Podcasts about watergate

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump panicking as he gets the worst poll in US history that's even worse than Richard Nixon during Watergate and Meiselas speaks with Congressman Chris Pappas who is running for Senate in New Hampshire against MAGA Republican John Sununu. Pre-order the new book from MeidasTouch, WTF America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy, today: https://bit.ly/wtfamericayoutube Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show The Ken Harbaugh Show: https://meidasnews.com/tag/the-ken-harbaugh-show Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Day in Legal History: The Declaration of SentimentsOn July 20, 1848, at the close of the two-day Seneca Falls Convention in upstate New York, roughly a hundred people signed the Declaration of Sentiments—the founding document of the organized women's rights movement in the United States. Drafted principally by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it was a deliberate and pointed act of legal argument: Stanton modeled it on the Declaration of Independence, echoing Jefferson's cadences but adding two words that changed everything—”that all men and women are created equal.”The genius of the document was to take the nation's own founding logic and turn it on the exclusion of half the population. It then catalogued, in the form of a bill of particulars against “man” rather than King George, the specific legal disabilities women lived under. Married women had no right to their own property or wages—under the common-law doctrine of coverture, a wife's legal identity was absorbed into her husband's. Women could not vote, were barred from most professions and higher education, had almost no rights to their own children in the event of separation, and were governed by laws they had no voice in making. The Declaration listed these as concrete legal grievances, not vague complaints, framing the denial of women's rights as a violation of the country's stated principles.The most controversial demand was the resolution calling for women's suffrage, which passed only narrowly and with the public support of Frederick Douglass, who attended the convention. The significance of July 20, 1848 is that it launched a legal and political campaign that would take seventy-two years to win the vote, with the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, and far longer to dismantle coverture and the web of laws built on women's legal subordination. It's a reminder that constitutional principles are not self-executing—that “all men are created equal” had to be argued, expanded, and fought for by the people the original text left out.A federal appeals court has struck down New Jersey's ban on assault firearms and high-capacity magazines, the first time any federal appeals court has invalidated a state assault-weapons ban. Sitting en banc, the Philadelphia-based Third Circuit ruled 10-5 that the state's prohibition on semi-automatic rifles—not just AR-15s, but the whole category—violates the Second Amendment, as does its ban on magazines holding more than ten rounds. The reasoning flows from the Supreme Court's recent framework, which asks whether a gun regulation is consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearms regulation; the majority concluded these bans are not. What makes this a genuinely big deal is the split it creates. Just last week, a different federal appeals court upheld Illinois's ban on semi-automatic weapons—so we now have appeals courts squarely disagreeing on whether these bans are constitutional. That kind of circuit split is precisely the condition that draws the Supreme Court in, and the Court is already poised to take up whether bans on semi-automatic rifles violate the Second Amendment. The significance is that a question affecting roughly a dozen states with similar laws is now barreling toward a definitive answer. For the moment, New Jersey's ban is unenforceable as to these weapons, but the durability of that outcome—and of assault-weapons bans nationwide—now depends on what the Supreme Court does next.US appeals court declares New Jersey's ban on assault rifles unconstitutional | ReutersA federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration cannot rely on a White House budget-office regulation to cancel billions of dollars in grants simply because those grants no longer match its priorities. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston sided with a coalition of Democratic-led states, rejecting the administration's claim that a clause in Office of Management and Budget regulations gave it authority to revoke funding whenever an agency's focus shifts. Here's the underlying principle. When Congress appropriates money for a program and an agency awards grants under it, the government generally can't just take that money back on a whim—grant recipients have relied on it, and the terms for termination are limited. The administration's theory was that an OMB regulation let it terminate grants it deemed “inconsistent with agency priorities,” effectively a roving power to defund causes it disfavors. Judge Talwani found the regulation didn't authorize anything of the kind. The significance connects to a theme we keep returning to: the limits of executive power over money that Congress has already directed. The administration has repeatedly tried to redirect or withhold funds to reshape policy without going through Congress, and courts have repeatedly pushed back. This ruling reinforces that a president's control over federal spending, though real, is bounded—an agency can't retroactively pull grants just because political priorities changed.Trump administration cannot cancel grants for disfavored causes, US judge rules | ReutersA federal judge has declined to block Meta from laying off 26 employees who claim the company's AI tools singled them out for termination because they have disabilities or took medical leave. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in Oakland ruled that the workers hadn't shown the “irreparable harm” needed for an emergency order halting the layoffs, which are set to begin July 22, and that the merits of their novel claims will be decided in private arbitration. The allegations are striking. The plaintiffs—engineers, managers, researchers, and designers suing anonymously—say Meta used a suite of internal AI systems to score and rank employees onto a termination list, including an assistant called “Metamate,” an employee-trained “second brain” that tracked workers' communications, and a productivity score drawn from scanning keystrokes, screen content, emails, and browser history. Meta denies wrongdoing and insists humans, not algorithms, made the layoff decisions. This is a frontier legal question: when an employer uses AI to help decide who gets cut, and those tools allegedly disadvantage people with disabilities or on leave, is that illegal discrimination? The judge's refusal to block the layoffs was procedural—losing a job usually isn't “irreparable” because money damages can fix it—but he pointedly noted the case raises “serious questions” and said he might reconsider based on more evidence about how AI was actually used. The significance is that algorithmic management is colliding with anti-discrimination law, and courts are just beginning to work out who's accountable when the machine does the ranking.US judge won't block Meta from laying off workers who filed AI discrimination lawsuit | ReutersAnd finally, the IRS's top lawyer has been forced out after refusing White House demands that would have drawn him into tax audits of particular taxpayers. Ken Kies, who served as the agency's acting chief counsel and as Treasury's assistant secretary for tax policy, told administration officials their requests would violate a federal law that bars the president, the vice president, and other White House officials from ordering the IRS to conduct or terminate an audit of any specific taxpayer. That statute is a direct legacy of Watergate-era abuses, when presidents tried to sic the tax agency on their enemies, and tax professionals regard it as the single most important safeguard against weaponizing the tax code. Kies apparently stood on that law—and lost his job for it. The story connects directly to one we covered recently: the administration's $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement that would have given the president and his family immunity from IRS audits, which a federal judge struck down as a collusive arrangement with no basis in law. The significance is about the fragile independence of tax administration. The protections that keep audits free from political direction only work if the officials inside the agency are willing to enforce them—and when the person who says “no” to an unlawful demand is pushed out, it sends a chilling message to everyone who remains. Top US tax lawyer forced out after White House clash over tax audits | Reuters This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Follow the Money: WI Governor Campaign Finance Reports Michelle Ellinger Linley When the Watergate scandal was breaking in the 1970s, the White House anonymous source code-named “Deep Throat” famously advised Washington Post Reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward to “follow the money.” Neighborhood activist, long time organizer, and self-described “campaign finance nerd” Michelle Ellinger Linley has taken it upon herself to do just that. Michelle joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on July 20, 2026 with an in-depth analysis of how Wisconsin's gubernatorial candidates earned and spent their campaign cash. Featured image: pile of cash (Photo by 401(K) 2012, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons) Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Follow the Money: WI Gubernatorial Campaign appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Francis Fukuyama, Linda Chavez, and Rachel Janfaza join Yascha Mounk to discuss what a radical liberal agenda might look like today. In this week's episode of The Good Fight Club, Yascha Mounk, Francis Fukuyama, Linda Chavez, and Rachel Janfaza explore whether Gen Z's political instincts are genuinely liberal, what a renewed liberalism needs to reclaim from the republican tradition, and how to rebuild a culture of public-spiritedness in an age of anti-establishment politics.  Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University and the founder of American Purpose. His latest book is Liberalism and Its Discontents. Linda Chavez is the Vice Chair of the Renew Democracy Initiative, founded by Garry Kasparov. She previously served in the Reagan administration and has been a syndicated columnist and political commentator for decades. Rachel Janfaza is the founder of Up and Up, where she researches and writes about the political beliefs and cultural attitudes of Gen Z. This conversation was recorded at the Liberalism for the 21st Century conference in Washington, D.C., which is organized by the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism. If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠⁠⁠this link on your phone⁠⁠⁠. Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠⁠@Yascha_Mounk⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠@JoinPersuasion⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠Yascha Mounk⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Persuasion⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Persuasion Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this blockbuster edition of the Adult in the Room podcast, Victoria Taft deconstructs a series of massive political bombshells shattering the corporate media narrative. First, we preview Donald Trump's upcoming primetime address detailing four sets of newly declassified FBI, CIA, and ODNI documents that expose extensive Chinese database hacking and election infrastructure interference during the 2020 election. We also dig into the structural layout of voter registration rolls, including over 100,000 non-citizens, and review citizen journalist J.J. Smith's shocking undercover video catching cash-for-signature election fraud on the streets of San Francisco.

