Podcast appearances and mentions of Lisa Murkowski

Trump fired 1,139 FBI agents. Hegseth is wiping out the Pentagon's generals. This is not chaos. It is a purge with a plan. In this episode: •

It's Monday, August 31st, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Burmese military killed pastor and another believer The Burma Research Institute has confirmed that Rev. William, who used no last name, and another Chin Christian, Nam Ceu, were extrajudicially murdered on June 4th by the Burmese military dictatorship in Myanmar, reports International Christian Concern.  Rev. William had pastored the Chungcung Baptist Church in Chin State for more than 25 years. He was arrested with Ceu in May and had been detained by the military since then. Sources told the Burma Research Institute that Rev. William and Nam Ceu were killed for allegedly supporting the Hakha Chinland Defense Force, which is fighting against the Burmese military dictatorship. Psalm 116:15 says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Zo Tum Hmung, President of the Burma Research Institute, said, “We call the Trump administration to protect the persecuted Christians in Burma.” Send a polite, 4-sentence note to Kyaw Moe Tun, the Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations.  Address it to the Myanmar Delegation, 10 East 77th Street, New York, NY 10075. Democrat James Talarico: Muslims and Christians worship same God James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator in Texas who is running against Republican Ken Paxton, the current Texas Attorney General, falsely claimed that Muslims worship the same God as Jews and Christians. Listen. TALARICO: “Christians and Muslims and Jews all worship the same God. Muslims love Jesus. They love Moses and Abraham. We are all branches on the same tree as the Abrahamic faiths.  “So. it's heartbreaking to watch extremists, whether they are Christian nationalists or whether they're the Taliban or al-Qaeda, perverting these beautiful traditions, that have so much in common, to attack others and consolidate their own power.” There are three primary differences between Christianity and Islam. First, regarding the nature of God, Christians teach that God is the Trinity—one God existing in three co-equal, co-eternal persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19) By contrast, Islam completely rejects the Trinity. Second, Christians believe that Jesus is the divine Son of God and God incarnate who physically died on the cross for the atonement of the sins of the elect and rose from the dead. (John 1:1,14) By contrast, while Islam reveres Jesus as a major, virgin-born prophet and messenger of God, it explicitly denies His divinity, crucifixion, and resurrection. And third, Christianity teaches that salvation is a free gift of grace received through personal faith in the finished sacrificial work of Jesus Christ, rather than by human effort. (Ephesians 2:8-9) By contrast, Islam teaches that salvation depends on total submission to Allah's will, adherence to the Five Pillars of Islam, and the final judgment of one's deeds. Therefore, Muslims and Christians clearly do not worship the same God. Georgia Democrat distanced himself from antisemitic leftist Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff has offered sharp criticism of President Donald Trump which generated buzz about Ossoff potentially running for president in 2028.   That, in turn, has attracted some left-wing figures who have lauded his messaging like left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in April that he was “intrigued” by Ossoff. There are two developments of note.  First, Ossoff, whose father is Jewish, is facing criticism from some of Georgia's local Jewish community over his votes to block certain arms sales to Israel. Second, Senator Ossoff has distanced himself from Hasan Piker over recent comments that many interpreted as justifying threats to American Jews,  reports the Jewish Telegraph Agency.   Speaking on a Twitch livestream on August 20th, Piker said this. PIKER: “If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone's going to come around and take action. Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.” Last Thursday, according to Fox News, an Ossoff spokesman said that the senator “unreservedly rejects reckless and dangerous rhetoric suggesting that policy advocacy invites violence against the Jewish community or any community.” In Genesis 12:3, God said, “I will make [Israel] into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on Earth will be blessed through you.” Undercover video exposes GOP Sen. Murkowski on SAVE Act And finally, liberal Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska stood on the Senate floor and painted a grim picture of the supposed damage the SAVE America Act, or the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, would do in her home state.  This is the bill that would ensure that American citizens — and only American citizens — should decide American elections. It would simply require: A valid ID before registering to vote in a federal election. Proof of citizenship. No Mail-in Ballots (except for illness, disability, military, or travel). Listen to Senator Murkowski's claim. MURKOWSKI: “What we're talking about right now is just the registration to vote. So, you're in Unalaska -- say you're a fisherman or a teacher -- the flight to Anchorage, because this is where you're going to have to go -- you're going to have to go into Anchorage: 800 air miles, $1,100 per seat, if you can maybe get on a charter.” James O'Keefe, an undercover journalist with the O'Keefe Media Group and the Justice League, flew to Unalaska to find out firsthand if Senator Murkowski's claim was true. Listen to his analysis. O'KEEFE: “I'm James O'Keefe, and I'm in the middle of absolutely nowhere, about 800 miles off the coast of Alaska, on a remote island in the Aleutian Islands. “Now, Senator Lisa Murkowski says that one of the reasons she's not going to pass the SAVE Act is because of people that live here on this island of Unalaska.  “Senator Murkowski saying if the SAVE Act passes, online registration goes away, and the residents here, the few thousand people that live here, are going to have to fly 800 miles and spend thousands of dollars to go to Anchorage to take care of their business.  “But all the people we spoke with here, they all said that that's wrong, including the post office, the library, the city clerk, the DMV. We didn't know there was a DMV here. Everyone we spoke to here said they're able to register to vote here. They're able to prove citizenship by going to the library.  “So, Senator Murkowski says, ‘If you're a fisherman in Unalaska, the closest election office is 800 miles away; it would cost $1,500. You would also need a hotel, cabs, and food while in Anchorage. But the librarian just told us differently.” Here is the portion of the undercover investigation with a female undercover agent, who accompanied O'Keefe, to the library in Unalaska. UNDERCOVER FEMALE AGENT: “Just wanted to learn a little bit more about the process to get an ID. “ LIBRARIAN: “We do passports here.” UNDERCOVER AGENT: “Oh, you do passports here.” UNDERCOVER O'KEEFE: “Mmm.” UNDERCOVER FEMALE AGENT:  “That's good to know, though, that if somebody wants to confirm their citizenship, they can do it here.” UNDERCOVER O'KEEFE: “To get the Alaska ID, do you get it here or back in Anchorage?” LIBRARIAN: “Oh no, here. The DMV should be the near the police station.” UNDERCOVER O'KEEFE: “So, we don't have to go to Anchorage to get it.”  LIBRARIAN: “No, no, no. As long as you have all the paperwork you need.”  UNDERCOVER O'KEEFE: “But I read in the newspaper that the senator [Lisa Murkowski], said, ‘Oh, they're going to pass this SAVE Act, and everyone's got to go to Anchorage to get it.'” LIBRARIAN: “I don't think so.” UNDERCOVER O'KEEFE: “Oh no. Okay.” Proverbs 12:19 says, “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” Call liberal Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski's office in DC, 24 hours a day/7 days a week, and ask the live operator to connect you to her voicemail, urging her to support the SAVE America Act. Her number is (202) 224-6665. Tell her that you reject her false claim that people in the Aleutian Islands have to travel 800 miles by air to register to vote in Anchorage. Plus, call your two Senators at 202-224-3121 and ask them to vote for the SAVE America Act as well. Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, August 31st, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ

Is a story of absurdities that never get old, former GOP congressman Matt Gaetz is preparing to sue the WNBA for not allowing a former NBA star to join, which is discrimination from where he sits. If transgender men are allowed to play, why not someone who SAYS they're a tranny? How far can this go? Independent journalist James O'Keefe travels to the remote Aleutian Islands in Alaska to see if it really is as hard as Senator Lisa Murkowski suggests to register and vote. You'll never guess what O'Keefe discovers (syrupy sarcasm intended.)  

Corey Inganamort and Matt Vespa discuss the latest news of the day! From last night's South Carolina election results, Lisa Murkowski being exposed by James O'Keefe, El-Sayed's disastrous Fox News interview, and the outlook for the 2026 election, the guys have you covered!

CannCon and Ashe open with the CIA director making an unannounced trip to Moscow and speculate on what business would justify a visit nobody was supposed to know about. From there they dig into three Secret Service communications officials being suspended and stripped of clearances in a leak probe that appears tied to the Air Force One plane swap story, with both the FBI and CIA involved. The middle of the show covers the Department of Education rollback and a Colorado teacher taking on her own union, sparking a broader conversation about decision rights and who should actually hold them. The back half is heavy on elections, from Michigan's motor voter whistleblower claims and a Postal Service standoff with a federal judge to an Ohio proof of citizenship block and Lisa Murkowski's shifting explanations on the Save America Act. Plenty of banter and real depth throughout.

Today Joe pulls back the curtain on an election system that keeps handing Americans excuses instead of answers. Eyewitnesses out of Shasta County reveal poll workers describing counterfeit ballots slipped into California's primary count, while another courageous county clerk begs Washington for basic help keeping noncitizens off her voter rolls — only to reveal the Secretary of State's own office is registering illegal immigrants the moment they update an address. Joe contrasts that rot with a CNN graphic even the network can't spin away: overwhelming majorities of Black, white, and Latino voters all want photo ID at the polls. Then James O'Keefe joins the fight, calling out Senator Lisa Murkowski for threatening to prosecute him over voter fraud while she personally torpedoes the SAVE Act — the legislation that would actually stop it. It's a masterclass in who's protecting the vote and who's protecting the fraud.From there, Joe welcomes America First organizer and Colorado GOP delegate James McAndrew — a man who was on the ground at the Ellipse on January 6th and has spent every day since fighting for election integrity from the inside. McAndrew breaks down what's really happening in Colorado politics, and Joe drops the truth, nine — soon revealed as ten — Democrat-held State House seats where not a single Republican even bothered to file. It's an uncontested one-party rule, playing out in real time, next door to a Denver street scene of addicts getting high in broad daylight — the predictable output of the same failed leadership. The conversation turns to a wrongly deported immigrant's CBS interview, a fresh 6-3 Supreme Court win clearing the path for Trump's mail-ballot executive order, and — because nothing is off-limits — the President's plan to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America."The back half of the show is a gut-check on what "sanctuary" really means. California just codified the "Stop Nick Shirley Act" into law, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is celebrating a statute that bans police from cooperating with ICE while accusing federal agents of "atrocities," and Minnesota is now issuing public safety warnings about Somali gang violence at the State Fair. Add in the Girl Scouts' new Islam-themed merit badges and a Clinton-appointed federal judge striking down Ohio's citizenship-verification voter law weeks before the midterms, and the pattern is impossible to ignore: institutions built to protect citizens are being repurposed to protect everyone but them. Tune in as Joe connects every thread — because if you're not watching closely, you won't see it coming until it's already at your door.

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Investigative journalist and O’Keefe Media Group founder James O’Keefe joins Tudor Dixon to reveal what his undercover investigations uncovered about vulnerabilities in America’s election system. O’Keefe takes Tudor inside his recent investigations in Michigan, Minnesota, Alaska, and California, including allegations involving non-citizen voting, voter ID requirements, absentee ballots, ballot harvesting, and Minnesota’s controversial voter “vouching” system. O’Keefe also discusses his investigation in Alaska involving Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s brother, the calls for his prosecution following his undercover reporting, and why he says his team carefully avoided illegally casting or obtaining ballots while documenting potential weaknesses in election safeguards. The conversation also turns to California, where O’Keefe says his reporting uncovered people paying homeless individuals to forge signatures on petitions and register to vote—an investigation he says ultimately resulted in an FBI arrest. Tudor and O’Keefe discuss the SAVE Act, election integrity, voter ID, censorship, the role of investigative journalism, and why O’Keefe believes exposing election vulnerabilities on camera is more powerful than simply telling Americans they exist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After James O'Keefe managed to get the ballot of Senator Lisa Murkowski's brother at an Alaska voting location, the senator calls not for the SAVE America Act requiring Voter ID to be passed - but for O'Keefe to be prosecuted. How does that work again? It wasn't just China that hacked our voter rolls. Four other countries did too. And the CIA knew about it but never told President Trump. (Chris Wray = treason). For many people - the arrest of Nicolas Maduro is starting to make more sense...  

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday says the U.S. is unveiling what he calls the toughest sanctions in history on Iran. Bessent says he will announce the details on Monday. He says the measures will target Iran's ability to generate revenue and support its military and is warning countries and companies that continue trading with Iran that they could also face U-S penalties.The U.S. military on Friday says all eight people aboard a charter plane are dead, after it crashed at a remote radar site in western Alaska. Officials say the twin-engine Cessna was carrying two pilots and six passengers when it went down on THursday about 450 miles west of Anchorage. Air Force Lieutenant General Robert Davis called it ‘a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve.' Senator Lisa Murkowski offered condolences to the victims' families. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.A popular election forecaster, Cook Political Report, has shifted Senate races in red states into toss-up territory. Control of the senate as a whole is a toss-up, but many analysts predict that socialist wins in battleground primaries will hurt Democrats' chances. Democrats will need a net gain of four seats to take control of the upper chamber.

