Podcast appearances and mentions of Russell Vought

Ralph answers some of your recent questions about the genocide in Gaza, how to jumpstart civic engagement, and more!Your feedback is very important. And the more detailed and factual it is, the better off the impact will be by your initiative and getting back to us. You have to be active in a program like this. Because we're not just talking to the choir here. We want the choir to sing back—in affirmation or dissent.Ralph NaderI was astonished…how disinterested the American people are in empowering themselves. That's the problem we have. The lack of civic motivation, the lack of saying, “Look, we've given our power to only 535 people in the Congress, and they've turned it against us on behalf of some 1,500 corporations. We're going to turn it around. We're the sovereign power.” As I've said a hundred times, the Constitution starts with “We the people,” not “We the Congress” or “We the corporations.” And the people don't seem to want to focus on that. If they had anyone in their neighborhood and community who were treating them the way Congress is treating them—as voters, as workers, as consumers, as parents, as children, as taxpayers—they would never allow it.Ralph NaderYou get more and more voters vulnerable to just what comes out of a politician's mouth. Remember, everything Trump has achieved politically has come out of his mouth—not out of his deeds, just out of his mouth. Repeatedly, unrebutted largely over the mass media, and faithfully relayed to the American people by a supine media which points out his mistakes once in a while, but it was too little, too late.Ralph NaderNews 9/26/25* This week, the campaign for Palestinian statehood notched major victories. According to the BBC, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia and Portugal all announced on Sunday that they would recognize the state of Palestine. They are expected to be joined by a number of smaller states, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra and San Marino. These countries, all traditionally close allies of the United States and Israel, join the 140 countries that already recognize the State of Palestine. A statement by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese explains that this move is “part of a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages.” These heads of state are pursuing this policy despite a thinly veiled threat from Congressional Republicans, a group of whom – including Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Elise Stefanik – sent a letter to President Macron and Prime Ministers Starmer, Carney and Albanese warning them of possible “punitive measures in response,” and urging them to “reconsider,” per the Guardian.* In more Palestine news, as the Global Sumud Flotilla draws near to the coast of Gaza, they are apparently under low-level attack. Al Jazeera reports the flotilla, “has reported explosions and communications jamming as drones hovered overhead.” In response, the United Nations has called for a probe, with UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan stating, “There must be an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the reported attacks and harassment by drones and other objects.” In response to this harassment, Reuters reports Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto expressed the “strongest condemnation” and ordered the “Italian multi-purpose frigate Fasan, previously sailing north of Crete, to head towards the flotilla ‘for possible rescue operations', focusing primarily on Italian citizens.” The strong response by the Italian government is likely related to the labor unrest the targeting of the flotilla has engendered within the country. ANSA, a leading Italian news outlet, reports the Unione Sindacale di Base or USB “would proclaim a wildcat general strike and protests in 100 Italian cities for Gaza after the success of Monday's stoppage and protests involving an estimated 500,000 people in 80 cities.” The union has organized these massive protests under the slogan “let's block everything.”* In more foreign policy news, following on the heels of the protests in Nepal, anti-corruption protestors took to the streets in the Philippines this week, Time reports. The acute cause of these protests was a recent audit which found widespread corruption in the country's flood control projects. The Philippines has invested around $9.5 billion on such projects since 2022, but these have been plagued by kickback schemes, resulting in shoddy work and even deaths. Even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., aka “Bongbong,” sympathized with the protestors, saying “Do you blame them for going out into the streets? If I wasn't President, I might be out in the streets with them…Of course, they are enraged. Of course, they are angry. I'm angry. We should all be angry. Because what's happening is not right.” The potency of these protests is likely to grow as the Philippines was hit this week by Typhoon Ragasa, which is reported to have killed three Filipinos this week, per NBC.* For our final foreign policy update, just days after the dubiously-legal strikes that killed 11 Venezuelans on a boat the U.S. claims was being used to transport drugs, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sent a letter to American special envoy Richard Grenell, per CNN. In this letter, Maduro denies any involvement with narco-trafficking, calling the allegations “fake news, propagated through various media channels,” and calling for Trump to “promote peace through constructive dialogue and mutual understanding throughout the hemisphere.” Trump brushed off Maduro, saying “We'll see what happens with Venezuela,” perhaps implying a renewed attempt to remove the Venezuelan president. Since then, the U.S. has conducted more of these lethal strikes, with no conclusive proof of the victims' criminality. The U.S. government is offering a $50 million bounty for Maduro's arrest.* Moving northward, a disturbing story comes to us from Florida. The Miami Herald reports, “As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined.” Speaking to the paper, attorneys characterized entering the facility as entering “an alternate [immigration] system where the normal rules don't apply.” This story cites one case of a man “accidentally deported to Guatemala before a scheduled bond hearing,” similar to the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, and a Cuban man supposedly transferred to a facility in California but who could not be located there. This kind of disappearing of migrants adds fuel to the fire of the worst suspicions about the administration's immigration policies. The Florida facility was forced to halt operations after a court ruling in August, but an appeals court has now overruled that ruling. The future of the site and its detainees remains uncertain.* In another instance of what appears to be a cover-up by the Trump administration, NPR reports the Department of Agriculture will “end a longstanding annual food insecurity survey.” In a statement, the USDA called the report “redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous.” This removes another crucial data tool, following the discontinuation of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' jobs report Trump ended just weeks ago. The signature legislation of Trump's second term thus far, the One Big Beautiful Bill, expanded work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which is estimated to cut food aid to 2.4 million Americans. That will surely add to the 47.4 million food insecure households recorded in 2023. Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), told NPR “The national food insecurity survey is a critical, reliable data source that shows how many families in America struggle to put food on the table…Without that data, we are flying blind.”* And in another assault on the regulatory state, the Supreme Court this week allowed Trump to keep Rebecca Slaughter – the last remaining Democrat on the Federal Trade Commission – out of her post for another three months. POLITICO reports the high court is reviewing a 90-year-old law which “limit[s] the president's power to fire…officials for political reasons.” According to this report, many expect the conservative majority on the court will rule that that law “unconstitutionally interferes with the president's ability to control the executive branch.” If so, Trump will be able to remove Slaughter permanently – along with any other remaining Democrats within the regulatory apparatus.* On the media front, ABC – and its parent company, Disney – have balked, reinstating Jimmy Kimmel's late night television program after abruptly suspending the show last week. Kimmel, in his return, clarified that “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” but excoriated the ABC affiliates who took his show off the air, calling the move “un-American.” This from AP. Theories abound as to why exactly ABC and/or Disney walked back what seemed like a cancellation; these include a potential costly lawsuit due to wrongful termination of Kimmel's contract, as well as a coordinated boycott campaign targeting Disney's streaming service, Disney+. For his part, President Trump washed his hands of the fiasco, writing that Kimmel can “rot in his bad Ratings,” per New York Magazine.* In tech news, Axios reports the Trump administration has approved Grok, Elon Musk's AI chatbot, for official use by every government agency. This news comes via a press release from the General Services Administration. This release quotes Musk, who says “We look forward to continuing to work with President Trump and his team to rapidly deploy AI throughout the government for the benefit of the country.” This comes after an August 25th letter in which a coalition of over 30 consumer groups – such as Public Citizen, Consumer Federation of America, and the Center for AI and DigitalPolicy – urged the Office of Management and Budget, led by Russell Vought, to “take immediate action to block the deployment or procurement of Grok.” Among the concerns cited in this letter are Grok's penchant for generating “conspiratorial and inflammatory content, including accusations that South Africans were committing a ‘white genocide'...Expressing ‘skepticism' about historical consensus of the Holocaust death toll and espousing Holocaust denial talking points…[and] Referring to itself as ‘MechaHitler'.” It remains to be seen what, if any, next steps opponents can take to halt the incorporation of Grok into the daily functions of the federal government.* Finally, Adelita Grijalva has won the Arizona 7th congressional district special election in a landslide. According to preliminary reports, she swamped her Republican opponent Daniel Butierez by nearly 40 points, according to Newsweek. This is a substantially larger margin than that won by Kamala Harris in 2024, who won the district by 23 points, which itself was a 10-point decline from Joe Biden, who won the district by 33 points in 2020. Grijalva's ascension to the House will further winnow away the Republicans' razor-thin majority in that chamber, bringing the margin to 219-214. She could also prove to be the critical 218th vote in favor of releasing the Epstein files. Adelita is the daughter of Raúl Grijalva, who passed away earlier this year. The elder Grijalva was widely considered one of the most progressive House Democrats, being the first member of Congress to endorse Bernie Sanders in his 2016 campaign and the second to call for Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Hopefully, the new Representative Grijalva will fill those big shoes.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