This Day in Legal History: The White House Tapes RevealedOn July 16, 1973, before the Senate Watergate Committee and a live national television audience, a former White House aide named Alexander Butterfield answered a question that changed American history. Asked whether there was any kind of recording system in the White House, Butterfield confirmed that President Nixon had installed a secret, voice-activated taping system that recorded his conversations and phone calls in the Oval Office and elsewhere. In a single answer, the entire Watergate investigation pivoted.Until that moment, the inquiry into the Watergate break-in and cover-up had largely been a contest of competing testimony—Nixon's word against that of his former counsel John Dean. The existence of the tapes meant there was now an objective record of what the President had actually said and known. Prosecutors and Congress immediately sought them; Nixon refused to hand them over, asserting executive privilege—the claim that a president's confidential communications are shielded from disclosure. That standoff produced one of the most important separation-of-powers decisions in American law.In United States v. Nixon, decided a year later in July 1974, a unanimous Supreme Court rejected the President's claim of absolute privilege. The Court recognized that executive privilege exists and has real constitutional footing, but held that it is not unqualified—that it must yield to the demonstrated, specific need for evidence in a criminal proceeding. No person, the decision made clear, not even the president, is above the ordinary processes of the law. Nixon turned over the tapes, one of which captured him plotting to obstruct the investigation, and he resigned days later. The significance of July 16, 1973 is that a single truthful answer under oath set in motion the enforcement of a foundational principle: that presidential power operates within the law, and that the courts, not the president, decide the limits of privilege.Todd Blanche's bid to become attorney general is hanging in the balance after a tense confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blanche, who has been acting attorney general since President Trump fired Pam Bondi in April and who previously served as Trump's personal criminal defense lawyer, spent hours fielding pointed questions—including a telling moment when he said he “is” the president's lawyer before catching himself and correcting it to “was.” The awkwardness captures the central concern: whether a former personal attorney to the president can run the Justice Department as a neutral servant of the law rather than of the man who appointed him. Senators pressed him on the now-defunct anti-weaponization fund, the handling of the Epstein files, and Trump's pardons for January 6 defendants. The math is what makes this precarious. The recent death of Senator Lindsey Graham left committee Republicans with just one vote to spare, and Senator John Cornyn—a lame duck—has said he isn't sold, meaning Blanche's advancement may rest largely in Cornyn's hands. The significance is about the independence of federal law enforcement: confirming a president's former defense lawyer as attorney general tests whether the Justice Department's prosecutorial power will be insulated from the president's personal interests, and the narrow margin means a single Republican could decide the outcome.Blanche to face Senate grilling in bid to be Trump's attorney general | ReutersThe Senate has confirmed a second Florida state appeals judge who ruled in President Trump's favor in his defamation suit against the Pulitzer Prize Board, giving him a lifetime seat on the federal bench. The vote was 51-46 along party lines to place Chief Judge Jeffrey Kuntz on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Here's the connection that drew scrutiny. Kuntz sat on the Florida appeals court panel that ruled for Trump on a personal-jurisdiction question, allowing his defamation case against the Pulitzer Board to move forward—and Kuntz wrote that panel ruling. He is now the second judge from that same panel to be nominated by Trump and confirmed to a lifetime federal judgeship. At his hearing, Kuntz defended his decision not to recuse from the Trump matter. The significance is about judicial independence and the appearance of a quid pro quo. There is nothing unusual about elevating state appellate judges to the federal bench, and a favorable ruling doesn't by itself prove anything improper. But when a president rewards judges who ruled for him personally with lifetime appointments, it raises an uncomfortable question about incentives—whether judges hoping for advancement might feel subtle pressure to favor the person doing the appointing—and that perception, critics argue, can corrode public confidence in an impartial judiciary even where each individual ruling was defensible on the merits.2nd Florida judge who ruled for Trump in Pulitzer case confirmed to federal bench | ReutersAnd finally, the Federal Trade Commission and the Ohio State Bar Association have thrown their support behind an Ohio Supreme Court proposal to loosen the American Bar Association's long-standing grip on who gets to become a lawyer. The proposal would let graduates of non-ABA-accredited law schools sit for the Ohio bar exam and would move toward a state-run accreditation process. Here's the structure worth understanding. In most states, you generally can't take the bar exam unless you graduated from a law school the ABA has accredited—which effectively makes the ABA the national gatekeeper of legal education. The FTC's objection is framed in competition terms: it argues the ABA's accreditation standards “go beyond what is reasonably necessary” to ensure lawyers are prepared, and that restricting the supply of lawyers this way may boost incumbent lawyers' pay while raising costs and reducing access for ordinary people who need legal help. Ohio isn't alone—Florida and Texas have already amended their rules so the ABA no longer has the final say, and Tennessee is weighing a similar move. The significance is a real shift in how the profession polices its own entry. Supporters see it as breaking up a monopoly to expand access to legal careers and legal services; critics worry that weakening a uniform national standard could erode the quality and consistency of legal training. Either way, the ABA's decades-long role as the sole gatekeeper is eroding, state by state.State bar, FTC back Ohio proposal to limit ABA role in lawyer admissions | Reuters This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Danny Sheehan is one of the most consequential public interest attorneys of the last century. His cases include the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, the Karen Silkwood case, the Iran-Contra investigation, and decades of work at the intersection of government secrecy and the public's right to know. He is co-founder of the Romero Institute and the New Paradigm Institute, and a leading voice in the push for congressional UAP disclosure. Today, he stands at the center of what may be the most consequential question humanity has ever faced: the implications of a potential extraterrestrial or extradimensional non-human presence here on Earth. Having spent over 50 years litigating against government secrecy and winning, in this discussion, Danny connects the JFK assassination, the Vatican's role in the 1933 Italy UFO crash, the founding of the CIA, and the architecture of Brown Brothers Harriman to the UFO cover-up we're living through today, and lays out the concrete constitutional path to disclosure. Big thanks to Jamie Billings for helping make this interview happen, and to Danny and his wife for their time and generosity. The New Paradigm Institute, founded by acclaimed civil rights and Constitutional attorney Danny Sheehan, is dedicated to advocating for the public release of information held by the government surrounding the issue of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), or what was commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). For more information, visit http://newparadigminstitute.org. Stream on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/14ioP0zfFczK8hKPsDUmko?si=cff351ada3944a9a Want more? Join the Frightday Society, at http://thefrightdaysociety.org As a Society Member, you'll have access to all Screamium content (Behind the Screams, It's Been a Weird Week, A Conversation With..., Toast to Toast PM with Wine Kelly, Cinema Autopsy, the Writers' Room, bonus episodes of Captain Kelly's Cryptids & Conspiracies, Byron's Serial Corner, and so much more! 00:00 Intro 00:30 Welcome and guest introduction 02:33 Reaction to WAR.gov/UFO and Pete Hegseth's framing 04:43 Danny's faith in the American people 07:06 JFK and Khrushchev's secret disarmament letters after the Cuban Missile Crisis 09:23 Why the assassination happened and its fallout 11:44 The Gulf of Tonkin lie and the collapse of trust in government 14:07 Coming to grips with UAP reality and the national security state 16:23 1968 vs. today: has Trump set disclosure back? 18:47 Why the world's religious communities may lead reform, not governments 21:05 Jesus, telepathy, and the evolution of human consciousness 23:23 Why the Vatican has withheld information, and why the Jesuit order was founded to reform the Church 25:48 Pope Pius XII and the 1933 UFO crash in Italy 28:11 The "Magenta" case and what Italy/Germany did with the craft in WWII 30:37 1945: Roswell, Aztec, White Sands, and the UAP Disclosure Act of 2023 32:57 Roots of the national security state: the U.S. invasion of Russia in 1917 35:10 Brown Brothers Harriman, the Dulles brothers, and the Treaty of Versailles 37:28 George Herbert Walker, Union Banking Corp, and financing the Third Reich 39:28 Trump's $1.5 trillion nuclear modernization plan and why UFOs are watching 41:42 Who are "they"? On multiple species and the unknown galactic order 43:50 Congress's constitutional authority over classification (Youngstown Sheet & Tube v. Sawyer) 46:12 A message to young people and why participation matters 48:34 How lawmakers respond to pressure, and the strategy for the 2026 midterms 53:10 Recapping the Contact in the Desert panel: Jacques Vallée, Tim Gallaudet, Eric Davis, and the question nobody would answer 57:42 What first convinced Danny this was real 59:49 Deathbed testimonies and how a trial lawyer evaluates truth 1:02:11 Danny's real concern: not fear of ET, but fear of losing ourselves to them 1:04:38 Archival fieldwork: the Army War College, Wild Bill Donovan, and the McGregor Project 1:09:24 Who to trust in the UFO community: Eric Burlison, Tim Burchett, and others 1:11:46 Hope for 2026 and beyond: decent people in Congress and a path forward 1:14:07 Closing thoughts and how to get involved You'll also be part of our interactive community dedicated to the advancement of horror, hauntings, cryptids, conspiracies, aliens, and true crime. All things frightening. Keep our mini-fridges full of blood...I mean...not blood...normal things that people drink...by going to http://shop.frightday.com  Theme music by Yawns Produced by Byron McKoy Follow us in the shadows at the following places: @VISITORSshow  @byronmckoy @kellyfrightday @frightday  This is an Audio Wool Original. #UAP #UFO #Disclosure #DannySheehan #ContactInTheDesert #VISITORS #PentagonPapers #NationalSecurity

Jim "Boots" Rothstein is a retired New York City Police Department (NYPD) vice intelligence detective widely known for his research, whistleblowing, and public commentary regarding organized crime, political corruption, and human trafficking rings. Career OverviewNYPD Tenure: Served as a Gold Shield intelligence detective focusing on vice and human trafficking, and was forced into retirement in 1980. High-Profile Arrests: He was notably one of the arresting officers of Watergate figure Frank Sturgis. [1]Post-Retirement Activism: Moved to rural Minnesota, where he continued to advocate for human trafficking awareness, warning communities about the targeting of youth. [1]Key Investigations and ClaimsRothstein has frequently appeared on alternative investigative programs, such as The Opperman Report, to discuss highly controversial theories, including: The "Son of Sam" Cult: Contending that David Berkowitz did not act alone, but was part of a larger, systemic occult network.   Political Blackmail: Detailing the intersection of New York's nightlife (like Studio 54), the Cosa Nostra mafia, high-profile figures like Roy Cohn, and systemic compromise used to prevent the prosecution of elite pedophile rings. Watergate and Intelligence Linkages: Sharing details about his interactions with intelligence community operators during his law enforcement careerBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

In this hour, Walter tackles everything including his own quest for the perfect, extra-mayonnaise turkey club. But it's not just diner banter—the show dives deep into the "cosmic Watergate" with Dr. Sky, discussing 14 missing UFO scientists, tic-tac aerial anomalies, and whether the CERN particle accelerator shifted us into an alternate timeline. Plus, get gritty global military analysis on the Strait of Hormuz from Edward Jones and scandalous NYPD psychiatrist secrets from retired detective Vic Ferrari. Buckle up, Midnight Misfits—it's the biggest all-night show in radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This hour takes you on a wild, unpredictable ride through the strange and the mundane. Dive deep into the bizarre theory that the CERN Large Hadron Collider altered our timeline and triggered the Mandela Effect—yes, we are looking for answers about the missing Fruit of the Loom cornucopia. Join special guest Dr. Sky as they unpack declassified Pentagon UFO files, Tic-Tac anomalies, and the infamous 1973 Pascagoula alien abduction.But it's not all extraterrestrial! Walter brings the conversation back down to Earth to hilariously rant about Shania Twain's strict house rules, the sheer agony of Europe's refusal to use air conditioning, and his deep-seated hatred for CVS plexiglass cases and pharmaceutical monopolies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victoria Taft delivers a masterclass in geopolitical realities and media manipulation. We break down Donald Trump's jaw-dropping "Dead Man's Switch" order to completely flatten Iran if their state-sponsored plots successfully target him, arriving right on the second anniversary of the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt. We also share the staggering story of independent journalist Delicia Ballinger, who was summarily fired from a Memphis news publication for simply posting a video thanking Trump for sending the National Guard to quiet the violent gunshots in her neighborhood. Plus, we feature two world-class interviews: former UK Ambassador Edmond Fitton-Brown delivers an emergency Iran SITREP on autonomous drone boats and the collapsed Gulf ceasefire, and former federal prosecutor John O'Connor drops by to expose how the CIA and the Washington Post actively manufactured the Watergate scandal to take down Richard Nixon.

It's Monday, July 13th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Texas police officers vs. Christian preachers at “pride” event Today, our persecution of Christians story comes surprisingly from Texas. On June 27th, Rich Penkoski and like-minded believers spoke the truth and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a bullhorn at the Trinity Homosexual Pride Fest in Fort Worth, Texas.  Not surprisingly, homosexual activists and nearby business owners complained to police about both his message and the amplification. When police responded, the officers threatened to arrest and cite the preachers, telling them that phrases like “homosexuality is a sin” were offensive. Listen to a portion of one video posted by preacher Penkoski of his interaction with a female officer. POLICE OFFICER: “If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem.” PREACHER: “That's a constitutional violation of our rights. If you shut us down for talking or speech …” (crosstalk) POLICE OFFICER: “No. If they are offended by speech, …” PREACHER: “I don't care if they're offended.” POLICE OFFICER:  “Okay, then I'll write you a ticket, and we'll go from there.” PREACHER: “Wait, you're going to ticket us for offensive speech?” POLICE OFFICER: “Yes, absolutely.” PREACHER: “Are you serious? You're going to cite us for offensive speech.” POLICE OFFICER: “It's called disorderly conduct.” Plus, according to another video, a male police officer also said if the preacher used biologically accurate pronouns for someone pretending to be the opposite gender that also could be considered an offense. The preacher was warned that continued use of the bullhorn would violate the city's noise ordinance before ultimately receiving a disorderly conduct citation after continuing to use the device. Subsequently, the Fort Worth Police Department acknowledged that an officer made "certain statements that were not accurate," reports Fox News. In last Thursday post on X, Penkoski wrote, "Police officers have been violating preachers' 1st amendment rights for years. This isn't new, we just got it on video, and they can't walk it back or deny it.” He added, “As a street preacher, it is not my job to coddle anyone or go soft on sin. People are dying and going to hell every day and we have to warn them. ​… Christians need to wake up. We have got to stop sitting in the safety and comfort of our church pews and start taking the Gospel back to the streets. If we refuse to exercise our constitutional rights, we are going to lose them." In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the Earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Homosexual couple sues surrogate who refused to abort baby with cleft lip A homosexual male couple in Canada has sued a surrogate mother who believes she is being punished because she refused a request to abort the baby after doctors detected a cleft lip and a possible heart defect, reports The Christian Post. They used a donor egg and sperm from each of the intended fathers. In a suit filed in Ontario Superior Court in May, the homosexuals allege the surrogate mother failed to keep them informed about the baby's health, caused them emotional distress, and violated their confidentiality, reports The National Post. The lawsuit came two years after the perverted couple asked her to abort the baby at 22 weeks — a request she refused. Specialists at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto later determined that the baby was otherwise healthy, except for the cosmetically fixable cleft lip. The couple accepted this assessment, agreed to continue the pregnancy, and took the baby boy home after birth. The surrogate unsuccessfully sought repayment of about $10,000 in out-of-pocket costs. Ironically, the couple filed a lawsuit for $600,000 in damages against the single mother for her failure to abort their now living son. More than 50 countries prohibit both commercial and altruistic surrogacy. And here in the United States, surrogacy laws vary by state. New video: Senator Mitch McConnell loaded into ambulance New video posted on July 10th shows Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky being loaded into an ambulance after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest at his Capitol Hill home last month, reports the New York Post. McConnell has been absent from the Senate for nearly a month as he continues to recover in the hospital. The 84-year-old lawmaker is not seeking re-election this November and will retire when his term ends in January. California puts abortion pill reversal on trial Heartbeat International, a pro-life group, is on trial in a California court for daring to inform women that the effects of the Abortion Kill Pill can sometimes be reversed, reports The Washington Stand. Their attorney, Danielle White, said, “Women deserve to know all of their options. They don't lose that right after beginning a chemical abortion.” In 2023, Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta  sued Heartbeat and a pro-life pregnancy center for “advertising Abortion Pill Reversal as safe and effective.”  Factually speaking, the abortion pill reversal protocol simply requires the use of the natural hormone progesterone which is both safe and helps save 65% of the babies. Bonta asked the court to impose a penalty of more than $20 million against Heartbeat and $600,000 against the pregnancy center. That would amount to a financial death sentence for the pro-life non-profits. The case went to a bench trial on June 24, 2026, and the trial may continue for another three weeks. Thomas More Society's Paul Jonna said, “A ruling in California's favor would hand attorneys general across the country a roadmap to penalize any non-profit organization that provides women with information the state disagrees with. If the [California] Attorney General prevails and our clients cannot deliver free, truthful, and lifesaving information to women who request it, then countless babies that could survive may not — and countless women may never meet the children that they wanted to carry to term.” Marriage advocate Mike McManus entered Heaven On a personal note, my father, Mike McManus, entered the gates of Heaven on July 5th at the age of 85 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Standing at 6'8” tall, he might have had to duck to walk through. To be sure, Dad had a God-sized vision to make a difference. After graduating from Duke University, he was employed at Time Magazine where he was stationed in Bueno Aires, Argentina and later covered President Lyndon Johnson at the White House, writing two cover stories. In 1973, my Dad organized a public participation campaign, “Choices for ‘76” to engage 10 percent of the 20 million people of the New York Metropolitan region in policy issues as the U.S. approached its Bicentennial. The project aimed to spark public debate through a series of television town meetings on issues like housing, transportation, the environment, poverty and urban growth. After becoming informed, citizens were invited to express their opinion on possible public policy tradeoffs, using ballots available in newspapers, banks and libraries. Then, he wrote two self-syndicated weekly newspaper columns which appeared in 100 newspapers.  The first, called “Solutions,” was politically focused and offered practical public policy suggestions. The second, “Ethics & Religion,” was inspired by the preaching of Pastor Terry Fullam of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Darien, Connecticut. It grappled with church news and moral issues like abortion, pornography, and the homosexual agenda. I remember helping him copy, collate, stuff, stamp, address, and seal the envelopes to send out his weekly columns to newspaper editors across the country before the advent of the internet and email. We were always racing to the post office to get there before the deadline at 11pm at night. In 1993, he published his first book Marriage Savers: Helping Your Friends and Family Stay Married. Other books included 50 Practical Ways to Take Our Kids Back from the World and Living Together: Myths, Risks and  Answers. In a 2013 phone interview on American Family Radio, Dad talked about the major myth that women believe about living together. MIKE McMANUS: “One of the myths, believed widely by women, is that ‘'If I live with him, he's going to see how wonderful I am, and he'll ask me to marry him.' But he knows that this woman would marry him if he asked her. He's living together with her because he doesn't want to get married. He wants the sex, he wants the companionship, and the shared rent. But he doesn't want to get married. “She believes this myth until about a year and a half, two years into the relationship, when she realizes he's not going to ask her to marry him, and she sadly walks away. Unfortunately, by that time they may have already had a child. The unwed birth rate has risen right along with cohabitation. “This is an unbiblical position, of course. I mean, the church has been silent on the problem, and it's part of the problem.” Cognizant of the clarity of Malachi 2:16 in which God says He “hates divorce,” my father's passion on the issue led to his founding of the non-profit Marriage Savers with my mother, Harriet, to whom he was married for 61 years and whom he simply adored.  He said, “Most divorces are filed by one person who alleges incompatibility, while the other spouse wants to save the marriage. Sadly, divorce is always granted. When adultery or abuse is not alleged, divorce should only be granted if there is 'mutual consent' by husband and wife. What was entered into by two people, should not be ended, unless both people agree." They organized 10,000 pastors in 229 cities in 43 states to sign a Community Marriage Policy agreement that established rigorous premarital preparation for engaged couples and trained volunteer mentor couples to help people in troubled marriages. The Baptist Press reported that the divorce rate in those cities dropped by 17.5%. Think about the heartache that saved untold families and children! Their work led to appearances on ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CBN News, The O'Reilly Factor, The Ricki Lake Show, Breakpoint with Chuck Colson, Focus on the Family with Dr. James Dobson, Truths that Transform with D. James Kennedy, and Moody Radio's Janet Parshall. I treasure the books that Dr. Dobson personally inscribed to my father as a fellow warrior for the family that are now in my library. And Chuck Colson, President Richard Nixon's former hatchet man who was gloriously saved on his way to prison over Watergate and founded Prison Fellowship, wrote the forward to one of Dad's books after their friendship blossomed. Having always aspired to live on the water, he eventually moved into his dream home with his bride in Kilmarnock, Virginia, just 50 feet from Indian Creek that fed into the Chesapeake Bay.  A great day for him was enjoying the view from his leather chair, reading the paper, listening to classical music, and talking with my mother, who was his great joy. My father taught me how to write clearly and think Biblically. I remember him quizzing us three boys at the dining room table about current events. And he was a faithful husband who pointed the family to faith in Jesus Christ, His legacy lives on in my two younger brothers, John and Tim, and in me, as I strive, with my bride Amy, to disciple Honor, Mercy, and Valor in the ways of the Lord, urging them not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds in the Word of God, as Romans 12:2 articulates. 9 Worldview listeners gave $2,055 And finally, toward our $30,875 goal during the first full week of our month-long fundraiser, 9 listeners stepped up to the plate by 10:30pm Central on Saturday and invested their treasure to fund the six-member team behind The Worldview for another 365 days. Our thanks to 12-year-old Halen in Blum, Texas who gave $5 as well as Mark in Newark, Ohio and Brigitte in Brookings, South Dakota – both of whom gave $25. We're grateful to God for Julie in Victoria, Texas who gave $50, Dirk in Englewood, Colorado who gave $100, and Twyla in Ellensburg, Washington who gave $150. And we were touched by the generosity of Jason in Calhoun, Georgia who gave $200, Elaine here in San Antonio, Texas who gave $500, and Stephen in California, Maryland who gave $1,000. Those 9 gifts add up to $2,055. Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please. (drum roll sound effect) $23,098 (sound effect of people cheering) That means, in all candor, we missed last Friday's goal by $7,777. Please, do not wait until the last minute.  Every gift gets us closer to our $123,500 goal by July 31st.  So far, out of our tens of thousands of listeners, the most people who have donated in a single day is 15 people. Help us double that.  Will you be one of 30 to step up? Make a donation today to help us hit our $56,565 goal by this Friday, July 17th.  We need to find 7 Worldview listeners who will pledge $100/month for 12 months or give a one-time gift of $1,200, 20 folks who will pledge $50/month or give a one-time gift of $600 and 40 listeners who will pledge $25/month or give a one-time gift of $300. Go to TheWorldview.com, click on Give, select the dollar amount, and make sure to click on the “recurring” button if that's your wish.  What has the Lord placed on your heart to give? Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, July 13th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

This week we talk about Firefox being announced as the new front of shirt sponsor and the release of the new away shirt which was debuted on our trip to Poland to face Wisla Krakow in our first pre season friendly.We discuss the revelations surrounding “Drone-gate”, the new Wrexham AFC tracksuit top with a symbol that has angered a lot of fans and roundup the rest of the week's news.Ryan teaches us some more Welsh, we read out some of your messages, we take a closer look at one of next seasons opponents, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Siân has a go at Ryan's quiz.You can now send us a message or voice note on WhatsApp. Our number is +447386411197 or just click this link to open up a chat with us: https://wa.me/447386411197Email: methewifeandwrexhamafc@gmail.comSocial media: @methewifepodIf you would like to ‘Buy us a coffee' then check out this link to support the show: buymeacoffee.com/methewifeDragon chat: https://www.wrexhamafc.co.uk/wrexham-afc-foundation/dragon-chatClick to message the show

Apple is taking OpenAI to court. The tech giant is suing the artificial intelligence company, accusing it of stealing trade secrets. With the AI race in overdrive, firms are competing to release the latest products. But how's that competition being regulated? In this episode: R 'Ray' Wang - CEO and principal analyst of Constellation Research Nick Akerman - New York attorney and former assistant special Watergate prosecutor Toby Walsh - Chief Scientist, AI Institute at the University of New South Wales Sydney Host: Anna Burns-Francis Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Is there a difference between lying and not being honest. Yes! Scoot explains the difference and with all the lying and dishonesty in the country it's important to know the difference. When President Richard Nixon lied about and covered up the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building by his people - Americans - even Republicans - rejected Nixon's lying and cover-up to the point where Nixon was left with no option but to resign. Today, if President Trump were guilty of the same lies and cover-up, he would still be supported by many Republicans and Republican politicians on Capitol Hill, and there would not have been a rally cry to resign.

When President Richard Nixon lied about and covered up the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building by his people - Americans - even Republicans - rejected Nixon's lying and cover-up to the point where Nixon was left with no option but to resign. Today, if President Trump were guilty of the same lies and cover-up, he would still be supported by many Republicans and Republican politicians on Capitol Hill, and there would not have been a rally cry to resign. Is there a difference between lying and not being honest. Yes! Scoot explains the difference and with all the lying and dishonesty in the country it's important to know the difference. CBS Evening News mistakenly aired video footage of Kanye West instead of Sean "Diddy" Combs. Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David "Davey" Hearn pleaded not guilty in a D.C. court to a felony charge of destruction of property. Federal prosecutors accused the three-time Olympian of "forcefully and violently" ripping up a section of the newly installed lining at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The Rolling Stones have dropped a new studio album titled Foreign Tongues. Released on July 10, 2026, it is the legendary rock band's 25th studio album and their second full-length record of new material in less than three years, following 2023's Hackney Diamonds. A warning for the lawyer of the man who is charged with damaging the Reflecting Pool - Every Amereican should be concerned with the administration's willingness to blame a citizen for their blunders. Does this cause you to be concerned? The 2026 New Orleans Beatles Fest, produced by Chuck Credo IV and the William Credo Agency, takes place tomorrow, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie. The family of 18-year-old college football player Nolan Xavier Wells, who was found dead on Horn Island, Mississippi, has retained prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump to demand a full and transparent investigation into his mysterious death.

When President Richard Nixon lied about and covered up the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building by his people - Americans - even Republicans - rejected Nixon's lying and cover-up to the point where Nixon was left with no option but to resign. Today, if President Trump were guilty of the same lies and cover-up, he would still be supported by many Republicans and Republican politicians on Capitol Hill, and there would not have been a rally cry to resign.

3 Hours and 35 MinutesPG-13Thomas777 is a revisionist historian and a fiction writer.Here, in one file, are the 3 episodes Thomas777 did with Pete covering the Watergate scandal.Episode 1: Nixon and Watergate - Pt 1 of 3 w/ Thomas777Episode 2: Nixon and Watergate - Pt 2 of 3 w/ Thomas777Episode 3: Nixon and Watergate - The Break-in and Aftermath - Pt 3 of 3 w/ Thomas777Thomas' SubstackThomas777 MerchandiseThomas' Book "Steelstorm Pt. 1"Thomas' Book "Steelstorm Pt. 2"Thomas on TwitterThomas' CashApp - $7homas777Pete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's SubstackPete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

In this episode of Sisters Sidebar, Barb McQuade and Jill Wine-Banks answer listener questions on moving immigration courts to the judicial branch, how to call a constitutional convention, and more. They explain why immigration judges should be independent from the DOJ, discuss the legal effect of pardons on guilt and restitution, push back against attempts to downplay Watergate and rehabilitate Richard Nixon, clarify how a constitutional convention would work under Article V, and strongly advocate for more cameras in courtrooms to increase public trust in the judicial branch.Freshen up your spring wardrobe!  Get the ReSIStance T-Shirt, Mini Tote, and other #SistersInLaw gear at politicon.com/merch! Additional #SistersInLaw Projects#SistersInLaw Main ShowJill's Politicon YouTube Show: Just The FactsKim's Newsletter: The GavelJoyce's new book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable, is now available, and for a limited time, you have the exclusive opportunity to order a signed copy here. Order Barb's new book, The Fix, or her first book, Attack From Within, now in paperback. Add the #Sisters & your other favorite Politicon podcast hosts on BlueskyGet your #SistersInLaw MERCH at politicon.com/merchWEBSITE & TRANSCRIPTEmail: SISTERSINLAW@POLITICON.COM or Thread to @sistersInLaw.podcastGet text updates from #SistersInLaw and Politicon. Mentioned By The #SistersOrder Barb's new book, The Fix, and get tickets for her book tour!Support This Week's Sponsors:IQ Bar:Text SISTERS to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Messageand data rates may apply.HomeServe:Join the millions of customers who trust HomeServe. For 50% less your first year, go to HomeServe.com/sistersGet More From The #SistersInLawJoyce Vance: Bluesky | Twitter | University of Alabama Law | Civil Discourse Substack | MSNBC | Author of “Giving Up Is Unforgiveable”Jill Wine-Banks: Bluesky | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight For Truth & Justice Against A Criminal President | Just The Facts YouTubeKimberly Atkins Stohr: Bluesky | Twitter | Boston Globe | WBUR | The Gavel Newsletter | Justice By Design PodcastBarb McQuade: barbaramcquade.com | Bluesky | Twitter | University of Michigan Law | Just Security | MSNBC | Attack From Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America

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

About Dave EmoryDavid Emory is a political researcher and broadcaster whose California-based radio programs are heard on a regular basis in the United States, Canada and Europe.Mr. Emory's broadcasts focus on the U.S. military and intelligence community's historical involvement with international fascism. Researching such national security establishment abuses as domestic and foreign political assassinations, and governmental complicity with organized crime and drug smuggling syndicates, Mr. Emory has distilled his academic research into an archival documentary format. These “archive” programs consist of excerpts from printed sources read during his broadcasts.Mr. Emory's programs have been featured on a regular basis on Pacifica stations KPFK (Los Angeles) and WBAI (New York), and many smaller stations. He has appeared as guest on major commercial stations including KGO-AM (San Francisco) and WLUP-AM (Chicago) and as an expert commentator on broadcast outlets in three continents. Audio cassette copies of the archive programs are also circulated internationally.Mr. Emory began his work during the Watergate era when he noted numerous connections between that scandal and the assassination of President Kennedy. Pursuing his work on the JFK assassination, Mr. Emory discovered Nazi General Reinhard Gehlen's Eastern front spy apparatus, and its incorporation into the CIA after World War II. This led Mr. Emory to study the origins of fascism and its influence on the contemporary world.Mr. Emory graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in psychology.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

Ben, Woods, and Paul are here for you on a Wednesday morning! We start the show with a little foreplay as the guys welcome our pal John Flint to the show and he is FURIOUS with Woodsy after he witnessed Woods fill up his half-gallon water jug, and he used up ALL of the filtered water! Then we set the menu for today's show before we get to our Padres Wrap-Up and give our thoughts on last night's 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks as German Marquez made his return to the mound. Listen here!

Geoffrey Wawro, guest author, concludes that after the 1973 peace deal, the NVA rebuilt their forces, confident that a distracted US government—weakened by Watergate and the oil crisis—would not intervene again. When the final 1975 offensive began, President Ford did not react, and the ARVN, suffering from slashed funding and ammunition shortages, rapidly collapsed. President Thieu's decision to abruptly abandon northern provinces turned the retreat into a disordered rabble, leading to the fall of Saigon. The war's ultimate lesson was the futility of using extreme violence for political signaling, as the massive expenditure of lives and treasure had little lasting effect on the ground in Southeast Asia. The conflict was never approached strategically; instead, it was a series of tactical escalations hoping for a "lucky break." Ultimately, the US supported a government in South Vietnam that lacked the foundation for long-term success. The Vietnam War: A Military History (8)

100 Objects #1: The Century Safe In 1876, Americans filled an iron safe with objects meant to tell their story — to be opened a century later. Roman Mars and historian Jill Lepore trace its long wait, from Reconstruction to Watergate, and the surprising, unsettling contents that emerged in 1976. What do the objects we choose to preserve, or forget, reveal about how we author our own history?

Full episodes of the Bulwark Podcast are available to paid members of The Bulwark via YouTube, Substack, and Apple Podcasts.Sarah Longwell and Bill Kristol (filling in for JVL) take on America's 250th birthday under Trump—and how far the GOP has fallen from Reagan's “you can become an American” to 2,000 ICE arrests a day. They break down the right-wing meltdown over the birthright citizenship ruling, Megyn Kelly's race to the bottom, why the “socialist takeover” panic misses what Democratic voters actually want, and who's really rising in the 2028 field.Read Sarah's Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-real-reason-the-democratic-socialists-are-surging

Before I was cynical, I was a kid with a Miss America lunchbox and a genuine belief I'd grow up to wear a red, white, and blue hoop skirt.This week: the full machinery of the 1976 Bicentennial — Little House on the Prairie priming me for pioneer life, a Martha Washington biography that rerouted me straight into colonial gowns, the Miss America pageant's bicentennial opening number, and every variety show in America doing a patriotic sketch — and how thoroughly it worked on a kid whose brain wasn't even fully cooked yet.Then: the adult reckoning.Turns out all that flag-waving was engineered a few years after Watergate and the fall of Saigon, which tracks less like organic pride and more like parents plowing ahead with the family reunion while the marriage quietly falls apart.I talk about what it's like to hold the nostalgia and the disillusionment at the same time, why this year's 250th anniversary is coasting on fumes by comparison — no commemorative Grimace cups in sight, no theme packaging, no Oreos, nothing — and why I'm still doing the bar-b-que and the red-white-and-blue this year anyway.Subscribe. Do it for little me and her Miss America lunchbox. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.radiantbadass.com

Diesmal: Döpfner und Merz, Empfänglichkeit für Bullshit, Heizhammer-Framing in den Medien, Stromversorgung, Programm für Aufschwung und Beschäftigung, die ePA, Italo in Deutschland, Sham Jaff zu Südafrika und der Hundeführerschein. Mit einem Faktencheck von Katharina Alexander und einem Limerick von Jens Ohrenblicker.

It's the last opinion day of the term, and the big one landed: Trump v. Barbara, the birthright-citizenship case. We read the majority as the rare easy case and spend most of the episode on why the four dissents each end up somewhere different — and trying to figure out exactly where they actually land. Along the way: a bogus Nina Totenberg story, a Landor GVR that might quietly unsettle a chunk of Spending Clause criminal law, and whether the professors who defended the order deserve the "legal scholarship police." Highlights[00:00:27] The bogus Nina Totenberg wire story that Justice Alito was retiring — "Fake news, Dan."[00:02:03] The Justice Alito / Justice Sotomayor bench-dissent dust-up from the immigration hand-downs[00:03:11] Last opinion day — 3 opinions, 4 cases; NRSC v. FEC and West Virginia v. B.P.J. / Little v. Hecox flagged for later[00:05:27] A significant new grant teed up on possession of semi-automatic rifles (AR-15s)[00:06:43] A GVR in light of Landor in a federal arson case, and the narrow-vs-broad theory of what a GVR means[00:09:34] Whether Landor's narrowing of Sabri could upend a swath of Spending Clause federal criminal law[00:10:58] Why RLUIPA reaches prisoners — Chuck Colson's post-Watergate lobbying (courtesy of a listener, Emma Kaufman)[00:12:55] Trump v. Barbara — Trump loses, but closer than predicted: "Trump beats the spread"[00:15:25] Should professors who defended the order be punished? — "we don't need legal scholarship police"[00:19:58] The majority's walk: common law → Dred Scott → the 14th Amendment → Wong Kim Ark[00:26:21] Wong Kim Ark as linchpin, and whether its "domiciled here" language was doing any work[00:36:48] Justice Kavanaugh concurs in the judgment on the statute, then dispatches the constitutional question breezily[00:42:05] New states, Hawaii, and Living Originalism — when may you add new exceptions? "Weird islands you can't drive to"[00:48:33] The 91-page Justice Thomas dissent, the facial-challenge pivot, and the reserved domicile question[00:56:40] Justice Alito's Civil Rights Act / "not subject to any foreign power" reading, and the statelessness caveat[01:00:11] Justice Gorsuch's 3-page solo dissent: if not domiciled here, then where? — a jab Thomas may not share[01:05:33] Justice Jackson's anti-subordination concurrence, and whether it lands against Thomas[01:10:24] "I feel proud to be an American, Dan" — hail to the Chief, and to Justice Barrett; sign-offRelevant linksCasesTrump v. Barbara — slip opinionLandor v. Louisiana Dept. of Corrections — slip opinionSabri v. United States (2004)United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)NRSC v. FEC — slip opinionWest Virginia v. B.P.J. / Little v. Hecox — slip opinionCommentary & articlesSCOTUSblog opinion recap: "Supreme Court strikes down Trump's order ending birthright citizenship"Ilan Wurman & Randy Barnett's NYT essay defending the order (Minnesota Law summary)

“There's a kind of exhaustion and resentment — maybe sometimes feeling a little foolish about still feeling attached to some idea of this country that seems like it's maybe not holding that strong or that healthy anymore.” — Christopher Hooks Happy fucking birthday, America. No, not my tasteless language. These words adorn the cover of the July 2026 issue of the 175-year-old Harper's, America's oldest monthly publication. From one alter kocker to another. It's no fun getting old. The Harper's piece, written by the Texas-based journalist Christopher Hooks, is a funereal essay about his travels around an exhausted America. It began as a reported account of America250 — the bipartisan commission set up in 2015–2016, at the end of the Obama era, to organise the semiquincentennial celebrations. Bipartisan? Internal bureaucratic dysfunction. Disagreements about purpose. Trumpian lawsuits. NDAs. Blah, blah, blah. Hooks found it demoralising. The landscape of Washington DC, he writes mournfully, is didactic and insistent. Some alter kocker is always trying to teach you something. But some people do, indeed, have something to teach us. Hooks' piece ends with Thaddeus Stevens — the club-footed, cranky, ugly radical Republican congressman who was born a few years after the Constitution was ratified. Stevens spent most of his long life believing in perfect racial and ethnic equality, helped frame the 14th Amendment as a second founding father, and died deeply disappointed. And, of course, that disappointment would only be compounded if he could see what Christopher Hooks saw in his recent trip around the contemporary United States. Dear America — happy fucking birthday. Love, uncle Thaddeus. Five Takeaways •       Happy Fucking Birthday: The Title, the Feeling, and the Cover of Harper's: Hooks' editor at Harper's came up with the title. Hooks is glad they did. It matches the feeling: exhaustion, resentment, and a kind of embarrassment at still feeling attached to an idea of America that seems like it's not holding together. His father — a Republican for most of his life until 2016 — wakes up every morning and has to deal with the fact that America is maybe not the thing he thought it was. He feels humiliated. His son does too. Nobody likes to be fooled. And part of the unique indignity of the Trump era is the delight Trump and his people take in rubbing the noses of liberals in the abuse of American symbols. •       The America250 Commission: Dysfunction, Lawsuits, and a Startup Fund: America250 was a bipartisan commission set up at the end of the Obama era to organise the semiquincentennial celebrations. By the time Hooks arrived at their press briefing, they had survived internal dysfunction, disagreements about purpose, lawsuits, and NDAs. Trump's people had been brought in; fighting followed. Their proudest achievement: a venture capital seed fund to help American college students start companies, as a way of repairing the lack of patriotism polling says younger Americans feel. It felt to Hooks like it came from a past political moment — discredited and distant. He came out of the briefing dispirited. •       The History of Semiquincentennials: 1876 Had Juice, 1976 Had Amnesia: Milestone commemorations have usually been emotionally complicated. 1926 was a disaster. 1976 — at the end of Vietnam and after Watergate — surprised many by producing an unexpected wave of patriotic sentiment that washed away, at least for a day, the gnawing doubts. That amnesia helped make possible both Jimmy Carter and the Reagan revolution. But the moment of maximum danger had passed by then. The one commemoration that had genuine juice, in Hooks' view, was 1876 — the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, a world's fair that was a genuine moment of national energy. The 250th is not that. •       Thaddeus Stevens: The Honest Version of America's Story: Hooks ends his piece with Thaddeus Stevens — the radical Republican congressman, club-footed, cranky, and widely described as ugly by his contemporaries. Born a few years after the Constitution was ratified. Believed in perfect racial and ethnic equality when almost no one else did. Helped frame the 14th Amendment as a second founding father of American democracy. Died deeply disappointed. His story, Hooks suggests, is the most honest version of how to be attached to America: feeling profound anger about the country as it is, working for something better, not living to see it, and laying the groundwork for what comes after. •       Not Going to a Sanctioned Celebration Zone: Hooks will spend July 4 in New York, having a few beers with friends. Probably not going to a sanctioned celebration zone. Not setting off fireworks. His father will be in Texas, doing roughly the same. Both men share what Hooks calls a feeling of humiliation — a sense that they were fooled about what America was, and that the process of reckoning with that is long and ongoing. The Gilded Age was also pretty bleak, Hooks notes, and in time it was replaced by the progressive era and the New Deal. American history swings in big pendulum arcs. He wants to have hope. Some days it's easier than others. About the Guest Christopher Hooks is a journalist who writes about Texas politics for Texas Monthly and national politics for Harper's Magazine, The New Republic, and others. He divides his time between Austin, Texas and Brooklyn, New York. His piece “Happy Fucking Birthday: An Exhausted America Turns Two Hundred and Fifty,” is the cover story of the July 2026 issue of Harper's Magazine. References: •       “Happy Fucking Birthday: An Exhausted America Turns Two Hundred and Fifty” by Christopher Hooks, Harper's Magazine, July 2026. •       Ben Fountain, Rasputin Swims the Potomac — referenced at the opening; recent KOA guest. •       Peter Wehner, “The Apotheosis of Donald Trump,” The Atlantic, June 14, 2026 — referenced; recent KOA guest. •       Thaddeus Stevens (1792–1868) — radical Republican congressman, abolitionist, framer of the 14th Amendment. •       America250 — the federal commission organising the US semiquincentennial celebrations. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of ...

Science Fiction University returns at long last, with an extended deep dive into one of the oldest and most unsettling questions in the genre — who can you trust when the threat is wearing a human face? The episode traces the theme of trust through three very different versions of the same story: John W. Campbell's 1938 novella "Who Goes There?", Howard Hawks' 1951 Cold War-era adaptation "The Thing from Another World", and John Carpenter's 1982 masterpiece "The Thing" — showing how the same basic plot was transformed by the very different Americas that produced each version. Along the way there are detours through the nature of storytelling itself, the difference between trust and faith, the rise of the "mad scientist" trope, and why Carpenter's bleak, exhausted ending hits so differently than Campbell's optimistic one. If you've ever wondered why the 1982 version of The Thing feels so much more modern and unsettling than its predecessors, this episode will explain exactly why — and the answer has everything to do with Vietnam, Watergate, and the slow collapse of American institutional trust.  Links for this episode: John W. Campbell's book/novella "Who Goes There?" (1938) is available from major ebook retailers.  Also, many libraries offer a physical or digital borrowing option.  "The Thing from Another World" (1951) is currently streaming on Criterion Channel, Tubi, The Roku Channel, YouTube, Amazon, and Apple TV."The Thing" (1982) is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube. Answers to our QUIZ!  Terminator 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ8nofcN1gI Dr. Who: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQvn5sWNVtk Star Trek – Picard:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsDg01EuniQ Batman Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a71VqHpza58 The Thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmqVrB1TTGo Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talks with Jen Psaki about the significance of primary victories by Democratic Socialist congressional candidates in New York City and why sitting Democrats would be smart to meet these new potential members as colleagues and not buy into the fear-mongering frenzy the right-wing is stirring up. JD Vance tried to downplay the significance of the Watergate scandal by declaring that it would be merely a 12-hour scandal today. What he didn't say but what everyone heard is that the reason Watergate would be a smaller story today is that Donald Trump produces scandals bigger than that at a rate faster than the news media can report. Jen Psaki gets reaction from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  The same vanity that is making a priority of Donald Trump's pet projects maybe also be their undoing, at least in the case of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool project. New reporting from the New York Times suggests that part of the reason for the out-of-control algae bloom in the pool is that devices meant to treat the water were removed at the same time that Donald Trump wanted to make a pretty spectacle of his UFC birthday celebration of himself. David Fahrenthold, investigative reporter for the New York Times, talks with Jen Psaki about his new reporting and the emerging pattern among projects Trump pushes with no-bid contracts. "The things Trump wants done the most are often the things that are done the least well." To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amazon Link - https://amzn.to/4vagZRPThe press called him a "real-life James Bond." Fidel Castro called him "the most dangerous CIA agent." History remembers him as a Watergate burglar, yet the Watergate break-in was his least perilous mission.Frank Sturgis―using more than thirty aliases and code names―trained guerilla armies in twelve countries on three continents and spearheaded assassination plots to overthrow foreign governments including those of Cuba, Panama, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.Warrior follows the shocking, often unbelievable adventures of Sturgis, brought to life by his nephew, Jim Hunt, and his cowriter, Bob Risch. Also included are never-before-seen personal photos of Sturgis and his compatriots.Frank Sturgis was well-versed in a life of shadows: familiar to world leaders and underground kingpins, to spies and couter-spies... Warrior is his story.BBBBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lone-gunman-podcast-jfk-assassination--1181353/support.

Two big wins and one big loss for President Trump as the US Supreme Court handed down some major rulings on the last day of its term. In a stinging rebuke, the president's attempt to gut birthright citizenship for millions in America was struck down in a 6-3 vote, invalidating an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office. The court upheld transgender sports bans, allowing states to bar transgender women and girls from playing on female sports teams, and the justices also lifted a Watergate-era cap on campaign spending. David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, and Natasha Sarin, a professor at Yale Law School, join Bianna Golodryga to discuss.  Also on today's show: Yaroslav Trofimov, Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal // Author, "Our Enemies Will Vanish"; Carlos Barragán, Author, “The Yahoo Boys”    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Rob blasts the Supreme Court's ruling allowing some states to count certain mail-in ballots after Election Day, arguing it makes the SAVE Act even more essential for election integrity. -Newsmax Hotline: Chief Washington Correspondent James Rosen joins the show to discuss Vice President J.D. Vance's remarks praising Richard Nixon, Watergate's lasting political legacy, and his own reporting on the "deep state" during the Nixon era—before hilariously stealing the show with behind-the-scenes stories from Howard Stern's early television days. Today's podcast is sponsored by : PARAMOUNT PLUS - Don't Miss "The Agency." All episodes streaming NOW on Paramount Plus GHOSTBED - I used to think a mattress was just furniture, until I got my GhostBed! GhostBed is offering my audience their lowest prices of the season, plus an extra 10% off. Go to http://GhostBed.com/CARSON and use promo code CARSON BIRCH GOLD - Protect and grow your retirement savings with gold. Text ROB to 98 98 98 for your FREE information kit! To call in and speak with Rob Carson live on the show, dial 1-800-922-6680 between the hours of 12 Noon and 3:00 pm Eastern Time Monday through Friday… Musical parodies provided by Jim Gossett (http://patreon.com/JimGossettComedy) You can now WATCH and chat with The Rob Carson Show LIVE on Newsmax's social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Rumble) Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at http://Newsmax.com/Listen Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at http://NewsmaxPlus.com Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : http://nws.mx/shop Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:  -Facebook: http://nws.mx/FB  -X/Twitter: http://nws.mx/twitter -Instagram: http://nws.mx/IG -YouTube: https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV -Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV -TRUTH Social: https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX -GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/newsmax -Threads: http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX  -Telegram: http://t.me/newsmax  -BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com -Parler: http://app.parler.com/newsmax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even though I am technically in the middle of the Noss Gold Treasure epiodes, I felt the need to go on a  "wander"  and produce a new episode for our core journey here at JFK The Enduring Secret. In Episode 323, we begin to explore one of the most intense backdrops of the Kennedy administration: the Cuba Project. Following the disastrous and public failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961, President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, did not choose to retreat. Instead, they doubled down, concluding that the next attempt to topple Fidel Castro needed to be smarter, tighter, more deniable, and relentless.This commitment birthed Operation Mongoose, a massive covert program led by counterinsurgency specialist Brigadier General Edward Lansdale and strictly overseen by the White House. To wage this secret war, the CIA established JM WAVE in the suburbs of Miami—a massive intelligence station that functioned as a "small spy city". Under the leadership of Ted Shackley, this operation directed thousands of Cuban exile operatives, commanded an enormous budget, and conducted hundreds of "pinprick" sabotage raids against Cuban infrastructure.However, beneath the official campaign lay a much darker shadow war. This episode delves into the deeply secretive "Operation 40," a targeted killing and counterintelligence unit originally intended to purge communist officials. We also explore "ZR RIFLE," the CIA's executive action program that astonishingly partnered with the Mafia to orchestrate assassination plots against Castro, and the chilling "Operation Northwoods," a declassified proposal by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to stage fake terrorist attacks on American soil as a pretext for a full-scale invasion of Cuba.Ultimately, the Cuba Project failed in its primary objective: Castro survived, and the secret war was effectively swallowed by the Cuban Missile Crisis. Yet, its true legacy was the creation of a vast, unaccountable paramilitary network. The operatives trained participants in the Florida swamps—including men like E. Howard Hunt and Frank Sturgis—and would later surface in some of the darkest chapters of American history, from the hunt for Che Guevara to the Watergate scandal. Tune in to explore how a secret machine built to kill a revolution ended up haunting the United States for the rest of the century.APPENDIX — A Chronology of the Secret WarMarch 1960 — President Eisenhower approves the original CIA covert-action program against Castro that Kennedy will inherit.January 3, 1961 — Eisenhower reportedly suggests to General Lemnitzer that the U.S. "could think of manufacturing something" to justify intervention in Cuba.January 1961 — Kennedy is inaugurated; the U.S. and Cuba sever diplomatic relations.Early 1961 — Richard Bissell directs William Harvey to build a "stand-by" assassination capability; the ZR/RIFLE Executive Action project takes shape.April 17–19, 1961 — Brigade 2506 lands at the Bay of Pigs and is destroyed within three days.April 22, 1961 — Kennedy appoints the Taylor–Kennedy Board of Inquiry (Cuba Study Group).June 13, 1961 — The board reports: "no long-term living with Castro as a neighbor."October 5, 1961 — NSAM 100 directs post-Castro and military-contingency planning.November 3, 1961 — Kennedy authorizes the covert program that becomes Operation Mongoose.November 30, 1961 — Kennedy's memorandum formally establishes Mongoose; Lansdale named Chief of Operations.December 1, 1961 — RFK tells the Special Group Cuba is now top priority; Castro declares, "I am a Marxist-Leninist."January 18–19, 1962 — Lansdale assigns 32 planning tasks; RFK calls Cuba "top priority — all else is secondary." The Special Group (Augmented) is established.February 1962 — Shackley brought to JMWAVE; soon made station chief. JMWAVE relocates to NAS Richmond under the Zenith Technical Enterprises front.February 20, 1962 — Lansdale submits the six-phase Basic Action Plan aiming at revolt by October 1962. (John Glenn's orbital flight occurs the same day — later a Northwoods pretext target.)February 26, 1962 — RFK orders Lansdale to stand down to intelligence-gathering for three months; the Joint Chiefs' frustration hardens.March 1962 — SGA approves Phase I (intelligence only). The JCS draft Operation Northwoods.March 13, 1962 — Lemnitzer signs the Northwoods memo ("Justification for US Military Intervention in Cuba") to McNamara.March 16, 1962 — Kennedy flatly rejects Northwoods and any overt U.S. military force in Cuba.April 1962 — Harvey reactivates the Roselli/Mafia plots under ZR/RIFLE; arms and poison pills delivered in Miami.August 23, 1962 — NSAM 181 orders Mongoose "Plan B plus" developed with all speed amid the Soviet buildup.August 30, 1962 — SGA authorizes the Matahambre copper-mine sabotage; the raid fails.October 1962 — U-2 flights discover Soviet missiles; the Cuban Missile Crisis erupts.October 30, 1962 — The SGA orders a halt to all sabotage; Mongoose effectively ends.1963 — Mongoose disbanded; the SGA abolished; the regular Special Group resumes control.June 19, 1963 — A new externally based sabotage program against the Cuban economy is approved.Fall 1963 — The CIA passes AM/LASH (Rolando Cubela) a poison pen while the administration explores a UN back-channel to Castro.October 24, 1963 — The Special Group approves thirteen major sabotage operations.November 22, 1963 — President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas; both the AM/LASH plot and the Cuban back-channel are cut short.

Richard Nixon is making an unlikely comeback online as a new generation looks beyond the memes and starts revisiting one of America's most controversial presidents. In this episode, Newsmax Chief Washington Correspondent James Rosen joins us to discuss newly uncovered testimony that sheds fresh light on Watergate, why Nixon believed he was targeted by a military spy ring, and how the revelations could reshape one of the most debated legacies in modern American history. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.- - -Ep. 2863- - -Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3- - -Today's Sponsors:Fundrise - VCX, by Fundrise, gives everyone the opportunity to invest in the next generation of innovation, including the companies leading the AI revolution, space exploration, defense tech, and more. Visit https://getVCX.com for more info.Goldbelly - If you're looking for the perfect way to celebrate America's 250th, go to https://GOLDBELLY.com and get free shipping and 20% off your first order with promo code WIRE- - -Privacy Policy: https://www.dailywire.com/privacymorning wire,morning wire podcast,the morning wire podcast,Georgia Howe,John Bickley,daily wire podcast,podcast,news podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

June 26, 2026; 8pm: Tonight, the latest revelations from the Epstein files. Plus, Trump's Fox News prosecutor vows to protect his reflecting pool. And the MAGA Supreme Court clears the way for more indiscriminate deportations. Want more of Chris? Download and follow his podcast, “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes podcast” wherever you get your podcasts.To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Iran's state media claims their forces targeted several American army deployments in the region, although there is no indication yet that anything has been hit. Plus, Vice President Vance at the Nixon Library said Watergate wouldn't be as big of a story in today's world, suggesting Richard Nixon, just like Trump, was a victim. Air date: June 26, 2026 Guests: Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson (Ret.) Beth Sanner Timothy Naftali Jeff Toobin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tarabuster Fridays with Tara Devlin. June 26, 2026 Jody Hamilton of the Politics Bar joined Tara for a wide-ranging, casual conversation about life, compassion, community and yes... politics. And more! Buckle up. It's a lot. As usual.

The "eating the cats and dogs" blood libel worked so well that SCOTUS agreed to end humanitarian protections for Haitians. Justice Alito, who complained about the way Italian-Americans were depicted in "The Sopranos" just couldn't see any racism in Trump's repeated disparagement of Haiti or its immigrants. By the way, Megyn Kelly: You didn't do anything to build this country. And while JD thinks Nixon's Watergate crimes are now no big deal, the federal government just sentenced an American to 30 years in prison for moving anarchist zines out of his home. Plus, Jane's nostalgia theory explains why Vanilla Ice thinks the early 90s were the best era, the white male obsession with Caitlin Clark, and the men who can't quit blaming the 19th Amendment for the country's ills.Jane Coaston joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.show notes Jane's pod, “What A Day” Roy Cooper's new ad The reporting on Rep. Hamadeh Tim's playlist

June 26, 2026; 6am: VP JD Vance makes controversial comments on Nixon's Watergate scandal Iran escalates tensions striking ship in the Strait of Hormuz Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan are back with more behind-the-scenes details of the White House from their new book, "Regime Change"   To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

June 26, 2026, 4pm; Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay confirmed Cabinet member in U.S. history, former Transportation secretary and who many Democrats hope will be a possible 2028 contender, announcing a post on Substack today he and his family were the target of a quote  “cruel, politically motivated hoax." For more from Nicolle, follow and download her podcast, “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace,” wherever you get your podcasts.To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Diana and I sat down to launch our summer online Summit — Unsettled Ground: Faith & the American Story at 250 — a video time capsule of scholars and friends answering a single question: what is the one thing you want people to know about America at 250?  We compared the bicentennial summer of 1976 (gas crisis, Watergate, the end of the Vietnam War, mortgage rates at 18% — but neighbors still made colonial costumes) to the bicentennial Trump tried to throw last night but canceled. We argued about whether the Democratic Party is currently sitting in 1850 or 1976. We disagreed about the Eucharist on Zoom. And then, because Diana is Diana, she ended with a poem by Rosemary Wahtola Trommer that I think is the spine of this whole moment: "I want to hear America listening." Strap in, and we will be back next week! You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Join our Online Summit - Unsettled Ground: Faith & the American Story at 250 This summer, Diana Butler Bass and I are launching Faith at 250 — an online summit featuring scholars like Randall Balmer, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Elesha Coffman, and more, each offering their own take on religion and America at 250 years. We built it so faith communities have something honest and substantive to turn to when the nationalist narratives start flying. Sign up at www.TheologySummit.com to get access to every lecture, livestream, and discussion guide. The summit is donation-based, including 0. This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before heading into the weekend, there are a few minor issues we need to clear up. One: that weirdo Trump FEMA official is leaving. Which one? The one who teleported into a Waffle House, of course. How is he leaving? That we don't know, and it might not even be worth trying to guess, honestly. Oh, and remember the Shark Tank weirdo who was so sure that anyone opposing his plans for a mega data center in Utah just had to be a Chinese Communist Party front? Well, he's backing off of that one. Which is nice, I guess. Oh, oh, and remember that housing bill that both was and wasn't presented to the president for signature? Well, it's been presented. Again? Maybe? Oh, oh, oh, and remember Elise Stefanik? Well, we'll be rid of her for the time being, but MAGA weirdos are hoping to replace her with a different MAGA weirdo. Oh, oh, oh, oh, and remember the Reflecting Pool? It doesn't really matter if you don't, because it's whole history is going to be made up, anyway. Anyway, it turns out that the only contractor with real experience in dealing with it didn't want anything to do with Trump's plans for it. So they gave the job to Gomez Addams, instead. Looking ahead, at least on a story that's already got a long and checkered past, Todd Blanche and the DOJ might kinda sorta be in some trouble over the Epstein Files. But you know how that whole executive branch accountability thing goes. Though there are still some solid efforts being made at reviving the concept. It's all the more important, given that the leopards who ate the faces of the original "relitigate Watergate" champions are now looking to relitigate Watergate. Are you old enough to remember when ICE was spending like a drunken sailor, buying up every warehouse it could find and trying to "Whydontchajust" them into detention centers? Well, now they're trying to un-whydontchajust 'em (and pin the blame on Kristi Noem). One last thing to stow away for the weekend: the next blossoming scandal has dropped! Trump's looking to exploit LA28 Olympic organizers' need to stay on "the government's" good side by squeezing them for some kind of quasi-affiliated, pre-Olympics golf tournament at his LA club. That's not even a thing! But neither is remaining president while suffering from degenerative dementia.

John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, in a plea deal pleads guilty to illegally retaining national security information, admitting to mishandling classified notes he used in a memoir. He has agreed to a $2.5 million fine and faces up to five years in prison; House Oversight Committee leaders issue subpoenas for billionaire Leon Black after they say he did not answer questions to their satisfaction in today's voluntary interview about his business relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; President Donald Trump speaks at the Faith & Freedom Coalition annual conference; Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, now says he expects one interest rate increase will be necessary this year; United Nations update on the pause in evacuating mariners in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran attacks a container ship; Israel and Lebanon sign a framework peace deal after talks mediated by the U.S.; Vice President JD Vance says the 'deep state' brought down former President Nixon like it tried to do to President Trump and the Watergate scandal with be a 12-hour news story if it happened today; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) welcomes tall ships to Baltimore as part of the celebration of America's 250th anniversary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The POTUS speech to kickoff the "state fair" in honor of America's 250th year was all about how the country is great because of him. Meanwhile, Hegseth is continuing to purge the Pentagon of some of our best warfighters for political and cowardly reasons. Plus, Bill Cassidy caved to Trump yet again, another son-in-law is following in Jared's footsteps and angling to get in on the family's hustle, some love for George Washington, and the administration's levels of corruption are so epic it's like Watergate every day. Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller.show notes Tom on making the 250th "small" Tom on the capitulation to Iran Netflix's "The American Experiment"

The spirit had vowed to put John Bell in his grave, and on a December morning in 1820 a coma, a smoky vial of black poison, and a dead barn cat proved she meant every word.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/bellwitchfinallaughREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yfpsnbfwFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Did a malevolent spirit cause the death of John Bell, or was it something else that brought his demise? (The Death of John Bell) *** A man is awoken in the middle of the night by a piano – being played by no one. (Rock Isn't Dead) *** Is it possible that ancient human skulls are conscious? (Cult of Human Skulls) *** Did the Watergate scandal hide a secret agenda? (Watergate: Wilderness of Mirrors)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:00:51.735 = Show Open00:02:11.866 = The Death of John Bell00:09:41.045 = Rock Isn't Dead ***00:13:58.971 = Cult of Human Skulls00:20:31.984 = Watergate: Wilderness of Mirrors ***00:43:34.192 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“Watergate: Wilderness of Mirrors” posted at The Unredacted: http://bit.ly/2JjZ0pr“Rock Isn't Dead” by UnQuiet: http://bit.ly/2HfOZax“The Death of John Bell” by Troy Taylor: http://bit.ly/2HgkJwq“Cult of Human Skulls” by A. Sutherland: http://bit.ly/2Q1WbtT(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: December, 2021Weird Darkness gathers four accounts of the inexplicable across this episode — a frontier farmer poisoned by a spirit, a midnight keyboard played by no one, the worldwide superstitions surrounding human skulls, and a hidden reading of the Watergate burglary.It opens with the death of John Bell, the Tennessee gentleman farmer remembered as the only man ever murdered by a spirit. For nearly four years the entity known as the Bell Witch had tormented his household with attacks, flying objects, and a disembodied voice, singling out Bell and his daughter Elizabeth, called Betsy, for the worst of it. On the morning of December 19, 1820, Bell could not be roused from a deep stupor, and his son John Jr. found the cupboard of prescribed medicines emptied and replaced by a smoky-looking vial holding a dark, nearly black liquid. The witch laughed over his bed and admitted she had dosed "Old Jack" the night before; when Alex Gunn brought in a barn cat and a straw of the liquid was drawn across its tongue, the animal screeched, whirled, and dropped dead. Dr. Hopson confirmed Bell had swallowed the contents, Frank Miles hurled the vial into the fire where it flared blue up the chimney, and Bell died early on December 20, 1820, never having woken.From there the episode turns to a quieter haunting, recounted by a father awakened at 1:14 a.m. on March 9, 2018 by a few composed notes from his twelve-year-old son's electronic keyboard. He found the boy sound asleep and the cat sitting upright on the bed, staring at the instrument, and when he pressed the keys himself no sound came because the power was switched off. The next morning he woke his son for school and recognized the boy's shirt, worn for the first time, as one that had belonged to his late brother, who died suddenly in 2015 and whose lifelong dream had been to play in his band, called Ghost Of. The shirt read "Rock Isn't Dead… it's just played by Ghost Of," and the brothers had shared a love of ghost stories and a standing joke that he would return to visit after death.Next comes a survey of the human skull as an object of dread and reverence stretching back through cultures on every continent, rooted in the old belief that the head housed the soul and offered a channel to the Other World. The segment weighs the disputed Celtic "Cult of the Head," with historian Ronald Hutton arguing the recurring head motif on Celtic metalwork reflects artistic fashion rather than worship, and moves through the 1612 trial of Lancashire witch Anne Chattox, hanged after she was accused of robbing graves for skulls and teeth. It gathers the screaming-skull legends of England, including Anne Griffiths of Burton Agnes Hall in Yorkshire, whose exhumed head was bricked into a staircase wall to quiet the slamming and crashing, and the skull at Bettiscombe Manor in Dorset, said to belong to an enslaved man brought from Nevis by the Pinney family and denied his promised burial in the Caribbean.The episode closes with a long, skeptical reexamination of Watergate that treats the official account as a fabrication. It returns to the June 17, 1972 arrest of five burglars inside the Democratic National Committee offices and the address book linking E. Howard Hunt to Nixon's White House, then argues, following journalist Jim Hougan's 1984 book Secret Agenda, that the men never actually bugged the building at all. James McCord, a senior figure in the CIA's Office of Security rather than the low-level technician he claimed, rented a line-of-sight surveillance room facing the wrong side of the complex, paid an employee to transcribe conversations from nonexistent wiretaps, and twice taped the stairwell locks horizontally across the door face so guards could not miss them. A key found on burglar Eugenio Martinez fit the desk of DNC secretary Ida Wells and pointed toward a suspected call-girl ring run out of the adjacent Columbia Plaza apartments, raising the possibility that Hunt and McCord, both career CIA men who lied about a decade-long association, sabotaged the break-in to shield a clandestine operation, to topple a president who had sidelined the agency, or both, taking the full truth with them to their graves.

The Supreme Court dropped a decision on religion freedom today, as major opinions on many key issues loom. Primaries today in New York offer a preview of the ideological battles to come for Democrats in 2028. Intelligence agencies from around the world say the timeline for AI-driven cyber threats isn't years away – it could be months. Savannah Guthrie makes an emotional plea in light of new information about her mom's disappearance. World Cup fans are booing in the middle of matches and it has nothing to do with the action on the field. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VR35 - In this episode released on the 54th anniversary of the Watergate break-in, the Vapid Response team raids the archives of the New York Times to retrieve one of the single worst (and worst-timed!) contemporary takes on the scandal which would end Richard Nixon's Presidency. We then return to a time in which a Watergate-style burglary would be a fun diversion to see how at least one conservative legal writer is defending Trump's nomination of his former defense attorney to serve as Attorney General. “Comeback Time,” William Safire,  The New York Times (4/19/1973) “Todd Blanche is Unfit for Office,” The Editorial Board, The New York Times (6/15/2026) “Blanche and the New York Times,” Michael Fragoso, National Review (6/15/2026) Opening Arguments Linktree (Patreon, socials, and more): https://linktr.ee/openingarguments