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this episode of The Wright Report, Bryan breaks down the White House's new childhood vaccine schedule aligning the US with Europe, alongside newly uncovered Fauci text messages showing he privately worried the COVID shot could cause miscarriages while publicly insisting it was safe. Bryan covers a wave of admissions from academia, with UC professors now pushing to reinstate the SAT after watching students arrive unable to handle basic coursework, plus alarming new data showing most New York elementary schoolers can't read at grade level despite record spending. He also breaks down his heated pushback against GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski's defense of the Smithsonian against Trump's bias claims. Plus, Bryan covers fresh intelligence warning of another mass Muslim migrant crossing into Spain's Ceuta enclave planned for August 15th, allegedly orchestrated by Morocco's king, and growing evidence connecting that effort to Spain's Marxist government. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32   Keywords: Wright Report, Bryan Dean Wright, vaccine schedule, RFK Jr, Tony Fauci texts, COVID vaccine, miscarriage, SAT reinstatement, UC system, New York schools, Smithsonian, Lisa Murkowski, Morocco, Ceuta, Spain, Pedro Sanchez

It's Monday, August 10th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Sudanese armed executed pastor and 6 others extrajudicially A pastor in Sudan's Nuba Mountains was executed extrajudicially, along with six other people, after members of an armed faction arrested him at his church residence in the town of Heban, reports The Christian Post. The Rev. Adil Jangoul, of the Sudanese Episcopal Church, was detained on July 23 inside the church compound in Heban's Erie neighborhood, where he lived, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Members of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement-North, an armed group in the region, seized his money and arrested him without incident. However, his body was later found on a road alongside those of six other people, all from the Otoro ethnic group, most of whom are Christian. All seven had been killed in extrajudicial executions. Christian Solidarity Worldwide President Mervyn Thomas said he was deeply troubled by the rising bloodshed, some of it apparently ethnically motivated. He called the killings especially perplexing because the Nuba Mountains had long been a place of peaceful co-existence, even through Sudan's dictatorship and the civil war. Send a polite, 3-sentence note to the Sudanese Ambassador to America, Mohamed Idris, asking that their government do more to protect the Sudanese Christians. Send it to: 2210 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008 or email: consular@sudanembassy.org. James 4:17 says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do, and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” Senate Confirms Todd Blanche as Attorney General President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche, was confirmed in a late night vote in the Senate after a handful of fellow Republicans reconsidered their opposition, reports The Epoch Times. Blanche was confirmed in a 50–49 vote in the early hours of August 8th, with Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting in opposition. The deciding vote was cast by GOP Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who announced on Friday that he believed Blanche was the best option that Trump would put forward. GOP Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky did not vote because he is still recuperating from an illness. Fauci subpoenaed by 3 GOP AGs for profiting from COVID guidance Following two disastrous U.S. Senate hearings in as many weeks and publication of his personal diary, Dr. Anthony Fauci has now been subpoenaed by three Republican state attorneys general seeking to determine whether he personally profited from guidance he issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports LifeSiteNews.com. While President Joe Biden gave the COVID kahuna a blanket pardon stretching from 2014 to the final day of his presidency, that pardon protects Fauci only from federal prosecution, leaving him exposed to potential legal actions from the states.  Last Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his state has teamed up with West Virginia and Louisiana to investigate “awards, professional opportunities, financial incentives, grants, and COVID-19 guidance that impacted Florida businesses and consumers.” Uthmeier said that Fauci's diaries “detail substantial awards” connected to the Sunshine State, including a $900,000 Dan David Foundation prize. The Florida Attorney General also cited other troubling ways Fauci may have personally profited from his handling of COVID, such as “offers of named professorships and book deals, board positions, private foundation partnerships, and other professional and financial opportunities concurrent with his federal role and public recommendations impacting Florida.”  The once self-proclaimed “most famous scientist in the world” who obtained secular sainthood status during the pandemic has faced a sudden reversal of fortune this summer. In the words of Victor Davis Hanson, “The Fauci files reveal not just a sociopathic narcissist but also a pathological schizophrenic.” And Fox News host Laura Ingraham alleged that during his time as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022, Fauci was “a liar, a megalomaniac, a phony, and a total narcissist all rolled into one.” Senator Fetterman takes issue with anti-Israel Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Appearing on CNN, Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, one of the few Democrats who supports Israel, took issue with Abdul El-Sayed, the newly selected Muslim Democratic nominee to the U.S. Senate from Michigan. Listen. FETTERMAN: “I can't come together with someone if you are willing to embrace people that that loves Hamas or that thinks America deserved 9/11. I think that's reasonable. I think that's the reasonable view. That's not a big tent situation. There are things that are unacceptable to have these views as a Democrat, I think.” Inspiring CEO gives company to charity after working 58 years And finally, Grady-White Boats market their 18 to 45-foot-long vessels as the “finest boats ever crafted” which is quite the statement. For 58 years, Eddie Smith Jr., Grady-White's ex-CEO, worked 80-100 hour workweeks to salvage the near-bankrupt boat builder and turn it into a 9-figure revenue generator that will now power philanthropy in perpetuity, reports GoodNewsNetwork.org. That's because Smith turned down multiple offers around half a billion dollars in order to pass controlling stakes in Grady-White Boats to a “purpose trust” that will operate it according to his values and convert its bottom line into community service, conservation, and other philanthropic causes. Profiled by Fortune Magazine, Smith said he was inspired by entrepreneurs like Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, who also turned the brand into a financial engine for conservation. He said, “I just think that those of us that are fortunate enough to be in a position to help others…It's really a gift to me to be able to do what I do.” Born to a father who was orphaned at age 10 during the Great Depression, Smith Jr. grew up near the poverty line. The first break was when his father worked enough odd jobs to start a mail order business. The son, who remembers eating SPAM 3 times a week, then lied about his age to get a job on a paper route, before becoming the first in his family to graduate from college at the University of North Carolina in 1965. Finding Grady-White Boats in a near-bankrupt state, Smith Jr., who described himself as having an “entrepreneurial itch” to prove himself, borrowed some money and took over the business, forsaking golf, his favorite pastime, for over 30 years. Today, revenues average over $100 million per year. When he was given an award known as the Order of the Tar Heel, the highest honor in North Carolina by the state's Labor Commissioner, Eddie Smith was characteristically humble. Listen. SMITH: “Any honor that I am fortunate enough to receive, I receive on behalf of all these wonderful people. You're looking out right there at some of the best craftsmen and most dedicated workers, not only in North Carolina, but I would say in the world. Any accolades that come my way come my way because of them and what they've accomplished here at Grady White.” 1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, August 10th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Is Darlene Graham a true conservative or a hidden liberal operative?

Is Darlene Graham hiding a secret liberal agenda ahead of the South Carolina Senate primary?

This Day in Legal History: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joins the CourtOn August 10, 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, becoming the second woman—and the first Jewish woman—ever to serve on it. She had been confirmed by the Senate just a week earlier by a lopsided 96 to 3, a margin that is almost unimaginable for a Supreme Court nominee today, and she took the seat vacated by the retiring Justice Byron White.Ginsburg reached the Court after one of the most consequential legal careers of the twentieth century—much of it spent, as a litigator, dismantling sex discrimination brick by brick. In the 1970s, as head of the ACLU's Women's Rights Project, she argued a series of cases before the very Court she would later join, persuading an all-male bench to recognize that treating men and women differently under the law often rested on nothing but stereotype. She was strategic and incremental, sometimes choosing male plaintiffs to show that gender lines cut both ways. On the Court, she became known for landmark majority opinions like United States v. Virginia, striking down the male-only admissions policy at the Virginia Military Institute, and, later, for pointed dissents that made her an unlikely cultural icon.The significance of August 10, 1993 is a fitting frame for today's news, because it raises a question the Court is wrestling with right now: when justices come and when they go. Ginsburg famously declined to retire during President Obama's second term, confident she could outlast the political moment; when she died in September 2020, President Trump filled her seat, shifting the Court's balance for a generation. That episode turned “strategic retirement” from an academic debate into a live and painful one—and it's the exact debate hanging over our second story today. Ginsburg's life is a reminder both of how much a single justice can shape the law, and of how fraught the timing of a lifetime appointment has become.The Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general, ending one of the most bruising cabinet fights of Trump's second term with a razor-thin 50-49 vote taken overnight on Saturday. We've followed this saga from the beginning—the tense confirmation hearing, the stalled committee vote, the eleventh-hour deal to rescind the anti-weaponization fund—and this is where it lands. Two Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, broke ranks and voted no, citing concerns ranging from the Epstein files to that $1.8 billion fund; Senator Bill Cassidy provided the decisive vote, saying Blanche was the best option the president was likely to offer. Blanche, you'll recall, was Trump's personal criminal defense lawyer before joining the Justice Department, and that's the heart of why this was so contested: the concern that the nation's top law-enforcement officer would serve the president personally rather than the law. The significance is twofold. First, the margin itself—a single vote, with defections from the president's own party—signals just how uneasy even some Republicans were about Blanche's independence. Second, remember what it took to get here: Blanche had to formally dismantle a controversial initiative to win confirmation. But as Democrats pointed out, that was an executive-branch promise, not a law, and the same executive branch can revisit it. So Blanche takes office as attorney general having made a concession whose durability is genuinely uncertain—confirmed, but on the narrowest possible terms and with the questions about his independence very much unresolved. Senate Republicans narrowly confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general | ReutersNPR · Washington PostJustice Samuel Alito has put an end to a summer of retirement speculation, confirming that he intends to stay on the Supreme Court. “Obviously, I'm here for another term,” the 76-year-old justice said in an interview published in the Wall Street Journal's editorial pages. The speculation had reached a fever pitch back in June, when a veteran Supreme Court reporter's pre-written retirement story was published by mistake and then quickly retracted—but the talk never fully died down. What makes Alito's statement legally and politically interesting is what he pushed back on. He explicitly rejected the suggestion that he should time his retirement strategically—stepping down now, while President Trump is in office and Republicans control the Senate, so that a younger conservative could be confirmed to replace him and hold the seat for decades. And that is exactly where today's Ginsburg anniversary comes crashing in. Justice Ginsburg made the opposite bet: she declined calls to retire while President Obama could name her successor, and when she died in 2020, a president of the opposite party filled her seat and reshaped the Court. That history is precisely why so many now urge aging justices to retire strategically. Alito is declining to play that game—at least publicly. The significance is that this keeps a reliably conservative vote on the Court for now, but it also spotlights an uncomfortable feature of our system: lifetime tenure means the timing of a single retirement can shape constitutional law for a generation, and we increasingly expect justices to make that intensely personal decision with one eye on the electoral calendar. Justice Alito says he is staying on Supreme Court for another term | ReutersABC News · FortuneAnd finally, a federal judge has approved more than $2.5 billion in settlements that New Jersey reached with DuPont, Chemours, Corteva, and 3M to resolve claims over contamination from PFAS—the “forever chemicals” that have become one of the biggest environmental-liability stories of the decade. Chief U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb signed off on Friday, ending a legal battle that began back in 2019. A quick primer: PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals used in everything from nonstick coatings to firefighting foam, and they're called “forever chemicals” because they essentially don't break down in the environment or the human body, and they've been linked to serious health harms. New Jersey sued under a natural-resource-damages theory—the idea that these companies polluted the state's shared resources, its water and land, and must pay to restore them. The numbers are substantial: DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva will pay $875 million over 25 years, clean up four former industrial sites, and fund a $1.2 billion remediation account; 3M will pay up to $450 million. The judge called the deal “fair, reasonable and adequate” and even an “impressive windfall” given the risks of taking such a case to trial. The significance is that this is one of the largest state PFAS recoveries yet, and it fits the mass-tort pattern we've watched all summer—from talc to Roundup—where companies, facing enormous litigation exposure, choose certainty over trial. But this one has an environmental twist: beyond the money, it forces the actual cleanup of contaminated sites, and it gives every other state attorney general eyeing PFAS litigation a $2.5 billion data point to bring to their own negotiating table. New Jersey's $2.5 billion ‘forever chemicals' settlements with DuPont, 3M, others win court approval | ReutersPhiladelphia Inquirer · New Jersey Attorney General This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has introduced a bill that would allow federal fishery managers to start analyzing the DNA collected in ocean waters to help inform their decisions. And an answer to Juneau's plea for a solution to glacial outburst flooding is on the horizon. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday. Photo: Suicide Basin, pictured in 2023, is the birthplace of Juneau's annual glacial outburst flood. It sits about two miles above the terminus of Mendenhall Glacier. (Anna Canny/KTOO)

SEND ME A TEXT MESSAGE NOWWhat happens when political principles collide with political survival, presidential power runs into constitutional limits, and one of the world's most important military alliances confronts a question nobody wants answered the hard way?Jeff Alan Wolf looks at the growing political drama surrounding Todd Blanche and the Republican senators who could determine his future as attorney general. Senator's Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have each taken positions that raise a larger question about Washington: When politicians talk about principle, how much of what we're hearing is conviction, and how much is calculation?Donald Trump's controversial $400 million White House ballroom is back in the courts, and the latest development could have implications reaching far beyond one enormous construction project. The fight over the White House raises a fundamental question about presidential power, Congress and just how much freedom any president should have to reshape the People's House.Then there's Vladimir Putin, NATO and Article 5. A recent U.S. intelligence assessment raises an unsettling possibility about what Putin may be considering and why the real objective might have less to do with winning a conventional war than discovering whether NATO's most important promise is as strong as its members say it is.For more than 75 years, NATO deterrence has depended on potential adversaries believing that an attack against one member means confronting the entire alliance. But what happens when an adversary starts wondering whether everybody would actually keep that promise when keeping it suddenly becomes dangerous?In this episode of A World Gone Mad, Jeff digs beneath the headlines to examine political loyalty in Washington, the boundaries of presidential authority and a potential challenge to NATO that could carry consequences far beyond Europe. The questions are already uncomfortable. The answers could be considerably more so.Subscribe to A World Gone Mad with Jeff Alan Wolf for independent news commentary that looks beyond today's headlines to the bigger forces shaping American democracy.Looking for more independent news commentary and original articles?Visit Jeff's Substack The Wolf's Denhttps://open.substack.com/pub/jeffalanwolfAWorldGoneMadPodcast@gmail.com