Send us a textToday, I'm here with my good friend and fellow podcaster, Ken Fong. Every week, the two of us dig deep into the big conversations shaping our lives, our culture, and the soul of our nation. We come to you from different vantage points, different life experiences, but with a shared commitment to truth, curiosity, and connection.This week, we talk about something that's been quietly eroding the way we live together as Americans — the loss of a national audience. Remember when 34 million people tuned in to watch The Cosby Show? Today, Stephen Colbert barely pulls in 3 million viewers. We're living in silos now, fragmented into tribes, each consuming our own narrow stream of information. Entertainment. E pluribus unum — out of many, one — feels more like a historical slogan than a lived reality.We'll also tackle the ongoing culture wars: from attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, to the rise of a “colorblind” narrative that erases cultural heritage, to the growing movement to merge church and state. Figures like Doug Wilson, Pete Hegseth, Russell Vought, and Charlie Kirk are openly advocating for a theocratic America — one where women are subordinate and “Christian nationalism” rules the land.And beyond politics, we're looking at the real impact of fear and division — from ICE raids in our neighborhoods to the suppression of voices that challenge the status quo.It's time to wake up. Join us in the conversation.SHOW NOTESSupport the showBecome a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you! Ken's Substack Page The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- In a post to social media, “comedian” Rosie O'Donnell wrote that ABC is allegedly reviewing progressive bias on The View. O'Donnell warned that the show would soon be canceled to appease “the orange messiah,” Donald Trump. Is it possible the show is in jeopardy of being discontinued because the quality is low? For example, South Park has been aggressively targeting the Trump Administration in its latest episodes—but Paramount recently awarded the show's creators with an estimated $1.5 billion. 3:30pm- Russell Vought—Director of the Office of Management & Budget—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss “200 Days of Winning” with the Trump Administration. What are the Trump Administration's most underappreciated accomplishments so far? Director Vought explains: securing the U.S. Southern border & preventing entrenched bureaucrats from slowing President Donald Trump's agenda.

Marc Raimondi discusses Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Professional Wrestling's New World Order Changed America, his new book on Hulk Hogan's heel turn and how WCW's edgy branding reflected a broader cultural shift. We learn how steroid scandals, media savvy, and black t-shirts reshaped wrestling—and maybe U.S. politics. In the Spiel, Russell Vought's viral soundbites about cocaine beagles and government-funded lizard wind tunnels. Plus: The worst job in Tehran as the wells run dry.   Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠

This week on Face the Nation, amid a summer of distractions, President Trump seeks ways to divert attention back to his economic agenda. Leaving behind the Epstein files controversy, the president headed to Scotland for a weekend of golf, ahead of trade talks with two key European leaders as his tariff deadline looms. Before he left, he took his fight with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell straight to the Federal Reserve facility itself, where he demanded answers about rising construction costs. But are the accusations of mismanagement, or reluctance to cut interest rates, the real motive behind the president's crusade? We check in with White House budget chief Russell Vought, who was with the president during his trip to the Fed. Plus, we ask whether he's eyeing another round of spending cuts. And get the Democratic response from Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen. Then, Mr. Trump's war against higher education escalates as he asserts authority and influence by threatening to cut millions of dollars in funding. We'll hear from the president of the Ohio State University Ted Carter about its impact. Finally, Israel announces it will allow more foreign aid into Gaza, where the hunger crisis has reached catastrophic levels, when will it stop? We talk with the foreign minister of France, Jean-Noël Barrot, about international pressure to end the conflict. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump's “Big Evil Bill” sped through Congress, to sell off public lands, gut healthcare, destroy rural hospitals, outlaw state AI regulation for a decade, make it harder to take out loans to go to college, and unleash an immigration enforcement regime bigger than anything we've ever seen. ICE will now have a budget bigger than the FBI, DEA, U.S. Bureau of Prisons combined. This is an oligarchy fever dream that will painfully backfire on everyone. Trump's Big Evil Bill is the blueprint of Project 2025 in action: a theocratic, authoritarian takeover of our democracy. This bill will expand presidential powers, weaken the lower courts, and crush humanitarian protections and put our already militized police state on Russian Olympian super steroids. Russell Vought, Trump's OMB Director and the architect of Project 2025, made sure the money was there to turn July 4th into a funeral for the American Revolution by installing a mad king.  But here's the truth hiding in the despair: the more pain this bill causes, the more people it radicalizes. Just as past generations rose up during times of injustice, many Americans, especially those who embraced Trump's con, like those manosphere-brain rotted Gen Z men, will be forced to wake up. They'll see the betrayal. They'll feel it. And some will finally fight back. The far-right had a 40-year plan. We need ours. One model: The Gay Revolution by historian Lillian Faderman. It's the story of how love, courage, and relentless organizing by small groups of determined people, many forced to become activists because of state cruelty like the kind we're now seeing, and won against impossible odds. The Gay Revolution is our roadmap of hope, and it pays tribute to the countless men and women, many who risked everything, many whose names we may never know, to cast out the darkness with love and defiance.  Go to the Gaslit Nation's Action Guide and choose action. Choose empathy. Choose to be the liberation this moment demands. EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: NEW DATE! Thursday July 31 4pm ET – the Gaslit Nation Book Club discusses Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The Little Prince written in the U.S. during America First.  Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.  Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.  Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.  Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.  Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes: The song featured in this episode is First They Came for Queers by Mr. Madam Adam. Find more of their music here: https://music.apple.com/us/album/first-they-came-for-queers/1690696748?i=1690696753 How to Protect Your Community from ICE: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ice-watch-programs-immigrants-how-to-start How Trump's bill will supercharge mass deportations by funneling $170bn to Ice https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/02/immigration-trump-big-beautiful-bill Donald Trump's weapons freeze on Ukraine could bring catastrophe https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/07/02/ukraine-russia-war-trump-weapons-freeze-missiles/ Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Who Threatened Police Joins Justice Dept. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/us/politics/justice-department-rioter-weaponization.html House taking key vote on Trump's "big, beautiful bill," after GOP holdouts threaten final passage https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-vote-big-beautiful-bill-rules-committee/

Theocratic tax-cutting. Russell Vought, abused child. ALSO: Peter Thiel should try calling people stagnant at the Elk's Lodge. PLUS: Chris impersonates modern music! Modern scumbags ordering scoops of ice cream from DoorDash. A song of the week from Ronnie Milsap!Ronnie Milsap - "Stranger in My House": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYrXp8aQHsECold Brew Patreon: Patreon.com/ChrisCroftonChannel Nonfiction: ChannelNonfiction.com

Dear Humans, The latest episode of the God Pod is now available ad-free, exclusively for Letters from God Substack subscribers. To support ad-free episodes like this, please consider joining as a paid subscriber today! "Keep up the good work! Happy to support this courageous and entertaining newsletter." — Sara   This week Jesus and I were joined by friend of the pod Andra Watkins! She was one of our earliest live-streaming guests, so we were thrilled to have her fun, dirty, and incredibly insights back on the show! Andra has a Substack called For Such a Time As This, where she decodes the America that you have chosen to be (A messy one!). On this episode of the God Pod: God, Jesus, and Andra discuss the the latest developments around the protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the USA, the Cassandra Theory, Elon and Donold's alleged make-up, Andra's incredible St. Augustine artwork, and Andra's favorite gin! Don't forget: God and Jesus stream daily. Catch God Pod LIVE every weekday at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT. Still coming up this week: Thursday, June 12: James Fell, author and everyone's favorite Sweary Historian Friday, June 13: Chef Andrew Zimmern Tune in. Tell a friend!

