The A.M. Update

Aaron McIntire covers the Federal Reserve's unanimous decision to raise interest rates despite President Trump's public frustration, amid a 31 year low in new home sales. He covers Vice President JD Vance's midterm messaging push, and undercover video obtained by the Daily Wire in which Texas Senate candidate James Talarico's own minister suggests Talarico is softening his positions purely for electoral purposes. Aaron also covers the arrest of Korby Allen Strube, a Kansas man accused of posting antisemitic death threats against Ben Shapiro tied to a Yom Kippur countdown, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles announcing she is cancer free. He covers NFL star Travis Kelce being named a victim in a $35 million Ponzi scheme run by Indian national Siddharth Jawahar, and pushes back on California Governor Gavin Newsom's breezy CNN fly fishing interview reflecting on COVID era lockdowns.

Aaron McIntire covers Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's congressional testimony confirming regime change in Iran is now the administration's goal, plus the Supreme Court's 7 to 2 rejection of Trump's effort to curb mail in ballots ahead of the midterms. He covers newly released FBI documents showing Butler, Pennsylvania shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks ordered firearm parts under the alias Bob Dole, and that an anonymous donor paid for his cremation. Aaron also covers Representative Thomas Massie filing articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and a newly surfaced FBI email seeking to criminally investigate Elon Musk over his DOGE era email to federal workers. He shares missionary Jeff Wood's harrowing testimony of surviving over six years as an al Qaeda hostage in West Africa, and reacts to actor Seth Rogen's comments about choosing not to have children.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump and Vice President JD Vance pushing back hard against AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI over recent doomsday warnings, arguing it is a bid for regulatory capture rather than genuine safety concern. He notes Senator Mitch McConnell's 92 day public absence continues even as the Senate returns to session, and covers prosecutor Joe diGenova's abrupt resignation from the Justice Department investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, who has now been subpoenaed to testify. Aaron covers a Massachusetts family's fight to regain custody of their daughter after they allege a school secretly began her gender transition, and reports that Chinese entities allegedly supplied Iran with satellite images used in a deadly strike on U.S. troops in Jordan. He closes with a moving CBS 60 Minutes account of an F-15 pilot's survival and rescue after being shot down over Iran, a story Aaron calls one of the best he has ever heard.

Aaron McIntire lays out why he thinks recent doom laden warnings from AI researchers at Anthropic and OpenAI, including a viral resignation post from ex-employee Jacob Coxon, may be less about pure safety concerns and more about pushing regulatory capture against open source competitors. He walks through the timeline, from Coxon's post to statements from researchers at both companies, and argues the real motive is protecting these companies' bottom line ahead of potential IPOs by outlawing local AI models. Aaron connects this to his broader theory that much of the public backlash against data centers and AI traces back to foreign propaganda. He closes with a viral clip of a YouTuber getting the AI model GPT-6 to insist, incorrectly, that the word seventeen has four E's, using it as a lighthearted counterpoint to claims that AI is on the verge of ending humanity.

More adventures in Aaron's basement.

In this special, no-news edition of The A.M. Update, Aaron McIntire sits down with Jimmy Moon, a father from Sacramento, California, for one of the most powerful testimonies he's ever heard. Jimmy opens up about the terrifying early hospitalization of his daughter, now three years old, and the promise he made to God in the midst of that trial. He also shares his personal journey through suicidal ideation as a young man, and how that experience later led him to found a small local ministry that places highlighted scripture references into donated Bibles for others walking through similar struggles. Aaron reflects on why stories like Jimmy's matter, especially for those who follow the news closely enough to feel worn down by it. This episode is a reminder that God is still at work, even when the headlines tempt us to believe otherwise.

Aaron McIntire covers leaked comments from Vice President JD Vance at a private Michigan campaign event, where he linked rising anti-Semitism to immigration from cultures with what he called ancient ethnic hatreds. He covers Congressman Brandon Gill's questioning of a Miami doctor who ran a birth tourism business, repeatedly pleading the Fifth Amendment when asked about ties to the Chinese Communist Party and criminal organizations. Aaron also covers a new Justice Department lawsuit against Kansas City, Kansas public schools over a policy allowing student gender transitions without parental knowledge, and renewed U.S. strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz. He covers the fatal shooting outside a Tucson, Arizona gay bar being investigated as a hate crime, and a father's emotional congressional testimony about his daughter's permanent injuries from a crash caused by an unlicensed illegal immigrant driver.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump ruling out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran when asked directly in the Oval Office. He covers Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shutting down 270 commercial driving schools nationwide for training unqualified and non-English speaking drivers, and the growing public feud over data centers, including Vice President JD Vance's more measured take on utility costs. Aaron also covers a Massachusetts jury's lengthy deliberation in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's campaign event, where a woman reading a scripted endorsement appeared to grow faint mid-speech. He touches on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani dismissing concerns about wealthy residents leaving the city, and Buc-ee's CEO Arch Aplin's comments on prioritizing conservative states for expansion. Aaron closes with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's blistering written response to Senator Elizabeth Warren over the U.S. currency intervention in Japan.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump's newly announced oil deal with Venezuela, giving American companies majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of reserves under interim President Delcy Rodriguez. He covers renewed fighting with Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, including new U.S. strikes and an Iranian retaliation attempt near Jordan. Aaron also covers a series of immigration enforcement stories, including the State Department revoking the visa of an Iraqi national with past ties to the FBI terror watch list, and provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos's ICE detention over an expired visa. He touches on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s list of MAHA accomplishments, the killing of Nigerian pastor Hills Emmanuel and the ongoing search for missing hikers after Grand Canyon flash flooding, and closes with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's comments on crime, forgiveness, and punishment.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America amid the ongoing trade war with Canada, and a reported internal memo instructing Canadian Broadcasting Corporation staff to avoid calling 9/11 a terrorist attack. He covers Trump's interview with Trey Gowdy, where the president argues the Democratic Party has shifted from socialism toward outright communism, plus Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell's frustration over continued questions about streamer Hasan Piker. Aaron also covers closing arguments in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's criticism of license plate reading cameras and digital surveillance. He highlights former Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing's commentary on the role of pastors in confronting cultural and political decline. Aaron closes with a full Ask Or Tell Me Anything, covering church history, data centers, and AI search results.