August 7, 2026 – 6am: Iran latest: Oman, Tehran reach agreement on Strait of Hormuz, demands commitment from U.S. before Strait reopens “Behind the Curtain: Trump's Quicksand”: Jim VandeHei discusses the latest piece he co-authored for AXIOS Jake Sherman shares his exclusive sit-down interview with Trump for Punchbowl News Sen. Lisa Murkowski to vote NO on Blanche nomination Graeme Wood discusses his latest piece for The Atlantic, “What happened to Al-Qaeda?” To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Friday, August 7, 2026 Today, Trump and Hegseth got into a shouting match at Camp David over munitions inventory; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Republicans voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt; a federal judge has held the Department of Homeland Security in contempt over Los Angeles immigration sweeps; ICE detained a University of Maryland teacher of the year at the Dallas Fort Worth airport; a federal judge has paused an order for Trump to send financials in the BBC lawsuit; the Pentagon policy chief can't seem to get an invite to Beijing; plus Allison and Dana deliver your Good News. Thank You, IQBAR Text DAILYBEANS to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply.  The Trump Epstein Memorial Bookmobile The Daily Beans is proud to partner with Miles Taylor and our friends at DEFIANCE.org For a limited time, members of the Daily Beans community can receive a FREE 3-month full membership to DEFIANCE.org and gain access to one of the fastest-growing pro-democracy movements in America. Join here: https://www.defiance.org/beans Diamond Dames - Subscribe here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdw5wpZniLeg&si=YB1KlvnjmA4CxxV3https://diamond-dames.simplecast.com/ Guest: John FugelsangThe John Fugelsan Show Sirius XM Progress 127 Weekdays at 12 AM ET The John Fugelsang Podcast, John Fugelsang|Substack, @johnfugelsang|Bluesky, @JohnFugelsang|TwitterSeparation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang The Latest Breakdown→ Todd Blanche Admits Epstein Redaction Error StoriesSenate Panel Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt for Refusing to Answer Questions | WSJ Judge pauses order sending Trump financial data to BBC | POLITICO Trump, Hegseth clashed at Camp David over Iran missile depletion concerns | The Washington Post Pentagon policy chief can't get invited to Beijing | POLITICO ICE detains University of Maryland "teacher of the year" at Dallas airport | CBS Baltimore Federal judge holds DHS in contempt over Los Angeles immigration sweeps | The HillGood TroubleNoHateInWaState.org @nohateinwastate on Bluesky@nohateinwastate - Instagram Check your voter registration and deadlines → Voter Registration Deadlines - Vote.org →Blue Wave California- secure.actblue.com/donate/msw-bwc →Helpline Orientation- Spanish Speakers Needed! · VoteRiders →Help save Texas from Ken Paxton! →Urge Democrats to Oppose and Stop Trump's Crypto Corruption | Indivisible Guide →Defiance.org/beans →Stand With Minnesota →iceout.org Good NewsGet Involved - Animal Shelter | seattle.gov Women's Pro Baseball League The National Military Monument Twisted Bine Beer Co. dana-goldbergs-southwest-funnyfest Oct 9 -Email Dana@DanaGoldberg.com for sponsorship informationTickets for Dana Goldberg: Outrageous - Sep 23 - Den Theater - Chicago  →Share your Good News & Good Trouble - The Daily Beans →Beans Talk audio -beans-talk.simplecast.com Subscribe to the MSW on YouTube - MSW Media - YouTube Our Donation Links The Trevor Project - trevorproject.org/beans Blue Wave California - ActBlue.com/donate/msw-bwc Donate to Public Citizen - https://citizen.org/beans/ Donate to It Gets Better / The Daily Beans Fundraiser Pathways to Citizenship - boomerang - pathways  Dana and The Daily Beans support of Human Rights Campaign ONE CAUSE HRC The Daily Beans supports It Gets BetterNational Security Counselors - Donate, WhistleblowerAid.org/beans Dr. Allison Gill - The Breakdown | Allison Gill, Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com - Bluesky, MSW & The Daily Beans Podcast @muellershewrote - Instagram, MSW Media - YouTube →Federal workers email AG - fedoath@pm.me Dana Goldberg - Dana is on Patreon! At Dana's Dugout, @dgcomedy - Bluesky, @dgcomedy - IG, Dana Goldberg - Facebook,  DanaGoldberg.com More from MSW Media - Shows, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | Allison Gill Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

P.M. Edition for Aug. 7. The U.S. lost 23,000 jobs last month, surprising economists who had expected a gain. WSJ economics reporter Matt Grossman discusses the sectors that saw the biggest losses and gains, and what this latest report means for the Fed. Plus, an appeals court rules that construction on President Trump's planned White House ballroom must stop. And as New York City has rolled out its new pied-à-terre tax, wealthy homeowners are pushing back. We hear from Journal real estate reporter Rebecca Picciotto about the ways they're doing it, from lawsuits to potential loopholes. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike breaks down a whirlwind day in Washington as Sen. Lisa Murkowski announces her opposition to Todd Blanche’s nomination for Attorney General—only for breaking news to upend the story when Sen. Bill Cassidy delivers a pivotal vote that changes the outcome. Along the way, Mike examines the growing divide between establishment Republicans and the America First movement, reacts to the latest developments surrounding the Save America Act, and shares why he believes conservative leadership is more important than ever. Plus, South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman joins Mike to discuss his Senate campaign, the race to succeed Lindsey Graham, election integrity, Senate reform, and why he believes his record—not political promises—makes the strongest case to represent the Palmetto State.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AP's Lisa Dwyer reports on a Republican Senator's opposition to Todd Blanche's nomination.

President Trump lays out his strongest case yet for voter ID, proof of citizenship, the SAVE America Act, John Thune, the filibuster, and why Republicans risk losing the country if they fail to act. Plus, Todd Blanche, Lisa Murkowski, and what’s next.Become a Townhall VIP member with promo code "LARRY": https://townhall.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sen. Bill Cassidy says he will support Todd Blanche for attorney general despite concerns about the nominee and Justice Department. The decision comes as Blanche faces scrutiny over the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" and handling of the Epstein files. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed with the latest news from a leading Black-owned & controlled media company: https://aurn.com/newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hawk breaks down Trump's reaction, a Truth Social post calling El-Sayed a communist, alleging fraud in Wayne County, and warning of a rigged election. Hawk argues the cities Trump singles out when he cries fraud, going back to 2020, are consistently those with large Black and Latino populations, and connects it to the Supreme Court's rollback of the Voting Rights Act. He also covers JD Vance's response and the pattern of pardons for fraud convictions, work tracked by former pardon attorney Liz Oyer. The confirmation math is the other thread. With the Senate at 52 present votes, Blanche can lose only two Republicans. Susan Collins is a no, Lisa Murkowski is undecided, and Louisiana's Bill Cassidy told SiriusXM he is not yet convinced, drawing a distinction between an attorney general who was once Trump's lawyer and a personal lawyer who is now attorney general. Hawk closes on the Florida subpoena of Anthony Fauci, arguing Fauci held an advisory role with no authority to order anyone. SUPPORT & CONNECT WITH HAWK- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mdg650hawk - Hawk's Merch Store: https://hawkmerchstore.com - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mdg650hawk7thacct - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkeyewhackamole - Connect on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mdg650hawk.bsky.social - Connect on Substack: https://mdg650hawk.substack.com - Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkpodcasts - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdg650hawk - Connect on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mdg650hawk ALL HAWK PODCASTS INFO- Additional Content Available Here: https://www.hawkpodcasts.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts- Listen to Hawk Podcasts On Your Favorite Platform:Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RWeJfyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/422GDuLYouTube: https://youtube.com/@hawkpodcastsiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/47vVBdPPandora: https://bit.ly/48COaTB

Seward's 71st annual silver salmon derby will open on August 8th; and republican leaders in the U.S. Senate are trying to round up the votes to confirm Todd Blanche, President Trump's pick for attorney general, and all eyes are on Alaska's senior Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Sen. Lisa Murkowski deflects when asked how she'll vote on President Trump's pick for attorney general. The Trump Administration is again threatening cuts to the federal Essential Air Service program, which provides funding for flights to and from rural Alaska. And firefighters are battling a wildland fire that broke out north of Haines over the weekend.Photo: The Boulder Fire on Aug. 3, two days after it was reported. (Dawn Drotos)