Postmodern Patrimonialism. That's the term Brookings Institution scholar Jonathan Rauch uses to describe Trump's second presidency, arguing it represents a 21st century model of running government as if it's his own personal property. Rauch describes Trump 2's "everything everywhere all at once" strategy as a venture capital-like approach: launching numerous initiatives simultaneously to overwhelm opposition, expecting some to succeed while recognizing that others will fail. Noting that this strategy has slowed since March due to court challenges and declining approval ratings, Rauch discusses the institutional breakdown of Congress, the emergence of Gavin Newsom as the apex of the resistance to Trump 2, and identifies Stephen Miller and Russell Vought as key strategic masterminds behind the administration's coordinated assault on universities, law firms, and democratic norms. Five Key Takeaways * Patrimonialism, Not Fascism: Rauch has shifted from describing Trump as fascist to "patrimonial"—running government as personal property and family business. This model is less organized than fascism but equally corrosive to democratic institutions.* "Everything Everywhere All at Once" Strategy: Trump's administration deliberately overwhelms opposition by launching simultaneous attacks on multiple fronts (universities, law firms, agencies, individuals), making coordinated resistance nearly impossible.* Congressional Institutional Collapse: America has effectively moved from a three-branch to two-branch government, with Congress absent as a check on executive power—a more fundamental threat than Trump himself.* Democratic Governors as Resistance Leaders: Figures like Gavin Newsom are emerging as the most effective opposition voices, using states' rights to challenge federal overreach in ways Congress cannot.* Miller and Vought as Strategic Masterminds: Stephen Miller (immigration/security) and Russell Vought (domestic policy/OMB) are identified as the key architects behind the administration's coordinated assault on democratic institutions.Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution and the author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer of The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. His many Brookings publications include the 2021 book “The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth”, as well as the 2015 ebook “Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy.” Other books include “The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better after 50” (2018) and “Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America” (2004). He has also authored research on political parties, marijuana legalization, LGBT rights and religious liberty, and more.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting the daily KEEN ON show, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy interview series. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 800-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Brad and Dan unpack the unraveling alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and what it could mean for the future of right-wing politics and finance. They examine how Trump's behavior may cost Musk billions and how the fallout could affect Trump's campaign. The conversation turns to the role of Russell Vought and his influence over the future of Doge, as well as the broader push to reshape American society along racial, religious, and ideological lines. Brad and Dan break down Trump's plans to enforce a straight, white, Christian, patriarchal order through aggressive policy and staffing changes. They close with a roundup of key headlines and a reminder that fractures within the MAGA movement may be cause for cautious optimism. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you think the American evangelical fixation over Israel's well-being is simply about "doing the right thing," my hunch is you'd be wrong. As a southern-born kid who grew up in the baptist faith, there's a lot I came away with despite that fact I'm now a 51-year old atheist. i'm not saying I didn't come away with some good values from that exposure to organized religion, but I'd like to think my family upbringing had an outsized role.What I do believe, however, is that protestant evangelical ties to the G.O.P. have everything to do with the Nixon-born "southern strategy" (dogwhistle racism, outright homophobia and now transphobia and xenophobia showing itself in spurts and fits when politically necessary). Because of that partnership, defending Israel is sacrosanct to the Republican (Democratic, too, if we're being honest) party's DNA. It's why a simpleton like Donald Trump gets so frustrated he and his party don't enjoy greater support from the Jewish American voting bloc. Like a long list of things Republicans are passionate about (the debt/deficit, immigration, reproductive rights come to mind), Israel's security isn't important to them because they're virtuous. Trump appointing former baptist minister-turned Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel is about appeasing the evangelical voting bloc, who simply see Israel as being a 'necessity' to set the table for Jesus' return, per the book of Revelations. If I were Jewish and/or Israeli, it would insult me, and maybe that's one reason voters don't warm to Republican ideology. Huckabee, for his part, is outraged European allies are daring to have cross words for Israel in the midst of it's 20-month long seige on Gaza. Seriously, can Israel do no wrong with the otherwise "pro-life" evangelical Americans? Even former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert is sounding the "genocidal" alarms. Is he somehow anti-Zionist or antisemitic now? That's the sort of lingo the right flings about anytime student protests come up at college and university campuses, after all.------While we're looking (and coming up empty) for some actual 'Christian values' in the G.O.P. playbook, their threatening cuts to social safety nets - Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security - seem like reasons for some Messianic table-flipping, no?Jay Bookman's latest op-ed - "There's no way to cut $800 billion from Medicaid without hitting bone" - goes right to the heart of the matter:"... if you still believe the administration, they're going to make those cuts without anyone losing benefits. As White House official Russell Vought put in last week, “This bill will preserve and protect the programs, the social safety net, but it will make it much more common sense. No one will lose coverage as a result.”If your BS detector isn't ringing by now, you need to take it in for repair.Confronted with the absurdity of claiming that you can cut $800 billion without canceling health care coverage, Trump officials retreat to their fallback position. Yes, they admit, they'll be cutting benefits, but only for those who don't deserve it. “Medicaid does not belong to people who are here illegally, and it does not belong to capable and able-bodied men who refuse to work,” another White House official told Politico. “So no one is getting cut.”Once again, though, your BS detector ought to be blaring. Under existing federal law, undocumented immigrants are already barred from getting Medicaid. They're promising to cut benefits to people who are already not getting those benefits. So no savings there.And the truth is, most of the able-bodied men who are too lazy to work are also too lazy to worry about jumping through the hoops needed to get Medicaid health-care coverage. Such men do exist, no doubt, but in numbers far too small to generate $800 billion in savings."More on that in the Thursday podcast.

White House Budget Director Russell Vought testifies before a House subcommittee on the President's FY2026 budget request and the budget reconciliation bill, the one called the One Big Beautiful Bill on taxes & spending; He disputes a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) prediction that the House-passed version will add $2.4 trillion in budget deficits over 10 years; Senate is on path to confirm the second highest spot in the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, vice chair for supervision; Tariffs on imported steel & aluminum double from 25% to 50%. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick goes before a Senate subcommittee defending President Trump's tariff policies; FAA Acting Administrator Christopher Rocheleau tells a House panel about the administration's plans to completely rebuild the nation's air traffic control operation; President Trump says he spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine and nuclear talks with Iran; U.S. vetoes United Nations Security Council Gaza war ceasefire resolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeffrey Goldberg has been a thorn in President Donald Trump's side since the real-estate developer–turned reality-show host first ran for office in 2016. Back then — ten months before he took over as editor-in-chief of The Atlantic — Goldberg wrote a piece headlined “A Brief Exercise Meant to Illuminate the Prejudices of Donald Trump.” The magazine has continued its unsparing criticism of Trump ever since, and Goldberg's recent Signalgate story was just the latest in a series of blockbuster scoops that have nominally embarrassed the president.  On Friday, Goldberg sat down with Kara for an on-stage interview at the WBUR Festival in Boston. They discussed Trump's corruption, the unserious people staffing his administration (as well as with the very serious Russell Vought, a Project 2025 architect who heads the OMB), the Democratic Party's travails, and the state of the news media.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul L. Singer, Abigail Stempson, Beth Bolen Chun, Andrea deLorimier Last week, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from ten other states, and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation wrote the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau's Acting Director, Russell Vought, pressing the CFPB to issue ​“long-delayed restitution” to consumers allegedly harmed by a business offering online training for tech positions.

As Elon Musk steps away from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the chaotic legacy of his aggressive assault on federal agencies continues to reverberate throughout the government. Musk's goal — slashing $1 trillion from the federal budget — has fallen far short. At most, it has cut $31.8 billion of federal funding, a number that the Financial Times reports is “opaque and overstated.” Notably, the richest man on Earth's businesses have received a comparable amount of government funding, most of it going to SpaceX, which remains untouched by DOGE's budget ax.Stepping in to carry the torch is Russell Vought, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and a key architect of Project 2025, the sweeping conservative playbook to consolidate executive power. Under his stewardship, DOGE will continue its mission to dismantle the federal government from within.”Access to all of this information gives extraordinary power to the worst people,” says Mark Lemley, the director of Stanford Law School's program in law, science, and technology. Lemley is suing DOGE on behalf of federal employees for violating the Privacy Act. This week on The Intercept Briefing, Lemley and Intercept newsroom counsel and reporter Shawn Musgrave join host Jordan Uhl to take stock of the legal challenges mounting against the Trump administration's agenda. As the executive branch grows more hostile to checks on its powers, the courts remain the last, fragile line of defense. “ There have now been hundreds of court decisions on issues, some involving the Privacy Act, but a wide variety of the Trump administration's illegal activities,” says Lemley. In partnership with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and State Democracy Defenders, Lemley's suit accuses the U.S. Office of Personnel Management of violating the federal Privacy Act by handing over sensitive data to DOGE without consent or legal authority.Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comDavid Graham is a political journalist. He's a long-time staff writer at The Atlantic and one of the authors of the Atlantic Daily newsletter. His new book is The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America. We go through the agenda and hash out the good and the bad.For two clips of our convo — on whether SCOTUS will stop Trump, and what a Project 2029 for Dems might look like — pop over to our YouTube page.Other topics: growing up in Akron; his dad the history prof and his mom the hospital chaplain; aspiring to be a journo since reading Russell Baker as a kid; the origins of Project 2025; its director Paul Dans; Heritage and Claremont; the unitary executive; the New Deal; the odd nature of independent agencies; Dominic Cummings' reform efforts in the UK; Birtherism; Reaganites in Trump 1.0 tempering him; Russiagate; the BLM riots vs Jan 6; equity under Biden; Russell Vought and Christian nationalism; faith-based orgs; Bostock; the trans EO by Trump; our “post-constitutional moment”; lawfare; the souped-up Bragg case; Liberation Day and its reversal; Biden's industrial policy; the border crisis; Trump ignoring E-Verify; Labour's new shift on migration; Obama and the Dreamers; Trump's “emergencies”; habeas corpus; the Ozturk case; the Laken Riley Act; the abundance agenda; the national debt; DOGE; impoundment and Nixon; trans women in sports; Seth Moulton; national injunctions; judge shopping; and trying to stay sane during Trump 2.0 and the woke resistance.Coming up: Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson on the Biden years, Sam Tanenhaus on Bill Buckley, Walter Isaacson on Ben Franklin, Tara Zahra on the last revolt against globalization after WWI, NS Lyons on the Trump era, Arthur C. Brooks on the science of happiness, and Paul Elie on his book The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