Aaron McIntire covers Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's sanctions against Autistici/Inventati, an Italy based tech collective tied to Antifa cells, along with new nonprofit related terror financing rules. He covers President Trump's comments on Glenn Beck about the uncertain status of the new Iranian Supreme Leader, the son of the late Ayatollah Khamenei. Aaron also covers the growing wave of Democrat lawmakers publicly disavowing streamer Hasan Piker ahead of the general election, and catastrophic flash flooding along the China-Nepal border that has killed more than 150 people, with dozens of Americans reported missing. He covers Dearborn, Michigan pastor Lorenzo Sewell's confrontational speech to the city council over accusations the city operates under Sharia law. Aaron closes with this week's poll results on Dolly Parton's best song, following her passing this week.

Aaron McIntire remembers country music icon Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80 after a decades spanning career, and covers Darline Graham's primary loss to Ralph Norman in the race for her late brother Lindsey Graham's Senate seat. He covers President Trump's zero tolerance warning to Iran over sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and unconfirmed reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a secret trip to Moscow. Aaron also covers the WNBA's reported decision to bar former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White from the draft after they declared themselves eligible for the women's league, and a rare interview with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on race and ideology. He closes with his own skepticism toward the growing public backlash to data centers and Flock license plate cameras.

Aaron McIntire highlights several administration wins, including Education Department guidance treating gender transition claims in schools as child abuse, a new $100,000 H-1B visa application fee, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's Operation Economic Outcast targeting Iran's global financial network. He covers DSA-aligned streamer Hasan Piker getting booed after walking back past comments about 9/11, and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed publicly distancing himself from Piker's support. Aaron reacts to former Vice President Mike Pence's CNN interview about his former transgender CIA briefer, Julia Curlee, and new global fertility data suggesting humanity may be below replacement level for the first time in recorded history. He closes out the show discussing former LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt's viral video on America's cultural decline, and public reaction to the Charlie Kirk assassination and the Lindsay Clancy trial.

Aaron McIntire covers backlash to President Trump's plan to import up to 300,000 metric tons of tariff free beef over the next 90 days to lower ground beef prices, and the sudden collapse of the U.S.-Canada trade deal over steel, aluminum, and auto tariffs. He covers Vice President JD Vance's rally at a Middletown, Ohio steel plant, where he invoked the late Louisiana Governor Huey Long and the story of programmer Kevin Flanagan to make his case against offshoring American jobs. Aaron also covers ActBlue co-founder Matt DeBergalis pleading the Fifth Amendment before House investigators, the FBI seizing former Congressman Eric Swalwell's devices in a misconduct probe, and ICE's growing enforcement operation against Haitian nationals in Ohio. He touches on a disturbing Miami child abuse case involving an illegal immigrant mother, and new data showing a surge in Catholic ministry participation on college campuses. Aaron closes with his take on President Trump's Truth Social attack on Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Thomas Massie, and what it means for JD Vance's 2028 prospects.

Dropping a bomb, then walking away.

Hopefully back to some irregular order.

Don't say I'm not dedicated

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump and Stephen Miller's new executive orders narrowing birthright citizenship eligibility and cracking down on birth tourism, building on this summer's Supreme Court ruling. He covers Senate Homeland Security Chairman Rand Paul referring Dr. Anthony Fauci's contempt of Congress case directly to the Department of Justice after Democrats failed to block it. Aaron also covers tennis star Coco Gauff's nuanced comments on the WTA's new sex testing policy, and national security analyst Kyle Schindler's Senate testimony on ties between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Democratic Socialists of America. He covers a McKinney, Texas city council meeting where an Iranian Christian refugee spoke against a proposed Islamic center, which the council approved unanimously, and former Minneapolis officer Tou Thao's interview on his faith following his release from prison. Aaron closes with a full AOTMA, plus a note that the show may go dark intermittently while his home studio undergoes mold remediation.