Tuesday, August 4, 2026 Today, Cornyn and Tillis cave as Todd Blanche writes a legally dubious rescission of the Slush Fund but keeps Trump's tax immunity in place; Donald Trump is considering firing Jeanine Pirro over the dismissing the Reflecting Pool charges and claiming it wasn't vandals; ICE handed over letters and drawings it seized from children in detention pursuant to my freedom of information act request; the Senate has finalized a stop gap that would block Trump's grant overhaul; the Pentagon is relying on closed-door hearings to kick out transgender troops; plus Allison delivers your Good News. Thank You, IQBAR Text DAILYBEANS to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply.  Thank You, Helix 20% off Sitewide when you go to HelixSleep.com/dailybeans The Trump Epstein Memorial Bookmobile The Daily Beans is proud to partner with Miles Taylor and our friends at DEFIANCE.org For a limited time, members of the Daily Beans community can receive a FREE 3-month full membership to DEFIANCE.org and gain access to one of the fastest-growing pro-democracy movements in America. Join here: https://www.defiance.org/beans Join The Daily Beans and give a gift today to ensure The Trevor Project can continue its crucial work in the face of continued challenges. Donate to The Trevor Project - Daily Beans Podcast The Latest Breakdown→ NEW: Todd Blanche Admits Epstein Redaction Error StoriesBREAKING: EXCLUSIVE: ICE Seized Drawings from Children in Detention. I Sued, and Today I Got Them. | muelershewrote.com Todd Blanche on track for confirmation after Cornyn strikes Trump settlement deal | POLITICO Furious Trump considers removing Jeanine Pirro over Reflecting Pool filing, sources say | CNN Politics Senate finalizes funding patch that would block Trump's grant overhaul | POLITICO Inside the Secretive Boards Deciding Trans Troops' Fate | The New York TimesGood Trouble Cards inserted: "The employees who made this product were laid off as a direct result of Donald Trump's war with Iran.” Check your voter registration and deadlines → Voter Registration Deadlines - Vote.org →Blue Wave California- secure.actblue.com/donate/msw-bwc →Help save Texas from Ken Paxton! →Urge Democrats to Oppose and Stop Trump's Crypto Corruption | Indivisible Guide →Defiance.org/beans →Stand With Minnesota →iceout.org Good NewsFoundation for Working Families - Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO dana-goldbergs-southwest-funnyfest Oct 9 -Email Dana@DanaGoldberg.com for sponsorship informationTickets for Dana Goldberg: Outrageous - Sep 23 - Den Theater - Chicago  →Share your Good News & Good Trouble - The Daily Beans →Beans Talk audio -beans-talk.simplecast.com →Email Dana LGBTQ Owned eating establishments in your area - hello@mswmedia.com Subject: “Dana's Project” Subscribe to the MSW YouTube Channel - MSW Media - YouTube Our Donation Links The Trevor Project - trevorproject.org/beans Blue Wave California - https://secure.actblue.com/donate/msw-bwc Donate to Public Citizen - https://citizen.org/beans/ Donate to It Gets Better / The Daily Beans Fundraiser Pathways to Citizenship - https://crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonation Join Dana and The Daily Beans in support of Human Rights Campaign http://onecau.se/_ekes71National Security Counselors - Donate, ActBlue.com/donate/msw-bwc, WhistleblowerAid.org/beans Dr. Allison Gill - The Breakdown | Allison Gill, Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com - Bluesky, MSW & The Daily Beans Podcast @muellershewrote - Instagram, MSW Media - YouTube →Federal workers - email AG - fedoath@pm.me Dana Goldberg - Dana is on Patreon! At Dana's Dugout, @dgcomedy - Bluesky, @dgcomedy - IG, Dana Goldberg - Facebook,  DanaGoldberg.com More from MSW Media - Shows - MSW Media, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | Allison Gill Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chuck Todd argues Republicans and the White House are frantically trying to manufacture headlines about the past precisely because the actual news of the present is terrible for the GOP, and because the very issues that got Trump elected are the ones he's now ignoring. Democrats are winning heading into the midterms, TChuck says; the only real question is by how much, which is exactly why Republicans are so desperate to feed their base culture-war red meat as a distraction. But the story Chuck argues is being dangerously underplayed is the Iran war, which is no longer a regional conflict at all: close to thirty countries have been directly involved, multiple nations have been hit, and the Iran and Ukraine wars have effectively merged through shared supply chains — Russia has launched thousands of Iranian-made drones at Ukraine, improved and manufactured them, and is now shipping them back to Iran, while Ukrainian air defense teams have been redeployed to the Middle East and the American stockpile of interceptor missiles has been so massively depleted that commanders are rationing them. He calls the war the dumbest mistake a president has made in decades, while rising oil prices help both Iran and Russia.. It's not World War III, he cautions, but it's genuinely hard to see how it ends, and Congress should be singularly focused on it and simply isn't. He then pivots to what he calls a politics of AI that hasn't been invented yet, where the public is way ahead of the politicians: 72% of Americans have used AI in the past three months and like it, but the vast majority don't trust big tech or the AI companies, and the fierce backlash against data centers is really the manifestation of a deeper anger ever since tech companies stopped trying to improve lives and started maximizing engagement. The public isn't rejecting AI, he argues, it's rejecting the technologists, and Trump has planted himself firmly on the side of the tech companies over the public. He closes by lamenting that political energy is being spent on Fauci rather than pandemic preparedness — before quick hits on Todd Achilles getting a one-on-one race in Idaho, Seth Bodnar leading in Montana if the Democrat can be coaxed into dropping out, and the question hanging over Michigan: if Abdul El-Sayed loses, will it have been because of Mamdani's Israel speech? Then, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear — the popular two-term Democrat in a deep-red state and a name increasingly floated for 2028 — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation that opens with Kentucky's famous Fancy Farm Picnic and the increasingly countercultural idea that political disagreement shouldn't make people enemies. Beshear turns pointed on Mitch McConnell, who he says has been absent for six weeks without speaking to him, arguing that McConnell has a fundamental duty to level with the people of Kentucky about his condition.. Beshear notes the governor has no authority to declare a vacancy, calls on John Thune to help put the concerns to rest, and observes pointedly that if the situation were reversed, McConnell would be ruthlessly tactical about it — and that the right should arguably be angrier, since it's one fewer vote for the GOP agenda. Beshear reflects at length and with real emotion on the COVID years, which he calls the war of our time with a higher casualty rate than most Americans appreciate, credits Kentucky's expanded Medicaid with keeping the state from running out of hospital beds, and warning that Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will close 35 hospitals in Kentucky alone. He's sharply critical of Rand Paul for dragging Fauci into character-assassination hearings while staying conspicuously silent on McConnell, and reminds listeners it was Trump who ordered governors to shut down the economy, not Fauci. The conversation turns to Beshear's political philosophy and the road ahead for Democrats. He rejects the "moderate" label in favor of "pragmatic," arguing that the constant battle to label everyone misses how much more complicated reality actually is. Beshear makes the case that Democrats don't win by becoming a Democratic version of McConnell or Trump, that the party needs to be the party of making the economy work again, and that it should champion structural reforms like campaign finance amendments, outlawing gerrymandering, and directly electing the president. He's visibly frustrated with Democrats who blame other Democrats when Republicans are the ones doing the damage — there's no time for "woulda-couldas," he argues, when Trump and the GOP are inflicting this much harm. As a leader in the Democratic Governors Association, Beshear lays out where he sees real opportunity: big resources heading into Georgia, the critical importance of Katie Hobbs winning in Arizona to ensure a fair 2028 election, and the DGA's willingness to spend anywhere it can win. He addresses the data center backlash as fundamentally rooted in anxiety about AI and big tech's failure to talk to the communities it moves into, and stays characteristically coy about his own 2028 ambitions. Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 Independents/Independent minded leaders who could reshape the U.S. Senate and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Play ball and swing for the fences on FanDuel, an official partner of the MLB at https://FANDUEL.COM. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. For free and unbiased Medicare help, dial (980) 734-3985 to speak with my trusted partner, Chapter, or go to askchapter.org/chuck /*Paid Partnership Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:45 Republicans & WH are trying to manufacture the headlines 03:15 Attacking Fauci, going after Smithsonian, relitigating 2020 election 04:00 These stories are about yesterday, modern headlines are bad for GOP 04:30 The issues that got Trump elected are the issues he’s ignoring 05:30 Dems are winning heading into midterms, question is by how much 07:00 Republicans are desperate to distract their base 07:45 They believe the culture war red meat will turn out their base 08:45 The Iran war is being underplayed 09:45 There have been close to thirty countries directly involved in the war 10:45 Multiple countries have been hit directly during the war 11:30 This is not a regional war 12:00 Multiple countries have been directly involved in kinetic action 13:30 Multiple countries also involved in, or hosted peace talks 15:00 The Ukraine & Iran wars have merged through supply chains 15:45 Nervous that this conflict could go global 16:15 Russia has launched thousands of Iranian made drones at Ukraine 16:45 Russia improved & manufactured drones, now shipping them back to Iran 17:30 Ukraine air defence teams have been sent to the middle east 18:45 American stockpile of air defense missiles has been massively depleted 19:30 Military commanders are having to ration interceptor missiles 20:00 This war was the dumbest mistake a president has made in decades 21:15 Both conflicts are eating from the same plate 21:45 War caused a rise in oil prices, which helped both Iran and Russia 22:15 Beijing hasn’t been a bystander in these conflicts 23:15 Decapitation strikes have been proven not to work 24:00 Everyone is learning the same lessons, including America’s adversaries 24:45 This is not World War 3, but it’s hard to see how this war ends 25:45 Congress should be singularly focused on this war, and it isn’t 27:00 This started as an Iran/Israel dispute, now the world has been dragged in 28:15 The politics of AI hasn’t been invented yet, public is ahead of politicians 29:15 72% of Americans have used AI in the past three months & like using it 29:45 Vast majority of Americans don’t trust big tech or the AI companies 31:00 There’s a disconnect on AI between politicians the American public 31:45 Backlash against data centers is the manifestation of anger at big tech 32:45 Politicians want to manage backlash, not understand what’s behind it 35:00 Seeing political banners against data centers flying over Pensacola beach 37:15 The politicians are trying to play catch up on the politics of AI 37:45 Americans didn’t always distrust big tech 38:45 Tech companies stopped trying to improve lives, now maximize engagement 40:15 Americans feel we’re being optimized, not served by big tech 41:15 Protecting kids from tech is now an issue with massive bipartisan support 42:45 The public isn’t rejecting AI, they’re rejecting the technologists 44:30 Trump sides with the tech companies over the public 45:45 Politicians are captured by, or afraid of big tech cash in politics 48:00 Frustrating that political energy is spent on Fauci, not pandemic preparedness 48:30 Fauci became a vessel for every frustration about COVID 49:00 Fauci had one job, tell the public what the medical risks were 50:30 We had 2,000 Americans dying a day 51:30 We have to remember the conditions under which decisions were made 52:00 Rand Paul released thousands of pages of Fauci’s pandemic era journals 52:30 Pleading the 5th makes people look guiltier than they are 53:15 We learned Fauci loves media attention, but so does Rand Paul 54:15 Relitigating the origins of Covid doesn’t help prepare for the next pandemic 55:15 Rand Paul is undermining his own credibility by attacking Fauci 55:45 Todd Achilles will get a 1 on 1 race in Idaho 56:30 Seth Bodnar leading in Montana in 1 on 1, but Dem resisting dropping out 57:45 If El-Sayed loses in Michigan… was it because of Mamdani’s Israel speech? 1:04:15 Governor Andy Beshear joins the Chuck ToddCast 1:05:30 Kentucky’s Fancy Farm Picnic & its role in politics 1:06:45 Picnic brings politicians from both sides of the aisle together 1:07:15 Having different political beliefs shouldn’t make you an “enemy” 1:07:45 Not attending the picnic to attend his son's final travel baseball game 1:09:30 Haven’t spoken to Mitch McConnell, he’s been absent six week 1:10:00 McConnell has a duty to level with the people of Kentucky 1:10:45 The governor doesn’t have authority to declare a vacancy 1:11:15 John Thune should help put the concerns to rest 1:13:00 The harm is that the senator refuses to level with his constituents 1:13:30 If situation was reversed, McConnell would be ruthlessly tactical 1:14:00 There’s one less vote for GOP agenda, the right should be more mad 1:15:00 Social media helps create a misinformation vacuum about McConnell 1:16:30 Democrats don’t win by being a Democratic version of McConnell or Trump 1:17:15 If he had to miss a week as governor, he’d feel obligated to inform the public 1:18:00 Lack of video of McConnell makes the public think he can’t do it 1:18:45 McConnell tried to beat him three straight times and failed 1:19:15 McConnell may end up tarnishing his legacy due to unexplained absence 1:20:00 Rand Paul dragged Fauci into a hearing, but mum on McConnell 1:20:45 Fauci hearings are just an exercise in character assassination 1:22:00 This feels like a personal vendetta from Paul against Fauci 1:22:45 Mike Pence set up a competent experienced team during COVID 1:23:15 Trump ordered the governors to shut down the economy, not Fauci 1:23:45 Vaccine was the fastest remedy created in human history 1:25:30 Made pandemic decisions based on what would save the most lives 1:26:00 Remember the death toll in Kentucky vividly 1:27:00 COVID was ultimate test of the parable of the good samaritan 1:27:45 COVID was the war of our time, with an even higher casualty rate 1:28:15 Teachers & educators needed to be in the first batch of vaccinations 1:29:45 Kentucky didn’t run out of hospital beds due to expanded Medicaid 1:30:15 Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will close 35 hospitals in Kentucky 1:31:15 Doesn’t consider himself a “moderate”, but instead he’s “pragmatic” 1:32:00 Can be both pro-business and pro-worker 1:32:30 There’s a battle to label everyone, but reality is more complicated 1:33:00 How big should the Democratic tent be? 1:34:00 There’s space to do things that both sides agree on 1:34:30 Why are Democratic activists so mad at the establishment? 1:35:15 Democrats need to be the party of making the economy work again 1:35:45 Need amendments for campaign finance & outlawing gerrymandering 1:36:30 The president should be directly elected 1:37:00 Dems blame others Dems when Republicans are doing something wrong 1:37:45 Can’t do “woulda couldas” when Trump & GOP are doing so much damage 1:39:15 What’s the pitch in Wisconsin gubernatorial if both candidates are outsiders? 1:40:00 Joe Biden won on the idea of him being the most electable 1:40:30 Trump’s policies are hitting everyday Americans harder 1:41:15 Governor’s association plan to put big resources into Georgia 1:41:45 Believe that Democrats will flip the governor’s mansion in GA 1:42:15 Katie Hobbs has to win to ensure a fair election in Arizona in ‘28 1:44:30 Trump inspired Canadian boycotts that have hit the economy hard 1:45:45 Winner of the Wisconsin primary will come out stronger 1:46:15 Jocelyn Benson is a great candidate for Michigan 1:47:00 Amy Acton can win regardless of the senate race 1:47:30 Correlation between governor and senate races 1:50:15 Can Dems pull off gubernatorial upsets in Texas or Florida? 1:50:45 DGA will spend resources wherever they can win 1:52:00 Focused on winning gubernatorial races, then will ponder run in ‘28 1:52:45 Important to declare presidential candidacy early? 1:53:30 Dems primary calendar will produce candidate that can win everywhere 1:54:30 Do you consider Kentucky a southern state? 1:55:15 Could Israel splinter the party and make elections unwinnable? 1:56:00 Will Doug Jones get DGA help? 1:57:30 Data center backlash comes from concern about AI 1:58:15 Big tech isn’t talking to the communities where they put data centers 1:58:45 Tech should be paying for their electricity & fair share of taxes 2:01:15 We need rational leaders, don’t know where AI/tech is going 2:02:30 Any effort to get an NBA franchise in Kentucky? 2:04:15 Favorite NBA team 2:05:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Andy Beshear 2:07:00 ToddCast Top 5 Independents who could shape the senate 2:07:30 #5 Todd Achilles 2:10:00 #4 Dan Osborne 2:12:15 #3 Seth Bodnar 2:13:30 #2 Lisa Murkowski 2:14:30 #1 John Fetterman 2:17:15 Ask Chuck 2:18:15 Correction for answer on the last pod 2:20:30 Why haven’t we heard much about the people who tried to kill Trump? 2:27:45 Can Trump take the Qatari jet that’s had taxpayer $ spent on it? 2:31:00 What motivates those closest to Trump? Do they believe what they’re saying? 2:34:30 Can you explain the history of the term “lobbyist”? 2:39:45 Thoughts on the funding model of the BBC?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd argues Republicans and the White House are frantically trying to manufacture headlines about the past precisely because the actual news of the present is terrible for the GOP, and because the very issues that got Trump elected are the ones he's now ignoring. Democrats are winning heading into the midterms, TChuck says; the only real question is by how much, which is exactly why Republicans are so desperate to feed their base culture-war red meat as a distraction. But the story Chuck argues is being dangerously underplayed is the Iran war, which is no longer a regional conflict at all: close to thirty countries have been directly involved, multiple nations have been hit, and the Iran and Ukraine wars have effectively merged through shared supply chains — Russia has launched thousands of Iranian-made drones at Ukraine, improved and manufactured them, and is now shipping them back to Iran, while Ukrainian air defense teams have been redeployed to the Middle East and the American stockpile of interceptor missiles has been so massively depleted that commanders are rationing them. He calls the war the dumbest mistake a president has made in decades, while rising oil prices help both Iran and Russia.. It's not World War III, he cautions, but it's genuinely hard to see how it ends, and Congress should be singularly focused on it and simply isn't. He then pivots to what he calls a politics of AI that hasn't been invented yet, where the public is way ahead of the politicians: 72% of Americans have used AI in the past three months and like it, but the vast majority don't trust big tech or the AI companies, and the fierce backlash against data centers is really the manifestation of a deeper anger ever since tech companies stopped trying to improve lives and started maximizing engagement. The public isn't rejecting AI, he argues, it's rejecting the technologists, and Trump has planted himself firmly on the side of the tech companies over the public. He closes by lamenting that political energy is being spent on Fauci rather than pandemic preparedness — before quick hits on Todd Achilles getting a one-on-one race in Idaho, Seth Bodnar leading in Montana if the Democrat can be coaxed into dropping out, and the question hanging over Michigan: if Abdul El-Sayed loses, will it have been because of Mamdani's Israel speech? Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 Independents/Independent minded leaders who could reshape the U.S. Senate and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Play ball and swing for the fences on FanDuel, an official partner of the MLB at https://FANDUEL.COM. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. For free and unbiased Medicare help, dial (980) 734-3985 to speak with my trusted partner, Chapter, or go to askchapter.org/chuck /*Paid Partnership Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:45 Republicans & WH are trying to manufacture the headlines 03:15 Attacking Fauci, going after Smithsonian, relitigating 2020 election 04:00 These stories are about yesterday, modern headlines are bad for GOP 04:30 The issues that got Trump elected are the issues he’s ignoring 05:30 Dems are winning heading into midterms, question is by how much 07:00 Republicans are desperate to distract their base 07:45 They believe the culture war red meat will turn out their base 08:45 The Iran war is being underplayed 09:45 There have been close to thirty countries directly involved in the war 10:45 Multiple countries have been hit directly during the war 11:30 This is not a regional war 12:00 Multiple countries have been directly involved in kinetic action 13:30 Multiple countries also involved in, or hosted peace talks 15:00 The Ukraine & Iran wars have merged through supply chains 15:45 Nervous that this conflict could go global 16:15 Russia has launched thousands of Iranian made drones at Ukraine 16:45 Russia improved & manufactured drones, now shipping them back to Iran 17:30 Ukraine air defence teams have been sent to the middle east 18:45 American stockpile of air defense missiles has been massively depleted 19:30 Military commanders are having to ration interceptor missiles 20:00 This war was the dumbest mistake a president has made in decades 21:15 Both conflicts are eating from the same plate 21:45 War caused a rise in oil prices, which helped both Iran and Russia 22:15 Beijing hasn’t been a bystander in these conflicts 23:15 Decapitation strikes have been proven not to work 24:00 Everyone is learning the same lessons, including America’s adversaries 24:45 This is not World War 3, but it’s hard to see how this war ends 25:45 Congress should be singularly focused on this war, and it isn’t 27:00 This started as an Iran/Israel dispute, now the world has been dragged in 28:15 The politics of AI hasn’t been invented yet, public is ahead of politicians 29:15 72% of Americans have used AI in the past three months & like using it 29:45 Vast majority of Americans don’t trust big tech or the AI companies 31:00 There’s a disconnect on AI between politicians the American public 31:45 Backlash against data centers is the manifestation of anger at big tech 32:45 Politicians want to manage backlash, not understand what’s behind it 35:00 Seeing political banners against data centers flying over Pensacola beach 37:15 The politicians are trying to play catch up on the politics of AI 37:45 Americans didn’t always distrust big tech 38:45 Tech companies stopped trying to improve lives, now maximize engagement 40:15 Americans feel we’re being optimized, not served by big tech 41:15 Protecting kids from tech is now an issue with massive bipartisan support 42:45 The public isn’t rejecting AI, they’re rejecting the technologists 44:30 Trump sides with the tech companies over the public 45:45 Politicians are captured by, or afraid of big tech cash in politics 48:00 Frustrating that political energy is spent on Fauci, not pandemic preparedness 48:30 Fauci became a vessel for every frustration about COVID 49:00 Fauci had one job, tell the public what the medical risks were 50:30 We had 2,000 Americans dying a day 51:30 We have to remember the conditions under which decisions were made 52:00 Rand Paul released thousands of pages of Fauci’s pandemic era journals 52:30 Pleading the 5th makes people look guiltier than they are 53:15 We learned Fauci loves media attention, but so does Rand Paul 54:15 Relitigating the origins of Covid doesn’t help prepare for the next pandemic 55:15 Rand Paul is undermining his own credibility by attacking Fauci 55:45 Todd Achilles will get a 1 on 1 race in Idaho 56:30 Seth Bodnar leading in Montana in 1 on 1, but Dem resisting dropping out 57:45 If El-Sayed loses in Michigan… was it because of Mamdani’s Israel speech? 1:01:30 ToddCast Top 5 Independents who could shape the senate 1:02:00 #5 Todd Achilles 1:04:30 #4 Dan Osborne 1:06:45 #3 Seth Bodnar 1:08:00 #2 Lisa Murkowski 1:09:00 #1 John Fetterman 1:11:45 Ask Chuck 1:12:45 Correction for answer on the last pod 1:15:00 Why haven’t we heard much about the people who tried to kill Trump? 1:22:15 Can Trump take the Qatari jet that’s had taxpayer $ spent on it? 1:25:30 What motivates those closest to Trump? Do they believe what they’re saying? 1:29:00 Can you explain the history of the term “lobbyist”? 1:34:15 Thoughts on the funding model of the BBC?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Todd Blanche's confirmation appears to be in serious trouble, so he heads to Alaska with a $180 million DOJ settlement and a promise of continuing support from Trump and the DOJ. The timing is hard to ignore as Blanche courts Senator Lisa Murkowski, a pivotal vote if his nomination makes it out of committee. Dina Doll breaks down the latest example of the Trump administration using the power of government to advance its own political interests. Pre-order the new book from MeidasTouch, WTF America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy, today: https://bit.ly/wtfamericayoutube Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show The Ken Harbaugh Show: https://meidasnews.com/tag/the-ken-harbaugh-show Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered

The heart of the video is the math. Passing anything through the filibuster takes 60 votes, and Hawk argues the SAVE Act, which would end mail-in voting nationwide, cannot get there. Several Republican senators oppose it, in part because millions of Republican voters use mail-in ballots. And Thune does not even have 51 Republican votes to nuke the filibuster, especially with a caucus that has cooled on Trump. Hawk lays out why the relationship has soured. Trump backed primary challengers against Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn and pushed Thom Tillis toward the exit, while Susan Collins faces a tough reelection and Lisa Murkowski keeps her distance. With Lindsey Graham gone and Mitch McConnell unseen for weeks, the working majority is thin. Hawk closes on the irony: a Democratic Senate could use a dead filibuster to add states and seats. SUPPORT & CONNECT WITH HAWK- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mdg650hawk - Hawk's Merch Store: https://hawkmerchstore.com - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mdg650hawk7thacct - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkeyewhackamole - Connect on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mdg650hawk.bsky.social - Connect on Substack: https://mdg650hawk.substack.com - Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkpodcasts - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdg650hawk - Connect on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mdg650hawk ALL HAWK PODCASTS INFO- Additional Content Available Here: https://www.hawkpodcasts.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts- Listen to Hawk Podcasts On Your Favorite Platform:Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RWeJfyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/422GDuLYouTube: https://youtube.com/@hawkpodcastsiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/47vVBdPPandora: https://bit.ly/48COaTB

More Americans are adopting the Elon Musk "Go F Yourself" mentality the longer the democrat charade of RESIST TRUMP! continues. Hear the world's richest man put a snotty white college educated liberal chick in her place. Lisa Murkowski is a NO on the SAVE Act because she hates President Trump, so says Tommy Tuberville. And a shocking study underscores the largest act of medical malpractice in American history. 75% of embalmers from five countries say they've seen white fibrous clots in the veins of the dead people they're embalming... from people who were vaccinated.  

In this newscast: Human remains were discovered inside a chest freezer at a Lemon Creek residence on Sunday; Juneau residents in the glacial outburst flood zone are preparing for the annual flood expected soon. At a sandbag event in Mendenhall Valley on Saturday, some of that prep work is easier and faster than it was last year; Alaska U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski announced last week that her bill allowing five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska to receive land entitlements passed out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; In less than a month, Alaskans will cast their votes for governor in the primary election. But with 17 candidates, how do you choose? At a speed dating-style event in Anchorage Monday, members of the public got to talk with the gubernatorial hopefuls.

On the Tuesday, July 21, 2026 broadcast of The Charlie James Show, host Charlie James opens with the announcement that News Talk 98.9 WORD will soon be available nationwide on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, alongside existing streaming and over-the-air platforms. The first hour centers on South Carolina's Senate race filing day, analyzing candidate entries including Darline Graham, Mark Lynch, and Ralph Norman following the passing of Senator Lindsey Graham. Charlie and callers debate the implications of open primaries, endorsement dynamics, and funeral arrangements for the late senator. In the second hour, the discussion turns to state and national politics. Charlie presents his perspective on political party dynamics, criticizes Senator Lisa Murkowski's opposition to the SAVE Act, and hosts guest Eric Allison to detail Spartanburg County Council's controversial approval process for local data centers and its environmental and financial impact on residents. The third hour features a segment with U.S. Representative William Timmons discussing congressional oversight of the Smithsonian Institution and broader ideological shifts in federal agencies. Additional subjects include debate over local data center infrastructure, over-the-counter medication access, candidate financial disclosures for Democratic challenger Dr. Annie Andrews, and non-citizen voter registration audits across multiple states. In the final hour, Charlie responds to media critiques of homeschooling, highlighting the benefits of structured home education, the decline of school recess, and social development in children. After taking several caller perspectives on education and culture, Charlie concludes by reassuring listeners that the station's expansion to SiriusXM will complement, rather than alter, its existing broadcast programming.

The Charlie James Show (Tue July 21, 2026 – Hour 1) opens with exciting station news: NewsTalk 98.9 WORD will soon be available on SiriusXM satellite radio. Charlie then pivots to the main political headline of the day—filing day for the late Senator Lindsey Graham's U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina. Callers actively debate the emerging Republican field, including businessman Mark Lynch, Representative Ralph Norman, and Lindsey Graham's sister, Darling Graham. Listeners express skepticism regarding Darling Graham's bid, questioning her qualifications and whether her candidacy represents a political family dynasty, while others highlight her access to Lindsey's campaign infrastructure and potential cross-party appeal in open primaries. Beyond local politics, Charlie leads a discussion on ten foundational truths about the Democratic Party, contrasting them with conservative values, and takes aim at Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for her opposition to the SAVE Act.

Chaos! David Waldman barely made it through today's KITM. Greg Dworkin called in to say he wasn't calling in. Then we lost our live feed because of the wildfires up north in… not where our Maniac in Chief is aiming his napalm, but at our telecommunications hub in Oregon, hopefully not too near to Justice Putnam! Those Trump buoys cause about as much trouble as Those Trump boys. Trump's Qatari 747 is going back to the shop to get "maxed out". Donald will be disappointed that doesn't include gold-plated wire rims. Trump airport needs more money from taxpayers before it begins kickbacks to non-taxpayers. Trump got one more jinx in before the World Cup finals. Donald left a moral stain on the entire event but dropped his biggest stink at Spain's World Cup celebrations, that he wanted to make the Trump celebration. That smell is the kind that lingers but can be scrubbed away with effort. Everyone booed either Trump or Gianni Infantino. Only one of them gives a damn. Somehow, Trump has not completely killed the SAVE act, while Congress and Senate take a few more whacks at it. Lisa Murkowski is more concerned about her state than Trump. There's another Vance today. There goes the neighborhood.

Save Ocean Sensors: The Fight Over the Ocean Observatories Initiative A $386 million network of nearly 900 ocean sensors stretching across five sites from Oregon to Alaska to Greenland was being quietly dismantled, with no warning to Congress and no explanation to the public. In this episode, we trace the fight to save the Ocean Observatories Initiative: what this network actually does, why it matters far more than most people realize, and how a Democrat from Oregon and a Republican from Alaska teamed up to pass a bill stopping it in the span of a day and a half. We talk with Craig McLean, who spent more than 40 years at NOAA, including two stints as NOAA's Chief Scientist, about what's really at stake when ocean monitoring infrastructure disappears, and why this fight is part of a much bigger pattern. We also revisit a warning from a past guest, marine ecologist Dr. Andrew Thaler, that's looking less hypothetical by the day, and lay out exactly what you can do to help make sure this win sticks. In This Episode What the Ocean Observatories Initiative actually measures, and why it matters for your weather forecast, your insurance rates, and what farmers plant each season The Coastal Endurance Array off Oregon and Washington, and why pulling it out right as an El Nino forms is especially bad timing, per OSU oceanographer Jack Barth How Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) found out sensors were already being removed, and how they got the Saving the OOI Act passed unanimously in under two days Craig McLean's read on why this kept happening, from the role of the Office of Management and Budget to the broader pattern of cuts to federal science A look back at a warning from marine ecologist Dr. Andrew Thaler about Project 2025's plans for NOAA, and how that warning is playing out in real time What happens next: the NSF's review process, and how you can track it and find out where your own senators stand Featured Voices Craig McLean spent over 40 years at NOAA, where he founded the Ocean Exploration Program and served as NOAA's Chief Scientist, including being reinstated after being removed from the role for defending scientific integrity. He is now a senior fellow at the Ocean Foundation. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) led the bipartisan push for the Saving the OOI Act, featured here via Senate floor remarks. Dr. Andrew Thaler, marine ecologist and conservation technologist, returns in spirit from a past episode where he broke down Project 2025's plans to dismantle NOAA. Jack Barth, oceanography professor at Oregon State University, provided background on the Coastal Endurance Array via KATU News. The Bill The Saving the OOI Act passed the Senate unanimously, pausing NSF's decommissioning of the Ocean Observatories Initiative pending a full review with stakeholder input. It was led by Senators Merkley and Murkowski and cosponsored by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). Resources & Links Saving the OOI Act, full text and cosponsor list: Congress.gov NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative updates: oceanobservatories.org Senator Merkley's press release on the Saving the OOI Act: merkley.senate.gov "Scientists warn Oregon could lose critical ocean data under federal cuts," KATU News Take Action If your senator is one of the twelve who championed or cosponsored the Saving the OOI Act, send them a thank you. If they didn't, let them know this issue matters to you. Watch for the NSF's Dear Colleague Letter and expert panel process, your chance to weigh in on what happens to OOI long-term.