National Treasury Employees Union v. Russell Vought

Send us a textToday, my guest is journalist and author Katherine Stewart. I had a compelling conversation with this highly sought-after writer, and we went deep. Known for The Power Worshippers, she's back with Money, Lies, and God, exposing the dangerous alliance of Christian Nationalism and political power.We dive into her journey from the Child Evangelism Fellowship to attending rallies and conferences of the religious right. Katherine reveals how dark money, misinformation, and groups like Project 2025, the Federalist Society, and the Claremont Institute are reshaping America.We discuss Trump's 2024 win, his first 100 days, and how Christian Nationalism impacts public education, gender issues, race, and democracy itself.Most importantly, Katherine shares how we can resist and respond.This is a conversation that matters — for faith, democracy, and our future.Stewart began her journalism career working for investigative reporter Wayne Barrett at The Village Voice. Since 2011, she has contributed op-eds to The New York Times and written for various publications, including The Guardian, The American Prospect, The Nation, and The Atlantic. Her book was the basis of the documentary film by Rob Reiner, God and Country.SHOW NOTESSupport the showBecome a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you! Ken's Substack Page The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is set to withdraw a Biden-era rule aimed at cracking down on data brokers and their selling of Americans' personal and financial information. In a notice in the Federal Register, the CFPB said legislative rulemaking on the data broker industry “is not necessary or appropriate at this time,” and the agency does not plan to “take any further action” on the proposal. The notice was issued by Russell Vought, acting director of the agency, head of the Office of Management and Budget and a Project 2025 architect. The withdrawal of the rule, which was first reported by Wired, comes after President Donald Trump's initial nominee to lead the CFPB signaled to Congress in February an openness to continuing Biden administration data-broker rules. Jonathan McKernan, a former Treasury Department and Federal Housing Finance Agency staffer, told the Senate Banking Committee that Rohit Chopra — President Joe Biden's CFPB director — “was onto something” with his policies targeting data brokers and data aggregators. The CFPB's withdrawal notice took particular issue with the rule's focus on the Fair Credit Reporting Act, saying that the proposal was “not aligned with the Bureau's current interpretation of the FCRA, which it is in the process of revising.” The Senate on Wednesday voted 54-43 to confirm businessman Emil Michael as undersecretary of defense for research and engineering and the Pentagon's chief technology officer. In that position, Michael will serve as the primary advisor to the secretary of defense and other Defense Department leaders on tech development and transition, prototyping, experimentation, and management of testing ranges and activities. He'll also be in charge of synchronizing science and technology efforts across the DOD. Michael comes to the job from the private sector, where he's been a business executive, advisor and investor. He told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he's been involved with more than 50 different tech companies during his career. Perhaps most notable, from 2013 to 2017, he was chief business officer at Uber. In government, he previously served as special assistant to the secretary of defense when Robert Gates was Pentagon chief. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

In this Monday edition of The Daily Herold, Jon Herold unpacks a whirlwind weekend of policy, press drama, and geopolitics. The show opens with Trump's much-hyped Truth Social tease that delivered a sweeping executive order slashing U.S. prescription drug prices by up to 80%. Jon applauds the move, explaining how the “most favored nation” policy aims to end the pharma industry's global price-gouging scheme that has bled Americans for decades. He features powerful reactions from RFK Jr. and Stanford's Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who call the reform historic—and politically untouchable until now. Jon then shifts to foreign affairs, covering Trump's role in defusing potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, a surprise trade détente with China, and speculation that Trump could attend Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey. As Trump tours the Middle East, the press is melting down over a $400M luxury jet gifted by Qatar, intended to serve as the new Air Force One, an optics battleground Jon calls pure media theater. Also in the mix: rumors about Mark Kelly's alleged involvement in a Chinese spy balloon program, Elon Musk's exit from DOGE with budget hawk Russell Vought stepping in, and the kickoff of the explosive Diddy trial. Jon connects it all back to narrative control, institutional rot, and Trump's strategic dismantling of elite power centers, from Big Pharma to the globalist war machine. Smart, bold, and unfiltered, this episode is a reminder that Trump's second term isn't about playing defense, it's about flipping the whole system.

Reporting from Rome, John-Henry Westen expressed concern about Pope Leo XIV. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought joins Glenn to break down the House's push for a "big, beautiful bill." Vought also addresses some of the criticism this bill has been getting. The Spectator associate editor Douglas Murray breaks down his appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience." Glenn and Murray also discuss how our enemies are pushing an anti-American agenda and their hope that today's youngest generation will see through the propaganda. But can America's youth be expected to step up and save the country? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the papacy become Americanized? Glenn reacts to the first American pope and outlines the one thing the new pope should not do. Reporting from Rome, John-Henry Westen expressed concern about Pope Leo XIV. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought joins Glenn to break down the House's push for a "big, beautiful bill." Vought also addresses some of the criticism this bill has been getting. A Massachusetts man brought Molotov cocktails and knives to the Capitol with plans to kill Cabinet members, but the mainstream media shrugged it off as misunderstood "activism." The Spectator associate editor Douglas Murray breaks down his appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience." Glenn and Murray also discuss how our enemies are pushing an anti-American agenda and their hope that today's youngest generation will see through the propaganda. But can America's youth be expected to step up and save the country? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top officials of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau erupted in cheers this month.How odd. The cheers were for a federal court that had just ruled in favor of letting big banks gouge us with exorbitant feeds when we're late making a credit card payment. Bizarrely, agency officials joined jubilant bank executives in declaring, “This is a win for consumers.”Huh? The court's blatantly plutocratic ruling lets financial giants slap us credit card customers with punitive fees of $32 or more for every late payment. The court is legalizing their consumer robbery, allowing credit card lenders to pluck an extra $10 billion a year in excess fees from our pockets. Adding to their shame, the profiteering bankers will mainly squeeze this windfall from low-paid working families who're living paycheck to paycheck, having to rely on credit to make ends meet.So why in hell are the government's consumer protectors cheering this? Because these officials are no longer “ours,” but corporate operatives been installed by Trump's brigade of billionaires. The supreme goal of their autocratic government is to further empower the rich over the rest of us.Indeed, displacing consumer protectors with agents who'll protect corporations from consumers was an explicit goal of Project 2025. That extremist manifesto was co-authored by Russell Vought, a fanatical right-wing politico from the Christian Nationalist cult. What's he doing now? Trump has put Vought in charge of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.Thus, a national agency meant to help average consumers have a bit more of a fighting chance against financial greed has been perverted by Trump into just another tool helping moneyed elites rip off working families. How great does that make America?Do something!Consumer Reports and the Consumer Federation of America are both working to save the CFPB; additionally, a lawsuit has been filed by Gupta Wessler, a high-stakes litigation firm in D.C., on behalf of the National Treasury Employees Union, National Consumer Law Center, NAACP, Virginia Poverty Law Center, Pastor Eva Steege, and the CFPB Employee Association.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Our podcast show being released today is part 2 of a repurposed interactive webinar that we presented on March 24 featuring two of the leading journalists who cover the CFPB - Jon Hill from Law360 and Evan Weinberger from Bloomberg. Our show begins with Tom Burke, a Ballard Spahr consumer financial services litigator, describing in general terms the status of the 38 CFPB enforcement lawsuits that were pending when Rohit Chopra was terminated. The cases fall into four categories: (a) those which have already been voluntarily dismissed with prejudice by the CFPB; (b) those which the CFPB has notified the courts that it intends to continue to prosecute; (c) those in which the CFPB has sought a stay for a period of time in order for it to evaluate whether or not to continue to prosecute them where the stay has been granted by the courts; and (d) those in which the CFPB's motion for a stay has been denied by the courts or not yet acted upon. Alan Kaplinsky then gave a short report describing a number of bills introduced this term related to the CFPB. Alan remarked that the only legislative effort which might bear fruit for the Republicans is to attempt to add to the budget reconciliation bill a provision subjecting the CFPB to funding through Congressional appropriations. Such an effort would need to be approved by the Senate Parliamentarian. Finally, Alan expressed surprise that the Republicans, in seeking to shut down the CFPB, have not relied on the argument that the CFPB has been unlawfully funded by the Federal Reserve Board since September 2022 because there has been no “combined earnings of the Federal Reserve Banks” beginning then through the present. (Dodd-Frank stipulates that the CFPB may be funded only out of such “combined earnings”). For more information about that funding issue, listen to Alan's recent interview of Professor Hal Scott of Harvard Law School who has written prolifically about it. On Monday of this week, Professor Scott published his third op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, in which he concluded: “Since the bureau is operating illegally, the president can halt its work immediately by executive order. The order should declare that all work at the CFPB will stop, that all rules enacted since funding became illegal in September 2022 are void, and that no new rules will be enforced.” Joseph Schuster then briefly described what has been happening at other federal agencies with respect to consumer financial services matters. Joseph and Alan reported on the fact that President Trump recently fired without cause the two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission leaving only two Republican members on the Commission. He took that action despite an old Supreme Court case holding that the language in the FTC Act stating that the President may remove an FTC member only for cause does not run afoul of the separation of powers clause in the Constitution.  The two Democratic commissioners have sued the Administration for violating the FTC Act provision, stating that the President may only remove an FTC commissioner for cause. The President had previously fired Democratic members at the Merit Systems Selection Board and National Labor Relations Board. President Trump based his firings on the belief that the Supreme Court will overrule the old Supreme Court case on the basis that the “termination for cause” language in the relevant statutes is unconstitutional. After the recording of this webinar, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals stayed, by a 2-1 vote, a District Court order holding that Trump's firing of the Democratic members of the NLRB and Merit Systems Selection Board was unlawful. That order was subsequently overturned by the court of appeals acting en banc. Subsequently, Chief Justice Roberts stayed that order. In light of these developments, it seems unlikely that the two FTC commissioners will be reinstated, if at all, until the Supreme Court decides the case. Also, after the recording of this webinar, the Senate confirmed a third Republican to be an FTC commissioner. For those of you who want a deeper dive into post-election developments at federal agencies other than the CFPB, please register for our webinar titled “What Is Happening at the Federal Agencies (Other Than the CFPB) That is Relevant to the Consumer Financial Services Industry?” which will occur on May 13, 2025. Joseph then discussed developments at the FDIC where the FDIC withdrew the very controversial brokered deposits proposal, the 2023 corporate governance proposal, the Change-in-Bank- Control Act proposal and the incentive-based compensation proposal. He also reported that the FDIC rescinded its 2024 Statement of Policy on Bank Merger Transactions and delayed the compliance date for certain provisions in the sign and advertising rule.  Joseph then discussed developments at the OCC where it (and the FDIC) announced that it would no longer use “reputation risk” as a basis for evaluating the safety and soundness of state-chartered banks that it supervises. The OCC, also, conditionally approved a charter for a Fintech business model to be a national bank and withdrew statements relating to crypto currency risk. Finally, Joseph discussed how state AGs and departments of banking have significantly ramped up their enforcement activities in response to what is happening at the CFPB. The podcast ended with each participant expressing his view on what the CFPB will look like when the dust settles. The broad consensus is that the CFPB will continue to operate with a greatly reduced staff and will only perform duties that are statutorily required. It is anticipated that there will be very little rulemaking except for rules that the CFPB is required to issue - namely, the small business data collection rule under 1071 of Dodd-Frank and the open banking rule under 1033 of Dodd-Frank. The panel also felt that the number of enforcement lawsuits and investigations will measurably decline with the focus being on companies engaged in blatant fraud or violations of the Military Lending Act. This podcast show was hosted by Alan Kaplinsky, the former practice group leader for 25 years and now senior counsel of the Consumer Financial Services Group. If you missed part 1 of our repurposed webinar produced on March 24, click here for a blog describing its content and a link to the podcast itself. In short, part 1 featured Jon Hill from Law360 and Evan Weinberger from Bloomberg, who chronicle the initiatives of CFPB Acting Directors Scott Bessent and Russell Vought and DOGE to dismantle the CFPB and the status of the two lawsuits brought to enjoin those initiatives. Ballard Spahr partners John Culhane and Rich Andreano give a status report on the effort of Acting Director Vought to nullify most of the final and proposed rules and other written guidance issued by Rohit Chopra. The podcast concludes with John and Rich describing the fact that supervision and examinations of banks and non-banks is non-existent.