Aaron McIntire covers Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's formal subpoena of Dr. Anthony Fauci over alleged self-dealing and profiting from his pandemic-era guidance, plus Vice President JD Vance's update on the administration's anti-fraud task force. He reacts to Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed's victory speech, and Senator Bernie Sanders declining to fully condemn controversial comments from DSA-aligned streamer Hasan Piker. Aaron also covers a California man arrested near Trump National Golf Club days before the president's visit, and a Michigan congressional primary upset after Trump's endorsed candidate lost badly. He shares this week's poll results and a viral breakdown of mosques per capita by state, part of a broader discussion on immigration policy toward Muslim-majority countries.

Aaron McIntire covers a second straight record month for ICE, with DHS reporting 51,000 arrests in July, and weighs whether the timing is a response to Secretary Markwayne Mullin's rocky weekend. He covers new DOJ fraud charges against 19 people accused of scamming Pennsylvania's Medicaid program out of more than $4 million. Aaron highlights resurfaced comments from Wisconsin gubernatorial frontrunner Francesca Hong on her own biracial son and proximity to whiteness, plus Senator Chuck Schumer's defense of the Democratic Socialists of America's rising influence in the party. He praises world number one tennis player Aryna Sabalenka for her full-throated support of the WTA's new sex testing policy, and covers a bystander's account of stopping an armed gunman at an Idaho Falls In-N-Out. Aaron closes Aaronalysis explaining why fraud recovery efforts mean little unless the clawed-back money is actually cut from federal budgets rather than reallocated.

Aaron McIntire breaks down why he thinks President Trump is setting up a rough midterm environment for Republicans, pointing to repetitive Iran talking points and Trump's public criticism of DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro over a dropped vandalism case. He covers growing Republican Senate support for Todd Blanche's Attorney General nomination after a deal to end the anti-weaponization fund. Aaron also covers New York City's new city-run grocery store ID requirements under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers mocking Dr. Anthony Fauci's Fifth Amendment pleas at Steelers training camp. He shares his take on Caitlin Clark's silence regarding teammate Sophie Cunningham's comments on women's sports, and highlights Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's remarks on state immigration enforcement powers. Aaron closes with an encouraging health update from Conduit Clothing Company's Evan Ghen on his cancer treatment.

Aaron McIntire covers backlash toward DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin after he told Democrat governors at the National Governors Association meeting that ICE will focus on the worst offenders rather than mass deportations, a stance Aaron says falls short of Trump's campaign promise. He contrasts that with new numbers claiming over 1.4 million forced removals over the past year, and covers 14 Republican senators calling to cancel the August recess until the SAVE America Act passes. Aaron notes President Trump's latest claim that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and denuclearize Iran is imminent. He covers the escalating fight in women's sports after Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a Trans Kids Belong shirt in response to Sophie Cunningham's comments, plus a financial settlement for pro-life activist Paul Vaughn over his Biden-era FBI raid. Aaron closes with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s combative CNN interview with Dana Bash on vaccine hesitancy.

Aaron McIntire breaks down Dr. Anthony Fauci's combative Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, where he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights 111 times rather than answer questions from Senator Rand Paul's panel. He plays fiery exchanges from Senators Bernie Moreno and Josh Hawley, including the moment Fauci's attorney was escorted out of the room for repeatedly disrupting proceedings. Aaron notes Rand Paul's announcement that the Senate committee will vote next week on holding Fauci in contempt of Congress, despite the preemptive pardon he received from former President Biden. He also shares this week's poll results, where a majority of listeners say the hearing hasn't changed their expectations that Fauci will ultimately face no real consequences.

Aaron McIntire covers newly released audio recordings of Joe Biden from his 2017 memoir sessions, which appear to support Special Counsel Robert Hur's findings on Biden's handling of classified material after leaving office. He covers Senate Majority Leader John Thune telling Sean Hannity the SAVE America Act remains stalled without enough Republican votes to touch the filibuster. Aaron also covers President Trump's fresh comments on the ongoing Fauci diary revelations, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claim that Fauci suffered an undisclosed vaccine related health event in 2021. He touches on Vice President JD Vance's eulogy for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a viral rescue by a teenage California lifeguard earning a White House invitation, and a new whistleblower scandal involving California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra's tenure at HHS. Aaron closes with his own theory connecting COVID-era institutional distrust to the rise of Candace Owens's conspiracy-driven following.

Aaron McIntire digs deeper into Dr. Anthony Fauci's diary, including entries where Fauci claims credit for convincing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and California Governor Gavin Newsom's chief of staff Ann O'Leary to shut down schools, bars, and restaurants in 2020, despite later denying he pushed for closures. He notes Senator Mitch McConnell's latest proof of life photo after a two week public silence. Aaron questions whether it's time to stop covering Trump's repeated claims of an Iran military victory after finding an April clip nearly identical to Monday's comments. He reacts to New York City's new city-run grocery store price caps under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Aaron also revisits a corrected Catholic clergy survey from researcher Ryan Burge, showing 27% of priests, not the earlier reported 47%, agree all religions are equally true, and plays former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's uncomfortable response when pressed about his past defense of Fauci.