After the Supreme Court ruled mail-in ballots can be counted past Election Day, Stephen Miller went on the record and accused Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett of caving to the radical left. President Donald Trump punched back in the Oval Office, naming the exact Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, and Mitch McConnell — standing in the way of the Save America Act, while John Thune refuses to pressure anyone. Plus the instantly iconic moment Clarence Thomas brushed off a Daily Caller reporter and gave him absolutely nothing. For free and unbiased Medicare help, dial 580-308-0975 to speak with my trusted partner, Chapter, or go https://askchapter.org/oconnor *Paid Partnership* Chapter: Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.Become a Townhall VIP member with promo code "LARRY": https://townhall.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday, June 25th, 2025 Today, former DoJ lawyer Erez Reuveni issues a bombshell whistleblower account of Emil Bove's intentional defiance of court orders on the eve of his judicial confirmation hearing; US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran's nuclear sites were not destroyed and they can be back up and running in a few months; Florida is paving over the Everglades to build its own concentration camp; a federal judge has blocked Trump's termination of University of California research grants; the Senate parliamentarian nixes the public lands selloff in the Billionaire Bailout Bill; four tech execs are sworn in as lieutenant colonels in the Army; Senator Lisa Murkowski signals she may turn Independent and caucus with Democrats; House Dems choose youth over seniority in the House Oversight ranking member election; and Allison delivers your Good News. Check out Dana's social media campaign highlighting LGBTQ+ heroes every day during Pride Month -  Dana Goldberg (@dgcomedy.bsky.social) Guest: Martha BarnetteFriends with Words Adventures in Languageland - book by Martha BarnetteMarthaBarnette.comA Way with Words Podcast @marthabarnette - BlueSky, Martha Barnette (@martha.barnette) - Instagram, MarthaBarnette - twitterStoriesStrike Set Back Iran's Nuclear Program by Only a Few Months, U.S. Report Says | The New York Times Live updates: Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran amid accusations of ceasefire violations | NBC News What Big Tech's Band of Execs Will Do in the Army | WIRED Florida Builds ‘Alligator Alcatraz' Detention Center for Migrants in Everglades | The New York Times House Democrats Elect Robert Garcia for Top Oversight Post | The New York Times Judge blocks Trump's termination of UC research grants | Courthouse News Service Murkowski suggests she could become an Independent in the right circumstance - Live Updates | POLITICO GOP budget bill could threaten public lands, conservation groups voice opposition | NBC Montana Good Trouble Uncomplicated Kitchen works to increase food security and food literacy by teaching cooking classes using local, in-season produce as well as budget-friendly pantry staples.uncomplicatedkitchen.org Shout out a local non-profit, so we can share it on the show.   From The Good Newsuncomplicatedkitchen.org 'No Kings' Protests see thousands in San Antonio area speak out, joining national movement Gay Men's Chorus Of Washington, DC Potomac Fever (@potomac.fever) -  Instagram ‘Get ready to sweat!' The animal mega-marathon stampeding from the Congo to the Arctic | Stage | The Guardian Be Biscuit's Hero - AZ Humane SocietyStar 67 - The Daily Beans - Apple PodcastsJoin the private Facebook GroupBehind The Beans | Facebook Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ralph speaks to economist Dean Baker about the hypocrisies behind the supposed Social Security shortfall and Republicans' "waste, fraud, and abuse" panic. Then, Ralph talks to journalist and ocean activist David Helvarg about his new book: Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp.Dean Baker is a Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, where he authors “Beat the Press,” his regular commentary on economic reporting. He has written several books, including Getting Back to Full Employment: A Better Bargain for Working People, The End of Loser Liberalism: Making Markets Progressive, False Profits: Recovering from the Bubble Economy, and The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer.People will hear big numbers. They'll hear “$300 billion” and they'll go “Oh my God, that's a lot of money. That's money out of my pocket. It's causing the government deficit,” whatever. That's because they haven't given it any context…If we could, in any conceivable world, afford to pay $500 billion to increase the military budget, surely we can afford to pay $300 billion to ensure that everyone gets their Social Security benefits. It's just a case of: put it in context. I'm not going to say it's a small number. It isn't. But it's smaller— $300 billion is smaller than $500 billion, and that's really not a disputable point.Dean BakerWhere [DOGE] had the biggest consequences is with foreign aid. [Musk] just got a big kick out of that— USAID, he just shut it down. He boasted about that. He goes, “Last weekend I fed USAID into the wood chipper.” That's almost verbatim what he said. Now, what this meant was that you have people— and you could find waste in that program just like any other program, but this is a program that provided millions of people with medicine, with nutrition, with healthcare. And suddenly they couldn't get it…And Elon Musk was boasting that he killed that program. That's great. But millions of people, I mean, thankfully, I don't think it's millions yet, but if that program doesn't get restarted or funded somewhere else, you're going to see millions of people lose their lives.Dean BakerSo we're saying we have people on Medicaid that are committing fraud? No one gets a check from Medicaid. What would that even mean? Like, you signed up for Medicaid and you weren't eligible, so that would mean that they might be making a payment to a doctor or hospital that they don't actually have to make because you didn't qualify? I'm sure that happens sometimes but it's not like someone's living high on the hog because they were able to get Medicaid to pay for their doctor's visit when it actually shouldn't have.Dean BakerDavid Helvarg is a journalist and ocean activist. He is the founder and executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean policy and media group, and producer of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast. He has produced more than 40 documentaries for media outlets, including PBS and the Discovery Channel. And he has written several books, including Blue Frontier, The War Against the Greens, and Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp.I've been pushing with my colleagues in journalism the idea of the “blue beat.” The only resource in the ocean not fully exploited at this point is good investigative reporting and narrative storytelling. Because people don't connect with it, a lot of people think the environment ends at the shoreline. And that's really where 95% of the living space on the planet begins.David HelvargPeople at least know that corals are in trouble and they have some sense of what a coral reef is. People don't know that the planet has this other forest crisis—that kelp forests cover an area larger than the Amazon basin, and they're also being impacted by these marine heat waves that are growing every year. And as you add more heat to the system, it gets more energetic, which is why we have more and more extreme storms. I covered Katrina in 2005. I thought that would be a turning point (we had 1,800 people killed and a million environmental refugees). But the propaganda by the oil and gas industry is such that we keep having these disasters from a warming ocean planet, we see the melting of the Arctic ice, and instead of an alarm bell, it became a dinner bell for all the shipping industries and people who want to exploit the oil and gas in the increasingly open Arctic waters. So we're in this crisis point. I'm more frustrated than despairing because we know what the solutions are. It's creating the political will to enact them.David HelvargWhen I started Blue Frontier 20 years ago, the main threats were overfishing and pollution—oil, chemical, plastic, nutrient pollution. Today, that's being overwhelmed by these marine heat waves.David HelvargNews 6/26/26* Our top story this week comes to us from New York City, where democratic socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani has pulled off a stunning hat trick, with all three candidates for Congress endorsed by the Mayor winning their primaries on Tuesday. The most surprising victory is that of Darializa Avila Chevalier, who ousted the powerful incumbent Congressman Adriano Espaillat, head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in New York's 13th congressional district. This primary had turned ugly, with Espaillat's campaign seeking to weaponize anti-Haitian racism in the Dominican community against Avila Chevalier, per the Haitian Times, despite the fact that she is not in fact Haitian. Impressive in another way is the victory of UAW organizer and New York State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in New York's 7th district. Much has been made of this race being a proxy battle between Mamdani and his onetime supporter, retiring Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who backed her protégé, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to succeed her in this seat. Reynoso enjoyed the support of a broad range of New York elected officials – including Velazquez along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and a broad range of unions and civil society groups, most notably the Working Families Party – but was absolutely trounced by Valdez, who won by over 20 points with the support of Mamdani and NYC-DSA. Meanwhile, in the 10th district, Brad Lander won by an even greater margin, outrunning incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman by over 30 points while running on a pro-Palestine platform in the most Jewish congressional district in America. These victories send a clear signal to the sclerotic, ossified leadership of the Democratic Party. The only question now is will they listen.* Beyond the congressional races, DSA won a remarkable number of races at the state level. According to Democratic Left, DSA will send as many as seven new legislators to Albany this cycle, for a total of “four state senators and 11 or 12 members of the state assembly.” As the magazine notes, this means that the “2027-2028 socialist bloc in Albany will be the second largest in a state legislature in U.S. history…behind 20 members in Wisconsin in 1919 and ahead of 14 members in Wisconsin in 1911.” Within New York City, DSA endorsed candidates won seven out of eight races for seats in the state legislature, per NYC-DSA. All told, it was a thunderous victory for the left in New York and raises the clout of Zohran and his compatriots to dizzying heights.* Meanwhile, in Washington DC, NOTUS reports the local DSA has exploded in membership, adding nearly 1,000 new members since this time last year. This growing bloc flexed its political muscle in the recent Democratic primaries, electing DSA members Janeese Lewis George for Mayor and Aparna Raj for the Ward 1 seat on the DC Council, as well as Oye Owolewa for an at-large seat. Axios notes that they are already eying, “two more openings — to fill Lewis George's Ward 4 seat and the at-large seat of Congress-bound Robert White.” If these votes go in DSA's favor, Lewis George could assume the mayoralty with a progressive majority of seven out of 13 members on the Council. Since her victory last Tuesday, Lewis George has emphasized her plan to lower utility costs through “expanding government solar,” and “balcony solar” for apartment tenants, optimizing efficiency at local government agencies and maximizing federal housing grants.* In Maryland, the results for DSA and progressives more generally were not quite so decisive but the left notched key victories nonetheless. DSA endorsed candidate McKayla Wilkes won her primary for the Charles County Commission and incumbent State Delegate Gabriel Acevero won reelection to his seat. Senators Dalya Attar and Nancy King, both centrist incumbents, lost to progressive challengers, per Maryland Matters. Will Jawando in Montgomery County won the County Executive position with broad support from the Maryland political establishment and progressives, while Maryland Senate Majority Leader Bill Ferguson fended off his first real challenge in years only after a last minute pledge to reverse his position on Maryland congressional redistricting. However, in the 5th congressional district, Steny Hoyer protégé and “AIPAC-backed” Adrian Boafo won the primary to succeed his mentor in Congress. According to the Jerusalem Post, “AIPAC poured $5.7 million into his campaign through its super PAC.” Former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn came in a distant third place, despite scoring the endorsement of Nancy Pelosi. In short, the left has more work to do in order to build a political machine in Maryland as they have in New York and DC.* The next major contest between the factions of the party will occur next week in Colorado, where Melat Kiros, a DSA-backed progressive challenger born in 1997, is taking on Congresswoman Diana DeGette, who first took office that same year, per Zeteo. According to a poll conducted on behalf of the Kiros-aligned Justice Democrats, she leads DeGette by five points and she has now won the endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator and former Governor John Hickenlooper is also facing a progressive primary challenge from State Senator Julie Gonzales and, according to the polls, he holds but a single digit lead, the Coloradan reports. We will be watching both of these races closely.* Meanwhile in Congress, the Senate has passed a new resolution on Iran, this time directing Trump to “remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran unless explicitly authorized by Congress, other than to defend America, an ally or partner from ‘imminent attack,'” according to the Wall Street Journal. The Journal notes that while the resolution is nonbinding, it was previously passed by the House, marking “the first time both chambers of Congress have passed the same measure to curb” presidential power to wage war on the Islamic Republic. The resolution passed 50-48, with the support of Republican Senators Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul. Senators Mitch McConnell and Dave McCormick were absent, and Senator John Fetterman again broke ranks with the Democrats to vote no.* Turning from the Senate floor to the shop floor, the United Auto Workers (UAW) concluded their 39th Constitutional Convention last week, with a momentous vote to divest the union's investments from Israel bonds. UAW's divestment decision is the latest victory in the campaign to disentangle the finances of American organized labor from the state of Israel, following the United Electrical Workers (UE) in 2015 and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 2023. UAW members also heard from Abdul El-Sayed, the candidate the union has endorsed in the Michigan Senate race. This contentious campaign will not be over until August, but El-Sayed, occupying the progressive lane, has moved into the lead and appears to be consolidating his lead, winning the endorsement of Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen just this week, per the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Van Hollen himself has recently begun hinting that he may seek higher office, recently telling NOTUS that he is “kicking the tires” on a 2028 presidential bid.* Turning to foreign affairs, this week saw the fall of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer, a centrist who was elected Labour Party leader in 2020 following the ouster of leftist Jeremy Corbyn, has held the post of Prime Minister since 2024 when Labour won an historic landslide. Since then however, his personal approval rating and that of the party has cratered, creating space for the rise of the far-right Reform UK party. The BBC reports Starmer will remain in his post until a new leader is chosen from within the party, with the presumptive successor being MP Andy Burnham who recently beat back a challenge in his own seat by a Reform candidate by a large margin. Starmer is now set to be the shortest serving Labour PM in British history, while Burnham is set to become the UK's seventh Prime Minister in the last ten years, both indications of the precariousness of the post-Brexit British political order.* Our final two stories come to us from Latin America. First, in Bolivia, the country's union confederation has maintained a general strike against the right-wing government of Rodrigo Paz for nearly two months over his administration's initiatives to privatize government services and rescind the land reform program instituted over the last several decades of rule by the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS). On June 19th, journalist Ollie Vargas reported that the government had blinked and signed an agreement to withdraw these plans in exchange for the unions ending the general strike. However, Vargas notes that “most affiliated unions state that they want to maintain strike until [the Paz government] resigns.”* Finally, in Colombia, the right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella emerged victorious from Sunday's runoff presidential election, defeating leftist Ivan Cepeda, the handpicked successor of sitting President Gustavo Petro, by less than one percentage point. In the immediate wake of the election, President Petro “alleged that Israel interfered” in the election, citing “irregularities in the country's vote counting process and calling for a full audit and recount,” per Drop Site News. However, by Wednesday, Cepeda himself formally conceded, framing his decision to do so as “an act of democratic responsibility, to contribute to harmony, peace and dialogue among Colombians,” Al Jazeera reports. As one of his first acts, Abelardo de la Espriella has committed to reestablishing diplomatic relations with Israel, which had been severed under President Petro.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Supreme Court greenlights deportation of 1.3 million immigrants with protected status. The Iran war is over because the Pentagon ran out of money. And the DOJ let corporate CEOs walk free for the entire Biden term. In this episode: • Supreme Court 6–3 ruling strips Temporary Protected Status from 1.3 million people. • Stephen Miller and Tom Homan gear up for mass deportations. • Iran war collapses—Congress refuses to fund the Pentagon's war supplemental. • The phony Senate vote narrative exposed—Bill Cassidy and Rand Paul explained. • War Powers Act of 1973 and why it never worked. • Obama and Biden's Justice Department refused to prosecute Fortune 500 CEOs. • Deferred prosecution agreements: corporate crime pays, nobody goes to prison. • Merrick Garland's delay on Trump's January 6 indictment and what it cost. • Rick Scott, hospital fraud, and the two-tier justice system. • "Where's my effing money?"—the only question that matters. Key figures covered: Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, Tom Homan, JD Vance, Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, Eric Holder, Jack Smith, Rick Scott, Bill Cassidy, Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Tim Kaine, Marco Rubio, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos. Subscribe for live shows Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 6:05 PM Eastern. ## #IranWar #TPS #Pentagon #CorporateCrime #MerrickGarland #DonaldTrump #StephenMiller #Congress #WarPower

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Nomination Hearing to consider Mark Cruz to be Director of the Indian Health Service Date: June 24, 2026 Time: 10:00 AM Location: Dirksen Room: 628 Witnesses Panel 1 Mr. Mark Cruz Nominee, Director of the Indian Health Service U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Salem, Oregon Committee Notice: https://www.indian.senate.gov/hearings/nomination-hearing-to-consider-mark-cruz-to-be-director-of-the-indian-health-service-department-of-health-and-human-services/

On Monday, Oregon Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski led a group of Democratic Senators to urge the National Science Foundation to stop its plans to dismantle a nearly $400 million ocean monitoring network. The Associated Press reported on the letter Sens. Merkley and Murkowski wrote to the NSF, which was signed by nine other U.S. Senators, including Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington. More than two dozen Democratic U.S. Representatives signed onto a separate letter, per the AP’s reporting, to warn against the “illegal decommissioning” of the Ocean Observatories Initiative.    The OOI is a network of 900 sensors anchored off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and in the North Atlantic. For more than a decade, the instruments have transmitted real-time data that has helped detect coastal flooding events, manage sustainable fisheries, track marine heat waves and more.  A memo from the NSF posted last month said the “major descoping” is already underway for the array of instruments managed by Oregon State University, with the removal of most of the rest of the network expected to be completed next summer.   Sen. Merkley joins us to discuss his and other Democratic lawmakers’ efforts to protect the OOI, along with other federal issues affecting his Oregon constituents.    

In this passionate segment, the host unloads on Senate Republican leadership following the dramatic failure of the SAVE Act—federal legislation aimed at requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. The host rails against Senator Mitch McConnell, claiming he used his final energy before being hospitalized to join three other Republicans—Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins—to block a version of the bill packed with controversial amendments. Despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune moving past the issue, the host remains defiant, insisting that a clean version of the bill actually holds a 50-vote threshold. The commentary takes a fierce swipe at the globalist "establishment" wing of the party, calling out establishment primary ads as fake and predicting a total realignment of purple and blue states if election integrity measures finally clear the Senate. Custom Labels Battleground America Podcast, SAVE Act Voting, Mitch McConnell Hospitalization, Election Security Bill, Establishment Republicans, John Thune Senate, Voter ID Requirements, Thom Tillis, Political Commentary, Republican Party Realignment

In this hometeam segment, the crew reacts to Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell and Thom Tillis voting against Trump's SAVE Act, blocking strict voter ID rules and proof of citizenship from being added to a huge immigration funding bill.