Our podcast show being released today is Part 1 of a repurposed interactive webinar that we presented on March 24, featuring two of the leading journalists who cover the CFPB - Jon Hill from Law360 and Evan Weinberger from Bloomberg. Our show began with Jon and Evan chronicling the initiatives beginning on February 3 by CFPB Acting Directors Scott Bessent, Russell Vought and DOGE to shut down or at least minimize the CFPB. These initiatives were met with two federal district court lawsuits (one in DC brought by the labor unions who represents CFPB employees who were terminated and the other brought in Baltimore, MD by the CFPB and others) challenging one or more of these initiatives. Jon and Evan described the lawsuits in detail. While the Baltimore lawsuit was dismissed on the basis of lack of ripeness under the Administrative Procedure Act, Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a TRO freezing the CFPB from terminating more CFPB employees through the end of March while she decides whether to enter a further injunction with respect to the CFPB's initiatives. Ballard Spahr partners, Rich Andreano and John Culhane, then gave an up-to-date status report on CFPB (a) final rules being challenged in litigation and/or eligible to be challenged under the Congressional Review Act; (b) final rules not being challenged in litigation which may be repealed or amended or whose effective or compliance dates may be extended under the Administrative Procedure Act; (c) proposed rules; and (d) non-rule written guidance. Rich and John paid particular attention to the following final rules: 1.  The Small Business Loan Data Collection and Reporting Rule under Section 1071 of      Dodd-Frank 2.  The Non-bank enforcement order Registry Rule 3.  The Fair Credit Reporting Act “Data Broker” Rule 4.  The Residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing Rule 5.  The Residential Mortgage Servicing Proposed Rule 6.  Credit Card Penalty fees under Reg Z (Late Fee Rule) 7. Personal Financial Data Rights (Open Banking) Rule under Section 1033 of Dodd-Frank 8.  Overdraft Lending Rule Applicable to very large financial institutions 9. Prohibition on creditors and consumer reporting agencies reporting medical debt under Reg V Part 1 of our podcast concludes with Rich and John describing the fact that supervision and examination of banks and non-banks is apparently on hold. This podcast show was hosted by Alan Kaplinsky, the former practice group leader for 25 years of the Consumer Financial Services Group and now Senior Counsel.

Today's podcast show features a discussion with David Dayen, executive editor of the American Prospect, which is an online magazine about ideas, politics, and power. He's the author of “Chain of Title: How Three Ordinary Americans Uncovered Wall Street's Great Foreclosure Fraud,” which was published in 2016. David has written and published about 10 or so articles in which he chronicles in great detail the apparent effort by the Trump Administration, acting through Scott Bessent and Russell Vought, to dismantle the CFPB by abruptly ordering a cessation of all activities and layoffs of probationary and term employees and a plan to layoff 1,300 or so additional employees. Because this plan would have crippled the CFPB, two lawsuits were initiated in rapid fashion against Acting Director Vought seeking to enjoin him from pursuing this strategy. One lawsuit was brought by the two labor unions representing CFPB employees and others in the I.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and got assigned to Judge Amy Berman Jackson. The second lawsuit was brought by the City of Baltimore and others in the U.S. District Coury for the District of Maryland. David describes in detail the case pending before Judge Jackson, including the hearings at which several CFPB employees testified. Those employees painted a very grim picture of the effort to shut down the agency. The DOJ lawyer stated that there was never an intent to shut down the CFPB and that the steps taken by the Acting Directors to “freeze” the CFPB were similar to steps taken by any new Administration in order to provide time to evaluate the situation and decide what changes should be made to reflect the new Administration's policy objectives. Shortly after the recording of this podcast, Judge Jackson issued on March 28 a 112-page opinion and 3-page order in which she required the reinstatement with back pay of all CFPB employees that had been terminated, enjoined the CFPB from terminating any employees except for good cause related to the individual employee, fully maintain the consumer complaint portal, ordered the defendants to reinstate all third-party contracts which had been earlier terminated, ordered the defendants to not enforce a February 10 stop-work order and required that the CFPB not destroy any records. The defendants have filed a notice of appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. On March 29. On March 31, the defendants filed a motion in the Court of Appests to stay Judge Jackson's order. See this blog for more detail about Judge Jackson's opinion. Because of the importance of Judge Jackson's opinion, Alan Kaplinsky and Joseph Schuster have recorded a special (additional) podcast show, where we dissected Judge Jackson's opinion and order and the other lawsuit brought by the City of Baltimore against Acting Director, Russell Vought, challenging his consideration of returning operating finds to the Federal Reserve Board or Treasury. That podcast will be released tomorrow, Friday, April 4. The Judge in the City of Baltimore case, in which the plaintiffs had not established nearly as complete a record as the case before Judge Jackson, denied the motion for a preliminary injunction based on the Court's belief that there was no final order which could be challenged under the Administrative Procedure Act. We also discussed the possibility that Congress could subject the CFPB to funding through Congressional appropriations by putting such language in the Budget Reconciliation bill which can be enacted by a simple majority and not 60 votes in the Senare. Alan Kaplinsky, former Chair for 25 years and now Senior Counsel of the Consumer Financial Services Group, hosts the discussion.

The Democrats are caught in a political nightmare! In this episode, I talk about the looming government shutdown and how the Democrats are stuck in a lose-lose situation. With Chuck Schumer leading the charge to block funding, the party faces a terrifying reality: if the government shuts down, Russell Vought, the architect of Project 2025, could take charge, leading to a MAGA takeover of the federal government. Will they fund the government and empower Trump's agenda, or let it shut down and risk political backlash? Tune in for the full breakdown on how the Democrats might be heading for disaster!--Go to https://ground.news/steve to see through media bias and stay informed. Subscribe through my link for 40% off unlimited access.*The content presented by sponsors may contain affiliate links. When you click and shop the links, Turley Talks may receive a small commission.*Go Beyond the Video—Get Exclusive Show Notes Delivered Straight to Your Inbox https://turley.pub/turleyrecapHighlights:“The Democrats in the senate via Upchuck Schumer have signaled that they will not vote for the continuing resolution that would keep the government funded, and therefore all non-essential departments and activities of the federal government will have to shut down. Forget the fact that this CR is basically the same one Schumer signed mere months ago.”“Voters are only going to end up blaming the Democrats for the shutdown. Sixty percent expect it, according to Rasmussen, and all indicators suggest that the Democrats are going to be blamed for it, especially in light of their antics during Trump's speech to the nation.”Timestamps: [00:21] The looming government shutdown [06:05] Who is going to take over if the government shuts down[08:13] How voters will blame the Democrats for the shutdown--Join my new Courageous Conservative Club and get equipped to fight back and restore foundational values. Learn more at http://fight.turleytalks.com/joinThank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and/or leave a review.FOLLOW me on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/DrTurleyTalksSign up for the 'New Conservative Age Rising' Email Alerts to get lots of articles on conservative trends: https://turleytalks.com/subscribe-to-our-newsletter**The use of any copyrighted material in this podcast is done so for educational and informational purposes only including parody, commentary, and criticism. See Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015). It is believed that this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.

Thursday, February 27th, 2025Today, the Office of Personnel Management sent out a memo directing massive reductions in force; the Trump administration threatens a permanent visa ban for trans athletes; Musk cancelled contracts that help veterans only to reinstate them the next day; Jeff Bezos announced a revamp to the Washington Post op ed section causing the editor to quit; a Democrat in Maine won her state special election by 43 points; the US logs its first measles death in a decade; judge Amy Berman Jackson extends the restraining order keeping Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger in his job through Saturday; Republicans in the House have passed Trump's budget including sweeping cuts to Medicaid; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.Stories:Wednesday's Campaign Round-Up: Minnesota's Tim Walz passes on Senate race | MSNBCDemocrat Sean Faircloth easily wins Bangor-area legislative seat in special election | Bangor Daily NewsTrump administration sets stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs in new memo | AP NewsHouse narrowly adopts budget plan to advance Trump's agenda in a win for Speaker Johnson - Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Melanie Zanona, Syedah Asghar and Julie Tsirkin | NBC NewsJeff Bezos' revamp of 'Washington Post' opinions leads editor to quit - David Folkenflik | NPRFirst measles death reported in Texas as Kennedy downplays the outbreak - Erika Edwards | NBC News Good Trouble:ACTION REQUEST -  Today USAID staff in Washington received word that they can go into USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan Building to retrieve their personal belongings. The entire Washington-based staff will have two days, this Thursday and Friday, in one-hour windows by bureau and in 15-minute increments per person. No boxes or packing materials will be provided. There are staff who have worked at the RRB for 20-30 years, and it is the "mother ship" for most of us. This will be an extremely emotional two days. So, we would like to encourage anyone who is able to join us at the RRB to "clap out" staff, with signs of support. If you're able to bring extra packing materials and / or drinks and snacks please do. We want to show these people how you treat public servants who have given their lives to the important work we do.THURSDAY 7:30 am - 6:00 pmFRIDAY 7:30 am - 3:30 pmUSAID Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NWThere is public parking in the RRB garage, and the closest metros are Metro Center (red line) and Federal Triangle (orange/blue). If you are planning to park in the garage please make sure to have a government-issued ID (driver's license).*Tomorrow is The Blackout. Don't buy anything unless it's from a small local business on Friday, February 28th.Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen. Check out muellershewrote.com for my interview with a systems security expert about the massive breach at opm.gov caused by Elon MuskCheck out other MSW Media podcastsShows - MSW MediaCleanup On Aisle 45 podSubscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on SubstackThe BreakdownFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaAllison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote, Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewroteDana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/From The Good NewsIRS Free File: Do your taxes for freeIowa DOGE - FeedbackCleanup on Aisle 45 - MSW MediaHRC.org/events Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote, Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewroteDana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

A Project 2025 mastermind now holds the reins of the federal bureaucracyMother Jones, By Isabela Dias, on February 6, 2025https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/02/russell-vought-confirmed-senate-omb-project-2025-christian-nationalism/The panel dissects the appointment of Russell Vought as the new head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), highlighting his concerning ties to extremist ideologies. The OMB wields significant power over the allocation of federal funds, affecting everything from defense to social programs. This means Vought, an open Christian nationalist with links to Project 2025, now has enormous influence over the financial workings of the U.S. government. His past includes advocating for the use of military force against protesters, dismantling federal agencies like the EPA, and cutting funding for social services, public education, and reproductive rights.Vought's think tank, the Center for Renewing America, promotes a theocratic vision for the U.S., openly stating its mission to establish a nation “under God” and dismantle federal protections against corporate and governmental overreach. His policies aim to consolidate executive power and undermine institutions designed to maintain democratic stability. The panel expresses alarm at his ambitions and notes the eerie historical parallels between his rhetoric and past authoritarian regimes.The discussion shifts to the structural issue of how the OMB interacts with Congress. While Congress technically controls the budget, the OMB has discretion in how funds are allocated, allowing someone like Vought to defund agencies by simply depriving them of resources. This loophole, which has existed for decades, now poses a dire risk given Vought's extremist agenda.Panelists Stephen and EJ, representing perspectives from Canada and Scotland, respectively, contrast their countries' political systems with the U.S. model. Stephen highlights how Canada's multi-party system prevents any single ideology from dominating, ensuring political diversity and negotiation. EJ warns that Europe has witnessed the consequences of unchecked fascism before and refuses to stand by while such forces gain traction in the U.S. Both express horror at the open rise of authoritarianism in American politics, particularly the normalization of fascist rhetoric and demonstrations.The conversation concludes on a somber note, with a recognition that while Vought's appointment is deeply troubling, the fight against authoritarianism is ongoing, and international allies remain committed to resisting its spread.The Non-Prophets, Episode 24.7.2 featuring Scott Dickie, Stephen Harder, Helen Greene and The Ejector SeatBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-non-prophets--3254964/support.

Has Wheaton College, the flagship of evangelical higher ed, gone woke? Concerned parents and alumni have published a letter accusing the school of valuing diversity more than discipleship. Others have responded by defending Wheaton against the unfounded claims of the MAGA mob. What does the controversy reveal about the state of evangelicalism in the U.S.? A new piece by friend of the show, Karen Swallow Prior, explores the relationship between justice and mercy. Does emphasizing one value more than the other explain the rift in the American church? Derwin Gray is back to discuss his new book, “Lit Up With Love.” He explains how evangelism fits into the bigger narrative of the Bible, and how our reconciliation with God impacts our reconciliation with others. Also this week—North Dakota officially rejects the kingship of Jesus.   Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free version of this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/123105870/   0:00 - Show Starts   4:07 - Theme Song   4:29 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 40% off your first order of Sundays. Go to https://www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.   5:26 - Sponsor - Faithful Counseling - This episode is sponsored by Faithful Counseling. Give online therapy a try at https://www.faithfulcounseling.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off 8:09 - Legal Resolution to Recognize Kingship of Jesus   12:56 - Wheaton Controversy, Russell Vought   18:42 - Wheaton, the Cultural Institution   31:03 - Justice and Mercy   37:05 - The Necessity of Wisdom   41:10 - What is Legalism?   53:03  - Sponsor - Fabric by Gerber Life - Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to protect their family. Apply today in just minutes at https://www.meetfabric.com/HOLYPOST   54:08 - Sponsor - Go to https://www.fromourplace.com and use code HOLYPOST to get 10% off site wide on beautiful cookware!   55:20 - Interview   56:28 - Lit Up With Love   1:00:03 - Appetizer for the New Creation   1:06:11 - Confrontational Evangelism   1:15:10 - The Risk of Loving the Church   1:25:52 - End Credits   Links Mentioned in News Segment: North Dakota House Rejects “Kingship of Jesus” Resolution: https://news.prairiepublic.org/local-news/2025-02-19/house-rejects-kingship-resolution?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic/religion   Mercy and Justice, False Dichotomy https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-faith/justice-mercy-virtues-christianity/   Other resources: Lit Up with Love: Becoming Good-News People to a Gospel-Starved World by Derwin Gray: https://a.co/d/aRcDAuB   Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/   Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus   Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost   Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop   The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying  purchases.  

David wants the CFPB dismantled, and he thinks Russ Vought's philosophy at OMB about deregulation is the right one. But did Vought use a really bad example of “weaponization” this weekend, and are some bad actors bad examples for good deregulation? David unpacks this dilemma of freedom and virtuousness in a quick, needed diatribe.

