone who attempted to provide an accurate account of the war for independence would be accused of writing fiction. At the time, no one called it the “American Revolution”: former colonists still regarded themselves as Virginians or Pennsylvanians, not Americans, while John Adams insisted that the British were the real revolutionaries, for attempting to impose radial change without their colonists' consent.With his latest book,  The Cause, Joseph J. Ellis sits down with Adam and discusses how his book takes a fresh look at the events between 1773 and 1783, recovering a war more brutal than any in American history save the Civil War and discovers a strange breed of “prudent” revolutionaries, whose prudence proved wise yet tragic when it came to slavery, the original sin that still haunts our land. Joseph J. Ellis is a leading scholar of American history and is a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner for his biographies of our nation's earliest presidents. Ellis is a distinguished professor and seasoned speaker who regales audiences with stories of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other U.S. presidents.Explore the work of Professor Ellis at his website hereWhile his fine books are certainly available everywhere, Professor Ellis encourages you to shop at your local independent bookstore :) Click here to find one near you. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

As a young girl born in Canada, Yasmine Mohammed was born into a strict Islamic household. If she missed a word of her Koran readings, she was beat until her feet were bloody and raw. And the Canadian government said there was nothing they could do to help her. “This is your culture,” they smugly told her. But Yasmine escaped the horrors of her childhood and the strictures of her faith to emerge as an important spokesperson for women everywhere, especially lapsed Muslims who have also been emancipated from the patriarchal, repressive dogma of Radical Islam. And she wrote a harrowing, must-read book about it.Yasmine sits down with Adam to discuss “Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam,” which is a scathing rejoinder to the ideological left and to all those secular “liberals” who prize Wokeness over truth out of fear of “Islamophobia.” “Believe women,“ goes the #MeToo motto. Yasmine's heroic life and personal story of resilience asks that women who live and have lived under the terror of Islamic extremism are believed too.-Support Yasmine's org here: www.freeheartsfreeminds.com-Buy her incredible book: https://www.amazon.com/Unveiled-Western-Liberals-Empower-Radical/dp/1999240502-Listen to Yasmine's podcast: https://www.yasminemohammed.com/podcast-Link to her ebook: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o2aIvLt1IVX1Ue8jAbIR9e-s4zTO4IIp/view?usp=sharingThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

Damon Linker, is a writer for the Atlantic and is a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Pennsylvania. He also writes the Substack newsletter “Notes from the Middleground” and is an Open Society Project senior fellow at the Niskanen Center.Damon joins Adam to discuss his latest article for the Atlantic, "The Dead-Enders of the Reagan-Era GOP" in which Damon argues that Mike Pence's non-endorsement of Donald Trump only underlines how irrevocably the Republican Party has left traditional conservatism behind and embraces populism. Don't miss Damon's conversation with Adam about how a full on MAGA populist party not only renders the party of Lincoln ideologically impotent  but represents a clear and present danger to our republic. Read Damon's article in the Atlantic article discussed in the episode hereFind Damon's Substack-"Notes from the Middleground" herePlease say you are registered to vote, but just in case... click hereThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

New York Times columnist David French joins Adam to discuss the role of religion in public life, and he offers up a unique portal into the pro-life movement, and its perils in the aftermath of Roe. David discusses the important role of the courts, and especially the critical role of the Supreme Court, in securing( or not securing) the guardrails against a Trump/MAGA led assault on our institutions and norms. David is an expert on the law, faith and politics, Prior to his being at the Times, David was at Dispatch, which he helped launch, and The Atlantic, where he was a contributing writer. Prior to those posts, he wrote for National Review from 2015 to 2019. But David spent the bulk of his career as a practicing lawyer, with an emphasis on the First Amendment. He also took time off from that career to join the U.S. Army in his thirties and serve, in Iraq, as a Judge Advocate General (JAG).Don't miss this captivating conversation between Adam and David, who is unquestionably one of America's more eagle-eyed and incisive voices writing today . Read David here Sign up for his weekly newsletter hereFollow and enjoy David on Threads hereThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

As arguably the pre-eminent voice warning about the dangers of Donald Trump, longtime political operative Steve Schmidt needs no introduction.But in case you have been abducted by aliens, Steve is the founder, author and host of The Warning, a digital media company comprised of a daily newsletter, podcast and video analysis on his YouTube channel. Through The Warning, Schmidt discusses the events that are shaping our times and the unseen forces shaping American culture and politics that are rarely discussed on cable news.Schmidt is recognized for his part in the 2008 U.S. election cycle, serving as Senator John McCain's campaign manager. He also successfully led California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign in 2006.  Schmidt was a top strategist in the 2004 campaign to re-elect President George W. Bush and served in the Bush administration, during which time he led the successful confirmations of two U.S. Supreme Court justices. He spent 10 years as an analyst with MSNBC. Schmidt co-founded the well-known super PAC, the Lincoln Project, in 2019. He left the group in 2021.Adam is excited to share his conversation with Steve about the Biden/Trump rematch, the moral and philosophical collapse of Steve's former party into a Trump led authoritarian cult, the Democrats' notoriously bad communication skills , the rampant mistrust of our institutions and all things relating to this nearly two and a half century old self governing miracle also called America. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

It's not playtime in America. It's high time in America that we all stand up for democracy. It's gonna take all of us, especially independents like myself who will back Biden in November because that's putting America first.  It's America or Trump; you can't have both.… Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

Noah Rothman is an author and conservative thinker who is a Senior Writer for National Review, and whose recent bestseller, “The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives' War on Fun,” is the chief subject of the second episode of our new series Dirty Moderate After Dark.Adam and Noah do a deep dive into the origins of Puritan thought, and they detail the odd, and very uniquely American way in which Puritanical thinking is embedded into our cultural and political tapestry. What's more, Noah explains how his book examines the deeply religious and dogmatic English Puritans who settled on the Eastern Seaboard in the 17th century and how their spiritual, if not religious, successors have found a cozy home within the extreme wing of today's woke left.Adam and Noah also discuss the collapse of the Republican Party into an incoherent, ideologically barren cult of personality party led by Trump, and they lament the abandonment of the robust internationalism which the Reagan era GOP once typified and the dangers of today's MAGA GOP and the shortsighted, isolationist thinking that they promulgate.Though neither of them were boozed, Adam and Noah waxed eloquently After Dark about all things philosophical and political, and their conversation was nevertheless wide-ranging, absorbing, and unlike today's Puritans, fun.Find Noah's amazing book hereRead Noah at National ReviewNoah on X @NoahCRothmanThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

Tina Nguyen is a national correspondent for Puck covering the world of Donald Trump and the American right for their The Best & The Brightest newsletter. Previously, Nguyen was a White House reporter for Politico, a staff reporter for Vanity Fair Hive, and an editor at Mediaite.Her new book, The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Adventures Inside the Right-Wing (And How I Got Out) is a dazzling memoir of Tina's fast, furious, stressful and altogether bonkers time in the world of the Conservative movement long before it was destroyed and devoured by Trumpworld. Tina talks to Adam about her growing up in Boston as the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, how she ended up at the prestigious but right-wing Xanadu known as Claremont McKenna College, and her short but not insignificant stint at The Daily Caller working for its then founder, Tucker Carlson. They explore her front row seat to the rise of what is now the MAGA movement, and how she ended up on the other side of this dystopia, mostly unscathed, but nonetheless loaded with insight as how to best cover Trumpism with all the scrutiny it most definitely deserves.Tina also gives Adam the tea on some of the more sobering realizations which came to her in her post-Conservative days about some of her previous colleagues and their not so nice agendas. Tina's story, which is indeed essential reading , is also a must listen for Dirty Moderates everywhere. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

Philip K. Howard is a lawyer, author and chair of Common Good (www.commongood.org), a nonpartisan organization aimed at replacing red tape with human responsibility and agency. In his discussion with Adam, Philip discusses his latest book “Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society,” which argues that the post 1960's legal framework which has guided government policy for 60 years has been a failure. Philip persuasively argues that humans have been disempowered and common sense has been thrown out the window. Inertia and powerlessness have overtaken our politics because so called ‘good government' has come to be synonymous with red tape and inefficiency. Philip calls this stasis a “disease consuming the American spirit,” and that “Modern law fails because it is dehumanizing, and, however hard this may prove to be, it must be replaced by a framework that empowers everyday freedom.”As engaging and incisive a discussion as we've had on this podcast, Adam and Philip's dialogue is essential food for thought. Have a listen!Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

James Kirchick is a columnist for Tablet magazine, a writer at large for Air Mail, and author of the instant New York Times bestseller, Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington.  Jamie( as he is known,) sits down with Adam and details why he wrote “Secret City,” discusses his longtime interest in Cold War history and assesses the intersection of anti-Communist and anti-gay hysteria and the toll it took on so many gay people in government during the immediate years following World War II and beyond. Jamie also is a widely published journalist and historian, and he has reported from over 40 countries, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Atlantic. In their wide-ranging conversation, Adam and Jamie also analyze the current state of American politics , the dangers of Trumpism and the menacing illiberalism which has metastasized on the left. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

As the host of the podcast History of the Land of Israel, and his own YouTube show, Israel Explained, Shaiel Ben-Ephraim spends his time thinking about Israel, assessing Israel's long term goals and strategies and nuancing a discussion about Israel and the Palestinians which blessedly sheds more light than heat.A self described “Liberal Zionist,” Shaiel sits down with Adam to discuss his time as a young man working in intelligence for the IDF, the current state of Israel's war with Hamas, the necessity of a demilitarized and self governing Palestinian state, and the fraught legacy of Benjamin Netanyahu. Like Adam, Shaiel remains deeply worried about the fate of democracy both in the United States and Israel, and he sounds the alarm about the the threat to both the American and Israeli democratic projects from its opponents on the right and the left. As Dirty Moderate continues its coverage of Israel since the horrific attacks of October 7th, this engaging and enlightening confab between Adam and Shaiel is not to be missed. Have a listen!Shaiel is a former UCLA professor and diplomat with a Ph.D. in military strategy from the University of Calgary. He currently works for one of the large hi-tech companies and hosts the History of the Land of Israel Podcast and the Israel Explained YouTube channel. Dr. Ben-Ephraim lives in Hollywood, where he follows the New York Mets closely and listens to the Allman Brothers Band far too often.Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

 At once passionate and eloquent, Kaivan Shroff may just be the Democratic Party's most effective communicator. A onetime digital strategist for Hillary Clinton, Kaivan is now the Press Secretary for Dream for America, a Gen-Z movement for freedom, democracy, & progressive government. As a regular pundit and commentator, Kaivan regularly and forcefully makes the case for Biden's re-election. Kaivan sits down with Adam and they engage in a spirited conversation about all things Democratic, political and of course, democracy.Follow Kaivan on Twitter Learn more about Dream for America Listen to Adam's interview with Dream for America founder William He hereThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

Before we all settle in to watch Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl, check out Adam's recent discussion about immigration with the second best blonde of the day, his Executive Producer, Dawn Sorokin in this special edition of Stay Dirty, Stay Moderate   Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

With the 2024 election less than a year away, Kyle Kondick, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, the University of Virginia Center for Politics' nonpartisan election forecasting newsletter joins the podcast to look at our electoral landscape—both presidential and congressional—from 30,000 feet. Have a listen as Kyle and Adam discuss Biden's vulnerabilities as an incumbent, the precarious senate map for Democrats and whether or not the youth vote can really tip the scales next year at the ballot box. All things Kyle here: https://www.kylekondik.com/Kyle on X: @kkondikCheck out Sabato's Crystal Ball here: https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

A Libertarian and a Dirty Moderate have drinks After DarkKOA Colorado Talk Show Host and longtime friend of Dirty Moderate , Ross Kaminsky returns to the podcast for a special, boozy episode. Swiveling bourbon as they shoot the shit about the shitshow that is today's politics, Ross joins Adam for a sprawling convo about Trump v Biden, Trump's many legal challenges, and the state of our perilous world, especially since the recent killing of 3 American soldiers by an Iranian backed terrorist proxy. As always, Ross persuasively makes the case for a libertarian America and he and Adam toast to the preservation of the American experiment.Explore some of the things mentioned in the episode and more at: www.dirtymoderate.comListen to Ross on KOA and give his podcast a listen here: www.rosskaminsky.com Thanks for joining us in a toast to democracy Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

Joe is a true patriot and a helluva great guy. Glad to be in the fight against that giant, dangerous, orange wanna be king with him. Do not miss this one! When you finish listening to Joe on Dirty Moderate, head over to his amazing podcast White Flag and give him a Follow on X/Twitter @walshfreedomWe are covering the election through to the end, folks, so subscribe, follow, chime in and for goodness sake, please be registered to VOTE!Stay dirty stay moderate, and stay safe. www.dirtymoderate.com @dirty_moderateThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time! Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Are you registered to VOTE?

When it comes to profiles in courage, few people fit the description more aptly than former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who also happens to be a quintessential Dirty Moderate!  In opposing all things Trump, he put country over party and made a robust defense on behalf of democracy a cornerstone of his political identity. Bravo, sir.His new book, “Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty In Our Divided Country,” charts Kinzinger's journey from a 20 year old member of the County Board to his service in the Air Force in Afghanistan and Iraq, to his election to Congress in 2010 as a moderate conservative from Bloomington, Illinois and on through the work he did  on the January 6th Committee that alienated him from the party he once loved.  The two Adam's make a simpatico team of democracy warriors, as this lively and important episode reveals. They discuss the future of the American experiment, what a dangerous loser Trump is, and the political future of Kinzinger himself.  Spoiler alert: Kinzinger isn't going anywhere and our country is better for it. Check out the great work Adam Kinzinger is doing over at Country FirstGo grab a copy of Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty In Our Divided CountryThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Intelligence officer, former Congressman, Jan 6 data analyst, whiskey distillery owner and genuine raconteur, Denver Riggleman, joins the podcast for an insightful, epically entertaining and scathing takedown of all things Trump, MAGA, authoritarian as well as all the other BS infecting our politics today. His book, The Breach: The Untold Story of the Investigation into January 6th will literally blow your mind. Riggleman is nothing if not a gadfly and a truth-teller and this episode is not to be missed!Also not to be missed is the tantalizing array of spirits Denver, his wife Christine and a gaggle of Riggleman offspring are crafting at Silverback Distillery like citrus-forward Strange Monkey Gin, real honey-liqueur infused Blackback Rye Whiskey, the "ultimate butterscotch bomb" Blackback Bourbon and so much more! Get yourself down to one of their tasting rooms in the Blue Ridge mountains or the Poconos and maybe Denver will tell you about the time he got blackballed by the GOP for officiating a gay wedding over a glass or two…Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

When you are young, they assume you know nothing-Travis Kelce's girlfriend At only 16 years old, yes you read that correctly, William He has founded Dream4 America, a Gen Z-led non-profit founded in 2023 dedicated to mobilizing America's students to promote the principles of freedom, democracy, & progressive government.Born as a progressive counterpoint to Turning Point USA,  the conservative youth movement founded by Right wing darling, Charlie Kirk, Dream4America advocates for what it calls “The Zoomer's New Deal,” taking inspiration from FDR's New Deal. The program is a list of demands for public spending and advocating for increased taxes on higher income earners to fund so-called infrastructure developments. It also advocates for raising minimum wage to match what it determines is the cost-of-living, favors expanding unions, increases funding for Social Security, and funds developments in failing cities. With progressive voice and former Hillary digital strategist Kaivan Shroff recently taking on the role of Dream 4 America's Press Secretary, things should start to heat up  as this pro-democracy grassroots network with a growing online and on-campus presence across the country as it aims to engage young Americans of all backgrounds through the flurry of 2024 election buzz and beyond.William is dynamic, smart and a force to be reckoned with already at 16, and Adam thinks he's bound to be elected to public office one day. Have a listen and if you are moved to, give William and his Dream 4 America support here Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Desmond Meade's life story has been one of pain, perseverance, and finally, triumph.  From a drug addicted felon waiting for a train to jump in front of to heading up the groundbreaking Florida Rights Restoration Coalition which has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year for:"their work in building democracies, supporting the human right to representation by government, and working towards a better organized and peaceful world."Desmond, like FRRC is a force to be reckoned with. The nonprofit's greatest success was the overwhelming passage of Amendment 4, the initiative that represented the nation's largest expansion of voting rights since the civil rights era. More than 1.4 million Floridians who had served time regained the right to vote. After the amendment's impact was tempered by “implementation legislation” pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Republican lawmakers — requiring individuals to first pay off any fines and fees connected to their convictions — Meade, who has been the head of the org for nearly a decade, and the coalition were able to raise millions of dollars to assist 40,000 “returning citizens” in settling those debts. Take that, RON.We are thrilled to welcome Desmond to the show as he sits down with Adam for a robust, informative and moving conversation you do not want to miss. To learn more about and to support FRRC head to their website: https://floridarrc.com/Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

 Jewish Americans - much like the U.S. public overall – hold widely differing views on Israel and its political leadership. Israeli domestic policies and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict generate fiery attitudes toward Israel during peace time, and after the brutal Hamas attacks on Israel of October 7, feelings have intensified. And rightly so. We invited 2 brilliant individuals, with deeply learned understandings of the complexities in the region on the show to have a roundtable discussion with Adam about Israel ,hoping to peel back some layers and get to the heart of the conflict. Boy, did we ever. We lived up to our founding ethos here at Dirty Moderate: We showcase the people who cut through the nails-on-a-chalkboard din of the modern-day American political scene while promoting rigorous analysis and lively debate in a respectful manner with individuals on both sides of the aisle and beyond.Dara Horn- Award-winning author and Creative Adviser for The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. Dara's People Love Dead Jews is a must read. For a deeper dive you can go back to Season 1 and listen to Dara's one on one with Adam here  Ethan Chorin -Former diplomat, senior political analyst, and authorWith the highest praise from global experts, Ethan's book on Benghazi shows  is considered the definitive treatment of the attack and scandal in Libya. This is Ethan's 3rd appearance on Dirty Moderate and we certainly hope, not his last. Ethan's episode on Benghazi  Ethan's episode on Israel Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Stuart Stevens , Senior Adviser to the Lincoln Project, and longtime GOP campaign advisor and guru joins the podcast to talk with Adam about his new book: The Conspiracy to End AmericaFive Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to AutocracyApart from their discourse on the dangers of democracy,  Stuart and Adam lament the collapse of the party of the once, great party of Lincoln into a Trumpian puddle.Pull up a chair and lean in to this to admitted political nerdfest covering presidential history, the Democrats's political incompetence, early days Liz Cheney hoorah, the Mitt days and more.   Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Dr. Richard Barton is a Democracy Fellow at Unite America and a professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He has a PhD in Government from Cornell University, and his research examines how electoral and legislative institutions shape lawmaking in Congress and the American Political Economy. Partisan primaries are one of the main causes of government dysfunction as the recent GOP House Speaker race, aka clown show attests. Richard Barton, a Democracy Fellow at Unite America and a professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs join us to discuss how Unite America is working in states such as Alaska and Louisiana to combat political polarization through non-partisan primaries and rank choice voting. Security UnfilteredCyber Security can be a difficult field to not only understand but to also navigate....Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifyThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Over the last three decades, Ethan Chorin has had an extraordinary view of developments in the Middle East and Africa as an American diplomat, oil and ports executive and advisor to senior government officials. We invited Ethan to return to the show to discuss his thoughts on the events unfolding after the Hamas attack on Israel. You may remember Ethan's first appearance on the show last October (Episode 70). when he joined Adam in conversation about the incredible book he wrote after witnessing first hand the fiasco in Benghazi:Benghazi!: A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink (Hachette, 2022).Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

We have been clear since minute one of this most recent attack on Israel.Never Trump. Never Hamas. Always Democracy. Over the latest seven decades, war and conflict between Israelis and Palestinian terror organizations-currently Hamas- has resulted in countless lives lost, electrified the wider Middle East, and drawn global powers into the scenario time and time again. Last week, vicious stormtrooper styled attacks continued the spiral  into a seemingly never ending cycle of violence, hatred, pain and strife. It's a lot to comprehend. It's a lot to bear both as a Jew and as a human.When our dear friend and fellow democracy loving podcast host Corey Nathan invited us to sit down to discuss some regional history, both personal and geographical while trying to unpack Israel's seemingly never ending struggle and the world's increasing levels of anti-Isreal and anti-Jew hate mongering we gladly accepted. Thank you to @coreysnathan of Talkin' Politics and Religion Without Killin' Each Other which you can check out here:https://www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religionThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Adam on Israel. For more on the atrocities in Israel both modern day and historical join us in unabashedly standing up for Israel and our fight to save democracy  by becoming a member of the Dirty Moderate Nation.  @dirtymoderateThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Despite our deep partisan fault lines on the issue, America does has a border crisis and solving it must be of the utmost urgency.Our dysfunctional system allows an unlimited number of people to cross our borders, prohibits them from working, promises free housing, and then leaves them in seven years of legal purgatory before a judge rules on whether they can remain in the country legally. Mayor Eric Adams last week declared of the 110,00 asylum seekers who are now in New York: “We have a $12 billion deficit that we're going to have to cut — every service in this city is going to be impacted. All of us.”Suffice it to say, Mayor Adams isn't speaking in hyperbole. We are a nation of immigrants. And we should remain as such. But our current system is straining resources and is predicated on unrealistic and broke asylum laws which are neither good for the nation nor for the migrants themselves.Both parties are responsible for our damaged policies, but Trump's cruel policies shouldn't mean that Democrats avoid the issue simply because of the fraught and inherently racial and ethnic politics which attend it, or because they lack the political will to do something. We are all the children of immigrants. And we should all demand a safer, fairer and more humane way for those that have fought to come here already as well as those who are yet to reach our shores. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Sit in on a chat between two brilliant, ambitious and talented podcast hosts -who happen to be cousins- discussing a wild and wonderful journey from Miami to Harvard to the UK and back again, with a few life changing choices, internships, kids, and a lot of coffee along the way…Adam's beloved cousin, talented author and human extraordinaire, ladies and gentlemen, the brave and beautiful, Alisha Fernandez MirandaIt takes a rare kind of gumption to stand up, look at your #blessed life and say, “but what else can I do, see, accomplish and BE?” Which is exactly what Alisha did at a seemingly improbable time in her life. She followed her life's call to adventure and heroically chronicled the experience in her delightfully inspiring book:My What If YearAlisha has brains, beauty, beguiling charm, and of course, an adventurous spirit. To say nothing of the steel and tenacity to dare to live the many lives she had always imagined. The book is pretty great too ;)Also, don't you dare miss out on Extra Shot, Alisha's recently brewed podcast showcasing her vibrant style and a seemingly endless array of cool and intriguing guests. This family clearly has the podcast gene!The legendary Stephen Sondheim perhaps says it best:From “Anyone Can Whistle”“Everybody says don't,Everybody says can't,Everybody says wait around for miracles,That's the way the world is made!I insist onMiracles, if you do them,Miracles - nothing to them!I say don't,Don't be afraid!”Viva la familia!https://www.alishafmiranda.com/Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Sure, Hunter Biden is a little sketchy, but would the average drug addict who lied on a federal form be prosecuted with such verve? We think not. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Mitt has bid adieu to the Washington clown show and is seemingly officially out of whatever the Mormon version of fucks are.  Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

This year marks the 20th anniversary of George W. Bush's transformative program to combat H.I.V. and AIDS in Africa, the Caribbean and elsewhere. The left's villain of yesteryear, who was (somewhat) rehabilitated in the Trump era,  and rightly maligned for the disaster that was the invasion of Iraq, Bush also waged a noble war against an epidemic. This ongoing battle is now two decades old, and it has saved 25 million lives. But nothing is sacred in the MAGA tainted GOP. Even the life changing achievement of one of this era's most conservative presidents is apparently now on the chopping block and threatening to be defunded, woefully swept up in the maelstrom of the “own the libs,” anti-“woke” culture wars.Bush's initiative, which is called the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR has funded antiretroviral medicines for people with AIDS and provided substantial resources to prevent the spread of the virus among newborn babies. It's been a heroic success by any reasonable metric. Except if you are a MAGA flame thrower.For those among today's far right saber rattlers, it is believed that the Biden administration has a secret plan to use PEPFAR to promote abortions overseas. Yes, a law which was originally midwifed by evangelical Christians and devout Catholics, and championed by the deeply pro-life George W. Bush is now a clandestine pro -abortion plot. But this is where we are folks. Have a listen to Adam's takedown of this deeply misguided but also life threatening fuckwaddery. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Could the future of the GOP be black and female? Democrat turned Republican, Mesha Mainor, a Georgia state legislator serving the 56th District is  showing that it very well could be.  Her recent political revolt against her Democratic colleagues is an valiant attempt to deviate away from partisan orthodoxy while also retaining her core values. Her RICO filing against Democratic DA darling, Fani Wllis who is the black female prosecutor orchestrating the Trump and cronies indictment in Georgia's Fulton County sure adds an interesting layer and whether we agree on everything or not (definitely not), we can agree on the fact that Rep. Mainor is a force and someone to keep a close on as the Republican party sort out wtf to do re:Trump.  As Rep. Mainor settles in to her brand spanking new (R) and her historic role as the first black female Republican in the Georgia House, she took the time to join us on the show to explain why she chose to jump off the (D) ship; and answers persuasively.  You know you want to do a deep dive now...www.meshamainor.comThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Listen to Adam's take on last nights debate and Tucker's interview with you know who.Clif Notes version:Haley has no shot at the nomination, but if she did, she'd be viable with independents. Christie is anti-Trump in a MAGA party. DeSantis had the dazzle of an armoire. He's just so bad at politics. Pence is irrelevant. Vivek is a fraud. In the end, Trump looms large. #GOPdebatesThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

 “I should not be here,” Ruby Freeman told the January 6  committee in her May 2022 deposition. “I signed up as an election worker because I believe in our democracy. I signed up to support my daughter, Shaye, whose entire professional career has been devoted to making sure that Fulton County elections are fair and that every vote is counted.”  Like many of the GOP witnesses who testified before the Jan 6 committee , Fulton County's indictment of Donald Trump and 18 associates  also included an array familiar names from Trumpworld: Former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani , Fake Elector Schemer John Eastman, to name a few. As you may recall, two little known election workers , a mother and daughter named Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss , also testified to the Jan 6 committee about Trump's alleged criminality in Georgia. Consequently, they faced vicious intimidation and violent death threats for simply doing the people's work. Shaye Moss's harrowing testimony about the way in which she was targeted and bullied by both Trump and Giuliani was both painful to watch but also essential viewing. Along with her mother, they together bore witness to the worst of us, but yet they stood defiantly against the nefarious MAGA forces who tried to overturn a free and fair election.While the nearly 100 page Fulton County indictment is a sweeping RICO indictment which details the allegedly expansive scheme to nullify the 2020 election in favor of Trump, RuThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

You don't have to be a Republican to be continually aghast at the descent of the GOP into a haven for cranks, white nationalists, conspiracy theorists , performance artists and liars.We have a two party system in this country, and the collapse of the Republican Party into a Trump led cult, spells more than just trouble for our representative democracy which is only strengthened by an opposition party that challenges a particular set of precepts, offers alternative policies, and gives voters a choice. This, in and of itself, is a safeguard against any abuse of power, not to mention being an important bulwark against the forces of tyranny and despotism. Jon Shields, a professor of political science at Claremont College , who has long studied the American right, joins Adam on the podcast this week to muse philosophically on the true meaning of conservatism. Shields is the rare scholar who understands and believes in the noble intellectual tradition that is conservatism and he laments the rise of the Trump led GOP which actively erodes democratic norms, and has total contempt for the rule of law. Democrats and many on the left might enjoy the Republican demise, but this is no cause for celebration. The moral and ideological collapse of the party of Lincoln, is bad not just for the electoral prospects of the GOP, as Shields reminds us,  but deeply unhealthy for the long term state of our democratic republic itself.Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

There's an old saying in politics: As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. Up until 2020, Ohio was a bellwether state in presidential elections voting for the winner every election cycle since 1960 except when John F. Kennedy won the general election, but Richard Nixon carried the state.Donald Trump won Ohio twice, but 2020 was the first year where Buckeyes voted Republican even as Democrat Joe Biden was elected to the presidency.Tuesday's vote against Issue 1 , a ballot initiative spearheaded by Ohio's deep red state legislature, would have raised the threshold to amend the state constitution from a simple majority of 50 % + 1 to 60%. But Ohioans resoundingly rejected this attack on democracy by a margin of 57.01% to 42.99%. By roughly the same margin, Ohio voters support abortion rights, according to polls,  and a pending ballot initiative, which would enshrine a woman's right to choose into the state constitution is set to be on Ohio voters's ballots this November. This is the real reason this stealth attack on democracy ended up on a ballot in the dog days of August. The GOP wagered that a low turnout and a confusing, if deeply unsettling new law would make it all the more difficult for reproductive rights to be sanctioned by the Ohio electorate in a state which has passed more and more onerous restrictions limiting abortion rights since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v Wade in June of 2022. But the GOP was wrong. And the people spoke. Will they do the same again in November? And will Ohio mirror the several other red states whose voters have rejected attempts by right wing forces to deprive women of their bodily autonomy? Tuesday's vote suggests yes, but the fight for democracy never sleeps.”Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

This is not America's first manipulative fascist rodeo. Our grand experiment has been peppered with religious and MAGA type freaks throughout its 247 years. When a large group of independent thinkers, adventurers, natives, freedom seekers, religious zealots, and young, scrappy and hungry individuals come together in one pot and create a beautiful stew of a nation there are bound to be some interesting concoctions and even a few stinkers. The John Birch Society was a powerful machine fueled by hate, white privilege, manipulation, and good old fashioned religion as a weapon, along with a slew of “deep state” conspiracy theories like Jewish bankers were controlling the world and Dwight D. Eisenhower was a dedicated Communist agent LOL. Sound familiar? We see you Moms for “Liberty”.Author, GW professor and historian Matthew Dallek has written a new book called “Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right” which expertly shows how the GOP allowed a small, but organized band of conspiracy theorists, racists, anti-semites and paranoiacs to lay the groundwork for the party of Lincoln to become the party of MAGA and Trump. In this wide ranging conversation, Matthew Dallek joins Dirty Moderate to spill the sad, but important hiThanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

The events leading up to Jan 6th have resulted in Trump's third indictment for, among other charges, conspiracy to defraud the United States. The only guardrails that we have against another assault on our democracy aren't the courts, but the ballot box. Trump must be soundly defeated in 2024 . It's the only way he will never get near the presidency again. It's America or Trump; you can't have both.Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

Say hello to Carlos De Oliveira,  Mar-a-Lago's property manager, who allegedly assisted Trump aide Walt Nauta, in attempting to delete security footage that showed the men moving boxes of classified documents around the property to hide them from federal agents.Special Counsel Jack Smith filed three new criminal counts against Trump on Thursday bringing the total to 40. The superseding indictment charged De Oliveira with conspiracy to obstruct justice, accusing him of helping Trump to hide documents.De Oliveira told a fellow Mar-a-Lago employee, that "the boss" wanted security videos of the property in Florida deleted after the Justice Department subpoenaed them.Prosecutors also charged De Oliveira with lying to the FBI during a voluntary interview, falsely claiming he had no involvement in moving boxes of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. "Never saw nothing," De Oliveira told the agents, according to the indictment.The superseding indictment against Trump also includes a a new count of willfully retaining national defense information. The charge alleges that Trump showed a top secret military document about Iran to other people who, like him, lacked the security clearance required to see such material. Trump himself admitted the documents were not declassified. That old adage is true : It's not the lie, it's the coverup. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?

An unusual group of justices — including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, both conservative, and the court's three liberal justices — formed the slim 5-4 majority that upheld the Supreme Court's past rulings on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The court said that in Alabama, a state where there are seven congressional seats and one in four voters is black, the Republican-dominated state legislature had denied African American voters a reasonable chance to elect a second representative of their choice.  As we inch towards 2024, we here at the show will be covering how YOUR voting rights are protected (or abused) across this great land and hope for even louder and sharper rebukes to the pathetically obvious attempts at manipulation. Thanks for helping us save democracy one episode at a time!Join the Dirty Moderate Nation on Substack! Tell us what you think on Twitter! Or, if you are fed up with Elon's bullshit, hit us up on Threads! There are always shenanigans over on TikTok too…Are you registered to VOTE?