It's Monday, June 8th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Russian pastor labeled “terrorist” for speaking against Ukraine war On May 28th, Russian authorities labeled 74-year-old Baptist pastor Yuri Sipko to be a terrorist, reports International Christian Concern. As the former head of the Union of Evangelical Baptist Christians in Russia, he has spoken out against the war in Ukraine on social media. As a result, Russia launched a criminal case against him in August 2023, claiming he was spreading false information about military actions. At the time, Sipko said,  “They are looking for me to put me in prison because I've spoken the truth that Russia waged war on Ukraine,  People are dying, and everything is being destroyed. It's criminal, and they should not be doing this.” During the investigation, Sipko's home was raided, but he managed to escape. In Matthew 5:10, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Iran's missiles failed to hit Saudi Arabia or Bahrain On June 2nd, U.S. forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East, reported the United States Central Command on X. Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors. However, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces. House resolution constrains Trump from military action against Iran In a vote of 215-208 on June 3rd, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure seeking to stop President Trump from taking further military action in Iran amid growing opposition to the war, reports the Associated Press. President Trump called the 215 representatives who passed the resolution "unpatriotic.” In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote: "In a meaningless vote, the House voted, 4 bad Republicans and all of the Dumocrats, to limit my War Powers, right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Who would do such an unpatriotic thing?" It is unclear how much legal force the House's measure will have. The White House described the move as an unconstitutional attempt to restrict presidential power. Four GOP Senators opposed Safeguard Voter Eligibility Act On June 4th, the U.S. Senate failed to pass the Safeguard Voter Eligibility Act which would require people to show documented proof of citizenship, reports Fox News. Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky voted against the motion, signaling that the SAVE America Act does not have the votes to pass. Appearing on Fox News, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah said this. LEE: “Americans overwhelmingly support the need for voter I.D. They overwhelmingly support the need to verify citizenship from those registered to vote in this country. That's why the overwhelming majority, a super majority, of Republican voters, of Democrat voters nationwide want the S.A.V.E America Act passed. And even want it passed before the midterm elections. “That cuts across the board in people of both political parties. The only place where this is even remotely controversial is in the halls of Congress with Democrats. We've got to get this done to make our elections safe and secure again.” Indeed, according to Pew Research Center, 83% of Americans favor requiring all voters to show government-issued photo ID to vote, including 95% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats. Trump beautifies Washington, D.C. Ahead of America's 250th birthday, President Donald Trump made a promise. TRUMP: “We're going to get all the graffiti off the marble. We're going to fix the roads and the medians, which are falling down all over the street. Washington, D.C. will become a symbol of beauty, security, freedom, and strength.” Specifically speaking, for nearly two decades, the Columbus Fountain in front of Washington's Union Station was nonfunctional. Now, water is flowing again after 19 years. Plus, all of the obscene graffiti that President Joe Biden had tolerated was power washed away. The work was completed thanks to President Donald Trump's executive order on "Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful." Appearing on CNN's State of the Union, Interior Secretary Doug Bergum said this. BERGUM: “The real scandal is not that we're fixing up monuments or making this capital beautiful again. The scandal should be, how in the world did we let our capital fall into such a disrepair? How did we fall into such a spot where celebrating American patriotism became partisan?” At a cabinet meeting, President Trump weighed in. TRUMP: “D.C. is looking beautiful, and the fountains are almost all open.” Most notably, the reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial was in terrible disrepair.  After draining the pool and removing 12 truckloads of trash, they repaired the leaks in the pool's concrete slab and joints by applying a waterproof coating, and painted it “American flag” blue to improve the reflection.  After starting the filling process on June 4th, it was completely filled yesterday, June 7th. YouTuber announced abortion of Down syndrome baby And finally, YouTube influencer Jesse Ridgway, who has 4 million followers, is facing a massive backlash after he announced on X that he and his wife decided to abort their baby after the child was diagnosed with Down syndrome, reports LifeSiteNews.com. Horrifically, Ridgway stated that he and his wife researched Down syndrome and decided that it would be best for both the child and for his family if the baby was killed in the womb—and noted that over 90 percent of children diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. He said, “50% of babies with Down syndrome have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. … Sadly, the list is long. … As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe, in the long-run, will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.” Incidentally, despite frequent health difficulties, nearly 99 percent of people with Down syndrome report being happy with their lives; 96 percent like how they look; and 97 percent like who they are.  Dr. Calum Miller, a United Kingdom doctor and ethicist, said, “I'm sorry you murdered your child because he/she didn't pass quality control.” He pointed out that Ridgway had previously celebrated the fact that his dog had managed to survive a complicated surgery and was now living without kidneys. Columnist Mollie Hemingway wrote, “Killing your baby because he wasn't perfect in your eyes is so sad and dark and, yes, evil. Even if we didn't know how wonderful people with Down syndrome are. I pray you find Jesus. Life is beautiful.” And podcaster Brittany Hughes bluntly put it: “There is no way of framing this that will gain my sympathy. No poetic waxing, no begging for understanding, no tearful excuses. My heart breaks for this precious baby who was killed for the crime of having an extra chromosome by the two people who should have protected him or her with their own lives.” Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, June 8th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Ralph welcomes back union organizer, Chris Townsend, to discuss the reasons why the AFL-CIO shrinks from effectively fighting for its members and expanding the power of workers. Then, political scientist Lee Drutman lays out a system of proportional representation that would take away the incentive to gerrymander congressional districts. Plus, Ralph gives some quick takes on Thomas Massie's primary loss, fish hopped up on cocaine, and the situations in Lebanon and Ukraine.Chris Townsend has been a union member and labor leader for more than 45 years. He was most recently the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International Union Organizing Director. Previously, he was an International Representative and Political Action Director for the United Electrical Workers Union (UE), and he has held local positions in both the SEIU and UFCW.[The upcoming AFL-CIO] convention is deliberately kept secret. It's what I describe as sort of a hideout strategy. It enables the leadership to not have to discuss or take positions that for them are difficult, such as: What is the labor movement going to do to confront the rampant lawlessness and criminality of the Trump regime? What is the labor movement going to do to address the rampaging inflation that is eating up living standards? There's no wage policy. There's no bargaining policy of the Federation. What are they going to do to address the ongoing national health care crisis and disaster?... And what are they doing about the crisis of the unorganized?Chris TownsendThe labor movement finds itself (I would submit) with the leadership disinterested in going out and organizing the unorganized. But even for those who do (and there are some), the laws—Taft-Hartley primary among them—provide such a minefield that we have to run through, that our ability to organize on any scale for decades has been stopped. And therefore, we are condemned to a perpetual shrinking size, resources, and whatnot. [And what] might help for folks to figure out how or why this is happening is that the labor movement is systematically being converted from trade union fighting organizations, membership-driven fighting organizations, to harmless not-for-profit organizations. And this is today's administrative layer of trade union leaders that don't see anything wrong with that. But that doesn't help anyone in the shop, in the office, in the workplace. And it doesn't help anyone looking to the labor movement for something better—better treatment, better wages, better benefits, better conditions, better health and safety in the workplace.Chris TownsendLee Drutman is a senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America, where he focuses on electoral reform, Congress, and democratic health. He writes the newsletter Undercurrent Events and co-hosts the podcast Politics in Question. And he is the author of The Business of America is Lobbying and Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America.The whole issue of gerrymandering is really just an outgrowth of this way that we use single-winner districts with winner-take-all votes. It's also what entrenches the two-party system in the US, which limits the choice of voters. So there's this one weird voting mechanism that we have that most countries have gotten rid of, that is an antiquated voting system, that preserves the two-party system and makes gerrymandering just inevitable—and that's the use of single-member districts. Now, in a proportional system, you take away the districts, and you do this statewide, you can carve up larger states into a few multi-member districts. And then seats get allocated proportionally by party share. That takes away the entire incentive of gerrymandering, it gives voters everywhere meaningful choices, meaningful votes, and it is just a superior system of representing the pluralism and diversity of our pluralistic and diverse society.Lee DrutmanPeople like the idea of proportional representation as basic fairness—that people think that parties should get seats in proportion to the share of votes they get. I did some polling on it a few years ago, and I'm hoping to do a little bit more… But I think that one of the challenges is people don't entirely understand how it works. And so it's a challenge to poll people on a concept that they don't know about. But I think more and more people understand it. And from the polling I've seen, at a principles-based level, people get the idea that proportionality is a form of fairness, and people like fairness.Lee DrutmanKaty O'Donnell is the editorial director at Haymarket Books, a radical, independent, nonprofit book publisher based in Chicago.News 5/22/26* Our first story this week has to do with what appears to be the impending downfall of ultrazionist media personality, Bari Weiss. Weiss, who resigned from the New York Times to found the Free Press and then sold that venture to become “Editor-in-Chief” for CBS News under the Ellison regime, is reportedly facing down the barrel of her role being scaled back substantially. Puck reports “As Paramount closes in on its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery…members of the senior leadership team have had informal discussions about changing Bari's mandate at CBS News—and, eventually, CNN—in ways that would give her less control over the linear product.” This piece cites her missteps stewarding CBS News, including her inability to improve the ratings for Evening News, even failing to secure new anchor Tony Dokoupil a travel visa to China in time for President Trump's recent visit to the People's Republic. While a total dismissal of Weiss seems unlikely in the near future, such a dramatic reduction in her clout would constitute a tremendous, humbling blow.* Moving to state-level news, last week, Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis announced he would be commuting the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for tampering with voting systems to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the Centennial State. Peters will now be eligible for parole June 1st. This move has been widely condemned, most notably by the Colorado Democratic Party which voted by a margin of over 90% to officially censure Polis. In a statement, the CDP wrote, “Reducing [Peters'] sentence now, under pressure from Donald Trump, is not justice…It sends a message to future bad actors that election tampering has consequences, unless you're friends with the president.” According to NBC, the CDP also banned Polis from being able to “participate as an honored guest, speaker or officially recognized representative of the Colorado Democratic Party at party-sponsored functions.”* In more positive state-level news, NPR reports Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has signed a bill banning prediction market sites like Polymarket and Kalshi – which allow consumers to “place…wager[s] on…future outcome[s], like sports, elections, live entertainment” – from operating in the North Star State. This makes Minnesota the first state in the nation to ban the prediction betting platforms. As this story notes, the Trump administration is pursuing legal action on behalf of the platforms, ensuring a legal battle over whether states can act to protect their own consumers from these predatory betting services. Minnesota Rep. Emma Greenman, who introduced the measure, is quoted as saying, “We as a state should decide how best and what regulations we think should attach to gambling, to protect public safety, to protect our kids.” The administration, meanwhile, specifically the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is arguing in court that prediction market industry regulation should be the sole preserve of the federal government.* Looking toward Congress, this week saw a number of high-profile primaries, including in the state of Pennsylvania. Leading up to that primary, the Pennsylvania machine went all out against the congressional campaign of State Representative Chris Rabb. Rabb, who had won the endorsements of everyone from AOC and Rashida Tlaib to Jamie Raskin and Philly DSA to the Philadelphia Inquirer, was targeted by a barrage of anonymous text messages to Philadelphia voters accusing him of “spreading conspiracy theories and holding extremist views,” per the Inquirer. What is remarkable about this smear campaign, however, is that it was organized by Philadelphia's Democratic City Committee and that it violated federal election law by failing to disclose that fact. In another troubling portend of things to come, one of the texts featured an “AI-generated image of Rabb acknowledging his supposed lack of legislative accomplishments in Harrisburg.” Rumors have long circulated that Governor Josh Shapiro wanted Rabb to lose, and worked the backrooms to this end while avoiding public statements.* Yet, despite all of that, Rabb prevailed – winning over his two establishment-backed opponents with around 45% of the vote compared to his opponents, who each won approximately 30% and 24% respectively. The Pennsylvania primaries turned out to be a good night for progressives more generally, with Bob Brooks – a firefighter's union chief and former state rep. who successfully united the Democratic Party behind him, winning the endorsements of both Governor Josh Shapiro and Senator Bernie Sanders. Brooks will face off against freshman Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie in November in the R+1 seventh district of Pennsylvania, while Rabb's general election campaign is seen as little more than a formality in the D+40 PA-03.* Yet, if it was a good streak for Democratic progressives, it was a very bad one for Trump critics within the GOP. This week, Thomas Massie lost his primary in Kentucky's fourth congressional district, buckling under the war chest deployed against him in what amounted to the most expensive House primary on record. Massie joked that “My vote was never for sale, so they bought a congressional seat. They found out what it cost.” Massie, perhaps Trump's most formidable intra-party opponent in the House during his second term, worked with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna on bills ranging from the Epstein Files Transparency Act to War Powers Resolutions related to the administration's actions in Venezuela and Iran. In retaliation, Trump made it clear that he would go to any lengths to ensure Massie would not be reelected. That said, Massie will remain in the House until January and has indicated that he will make that time as painful for Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson as he possibly can. Moreover, during his concession speech, Massie's supporters chanted for him to run for president in 2028, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Whether he is even entertaining that thought is unclear, but if he did run as a right-wing independent candidate, one could easily imagine him capturing a large enough share of the vote to deny certain states to the Republican nominee. Meanwhile, his ally across the aisle, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, said in a statement that Massie “lost because he had the guts to stand up to the Epstein class and against the war…He won voters under 45 by 30 points…Tonight, I say to [his] voters who feel rejected by Trump. We welcome you. Join our coalition to take on a rotten system and stand for the working class over the Epstein class.”* Massie isn't the only Republican targeted in the latest round of Trump purges. Downballot, Trump loyalists have ousted the Indiana Republicans who resisted Trump's pressure to implement mid-decade redistricting, but the real scalps he is claiming are in the Senate. Last weekend, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lost his primary runoff. Fox reports this makes Cassidy the “first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012.” Trump wasted no time in dancing on Cassidy's political grave, writing on Truth Social, “His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of a legend, and it's nice to see that his political career is OVER!” His supposed disloyalty, of course, refers to Cassidy's vote to convict Trump in the Senate trial for his second impeachment following January 6th. Former Senator Mitt Romney, who also voted to convict, is quoted in this article saying that Cassidy is a “person of character,” and that his “departure is a loss for the country.” Cassidy, however, is likely soon to be joined by longtime Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn. Cornyn is currently making his last stand against scandal-ridden Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in that runoff election. Trump has long prevaricated regarding whether and whom he would endorse in this race, at times leaning towards either candidate but remaining neutral up until this week, when he formally gave the nod to Paxton, per the Texas Tribune. This move has caused great consternation amongst Senate Republicans and cautious optimism among Democrats, who see Paxton as the weaker opponent to go up against Democratic nominee James Talarico in November – giving Democrats their best chance in years to flip a Senate seat in Texas.