Russell Vought is the architect and legal scholar behind the Trump administration's attempt to reshape the federal government. Simon Rabinovitch, US economics editor for the Economist, explains how he got all that power. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Noel King. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members President Trump's Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, at his Senate confirmation hearing last month. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we're talking about Russell Vought's confirmation as director of the Office of Management and Budget in Trump's second term after Democrats in the Senate did everything in their power to prevent his confirmation from going through. After all, according to Chuck Schumer, Vought is "Project 2025 incarnate," when really, he's just doing his job as Trump directed him. Of course, that didn't stop Wheaton College, his alma mater, from retracting its congratulatory statement after the social media backlash. We also discuss Rick Warren's most recent post about Jesus being in the political middle. And is Kanye West's latest anti-Semitic X rant evidence of spiritual attack? Buy Allie's new book, "Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion": https://a.co/d/4COtBxy --- Timecodes: (00:51) Share the Arrows tickets on sale soon! (03:37) Tulsi Gabbard confirmed (05:40) Russ Vought confirmed as OMB Director (12:55) Wheaton College removes post congratulating Vought (25:33) Wheaton's past progressive leanings  (40:04) Kanye West's X rant  (49:51) Response to Rick Warren's post ---   Today's Sponsors: EveryLife — The only premium baby brand that is unapologetically pro-life. EveryLife offers high-performing, supremely soft diapers and wipes that protect and celebrate every precious life. Head to EveryLife.com and use promo code ALLIE10 to get 10% of your first order today! Good Ranchers — Go to https://GoodRanchers.com and use code ALLIE at checkout to claim $25 off, free express shipping, and your choice of FREE ground beef, chicken, or salmon in every order for an entire year. Pre-Born — Will you help rescue babies' lives? Donate by calling #250 & say keyword 'BABY' or go to Preborn.com/ALLIE. BlazeTV — Watch episode four of ‘The Coverup: Smoking Gun' on BlazeTV, releasing Thursday. Become a subscriber at faucicoverup.com/ALLIE and use code “SMOKINGGUN” for $30 off your subscription. --- Related Episodes: Ep 1136 | Christianity Today, Be the Bridge, & the Evangelical Underbelly of USAID Funds | Guest: Megan Basham https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-1136-christianity-today-be-the-bridge-the/id1359249098?i=1000689740204 Ep 945 | Churches: Beware of the 'After Party' Trojan Horse | Guest: Megan Basham https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-945-churches-beware-of-the-after-party-trojan/id1359249098?i=1000644262393 Ep 796 | Former Lesbian Activist Calls “Soft” Christians to Repentance | Guest: Rosaria Butterfield https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-796-former-lesbian-activist-calls-soft-christians/id1359249098?i=1000610921016 Ep 896 | From 'Trans Man' to Transformed by Christ | Guest: Laura Perry Smalts (Part One) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-896-from-trans-man-to-transformed-by-christ-guest/id1359249098?i=1000632613519 Ep 897 | A Detransitioner on the Lie of Trans ‘Joy' | Guest: Laura Perry Smalts (Part Two) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-897-a-detransitioner-on-the-lie-of-trans/id1359249098?i=1000632747460 ---   Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russell Vought, head of Trump's Office of Budget and Management, believes the president has the power to completely dismantle any aspect of the federal government he chooses. Bipartisan leaders say Trump and Vought are trying to provoke a constitutional crisis.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has become the latest federal agency in the Trump administration's crosshairs. On Friday, unelected billionaire Elon Musk and his minions gained access to the CFPB's computer systems. That same day, the White House named Russell Vought, the newly confirmed head of the Office of Management and Budget and longtime opponent of the CFPB, as the agency's new acting director. The next day, Vought ordered CFPB staffers to halt all work and to close the office, effectively shuttering the independent agency created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Helaine Olen, managing editor at the American Economic Liberties Project and a contributing columnist at MSNBC, explains why shuttering the CFPB would be bad for average Americans.And in headlines: Trump doubles down on his plan to kick Palestinians out of Gaza, a federal judge says the White House has defied his order to unfreeze billions in federal grants, and the president slaps a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports.Show Notes:Check out Helaine Olen's piece – https://tinyurl.com/4h97vk99Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8Support victims of the fire – votesaveamerica.com/reliefWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Trump administration's newly installed acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Russell Vought is closing the agency and has ordered staff to halt all work. WSJ's Brian Schwartz explores what the agency does and why it's become the next target for Trump allies like Vought and Elon Musk. Further Listening: - Trump 2.0: Less Foreign Aid, More Tariffs  - Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  - Trump's Tariff Whiplash  Further Reading: - CFPB to Close Office After Vought Tells Staff to Halt All Supervision  - Russell Vought Taking Over as New Acting Head of CFPB  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and Russell Vought of OMB shut down the CFPB. Plus, USAID had been spending money providing legal assistance for transgender refugees and much more.  Visit the Howie Carr Radio Network website to access columns, podcasts, and other exclusive content.

John interviews Marcus Baram who is Senior Reporter at Capital and Main. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Village Voice, New York magazine, and the New York Daily News. He has long documented economic inequality and the massive cuts to the social safety net Donald Trump and Russell Vought envision for America. They discuss his latest for Capital and Main - "Trump's Budget Director Pick, on Path to Confirmation, Could Hurt Millions of Working-Class Americans Including MAGA Voters". Then, John once again chats with Simon Moya-Smith and Julie Francella for their segment "We're Still Here". Simon is an Oglala Lakota and Chicano journalist. Julie is a mental health professional experienced in handling complex trauma with Indigenous youth and families. She is an enrolled member of the Ojibway of Batchewana First Nation Reserve. They talk about the racism surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs in the Superbowl and the Trump administration's desire to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza which draws parallels to the forced relocations of indigenous people in America.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guests: Sen. Jeff Merkley, Norm Eisen, Barbara McQuade, Sen. Angela AlsobrooksAn architect of Project 2025 goes up for a vote in the Senate: why tonight's vote on Russell Vought is such a massive deal. Then, a stunning setback for the DOGE team as a key member of Elon Musk's staff suddenly resigns over racist internet posts. And just wait until the president hears about the great egg heist of 2025. Want more of Chris? Download and subscribe to his podcast, “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes podcast” wherever you get your podcasts.

Joy Reid leads this edition of The ReidOut with Donald Trump's second choice for U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, being sworn in by Clarence Thomas after vowing to end the "weaponization" of the DOJ, only to immediately launch a probe into prosecutors Jack Smith, Alvin Bragg, and Letitia James for prosecuting Trump. And, we discuss the Senate voting to confirm Russell Vought on Thursday, a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist tied to Project 2025, which Trump falsely claimed to know nothing about. Plus, Joy breaks Trump's "shock and awe" strategy in his second administration, which is designed to inspire fear and outrage, creating problems only to pretend to solve them, while keeping his base engaged as his administration dismantles the federal government. All this and more in this edition of The ReidOut on MSNBC.

Today's Headlines: Trump announced a new task force to combat “anti-Christian bias,” led by AG Pam Bondi, and signed an executive order directing agencies to identify and halt anti-Christian discrimination. A federal judge temporarily blocked the deadline for federal employees to accept the administration's buyout offer, while another judge prevented Elon Musk's DOGE team from accessing Treasury records. A DOGE staffer resigned over racist tweets, and reports suggest the team has been feeding Education Department financial data into AI software. In Congress, Russell Vought was confirmed as OMB director despite a 30-hour Democratic filibuster, while Kash Patel's FBI nomination was delayed for a week. Meanwhile, CBS released unedited 60 Minutes footage after Trump's lawsuit accusing them of election interference, but he continues to attack the network, with his FCC chair calling their actions “concerning.” Finally, a new strain of bird flu was detected in Nevada dairy cattle, adding to rising concerns over multiple emerging variants. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: AP News: After prayer breakfast, Trump creates task force to root out 'anti-Christian bias' WA Post: Judge temporarily pauses Trump administration's federal worker buyout program  ABC News: DOJ agrees to proposed order to limit DOGE's access to Treasury data  WSJ: Exclusive | DOGE Staffer Resigns Over Racist Posts  Wired: DOGE Teen Owns ‘Tesla.Sexy LLC' and Worked at Startup That Has Hired Convicted Hackers  WA Post: Elon Musk's DOGE feeds AI sensitive federal data to target cuts  NBC News: Senate Republicans confirm Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought as White House budget director  National Review: Senate Democrats Delay Vote on Kash Patel FBI Director Nomination  CBS: 60 Minutes publishes transcripts, video requested by FCC  The Guardian: Trump calls for ‘termination' of 60 Minutes in fresh attack on US media  AP News: Second type of bird flu detected in US dairy cows  Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friday briefing: Trump and federal workers; Russell Vought; NCAA transgender ban; missing Bering Air plane; Super Bowl; and moreRead today's briefing.If you're not a subscriber, click here to start.

Tonight on The Last Word: Donald Trump's Treasury Department is being sued over access granted to Elon Musk. Also, Senate Democrats speak out against OMB nominee Russell Vought. Plus, Democrats slam Trump and Musk efforts to dismantle government agencies. And Trump and Musk spread lies about USAID funding. Norm Eisen, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. Raphael Warnock, and Jeremy Konyndyk join Lawrence O'Donnell.

On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on President Trump's pick for OMB director, Russell Vought. What Vought believes about rule of law in American democracy, and whether that could push the nation to ‘a post-constitutional moment.'

-- On the Show: -- Keith Edwards, host of "The Keith Edwards Show," fills in for David. Subscribe to his YouTube channel at youtube.com/@keithedwards -- Donald Trump signs an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports -- Mitch McConnell fell twice while working at the Capitol -- Trump evicts former Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan from her home citing "diversity" -- Senate Democrats speak overnight to protest the appointment of Russell Vought to Director of Office of Management and Budget -- Bill Gates mildly criticizes Elon Musk's government takeover -- Elon Musk's gutting of USAID hasn't uncovered anything groundbreaking -- Even Russia and China are opposed to Trump's plan for Gaza -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee for HHS Secretary, is caught putting blue food dye in his drink -- On the Bonus Show: 60 Minutes releases full Kamala interview, Trump reacts, and much more...

A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration's plan to offer buyouts to federal workers. NBC News Justice and Intelligence Correspondent Ken Dilanian, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander and NBC News Tech Reporter David Ingram join Meet the Press NOW to report on the latest developments out of the White House. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) explains the concerns he has over Trump's OMB nominee, Russell Vought. Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko discusses his assessment of the Russia-Ukraine war, and what resources the Ukrainian military needs to win. 

On today's Top News in 10, we cover:  Americans search for answers about Wednesday night's fatal plane crash.  Tulsi Gabbard faced Senate scrutiny on Thursday during her confirmation hearing to be Director of National Intelligence.  Kash Patel had his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday to serve as President Donald Trump's FBI director.  Senate Democrats on the Budget Committee boycotted the meeting to advance the nomination of Russell Vought. Meta will pay President Donald Trump $25 million for suspending his Facebook and Instagram accounts in 2021.  Trump issues executive orders on education . Links From Today's Show: Keep Up With The Daily Signal Sign up for our email newsletters: https://www.dailysignal.com/email   Subscribe to our other shows:  The Tony Kinnett Cast: https://www.dailysignal.com/the-tony-kinnett-cast  Problematic Women: https://www.dailysignal.com/problematic-women  The Signal Sitdown: https://www.dailysignal.com/the-signal-sitdown  Follow The Daily Signal:  X: https://x.com/DailySignal  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/  Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DailySignal  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/TheDailySignal   Thanks for making The Daily Signal Podcast your trusted source for the day's top news. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's an EmMajority Report Thursday! She speaks with Jason Koebler of 404 Media to discuss big tech's influence on the Trump administration and efforts to decentralize social media. Then, she speaks with Nayna Gupta, policy director at the American Immigration Council, to discuss the Trump administration's executive orders on immigration, as well as the shutting down of the CBP One app for prospective U.S. citizens. First, Emma runs through updates on Trump's aggressive anti-immigrant push, Trump's crippling of the administrative state, the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard, Senate GOP's anti-abortion push, a major labor win for Vegas hotel workers, LA's newest brush fire, and Israel's intensifying slaughters in the West Bank, before doing a little reflecting on Russell Vought, Trump's nominee for head of the Office of Management and Budget, and his attempt to shirk answering for his proclaimed desire to “traumatize” the federal bureaucrats working for him. Jason Koebler then joins, first tackling his assessment of the still-ambiguous TikTok ban, with this past week's brief announcement of Trump's app-saving measure yet to solidify, the future of the app balancing between the hope of a passive DOJ and the potential of a US-based billionaire buyer, also touching on the potential identity of said buyer (Oracle CEO Larry Ellison). After expanding on the other domestic billionaire beneficiaries of a TikTok ban (namely Meta), Koebler and Emma shift to the topic of AI – the overwhelming focus of the Tech industry at this point – and its major struggles to meet the consumer demands of utility and affordability, before looking to the value of a decentralized approach to the Tech industry and social media in providing users a cohesive and interoperable experience. Nayna Gupta then joins as she and Emma unpack the immediate impact of Trump's devastating attacks on the US immigration system, including the despair among migrants already hindered by the Biden Administration's legally- and morally-dubious attempts to undermine the asylum system as their final (legal) path into the country – via the CBP One app process – is shut down. Expanding on this, Gupta tackles the some 200k Trump has left stranded and desperate on our border, and the absurdity of claiming this does anything but further destabilize our country and the immigration system he supposedly wants to fix, a critique also applicable to the ongoing bipartisan passage of the Laken Riley Act, concluding the interview with the need for Democrats to present a genuine alternative to Trump's border militancy – something Biden and Harris objectively failed to do – centered around effective, efficient, and humane solutions to this problem that provide an actual infrastructure for legal pathways to citizenship. And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt Binder and Brandon Sutton as they talk with Ally from New Hampshire about the inhumanity that conservatives hate to hide, and watch Eric Adams try to save his image with help from… Tucker Carlson. They also watch Newsmax try to paint the Pope as Satan-pilled over his criticisms of Trump, and speak with Emma's Honor Thesis from North Texas as they dive deep into the major role churches do and can play in community building and organizing in the American South. British Journalists and apparent Nazi sympathizer Angela Epstein defends Elon Musk's excitability and cleverness that lead to his Sieg Heil at Trump's inauguration, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Jason on Twitter here: https://x.com/jason_koebler Check out Jason's work at 404 here: https://www.404media.co/author/jason-koebler/ Check out 404 Media's YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/@404Mediaco/videos Follow Nayna on Twitter here: https://x.com/nayna_gupta Find out more about the American Immigration Council here: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! 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Tonight, Joy Reid leads this episode with Donald Trump's efforts to reshape the federal workforce through Project 2025. The program's architect, Russell Vought, has openly stated his goal of creating a “traumatically affected” environment for federal employees. This comes as Trump's allies, Enrique Tarrio and Elmer Stewart Rhodes, have regained their freedom, with Tarrio demanding retribution on Alex Jones' show and Rhodes revisiting Capitol Hill to meet his Republican backers. Meanwhile, Trump is pushing for a federal government dominated by white men, beginning with the repeal of Lyndon Johnson's 1965 Executive Order 11246, which prohibited discrimination by federal contractors. His replacement executive order, signed Tuesday, has already placed diversity, equity, and inclusion employees on paid leave. With grievances about diversity hires fueling these drastic changes, Trump's vision for America becomes increasingly clear.

Happy Friday! Sam and Emma speak with Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.com and proprietor of the blog Hullabaloo, to round up the week in news. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on the Supreme Court's affirmation of the TikTok ban, Biden and Trump's following denunciations of said ban, Israel's ceasefire sabotage, Trump's cabinet nominees, medicare drug price negotiations, and Mike Johnson's enforcement of the Trump regime, before watching Bernie push Trump treasury pick Bessent on why he doesn't think working people deserve fair wages. Digby then joins, as she, Sam, and Emma dive right into the devastating wildfires continuing to ravage LA, and the right's immediate push to politicize the event for all of their culture war BS, targeting Newsome, Bass, and DEI, before shifting to the greater absurdity of blaming people for failing to deal with an issue (climate change) that you refuse even to acknowledge. Expanding on this latter element, Digby tackles how LA is already being set up for Big Tech disaster capitalists to swoop in, diving deep into the setup of Trump's uber-oligarchy, what Big Tech wants from the relationship, and what makes them distinct from both contemporary and historical oligarch comparisons, wrapping up the show by waxing on the horrors of a Polymarket populist future. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma take some highlights from the hearings for Trump's Administrative nominees, including Bessent's abject fear of taxing the wealthy, Russell Vought's attempt to shirk the “has repeatedly fantasized about terrorizing bureaucratic agents” accusations, and Hegseth's utter embarrassment in the face of Elizabeth Warren. They also unpack right-wing reactionaries' attempt to pin California's forest fires on those damn meth-smoking homeless people in urban Los Angeles, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Digby on Twitter here: https://x.com/digby56 Check out Digby's work at Salon here: https://www.salon.com/writer/heather_digby_parton Check out Hullabaloo here: https://digbysblog.net/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today's sponsors: Express VPN: Protect your online privacy TODAY by visiting https://ExpressVPN.com/majority. That's https://ExpressVPN.com/majority and you can get an extra four months FREE. Manukora Honey: Now, it's easier than ever to try Manukora Honey. Head to https://Manukora.com/MAJORITY to get $25 off the Starter Kit, which comes with an MGO 850+ Manuka Honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook! That's https://Manukora.com/MAJORITY for $25 off your Starter Kit. Sunset Lake CBD: Sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/