Aaron McIntire digs into newly released pages from Dr. Anthony Fauci's personal diary, revealing early private concerns among top virologists about a possible lab origin for COVID-19 that Fauci later downplayed in public. He notes Senator Mitch McConnell's continued silence about his hospitalization, two weeks after his office first confirmed it. Aaron covers Massachusetts lawmakers advancing a bill removing nearly all remaining abortion restrictions, and the guilty verdict against Minnesota's Shiloh Hendrix in her racial slur case. He also reports on the deadly Islamist terror attack at Berlin's Pride festival, and President Trump's roast of the media at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner. Aaron closes out the show debuting his own invention, the Soup-o-meter.

Aaron McIntire dives into the wonderful world of women's athletics, starting with WNBA star Sophie Cunningham standing firm on protecting female sports from male competitors despite backlash, and Megan Rapinoe's sharp rebuttal on The View. He covers the firestorm around USA Today columnist Nancy Armour's column linking Caitlin Clark's on-court flopping to the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till. Aaron also touches on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's update on Iran's overtures for a deal, a Washington congressional candidate's admission she downplays LGBTQ support to avoid alienating Muslim voters, and Mike Lindell's controversial immigration proposal in the Minnesota governor's race. He closes out the week with a full Ask Or Tell Me Anything, covering AI in education, agentic AI risks, and listener questions on faith and current events.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump's campaign stop in Georgia, where he doubled down on branding the Democratic Party as communist and criticized Senate Republicans for stalling the SAVE America Act. He digs into a lopsided House vote in which 198 Democrats opposed a bill banning congressional stock trading, and a narrow NDAA vote where four House Republicans broke ranks on a transgender military service amendment. Aaron also covers the tragic St. Paul, Minnesota shooting in which Tsegaab Binessu allegedly killed three apartment leasing staff, Nansi Fuentes Zambrano, Dena Silcox, and Adam Wilwerding, in a rampage sparked by a parking contract dispute. He highlights Congressman Brandon Gill's pointed questioning of the American Bar Association's president about the organization's stance on implicit bias. Aaron closes out the week's poll results, where listeners overwhelmingly picked securing voter rolls as the administration's top midterm priority.

Aaron McIntire breaks down Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's congressional testimony defending his record and America's more targeted approach to the Iran war, plus the Pentagon's identification of Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, killed in a drone incident at Erbil Air Base in Iraq. He covers a twice-deported illegal immigrant, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, now suing President Trump for $75 million and citizenship after being convicted of murdering Michigan's Ruby Garcia. Aaron digs into fresh ICE deportation numbers for the fiscal year, and reacts to New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill's admission that a software error registered thousands of noncitizens to vote in her state. He also covers Congressman Brandon Gill's viral grilling of a Smithsonian museum director over a document tying politeness to white supremacy. Aaron closes with journalist Andy Ngo's breakdown of how decentralized and difficult to track Antifa networks really are.

Aaron McIntire covers the U.S. military's response after Iranian strikes on a base in Jordan left two American service members dead and one missing, plus new Iranian attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan over the weekend. He digs into a $60 billion wave of U.S. business deals with Iraq aimed at building alternative oil shipping routes around the Strait of Hormuz. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz continues defending his pardon of a convicted child rapist, and Aaron reacts to Tom Homan's compromise plan requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras within two months. He also covers a viral Olive Garden customer service exchange over its Never Ending Pasta Pass ID policy, and a widely mocked answer from Maine Senate candidate Ashley Webb about her qualifications for office. Aaron closes by highlighting Bill Maher and Senator John Fetterman's blunt criticism of their own party's drift toward figures like streamer Hasan Piker.

Aaron McIntire breaks down President Trump's primetime Oval Office address alleging that China illicitly obtained 220 million U.S. voter files starting in the 2020 election cycle, and his renewed push for the SAVE America Act. He covers Secretary of State Marco Rubio convening leaders from more than 60 countries, alongside fiery remarks from Stephen Miller and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, to combat what the administration calls left-wing political terrorism. Aaron also reacts to a New York Post report, based on anonymous sources and denied as gossip by the senator himself, alleging Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego had past relationships with House staffers. He touches on new religious retention data and a viral video of a kid nailing an array of bird calls before opening up this week's Ask Or Tell Me Anything for Patreon supporters and listeners.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump reversing ICE's brief pause on vehicle stops just a day after it began, restoring one of the agency's main tools for deportations. He digs into Vice President JD Vance's appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, where Vance admits the administration mishandled the rollout of the Epstein files and pushes back on Attorney General Pam Bondi's earlier claims. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche takes a victory lap on fraud recoveries during his confirmation hearing, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirms the nation's gold reserves at Fort Knox remain fully accounted for. Aaron also covers Helen Comperatore, widow of Butler rally victim Corey Comperatore, sharing her personal belief that the assassination attempt was an inside job, though no evidence has been publicly confirmed. He wraps up the week's Daylight Saving Time poll results and the uncertain fate of the Sunshine Protection Act in the Senate.

Aaron McIntire covers ICE's decision to pause most vehicle stops in immigration enforcement operations nationwide after fatal shootings in Texas and Maine, and questions whether it counts as backing down. He breaks down the rare congressional testimony of Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan, who are asking for more security funding after swatting and threat incidents. Senator Chuck Grassley reveals that former special counsel Jack Smith's team secretly accessed the private text messages of 44 lawmakers during the Trump investigations. Aaron also reacts to a viral confrontation between a journalist and Senator Thom Tillis over his vote against the SAVE America Act. He closes with lighter stories on a health investigation into a possible Taco Bell link to a parasite outbreak and a Canadian surrogacy lawsuit making headlines.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump formally notifying Congress that the United States is back at war with Iran, promising more strikes after a third wave of attacks near the Strait of Hormuz. He digs into reports that Iran's former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been placed under house arrest over alleged contacts with Israel's Mossad. Back home, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster names the late Senator Lindsey Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve out his term, and Aaron reacts to Senator Elissa Slotkin's candid comments on the SAVE Act. He also covers Governor Gavin Newsom's complaints about California's building system, new Census data showing women over 40 now outpacing teenagers in birth rates, and a Colorado woman's fight to clear her name after Flock license plate cameras wrongly tied her to a crime.

Aaron McIntire covers the sudden death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham at age 71, including President Trump's account of what may have been Graham's final phone call. He breaks down the third wave of U.S. strikes on Iran near the Strait of Hormuz after an Iranian attack on a container ship, and what it could mean for the ceasefire going forward. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's deportation of a Laotian man convicted of child sexual abuse, whom Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had pardoned, gets highlighted as an example of the administration's messaging on immigration. Aaron also reacts to a harrowing bison attack video out of Yellowstone National Park and a Brown University cheating scandal involving students using AI to ace a take-home exam. He closes with Aaronalysis, reflecting on Graham's complicated legacy and the reminder that no one knows how much time they have left.

Aaron McIntire breaks down day four of the Tyler Robinson preliminary hearing, including courtroom testimony from Robinson's former roommate Lance Twiggs describing his reaction after the Charlie Kirk assassination. Megyn Kelly's blunt message to lingering conspiracy theorists gets called out for its timing, and Aaron doesn't hold back on her recent shift. Reports out of Iran point to fresh explosions and strikes, with U.S. and Israeli officials denying involvement and the source still unclear. Vice President JD Vance hits Democrats over their priorities on fraud and immigration, and LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt lays out his case for irregularities in the city's vote count. It's Friday, so Aaron closes with AOTMA, answering listener questions on faith, media, the addictive design of social platforms, and how the post World War II consensus shaped today's debates over culture and borders.   A.M. Update, Aaron McIntire, Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk, Lance Twiggs, Megyn Kelly, Tyler Robinson hearing, Judge Tony Graf, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman, LA mayor race, election fraud, JD Vance, Iran strikes, AOTMA, Ask Or Tell Me Anything, today's news, morning news, news commentary, current events, daily news podcast

Graham Platner, Iran's Air Force One threat, Tyler Robinson's hearing, and the European customs poll headline today's A.M. Update. Graham Platner suspends his Maine Senate campaign in an 11-minute video still denying Jenny Racicot's rape allegation, and Aaron says the ink did not stick on this one. Iran threatens to shoot missiles toward Turkey in the vicinity of Trump, forcing operational security changes to Air Force One on the way home from the NATO summit, and Trump quips to a reporter "if I go, you go" — Aaron says frustrated as he sometimes gets, the man is genuinely funny. Day three of Tyler Robinson's preliminary hearing brings the Kirk family attorney to the stand to ask Judge Tony Graf to keep all evidence in the case public in real time, arguing that transparency is the only antidote to the doubt and disinformation that has been swirling, and Donald Trump Jr. tells Fox News the prosecution's case looks overwhelming and the defense's only real tactic was trying to keep evidence out. Aaron closes with the poll of the week results on which European custom Americans would most like to adopt, with smarmy arrogance winning at 74.7%, and a spirited exchange with listener Robert who tried to take the European customs bit in a theological direction.

Jenny Racicot, Tyler Robinson's hearing, Iran, Marine Le Pen, and Pastor Ezra Jin headline today's A.M. Update. Jenny Racicot tells CNN's Jake Tapper that Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner entered her home uninvited in 2021 while heavily intoxicated and forced himself on her, and when Tapper asks directly if she considers it rape she says "by definition, yes, absolutely" — even Zohran Mamdani says Platner should drop out. Day two of Tyler Robinson's preliminary hearing shows surveillance footage of Robinson on the Utah Valley campus four times on the day of the shooting, including footage where his leg does not bend going up stairs in a way that suggests a rifle hidden in his pants leg. Iran strikes tankers in the Strait of Hormuz again and Trump responds by revoking the oil sales license, WTI crude jumps 5%, and Trump heads to Ankara for NATO where he again puts European allies on notice. Toyota announces a $3.6 billion investment to move Tacoma production from Mexico to San Antonio, Marine Le Pen's conviction appeal is upheld but her ban on public office is reduced to time served and she immediately announces she is running for French president anyway, and Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri of Beijing's Zion Church arrives in Los Angeles on July 4th after Trump personally raised his case with Xi Jinping. Aaron closes with JD Vance's Nixon rehabilitation speech at the Richard Nixon Foundation and the uncomfortable question it raises about whether our news addiction has simply made Watergate look small by comparison.

Tyler Robinson's preliminary hearing, Karoline Leavitt's viral Gen Z gaffe, Trump Accounts, and Aaronalysis headline today's A.M. Update. The preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson kicks off in Utah with surveillance footage showing Robinson on the Utah Valley University campus four times before, during, and after the shooting, while Blake Neff reports that TPUSA's Terrell Farnsworth, who faced months of harassment from the Candace Owens crowd, was actually helping prosecutors all along. Karoline Leavitt tells Jesse Watters that Gen Z has been raised with silver spoons in their mouths, and Aaron says even with the out-of-context caveat that is a let-them-eat-cake moment the White House cannot afford. Trump rings the NYSE and Nasdaq opening bells from the Oval Office to mark the live launch of Trump Accounts, joined by Ted Cruz, Scott Bessent, and Michael and Susan Dell whose $6.25 billion pledge seeds $250 accounts for up to 25 million children under 10, and Aaron calls it a potential test run for eventually replacing Social Security.

Trump's 250th anniversary address, Mitch McConnell's hospitalization, the filibuster fight, and a German World Cup fan named Sebastian headline today's A.M. Update. Trump uses the nation's 250th birthday celebrations to deliver what Aaron calls a fitting reset, taking direct aim at American Marxism at Mount Rushmore and again on the National Mall, saying you cannot be a communist and a patriot and that American liberty has never survived merely because of words on paper. Newly released EMS dispatch audio confirms Mitch McConnell was found unconscious at his DC home on June 14th, CPR was performed for cardiac arrest, and he has been hospitalized ever since, while JD Vance says Republicans who cling to the filibuster are unilaterally surrendering a weapon Democrats have openly promised to use the moment they regain power. AOC corners JD Vance on the Capitol steps and Aaron says she walked away with nothing. A German soccer fan named Sebastian Kraut came to America afraid of shootings and criminals and left moved to tears by the kindness of strangers in Boston of all places, and Aaron uses the story to close with something personal: the background noise you hear is three fans and a dehumidifier running in his flooded basement, another trial in a long string of them, and the lesson he's landing on is not what God is teaching him but simply to keep trusting and not doom.

https://www.patreon.com/TheAMUpdate   Birthright citizenship, Jessica Gorman, gas prices, and the Patreon launch headline today's A.M. Update. The Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship 6-3, overturning Trump's executive order, and Aaron says he spent a day furious about it before landing on a silver lining: it was one or two votes from going the other way, which was unthinkable ten years ago. The same SCOTUS session also upholds state bans on biological males in female athletics, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing in his concurrence that men with gender dysphoria are not women and using language to obscure that reality is lying to the public. Stephen Miller goes on Fox to call out Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts for caving to the left, and Aaron says the urgency right now has to be mass deportations, not waiting for the next ruling. Jessica Gorman, the mother of Sheridan Gorman, the 18-year-old Loyola University freshman shot and killed by a Venezuelan national in Chicago, delivers gut-wrenching testimony before the House Judiciary Committee and Aaron says he got chills. Trump and Scott Bessent both pressure gas stations to stop gouging consumers as WTI crude sits under $70 a barrel, and Aaron says the math on how fast prices go up versus how slowly they come down is pretty damning. Aaron closes with a framework for how to have an honest adult conversation about Israel, announces The A.M. Update's new Patreon at patreon.com/theAMupdate, and teases tomorrow's exclusive subscriber episode: what the A.M. Update would have sounded like on July 4th, 1776.

Trump v. Slaughter, the ballot-counting ruling, Chatrie v. United States, and Paris's heat wave blame game headline today's A.M. Update. The Supreme Court rules 5-4 that Trump can fire FTC commissioners at will, overturning 90 years of precedent protecting independent agencies, and Aaron says law professor Barb McQuade's outraged summary is basically his favorite part of the ruling. In the same session, the Court rules 5-4 that states can count mail-in ballots after election day if procedures are in place, Trump immediately calls it a tremendous loss and redoubles his push for the SAVE America Act, and Aaron says Senate Republicans need to feel more pressure than they currently do. The geofence warrant case Chatrie v. United States results in a 6-3 ruling that location data from Google counts as a Fourth Amendment search, Colorado's Supreme Court unanimously blocks a Democrat redistricting map that would have flipped three House seats, and inmates briefly seize control of a North Carolina jail before law enforcement retakes it. A JetBlue flight reports a drone strike at 3,000 feet over JFK, Aaron does the math on whether any consumer drone can actually reach that altitude, and Paris Deputy Mayor Audrey Pulvar blames American air conditioners for Europe's deadly heat wave — Aaron calls all of Europe losers for letting their politicians get away with it and tells them to demand better. Aaron closes with the Iraq anti-corruption arrests, the US-Israel-Lebanon trilateral framework, and a theory on whether Iranian proxies are quietly being dismantled, before making a full endorsement of an unnamed man in black who shot BB guns at nude cyclists in Los Angeles.    

Iran ceasefire violations, JD Vance on Bill Maher, the Venezuela earthquake, and Mike Johnson's DSA warning headline today's A.M. Update. The US strikes Iranian missile sites again after Iran fires on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, JD Vance tells Bill Maher Iran's nuclear program is functionally destroyed even without full inspections, and Aaron says nobody with a working brain is surprised Iran broke the truce. Venezuela's earthquake death toll climbs past 1,450 as rescue crews race against time, the Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to end temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian nationals, and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine pushes back on CNN. Pete Buttigieg claims a politically motivated false CPS report targeted his family, and Aaron says the story doesn't add up either way. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivers a pointed warning about a wave of DSA-backed congressional candidates nationwide, reading directly from the Democratic Socialists of America's own platform, and Aaron lays out his theory that the fusion of Marxism and Islamism is functioning as a unifying anti-Christian ideology for the secular left. California State Senator Scott Wiener gets cursed out and driven off the stage at San Francisco's Trans March for not being radical enough, and Aaron uses the moment to revisit Wiener's legislative record, which he argues should disqualify him from being held up as any kind of moral or political role model. Aaron closes by calling out fringe online voices on the right who've descended into antisemitic conspiracy theory, saying that brand of "horseshoe theory" rot is squandering a real political opportunity.

Trump and Senate GOP, NATO's Mark Rutte, Zohran Mamdani's primary sweep, and Grand Theft Auto 6 headline today's A.M. Update. Outgoing Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy reportedly gets into a shouting match with Trump at a Senate GOP lunch just weeks after losing his primary by a historic margin, and Aaron says picking that fight on his way out the door makes no sense. Trump also announces he won't sign the bipartisan housing bill until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, even though it already cleared Congress with supermajorities, and takes a swipe at NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over gas prices not falling fast enough at the pump. All three of Zohran Mamdani's endorsed candidates sweep their New York primaries, including a Democratic Socialist who knocked off a five-term incumbent, and Aaron lays out his theory for why the combination of Islamism and Marxism is proving so potent with young, secular voters. Grand Theft Auto 6 opens pre-orders for its November launch, and Aaron does the math on its reported $2 billion budget, more than it cost to build the Burj Khalifa, and questions whether that much talent and money going into a video game says something about misplaced priorities. Aaron closes the week with the poll of the week results on who's actually following the World Cup.

Trump's Pennsylvania speech, the Supreme Court, Todd Blanche's fraud sweep, and John C. Reilly headline today's A.M. Update. Trump sounds energized at a Pennsylvania factory speech focused almost entirely on cost of living and border security, briefly noting gas prices are down 60 cents a gallon, while Marco Rubio reaffirms no country can charge tolls on the Strait of Hormuz and crude oil drifts back toward $73 a barrel. The Supreme Court rules 6-3 that DHS can strip green card holders of legal status if they travel abroad while facing pending criminal charges, while two separate district judges, Amy Berman Jackson and Sparkle Sooknanan, block other Trump administration policies on SNAP benefits and a federal citizenship verification database. Acting AG Todd Blanche announces 455 healthcare fraud defendants charged since June 8th totaling $6.5 billion in false claims, and acting DNI Bill Pulte reportedly begins mass layoffs of Tulsi Gabbard-aligned staff. Actor John C. Reilly calls empathy a superpower and the cornerstone of civilization in a podcast clip, and Aaron picks the argument apart point by point, asking why that empathy never seems to extend to people like the Colorado baker who's been in court for over a decade.

Iran negotiations, Keir Starmer's resignation, Jennifer Honka, and Jeremy Clarkson headline today's A.M. Update. JD Vance says talks in Switzerland accomplished four key goals: keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, building a de-confliction mechanism for the regional ceasefire, securing UN nuclear inspections, and establishing a direct communication line with Iran, while Scott Bessent confirms a 60-day licensing window for Iranian oil sales and Trump says crude is flowing at record volumes through the Strait. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces his resignation, making him the seventh British PM in ten years, and Aaron ties the chaos directly to the country's collapsing Christian foundation, where only 6% of adults now identify as practicing Christians. A sixth suspect, Jordan W. Rinker, is publicly identified in the foiled drone and sniper plot against the UFC Freedom 250 event. A Denver Public Schools teacher named Jennifer Honka is fired after an administrative law judge finds she graded students on same-sex kissing skits in French class, and Aaron asks what kind of worldview produces an adult who thinks that's a reasonable lesson plan. Aaron closes with Jeremy Clarkson's cancer remission news and a deep dive into Clarkson's Farm, using a healthy pregnant cow killed over an inconclusive tuberculosis test as a window into Britain's broader collapse into bureaucratic self-worship.    

Iran's Strait closure, the Fauci files, JD Vance in Switzerland, and a forfeited pride night headline today's A.M. Update. Iran announces another closure of the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, citing continued fighting in southern Lebanon, even as JD Vance meets face to face with Iranian officials including President Masoud Pezeshkian's delegation in Switzerland to hammer out the technical details of last week's memorandum of understanding. Trump tells Axios that Netanyahu owes his job to Trump's restraint and admits he has to keep him "a little bit sane," and Aaron prays for fewer casualties as the whole situation continues to look messy. Outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard releases a trove of documents showing Dr. Anthony Fauci briefed CIA officials in 2021 on Wuhan gain-of-function research weeks after denying funding it under oath, and says she believes a path to prosecution still exists despite his Biden-era pardon. Pennsylvania's York Revolution forfeits its own pride night game and throws several of its players under the bus in a public statement after they refused to wear rainbow-themed jerseys, a story Aaron says is even better than last week's Giants scripture-hat saga. JD Vance also goes deep on the abolitionist versus incrementalist divide inside the pro-life movement on Allie Beth Stuckey's podcast, and Aaron closes with the rabbit hole he fell into this weekend chasing a mysterious tower on the Iowa horizon: a Cold War-era AT&T Long Lines microwave relay station.

It's AOTMA Friday on The A.M. Update. Aaron answers listener questions on faith, current events, and sports, including a viral Congressional Baseball Game catch, a closely watched abortion bill overseas, and an update on the show's ongoing podcast distribution issues.

Iran MOU, Kevin Warsh, B-52 victims, James Talarico, and John Kennedy headline today's A.M. Update. The 14-point Iran memorandum of understanding leaked via CNN and corroborated widely, and Aaron says the detractors were largely right — it reads like capitulation, though he pushes back hard on critics who can't answer what they actually wanted instead, and closes with a drill-baby-drill silver lining: WTI oil at $75 a barrel could mean $2.50 gas by Labor Day. Kevin Warsh chairs his first Fed meeting, holds rates for the fourth straight time, but nine members signal a rate hike is coming, markets sell off, and Trump says it keeps the country down before adding he's guided by his guy. Edwards Air Force Base releases the names of all eight men killed in Monday's B-52 Stratofortress crash: Col. Gregory Watson, Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, Maj. Alexander Davis, Maj. Robert Dee, Maj. Brad Hovey, Jeromy Smith, and Christopher Rischar. Radiological materials including uranium and thorium samples are found stashed in a locked cabinet at San Francisco's Hunters Point Naval Shipyard by a rogue employee of Navy subcontractor RSI Antec. John Kennedy takes a shot at JD Vance's mother in a one-liner about the Iran deal, James Talarico surfaces old footage praising a radical anti-fossil fuel group called Third Act as the most important work in Texas, and an ICE officer in Pasco County dives fully clothed into a community pool to save an unconscious child.

Tyson Proper, Heidi Beirich, JD Vance, Brendan Sorsby, and Hillary Clinton headline today's A.M. Update. The FBI disrupts a multi-state terror plot targeting the White House UFC event, arresting five people in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California after 19-year-old Tyson Proper admitted to planning drone-delivered explosive attacks with stage snipers, with Republican senators including Marsha Blackburn and Shelley Moore Capito named as targets. A DOJ superseding indictment identifies former SPLC Intelligence Project director Heidi Beirich as the official who allegedly funneled $1.2 million in donor money to her neo-Nazi informant lover, the same organization Aaron has been covering for weeks that refuses to remove TPUSA from its hate map. Fifteen Minnesota protesters face federal charges for using vehicles and blocks of ice to obstruct ICE operations. JD Vance goes on The View, rejects a vague Emmett Till premise by simply asking what specifically she is talking about, then flips the immigration inhumanity argument by pointing to tens of thousands of children sex trafficked under the previous administration. Brendan Sorsby folds under a Big 12 federal lawsuit and opts for the NFL supplemental draft, Hillary Clinton adds Joe Biden to her list of people she regrets, Trump promises to read the Iran MOU verbatim at a press conference, and a Chicago college student admits he built and burned his own cross in Grant Park to protest Trump.

Iran deal terms, Keir Starmer, Mauricio Ruffy, B-52 crash, and Gavin Newsom headline today's A.M. Update. Trump says the full Iran deal text drops after Friday's signing ceremony in Switzerland, and Andrew Colvet of TPUSA reports from an admin briefing that the framework is basically if Iran acts like a normal country it gets treated like one, though the nuclear enrichment details are still unresolved. A B-52 Stratofortress crashes shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert, and an FA-18 Hornet from MCAS Miramar goes down off the Washington coast during routine training, with the pilot ejecting safely. Gavin Newsom claims the DOJ is investigating him because he is considering a presidential run, and Aaron says he finds it very rich coming from that party specifically. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposes banning social media for all children under 16, and Aaron agrees with the stated goal while pointing out that the real mechanism, mandatory adult digital ID verification, tells you what this is actually about. Mauricio Ruffy knocks out Michael Chandler in the first round at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn, then quotes John 3:16 to the crowd and proposes to his girlfriend. Aaron closes with a viral X post listing everything that has gone right under Trump that doomers are ignoring, and a challenge to level your perspective before you despair.