* What Cornyn's next move will be is a mystery, especially as he has not yet officially lost the Texas primary. Cassidy, however, appears to have chosen the Massie route of going down fighting. This week, Cassidy flipped his position to become the deciding vote in favor of the Senate War Powers Resolution on Iran – successfully pushing it through along with support from fellow Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul, despite disloyal opposition from Democratic Senator John Fetterman. The measure was then sent back to the House, but fearful it might actually pass – Democratic holdout Jared Golden had vowed to vote yes, and war-weary House Republicans Thomas Massie, Warren Davidson, Brian Fitzpatrick and Tom Barrett were all signaling their support – leadership abruptly canceled the vote, per MSN.* One factor cited in the Republicans' calculus around this latest War Powers push was the absences of Members of Congress. In their view, the absences would have given Democrats the votes they needed to win. Two of these absences have garnered substantial attention in the media: those of Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey and Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson of Florida. The 83-year-old Wilson, who was missing for a month with little public acknowledgment or explanation, has finally resurfaced, saying that she was undergoing a major eye surgery but still plans to seek reelection. In a remarkably tone-deaf comment, a source close to the Congresswoman was quoted in Axios saying “missing votes is not a sign she's sick or retiring…She shows up when she wants to.” Still, at least her absence has been explained and she has now returned to her duties in the House. Congressman Kean's disappearance is more mysterious. As of May 21st, Kean has not “been seen in Washington for more than 75 days,” NOTUS reports. When his absence first began to gain media traction, his Chief of Staff added fuel to the fire with the cryptic remark “there are no cameras where Tom is.” Now it is being reported that his neighbors back in New Jersey haven't seen hide nor hair either. There has been some indication that Kean is dealing with a personal or medical issue, but Speaker Mike Johnson claims to have no knowledge of the particulars. It is not controversial to say that being an American Member of Congress is too important to simply be AWOL for long periods of time, especially without deigning to explain why to one's constituents. Something must be done.* Finally, we turn to Latin America, where former president Evo Morales has leveled claims that the government of his native Bolivia, in coordination with the DEA and the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) is plotting to “detain or kill” him, TeleSUR reports. According to this report, “Morales detailed specific military units allegedly involved, including the Army's Ninth Division in the tropical region under Colonel Franz Andrade Loza, whom he said the government promised to promote to general and appoint as armed forces commander ‘if he finishes off Evo.'” Morales also “cited an F-10 unit under Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Giménez Ortuño,” a former aide to the defense minister in the government of the unelected U.S.-backed regime of Jeanine Áñez. These allegations sound somewhat outlandish, but in a moment when the U.S. has recently kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, worked to undermine the governments of Mexico and Colombia via the Hondurasgate scheme, and just recently moved to indict 94 year old Raúl Castro for his role in an incident three decades ago when the Cuban government downed a civilian aircraft that entered their sovereign airspace, it does not seem so far fetched.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Donald Trump just endorsed MAGA nutjob Ken Paxton in the Texas GOP primary for Senate, potentially killing off establishment incumbent Senator John Cornyn. As GOP Senators absorbed this news, reporters described them as “visibly dismayed” and “stone-faced.” Senator Lisa Murkowski openly declared that Trump has now put the seat “in jeopardy,” asking: “How does that help strengthen the president's hand when we lose a state like Texas?” Translation: Trump has screwed himself and his party in a big way. This might cost them the seat, and at a minimum it makes it much harder to hold. So is Texas actually gettable for Democrats? We talked to Democratic operative Sawyer Hackett, a veteran of Texas races. He explains why Paxton is much weaker than Cornyn, why a perfect storm of conditions in the state could bring about the unthinkable, what Democrat James Talarico's path to victory looks like, and what could still go wrong for Democrats. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ralph speaks to Dr. Marina Nord of the V-Dem Institute about this year's V-Dem Democracy Report and how the Trump Administration is dismantling democracy in the US. Then, Ralph welcomes Dr. Ralph Estes to discuss corporations' shady accounting practices.Dr. Marina Nord is a postdoctoral research fellow at the V-Dem Institute. She is co-author of V-Dem's Democracy Report 2026: “Unraveling The Democratic Era?”.Only six countries during the 21st century have registered larger one-year drops on the aggregate Liberal Democracy Index [than the United States] —and all of them are coups. If you look at the last almost 250 years (so for which we have data going back to 1789), there were only thirty-five instances of more rapid dismantling of democracy—almost all of them were either military coups or international interventions.Dr. Marina NordWe do not measure [Trump's] words. We measure how institutions function de facto. And what is a lot more important for us is not only what he says, but how other institutions (checks and balances) function to constrain him. And one of the things that we see, for example, is that Congress is not constraining him in any way. And this is very, very serious, because if you have a President who violates the law, who violates the Constitution, you should have the judiciary who stand up, the Supreme Court who should stand up to protect the Constitution. You should have the Congress who is not allowed to [abdicate power to the executive]. And this is something that is very, very concerning, a lot more concerning than what Trump is saying. What I find a lot more concerning is that there are no checks and balances to constrain him.Dr. Marina NordWhen looking at the data, we also looked at the countries who managed to stop autocrats similar to Trump. And we tried to analyze which factors contributed to stopping democratic backsliding and turning it around. So research shows that, of course, there is no single recipe, but there are several combinations of factors that may help. One of them is: use whatever institutional safeguards that you still have in the United States…The second thing that we know that still works quite well is robust societal action. And by that we mean not only demonstrations similar to the No Kings protests, but sustained protests, mass pro-democracy protests…And then, of course, one of the things that still should be a possibility to turn things around is the midterm elections.Dr. Marina NordDr. Ralph Estes is Emeritus professor of business and accounting at American University in Washington, D.C., co-founder and vice president of The Center for Advancement of Public Policy, and Emeritus Trustee at the Institute for Policy Studies. He is the author of several books, including Tyranny of the Bottom Line: Why Corporations Make Good People Do Bad Things and Fight the Corpocracy, Take Back Democracy: A Mad As Hell Guide for the 99%.The public has no way of fairly evaluating a corporation except through the press, what it sees in corporate press releases and their claims about being, for example, environmentally responsible and very favorable to customers. And there are no measures on that. Corporation doesn't give us any. Corporation produces a set of financial statements. You won't know how relevant those financial statements are to you and me. They're not relevant at all… In terms of social performance, there's nothing in the corporate reports, the formal reports, that is reliable. Again, you're stuck with what the corporation claims or what the politicians who are lobbying for contributions will admit corporations do… But this is a problem. If the corporation doesn't report it, if the citizens don't know about it, the politicians can try to do something, but they have to start from scratch.Dr. Ralph EstesNews 5/15/26* We begin this week with a bombshell story from Latin America. This week, El País broke what they are calling “Hondurasgate,” an expose centering on leaked audio recordings of conversations between President Donald Trump, Argentinian President Javier Milei and former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández – who was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison on drug trafficking charges in the U.S. but pardoned by Trump last year. In these leaked recordings, the three current and former heads of state discuss the creation of a “channel of spreading fake news with the intention of misinforming and destabilizing” Leftist governments in the region, including those of Gustavo Petro in Colombia and Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico. According to this report, the leaks reveal the involvement of another world leader – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – in the decision to pardon Hernández. El País writes the leaks prove the pardoning of Hernández was “not a gesture of clemency, but the down payment of a broader agreement.” Expect more damning information to come out as more recordings are unearthed, even if so far the American media has largely blacked out this stunning story.* At the same time the Trump administration is seeking to subtly undermine governments like Mexico's, they are executing considerably less subtle covert operations there as well. On March 28th, an explosion blew up the car of alleged narco Francisco Beltran just outside Mexico City. CNN now reports that, while “Mexican authorities have maintained extreme secrecy around the explosion,” multiple sources confirm that this was “a targeted assassination,” carried out by the CIA. Not only that, this operation is reportedly just one of several assassinations carried out by the CIA against rank-and-file cartel members on foreign soil which began last year. Troublingly, CNN notes these operations could be illegal under Mexican law, which prohibits foreign agents from participating in law enforcement operations without the express permission of the federal government. Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico's Secretary of Security released a statement indicating that the Mexican government has not granted any such permission, writing “The Government of Mexico categorically rejects any version that seeks to normalize, justify, or suggest the existence of lethal, covert, or unilateral operations by foreign agencies on national territory.”* One ironic aspect of the joint right-wing destabilization effort and CIA covert operations campaign both currently underway in Mexico is the fact that the Sheinbaum government has affected a stunning reduction in murders throughout the country. According to Mexico Solidarity Media, the daily average of intentional homicides has been reduced by 40% between the beginning of the Sheinbaum administration in October 2024 and April 30, 2026, with that last month hitting the lowest level in over a decade – comparable in fact to the United States. We can only hope that Sheinbaum is able to stay the course and continue to drive down the murder rate while simultaneously avoiding the destabilization campaigns being waged against her government.* In Colombia, another state targeted in the Hondurasgate plot, Ivan Cepeda continues to consolidate progressive forces in that country ahead of the presidential election, aiming for a first round victory. This week, Luis Gilberto Murillo, a center-left presidential candidate, dropped out and endorsed Cepeda. While Murillo never rose very high in the polls, he has held high positions in the Colombian government – including Minister of Environment and governor of the department of Choco as well as Colombia's ambassador to the United States and later foreign minister under Gustavo Petro.Colombia One notes that this is the second such withdrawal in recent weeks, with Senator Clara López doing the same, indicating a serious intention among the progressive forces in Colombia to stave off a second round of the presidential election, which could see the right-wing consolidate against Cepeda in a way they have thus far been unable to do ahead of the first round.* Meanwhile, El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, a standard bearer for the Latin American Right and a close ally of President Trump, is mired in a new scandal involving his dealings with the MS-13 gang and his ensuing attempts to silence the press. According to PBS, last month the Salvadoran outlet El Faro, in conjunction with PBS FRONTLINE released a documentary titled The Deal: Trump, Bukele & the Gangs of El Salvador, which “uncovered evidence that Bukele's administration had offered privileges to gang leaders in prison in exchange for a reduction in homicides and voter support in territories the gangs controlled.” Now, in retaliation for publishing this story, Bukele has reportedly “frozen the personal assets of two of [El Faro's] shareholders,” including editor-in-chief Carlos Dada who said in a press conference that “These are not fiscal measures…They are political measures trying to silence us.” This article notes that the facts presented in The Deal are particularly damning to Bukele, because of his public claims that he “would never negotiate with gangs” because it would grant them legitimacy. Just as it is ironic that the Trump administration is seeking to destabilize the Mexican government while it dramatically reduces murders, so too is it ironic that it is seeking to bolster the Bukele regime even as it carries out secretive deals with the very gangs the U.S. claims to be fighting.* In a wholly different part of the world, the centrist Labour Party government of Keir Starmer in the UK is teetering on the brink of collapse. Starmer's popularity has been declining precipitously ever since he entered office, but the crisis of confidence from within his own party accelerated after the disastrous results of the May 7th local elections. Now, according to CNN, over 100 members of his party in Parliament are calling for him to resign, but the only way to trigger a leadership challenge is for at least 81 Labour MPs to coalesce around a single challenger – and as yet, none have crossed that threshold. Starmer himself has refused to stand down, challenging any other claimants to come forward. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has come the closest to openly challenging Starmer, even resigning his post in the government but stopping short of formally announcing a leadership challenge, the BBC reports. For now, Starmer continues to cling to power but each day could be his last at No. 10.* Turning to American foreign policy news, this week the Senate voted down yet another War Powers Resolution on Iran – the seventh such attempt since the war began in late February. What is notable about this resolution is that it won the support of the most GOP Senators yet – Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – yet still failed by a margin of 50-49 because Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania crossed party lines to vote against the resolution. This from CBS. Even with Fetterman's disloyalty, this vote is significant for the number of Republicans who broke ranks, perhaps indicating a growing unease with the war and particularly its impact on the price of consumer goods, beginning with gasoline and cascading from there.* In more congressional news, Southern states are scrambling to act in the wake of the Callais decision. In South Carolina and Mississippi, state officials have rejected attempts to call special sessions to redraw congressional maps before this year's midterms. But, NPR reports Alabama is moving towards a new map that, like Louisiana, will likely include just one single largely Black, Democratic-leaning congressional district. However, even though some of these states are holding off on redrawing these districts today, it does not mean those districts will be safe tomorrow. And in Tennessee, where the legislature is moving ahead with a plan to do away with the state's majority Black 9th congressional district in a special session – resulting in a revolt by Democrats in the legislature – the Republicans are retaliating by stripping all Democrats from their standing committee seats for “creating disorder,” per StateAffairs.com. Expect this process to get more contentious, and plain uglier, as it grinds ahead.* Next, a story in Fortune highlights the cost of data center construction. According to this story, the nearly 50,000 permanent residents of the California ski resort town of Lake Tahoe – which regularly attracts 25 to 28 million visitors annually – will soon be disconnected from their traditional power source, NV Energy. NV supplies the power to Liberty Utilities, which services the area directly, and NV has informed Liberty that it will stop providing power after May 2027. That power will instead be redirected to data centers, leaving Liberty Utilities less than a year to find another power source. This story notes that “Northern Nevada has become one of the fastest-growing data-center corridors in the country,” with Google, Apple, and Microsoft all having built or planning to build facilities in the area. Gallingly, just last fall NV Energy's director of business development said the company was “eager to serve the new industrial load” but that it would not “impact [their] existing customer base.” This is a troubling preview of what may come as data center expansion continues unchecked.* Finally, in a story that proves once again that corporate greed knows no limits, the Lever is out with a new report on a class-action lawsuit by consumers against “private equity-backed bowling giant Bowlero.” According to the Lever, the suit accuses Bowlero of executing a “‘multi-year anticompetitive scheme to consolidate bowling centers,' which has led to skyrocketing bowling prices, deteriorating lanes, and ‘the veritable destruction of the decades-old pastime of bowling in America.'” The numbers back up this narrative. Bowlero, which had just six locations in 2012, has exploded to 350 today. The company is said to control roughly 35 percent of U.S. bowling revenue – and 95% of all lanes in some markets – as well as acquiring the Professional Bowling Association itself. As with any monopoly, once it had cornered the market Bowlero proceeded to jack up prices, even using AI to do so algorithmically. In a sense, this is a story we have all heard too many times to be surprised, but we can still be shocked by the base greed of corporate executives, even in something as seemingly anodyne as the bowling industry.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe