Podcasts about weaponization

Today, we have a conversation about time, memory, and the bittersweet geography of human sorrow. Georgi Gospodinovis widely considered one of the most daring voices in contemporary European literature. His acclaimed novel, The Physics of Sorrow, won the prestigious Jan Michalski Prize in 2016, blending ancient myth and quantum physics to chronicle the delicate realities of post-socialist Eastern Europe. Joining him is Angela Rodel, a brilliant linguist, musician, and translator whose profound artistic empathy carries the flowing cadences of the Bulgarian language into vivid English. Together, this extraordinary creative duo made history by winning the 2023 International Booker Prizefor Time Shelter—the first book written in Bulgarian to ever receive the honor.Time Shelter is a masterfully dark, funny, and prescient novel. It begins with an enigmatic psychiatrist opening a clinic that treats Alzheimer's patients by meticulously recreating past decades to match their internal clocks. But the experiment quickly escapes the clinic walls, triggering a pan-European crisis where entire nations hold democratic referendums to choose which era of the past they will retreat into. It is a book that holds up a mirror to our own world, exploring what happens when a civilization faces a deficit of meaning and tries to weaponize nostalgia.(0:00) The Trap of Nostalgia(1:22) The Nonlinear Approach to Storytelling(3:53) Translating the Atmosphere(4:31) The Pandemic of the Past(6:37) Death and the Gardener(9:49) The Translators Calling(11:00) Slowing Down Time(13:14) Storytelling vs Propaganda(15:54) Translating the Atmosphere(18:19) What makes a good life? What has given your life meaning?(20:56) Reflections on God and the Stories His Grandmother Told Him(23:43) The Importance of Hugging, Empathy and StorytellingEpisode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

Paúl Pérez returns to discuss his recent British Sociological Association article, co-authored with Charles Thorpe, "Genocidal Enjoyment: On the Weaponization of Joyful Cruelty and 'Dark Fun' during Israel's Genocide on Gaza.": https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17499755261468856 Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

ABC is suing the Federal Communications Commission, arguing that the agency is using its regulatory power to punish the network for its journalism and programming. Former FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel joins Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance to break down the lawsuit and what it could mean for the FCC's power over broadcasters.  In the full episode, Rosenworcel discusses the FCC's mission and its role in elections. Not an Insider? Now more than ever, it's critical to stay tuned. To join a community of reasoned voices in unreasonable times, become an Insider today. You'll get access to full episodes of the podcast and other exclusive content. Head to staytuned.substack.com. Insiders, click HERE to listen to the full analysis. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Photo by Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Cohen sits down with President Donald Trump for a remarkable and deeply personal conversation about their complicated history, reconciliation, and the decision to rebuild a friendship after years apart. Trump and Cohen discuss government weaponization, the battles they faced, Iran and the threat of nuclear weapons, the economy, immigration, tariffs, and Trump's vision for America's future.President Trump also reflects on the toughest moments of his presidency, the investigations and impeachments he faced, and why he believes Cohen's decision to recant his previous testimony took courage. The conversation takes an unexpected turn as the two discuss forgiveness, political hatred, and why their reconciliation has drawn so much attention.A candid conversation between two people who have traveled a very complicated road—and somehow found their way back to each other.

Michael Cohen sits down with attorney Ethan Gerber to examine the case against former Eric Adams Chief of Staff Frank Carone, the allegations surrounding a $120,000 payment, and what they see as prosecutorial overreach.Drawing on their own experiences, Michael and Ethan discuss lawfare, the weaponization of the justice system, coercive tactics, and whether Americans can truly get a fair day in court.

L. Joy is back in the Office of the Citizen and for this lesson for our next lesson. She is focusing on how propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation work as tools of political control, and how a high-speed, low-literacy information ecosystem can keep people reacting instead of organizing. To get deep into this lesson, she brings Dr. Michelle Taylor back to the front of the class.

In this episode of John Solomon Reports, host John Solomon tackles the pressing issues surrounding the ongoing threat from China and the implications of recent government actions. Solomon discusses the alarming revelations from the White House Government Transparency Task Force, highlighting a massive marriage fraud scheme aimed at securing birthright citizenship for Chinese nationals. This scheme, alongside the broader underestimation of the China threat, illustrates the urgent need for accountability and reform within the U.S. political system.Joining Solomon is Dr. Peter Navarro, who shares his experiences and insights on the weaponization of government and the manufacturing renaissance efforts he is championing alongside former President Trump. Navarro's perspective sheds light on the importance of addressing these issues as America navigates a pivotal moment in its history.The episode also features Dr. Peter McCullough, who discusses the censorship he faced as a prominent voice during the pandemic and the revelations about Anthony Fauci's actions. Together, they explore how public health can be improved moving forward in light of recent findings.Finally, Solomon introduces military veteran Mike Bouchard, a congressional candidate from a key battleground state, who shares his common-sense approach to politics and the growing movement around his candidacy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Unleashed: The Political News Hour with Nate Cain – A rapid series of high-profile incidents in which advanced AI models escaped their testing environments. Former RNC Treasurer Randy Pullen joins to discuss ongoing election integrity issues in Arizona. The broader pattern of punishing physicians who questioned the official narrative (license threats, deplatforming, hospital privileges, or prosecution)...

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This episode features Mr. Andy Lim, Deputy Director and Fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Mr. Lim's research focuses on North Korea, the U.S.-South Korea alliance, inter-Korean relations, and the weaponization of economic interdependence. A graduate of American University, Mr. Lim has been published in Comparative Connections, Foreign Policy, and The Washington Quarterly, and he is the co-author of the new book China's Weaponization of Trade with Victor Cha and Ellen Kim. Mr. Lim speaks to the US-Asia Institute's Program Assistant Olivia Van Hoey about the 2026 Suwon inter-Korean women's soccer match and how sports can be used to create connections between North and South Korea. Support the show

This Day in Legal History: The Weimar ConstitutionOn August 11, 1919, President Friedrich Ebert signed the Weimar Constitution into force, creating the first parliamentary democracy in German history. It came into effect a few days later, ending the provisional government that had followed Germany's defeat in the First World War and the fall of the monarchy. On paper, it was a strikingly modern and liberal document—and its story is one of the most important cautionary tales in all of constitutional law.The Weimar Constitution rested on genuinely progressive foundations: popular sovereignty, a separation of powers, and an extensive bill of fundamental rights, including—remarkably for 1919—formal equality between men and women and the right to vote for both. It established a directly elected president, a parliament, the Reichstag, and a framework that looked, in many respects, like a model twentieth-century democracy. For a document drafted in the chaos of postwar Germany, it was an ambitious attempt to build a rights-respecting republic from the ground up.But the Weimar Constitution is remembered today largely for the flaw that helped destroy it: Article 48, which gave the president sweeping power to rule by emergency decree, suspending civil liberties when he deemed public order to be threatened. That emergency clause was invoked more and more frequently as the republic's politics fractured—and in 1933 it became the legal mechanism through which the Nazi regime dismantled democracy from the inside, using the constitution's own emergency powers to suspend rights and seize dictatorial control. Which brings us back to today's opening quote: the Weimar experience is the definitive real-world example of Justice Jackson's warning that an emergency power, once available, “lies about like a loaded weapon, ready for the hand of any authority that can bring forward a plausible claim of an urgent need.” The significance of August 11, 1919 is that it stands as an enduring lesson that a constitution's protections are only as durable as the limits it places on emergency power—that a democracy can be subverted not in spite of its own laws, but through them.Luigi Mangione is due back in court for a pretrial hearing ahead of his murder trial, set to begin September 8, in the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. Mangione, who is 28, has pleaded not guilty to murder, weapons, and forgery charges brought by the Manhattan District Attorney, and he has separately pleaded not guilty to federal stalking charges. At today's hearing before Justice Gregory Carro, the parties are expected to take up jury selection and the thorny question of public access to what is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched trials in years. Let's talk about the real legal challenges here, because this case is unusual on several fronts. First, Mangione faces parallel state and federal prosecutions arising from the same killing—something the Constitution permits under the “dual sovereignty” doctrine, even though it can feel like being tried twice. Second, the defense has signaled it may argue that Mangione lost control of his actions due to an extreme mental-health breakdown, and notably has not conceded that he was even the shooter, despite prosecutors citing surveillance video, DNA, ballistics, and a notebook. And third—the elephant in the courtroom—is that this case became a cultural flashpoint, with a wave of public anger at the health-insurance industry curdling, in some corners, into sympathy for the accused. That makes jury selection genuinely difficult: finding impartial jurors amid saturation coverage and strong public feeling is exactly the kind of problem that tests the machinery of a fair trial. The significance is that beyond the headlines, this is a serious test of whether the system can give a fair, dispassionate trial to a defendant the public has turned into a symbol—which is precisely when the guarantees of criminal procedure matter most. Luigi Mangione due in court ahead of insurance CEO murder trial | ReutersUPI · 6abcPresident Trump has said that whether to revive the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” is now up to his newly confirmed attorney general, Todd Blanche—a statement that lands like the punchline to a story we've been telling for weeks. Recall the sequence: Blanche rescinded the fund on the eve of his confirmation to win over Republican holdouts, but Trump then acknowledged that he himself never signed the rescission order, which left the door open. Now, with Blanche confirmed as attorney general by that razor-thin 50-49 vote, Trump is saying the future of the fund rests with Blanche. And that is exactly the scenario that critics warned about. Think back to what senators extracted as the price of confirmation: a promise to kill a fund that would have used taxpayer money to pay people, including January 6 defendants, who claimed to be victims of the prior Justice Department. But a promise made by the executive branch can be unmade by the executive branch, and here the president is openly signaling that his former personal lawyer, now running the Justice Department, could bring it back. The significance goes to the very heart of the concern that dogged Blanche's nomination: the independence of the attorney general. When the president publicly frames the revival of a controversial payout fund as a decision for “his” attorney general to make, it underscores the worry that the Justice Department's most consequential choices may run through the lens of the president's personal and political interests. The confirmation fight is over, but the question it raised is very much alive. Trump says future weaponization fund is up to Blanche | ReutersForbes · AxiosA federal appeals court has cleared thousands of lawsuits to proceed against the major social-media companies over claims they deliberately designed their platforms to addict young users. The San Francisco-based Ninth Circuit rejected the bid by Meta, Google's YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat to escape roughly 2,400 lawsuits consolidated in federal court, brought by states, municipalities, school districts, and individuals. The legal fight here is all about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—the 1996 law that shields online platforms from liability for content their users post. The companies argued that Section 230 also immunizes them from claims that they failed to warn about, or engineered, the addictive nature of their platforms. The court said no, and the distinction it drew is the crucial one: Section 230 protects a platform from being sued over what its users say, but it does not necessarily protect the platform's own product-design choices—the infinite scroll, the algorithmic feeds, the notification schedules engineered to maximize engagement. Claims aimed at that design, the court reasoned, are different from claims aimed at user content. If you've been listening, you know this is the federal counterpart to everything we've tracked at the state level—the New Mexico judgment, the Tennessee trial, the multistate penalty fight. The significance is that the industry's most powerful legal shield, Section 230, is being narrowed: plaintiffs are increasingly framing their cases around addictive design rather than harmful content, and courts are increasingly letting those cases through. That reframing may prove to be the key that unlocks the courthouse door for the whole wave of social-media harm litigation. US appeals court allows thousands of lawsuits against social media companies to proceed | ReutersNBC News · Al JazeeraAnd finally, in my column for Bloomberg Tax this week, I dig into a question hiding underneath the AI gold rush: who's actually paying for it? My starting point is a striking data point—Microsoft's current federal tax expense fell year over year from about $14.1 billion to just $2.5 billion, even as its revenue surged. And a big part of that drop comes from accelerated deductions in last year's massive 2025 tax law, which restored 100% bonus depreciation—letting companies write off the full cost of huge investments, like AI data centers, in the very first year.My core argument is that the tax law is financing the AI infrastructure boom, but it isn't creating it—and that distinction matters enormously before anyone declares the policy a success. The political narrative writes itself: capital spending soared after the tax cut, therefore the tax cut worked. But I think correlation is doing an awful lot of heavy lifting there. Microsoft and its rivals aren't pouring tens of billions into AI infrastructure because Congress rediscovered depreciation. They're doing it because falling behind in AI could threaten their core businesses—it's become about as close to a strategic necessity as it gets. And here's the tell: Microsoft announced its roughly $80 billion AI data-center plan in a blog post in January 2025, a full six months before the tax law was even signed. The trajectory was public, budgeted, and well underway before the depreciation rules changed.So my point to Congress is: prove it. Before congratulating yourselves, you owe the public evidence that these tax benefits actually changed corporate behavior rather than just rewarding investments companies were already racing to make. And I want to push back on the idea that this is “just” a timing benefit and therefore basically free. Timing isn't free—letting a company keep its cash now in exchange for tax revenue later is like giving it an interest-free loan, and every dollar of accelerated depreciation is a dollar the Treasury can't use for something else this year. That's a real opportunity cost, felt in deficits or forgone public investment. My recommendation is concrete: Congress should require the Treasury and the Joint Committee on Taxation to regularly estimate how much of this investment is genuinely induced by the tax break, how much was simply pulled forward, and how much would have happened anyway. Because the public is quietly helping finance the AI revolution—and if Congress intends to make taxpayers silent investors in it, it should at least have the honesty to say so, and to show the math. Tax Law Is Funding the AI Infrastructure Boom, Not Creating It | Bloomberg Tax 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

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The President wants to throw an innocent man in jail despite his own law enforcement agency saying not only did he not commit the crime, but that no crime was committed at all

Aug 5, 2026 – Sevens Report's Tom Essaye breaks down the whiplash rally driving the S&P 500 and Dow to record highs—crediting blowout cloud earnings from Microsoft and Amazon for shattering AI bubble fears. He weighs in on the chilling reality...

This episode is presented by Create A Video – Newly-declassified documents show the FBI launched an investigation into whether President Donald Trump was a Russian asset because he fired then-FBI Director James Comey. The investigation was named "Oxferd Comma" and relied on information that the FBI had already determined to be false - notably, the discredited Steele Dossier.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-kaliner-show--6946691/support.Subscribe to the podcast My preferred podcast platform: SpreakerAll the links to Pete's Prep are free!Get exclusive content here!Media Bias Check: GroundNews promo code!Advertising and Booking inquiries: Pete@ThePeteKalinerShow.com  

Send us Fan MailArizona just passed a coercive control law, and the family bar, the bench, and the litigants are all figuring it out in real time. Billie Tarascio sits down with returning guest Dr. Cocchiola to look at what actually happened in Connecticut, where a nearly identical statute has been on the books since 2023. The answer matters for anyone facing an Arizona divorce, a custody fight, or a family court judge who has to sort out who holds the power in a relationship.Dr. Cocchiola is a therapist, expert witness, and coercive control researcher with almost four decades in the field. She testified in support of Connecticut's Jennifer's Law, trains judges and court professionals nationally through AFCC, runs a support group for male survivors, and co-authored a collection of survivor accounts from inside the family court system. She also lived it, which shapes how she talks about children, attachment, and what recovery actually takes.In this episode:- Understand why coercive control sits underneath domestic violence instead of beside it- Learn how Connecticut's Jennifer's Law has played out three years in- Spot the abuser traits that read as calm and credible in a courtroom- See how abusers flip the script and file coercive control claims against protective parents- Recognize post-separation escalation as the clearest signal courts overlook- Question the automatic 50/50 custody model and who it actually serves- Protect attachment when a child aligns with the controlling parent- Weigh the real risks of reunification camps and forced repair therapy- Document patterns with parenting apps and written records that hold up- Negotiate with an abuser who needs to believe the outcome hurt you- Rebuild your child's sense of safety as the parent who repairsChapters:00:00 Introduction to Coercive Control and Domestic Violence02:43 Understanding Coercive Control as a Trajectory of Behavior05:46 The Impact of Coercive Control Legislation08:18 Challenges in Family Court and the Weaponization of Laws11:13 The Role of Children in Coercive Control Dynamics13:58 Systemic Issues in Family Court and Child Safety16:49 Expert Testimony and the Nuances of Coercive Control19:47 The Complexity of Parenting Time Decisions24:01 The Role of Court Professionals in Family Dynamics27:02 Challenges in Family Court and Child Safety28:44 The Importance of Documentation and Boundaries31:27 Understanding Power Dynamics in Relationships34:41 Therapeutic Interventions and Their Complexities38:58 Advice for Family Law Professionals and LitigantsModern Law helps Arizona families through divorce, custody, and high-conflict cases across Phoenix, Mesa, and Scottsdale. Call 480-649-2905 or visit mymodernlaw.com to talk with our team.

A look at what's really in the deal that has two Republican Senate hold outs ready to sign off on Todd Blanche as attorney general. Plus, is President Trump about to fire Jeanine Pirro as the U.S. attorney for Washington DC?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A look at what happened when President Trump met with Jeanine Pirro behind closed doors hours after he said she folded like an umbrella over claims of a botched installation at the Reflecting Pool.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Todd Blanche, President Trump's nominee for attorney general, is rescinding an order to create a $1.8 billion fund for Trump's political allies. Is that enough to persuade senators who blocked his nomination to back him? And President Trump is backing off additional attacks on Iran as negotiations resume today. Why is Trump willing to give diplomacy another go? Also, are progressive candidates poised to win big in this year's midterm election? Upcoming primaries may offer clues.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Jason Breslow, Megan Pratz, Arezou Rezvani and Lindsay Totty .It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.(0:00) Introduction(01:58) Blanche Rescinds 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'(05:32) Iran Strikes Called Off(09:23) Midwest PrimariesSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

August 3, 2026 - 6am: Blanche reversal: Acting AG ends $1.776B so-called ‘anti-weaponization' fund and clarifies Trump tax deal  Trump says he canceled strikes on Iran (again) claims progress on outlines of an Iran deal Nancy Youssef/Johnathan Lemire piece in The Atlantic, “This May Be Trump's Biggest Error in the Iran War” David French NYT Op-Ed: “The War That Could Swallow the World” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior made several controversial, and often false, claims about Covid-19, vaccines and measles over the weekend. Dr. Omer Awan does some fact checking. Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio calls on his former son-in-law, Republican Congressman Max Miller of Ohio, to resign following domestic abuse allegations made by Moreno's daughter 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.

Get the facts, without the spin. UNBIASED offers a clear, impartial recap of US news, including politics, elections, legal news, and more. Hosted by lawyer Jordan Berman, each episode provides a recap of current political events plus breakdowns of complex concepts—like constitutional rights, recent Supreme Court rulings, and new legislation—in an easy-to-understand way. No personal opinions, just the facts you need to stay informed on the daily news that matters. If you miss how journalism used to be, you're in the right place. In today's episode: What We Know About the Shooting in Idaho (1:22) Red Cross Declares Blood Crisis (4:49) DOJ Acknowledges Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Flaws; Asks Judge to Drop Charges Against Defendant (8:44) Blanche Voids Anti-Weaponization Fund and Clarifies IRS Audit Provision Ahead of Confirmation Vote (~16:43) Quick Hitters(~22:04) Fauci Pleads the Fifth. What You Need to Know About the Fifth Amendment and the Validity of His Pardon (~26:01) Critical Thinking Segment (~49:02) ⁠Watch⁠ this episode on YouTube. Follow Jordan on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠. All sources for this episode can be found ⁠here.⁠  Scammers are everywhere! But they can't harm you, if they can't find you! Use code JORDAN at https://incogni.com/jordan and get 60% off an annual plan! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He cares more about his Weaponization fund, being protected from any federal government investigation, winning his club championship, and personally making as much money as he possibly can than he cares about anything or anyone else. He is humanly incapable of caring about anything but himself. Having a sociopath like this in the White House is a dangerous thing for us and the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche scraps President Donald Trump's proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Will the two Republican senators who insisted on it now allow his nomination to move forward? Plus, Trump says U.S. strikes on Iran are on hold again Monday morning, following Tehran's request for a pause. And Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno publicly calls on his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, to leave Congress, bringing a bitter family dispute into one of the GOP's most closely watched House races. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Aug. 3, 2026.

This Day in Legal History: The Immigration Act of 1882On August 3, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed the Immigration Act of 1882, the first comprehensive federal law regulating immigration into the United States. Before this, immigration had largely been left to the individual states; this Act marked the moment the federal government claimed the subject as its own, and it built the first federal machinery for controlling who could enter the country.The Act did two enduring things. First, it imposed a “head tax”—fifty cents on every immigrant arriving by ship—to fund the administration of immigration, and it placed enforcement under the Secretary of the Treasury, creating the country's first federal immigration bureaucracy. Second, and more consequentially for the law that followed, it created categories of people who would be excluded: convicts, the “insane,” and—in language that would echo for the next century and a half—”any person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge.” That public-charge concept, born here in 1882, is the same doctrine we discussed just a couple of weeks ago when the current administration revived an expansive version of the public-charge rule.The significance of August 3, 1882 is that it is the taproot of the entire federal immigration system. Coming just months after the Chinese Exclusion Act, it established the foundational premise that the national government decides the terms of admission to the United States, and it introduced the framework—head taxes, excludable categories, federal enforcement—on which everything since has been built. It's worth sitting with the tension in the date: 1882 is also, almost exactly, the moment Emma Lazarus was composing “The New Colossus,” with its welcome to the tired and the poor. The law and the poem were born together, and the distance between them—between the statute's exclusions and the sonnet's embrace—is a distance the country has been arguing about ever since.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has formally rescinded the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” clearing what had been the biggest obstacle to his confirmation. If you were with us last week, this is the resolution of that story. The fund—created by a Justice Department order back in May—would have used taxpayer money to compensate people who claimed to be victims of the prior administration's Justice Department, a group that notably included those convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack. Republican Senator John Cornyn had refused to support Blanche's nomination until the fund was killed, and this week Blanche did exactly that, signing an order declaring the May directive “rescinded” with “no force or effect,” and, as part of the deal, agreeing to limit the related immunity arrangement so it applies only to the IRS and not to other agencies. The significance ties together several threads we've followed all summer. This fund grew out of the same collusive IRS settlement that a federal judge voided as a sham, and it sat at the center of concerns about the Justice Department being used to reward the president's allies. That a senator from the president's own party forced its formal repeal as the price of confirmation is advice-and-consent working as a genuine check—and it means the incoming attorney general takes office having had to publicly dismantle one of the administration's most criticized initiatives before the Senate would trust him with the job.Acting US Attorney General Blanche rescinds ‘anti-weaponization' fund before confirmation vote | ReutersNPR · NBC NewsIn a court filing, Capital One has disclosed for the first time that it closed more than 300 Trump Organization bank accounts back in 2021 after an anti-money-laundering review—the first time a bank has formally tied such concerns to its decision to cut off the president's family business. The context is a lawsuit: the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust and Eric Trump sued Capital One in Florida last year, alleging the bank “debanked” them for political reasons, having notified the Trump Organization of the closures in March 2021, just weeks after January 6. Capital One's filing reframes that story entirely. The bank says its compliance team did precisely what federal regulators expect—flagging accounts that raised anti-money-laundering red flags and acting on them. Here's the legal machinery underneath. Under the Bank Secrecy Act and related anti-money-laundering rules, banks are legally obligated to monitor their customers, file suspicious-activity reports, and, when warranted, close accounts; failing to do so can expose a bank to serious regulatory penalties. Importantly, Capital One did not accuse the Trump Organization of actual money laundering—flagging a risk and proving a crime are very different things. The significance is that this is a clean collision between two hot legal debates: the “debanking” complaint that financial institutions are dropping customers for political or ideological reasons, and the reality that banks operate under mandatory AML obligations that require them to shed risky accounts. A court will now have to decide which of those framings fits what Capital One actually did.Capital One says it closed Trump Organization's accounts after anti-money-laundering review | ReutersCNBC · NPRTom Goldstein, the prominent Supreme Court advocate and SCOTUSblog founder we've been following, has launched his appeal—asking the Fourth Circuit to overturn his twelve convictions for tax and mortgage fraud and to undo his six-year prison sentence. Recall the case: a jury found that Goldstein concealed millions from a secret high-stakes poker life, diverted his law firm's fees to cover gambling debts, and lied to mortgage lenders; he was sentenced to 72 months and ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution. The appeal is a reminder that even a resource-intensive, headline conviction gets a second look, and Goldstein is raising some genuinely lawyerly arguments. The most interesting is venue—the constitutional requirement that a defendant be tried in the right place. His team argues that while prosecutors proved he filled out loan applications in Maryland, they never proved from where he actually transmitted the documents, leaning on a recent Fourth Circuit decision that took venue seriously. He's also challenging the admission of statements he made in media interviews and the wording of the jury instructions. Commentators describe his path as daunting, and it is—appellate courts rarely overturn convictions, and factual findings get real deference. But the significance is that these are exactly the kinds of technical, procedural issues on which serious appeals are built. Goldstein spent his career winning cases at the top of the appellate system; now he's testing whether that same system will scrutinize the government's work in convicting him.US Supreme Court lawyer Tom Goldstein appeals tax conviction | ReutersLaw360 · Bloomberg LawAnd finally, the Justice Department has moved to drop its criminal case against David Hearn, the former Olympic canoeist charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool—and the reason is striking. We covered Hearn's not-guilty plea back in July, when his lawyers called the prosecution an abuse of power built on a “concocted narrative.” It turns out that characterization may have been closer to the truth than the charge. In a 20-page filing, prosecutors acknowledged that evidence received after Hearn was indicted shows the damage to the pool “was the result of flawed installation by the contractor,” compounded by “the rush to complete the project” before the America 250 celebrations around July 4. In other words: not vandalism—shoddy construction. The U.S. Attorney's office said it only learned of the flawed-installation evidence after a grand jury had already indicted him. The significance goes right to prosecutorial power and its risks. A 67-year-old man was detained for hours and charged with a felony over damage that, by the government's own admission, he didn't cause. The case collapsing is the system correcting itself—but only after Hearn spent weeks as a felony defendant. It's a real-world illustration of a point we keep returning to: the decision to charge is one of the most consequential and least reviewable powers in the legal system, and when it's exercised on a flawed factual premise, the damage to the person charged is done long before the dismissal.US Justice Department drops case against former US Olympian over Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool | ReutersPBS NewsHour · CNN 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

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has rescinded the Justice Department's controversial Anti-Weaponization Fund after weeks of pressure from key Republican senators. The move comes just before a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on his nomination to become attorney general. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed with the latest news from a leading Black-owned & controlled media company: https://aurn.com/newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 3, 2026 ~ Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor), U.S. Congresswoman of Michigan's 6th District discusses more Iran peace talks scheduled for today and AG nominee Todd Blanche rescinding anti-weaponization fund. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche scraps President Donald Trump's proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Will the two Republican senators who insisted on it now allow his nomination to move forward? Plus, Trump says U.S. strikes on Iran are on hold again Monday morning, following Tehran's request for a pause. And Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno publicly calls on his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, to leave Congress, bringing a bitter family dispute into one of the GOP's most closely watched House races. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Aug. 3, 2026.

Andrew Egger, White House Correspondent and Co-Author of the Morning Shots newsletter for The Bulwark, joins the show to discuss AG Todd Blanche's termination of Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund, and Max Miller abuse allegations.

The Context of White Supremacy hosts the Counter-Racist Weekly Review 08/01/26. This broadcast examines current events from across the globe to learn what's happening in all areas of people activity. We cultivate Counter-Racist Media Literacy by scrutinizing journalists' word choices and using logic to deconstruct what is reported as "news." We'll use these sessions to hone our use of terms as tools to reveal truth and neutralize Racists/White people. #ANTIBLACKNESS This week, we analyze systemic violence, educational exclusion, state surveillance, and the ongoing war on Black autonomy: **The Weaponization of the Legal System & State Torture: We deconstruct the "not every tragedy is a crime" rhetoric shielding suspects as the high-profile murder trial continues. We directly link the new subpoenas issued in the Nolan Wells death probe to this week's Texas grand jury indictment in the horrific drowning death of Daniel Erving. We contrast these ongoing investigations with the rare legal choice given to Ivy Kelly after spending decades behind bars, and scrutinize the systemic gun violence crisis that leaves thousands dead while White Men and Women refuse to act. **Systemic Educational Exclusion & Historical Erasure: We examine the deliberate bottlenecks of elite schooling as statistics reveal only three Black students gained entry into Stuyvesant High School this year. We couple this extreme exclusion with a massive lawsuit filed against the Park City School District, alongside Utah's holiday honoring a Native American massacre. We apply counter-racist logic to show how public education and state histories are structured to maintain white dominance while marginalizing non-white youth. **The Architecture of Mass Surveillance & Digital Displacement: We track the rapid expansion of the corporate surveillance grid, investigating whether Flock safety cameras are actively spying on Southern California residents. We analyze these tracking mechanisms alongside the growing renter-owner wealth gap, which is wider than ever and pricing non-white families completely out of the market. We expose how municipal surveillance and economic warfare work in tandem to monitor, control, and financially displace non-white populations. **Immigration Terror, Global Deportation, & Political Theater: We confront the overt white supremacy within federal enforcement, analyzing leaked footage that shows immigration agents using racial slurs during raids targeting Latinos. We examine the sports entertainment industry's intersection with state violence as we review how Kenya's first NFL player, Daniel Adongo, was likely given CTE and then deported by the Trump administration. Finally, we expose the hypocrisy of the White House pushing healthy eating while simultaneously cutting landmark federal nutrition education programs. #EndStageWhiteSupremacy #TheCOWS17Years #CounterRacism #MediaLiteracy #DanielErving #NolanWells #IvyKelly #DanielAdongo #StuyvesantHigh #FlockSafety Call-In Number: 720.716.7300 Code: 564943#

President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting at the presidential retreat Camp David in Frederick County, Maryland, where he acknowledges a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund designed to pay defendants in the January 6th attack at the U.S. Capitol and others who he says were unfairly targeted by the government is 'dead,' but he adds, 'I wish it weren't'; President also says, 'This has nothing to do with Todd,' referring to Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche, whose confirmation has been held up by a few Republican Senators opposed the fund; President Trump also claims 'Israel is very happy" with his Board of Peace reaching a deal with Hamas to disarm in exchange for Israel withdrawing troops from Gaza; Three potential 2028 Democratic Presidential candidates speak at the National Urban League conference in Nashville, Tennessee: former Vice President Kamala Harris, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is reportedly coming under fire from some donors not happy with his leadership. We will talk about it with Politico National Political Reporter Lisa Kashinsky (35); Discussion about what the rise of artificial intelligence means for people's jobs in the future with two governors: Wes Moore (D-MD) and Spencer Cox (R-UT). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports President Trump was asked about a $1.7 billion fund he wants that has raised red flags among some Republicans.

Howie Kurtz on Todd Blanche's imperiled nomination for Attorney General amid GOP pushback over a controversial DOJ payout fund, Dr. Anthony Fauci invoking the Fifth Amendment 111 times during a fiery Capitol Hill hearing, and James Comey facing FBI prosecution over a cryptic seashell photo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The emails center on Ed Martin Jr., the right-wing lawyer pushed out as acting U.S. Attorney for D.C. and then parked at DOJ headquarters to run the weaponization working group. Blanche wrote "I am frustrated" within a month, set up weekly check-ins, and reassigned investigative lanes to his own deputies. Hawk covers Martin's role in the Letitia James mortgage case, the January 6th review, and the Biden auto pen probe, complete with a look at what an auto pen actually is. Along the way Hawk plays Andrew Weissmann on the one question he would ask Blanche, revisits Emil Bove's judicial confirmation hearing, and covers the Epstein grand jury transcripts, Tina Peters, and Blanche's defenders who argue he is a check on worse actors. SUPPORT & CONNECT WITH HAWK- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mdg650hawk - Hawk's Merch Store: https://hawkmerchstore.com - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mdg650hawk7thacct - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkeyewhackamole - Connect on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mdg650hawk.bsky.social - Connect on Substack: https://mdg650hawk.substack.com - Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkpodcasts - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdg650hawk - Connect on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mdg650hawk ALL HAWK PODCASTS INFO- Additional Content Available Here: https://www.hawkpodcasts.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts- Listen to Hawk Podcasts On Your Favorite Platform:Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RWeJfyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/422GDuLYouTube: https://youtube.com/@hawkpodcastsiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/47vVBdPPandora: https://bit.ly/48COaTB

In Episode 542: Weaponization Of UAPs | From Rendlesham Forest to Artificial Intelligence we are joined by John Burroughs to talk about what he saw during his legendary 3-day encounter with UAPs in Rendlesham Forest in 1980. The Rendlesham Forest incident is possibly just as important or more so than Roswell. John came on to talk about what his experience was and also what he thinks the purpose of it was. We talk about how Project Blue Beam could play into the future of UAP sightings and collective consciousness. What does the government know and how do they plan on using that knowledge to their benefit against the people? What are they doing behind closed doors with pseudoscientific methods to create wormholes to affect time and space? We talk about it all on today's show.Please pray for Tony's wife, Lindsay, as she battles breast cancer. Your prayers make a difference!If you're able, consider helping the Merkel family with medical expenses by donating to Lindsay's GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/b8f76890

In this episode of John Solomon Reports, host John Solomon delves into critical issues facing America today with an impressive lineup of guests. Kicking off the show, Congressman Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, shares insights on the Save America Act and the ongoing challenges of weaponized law enforcement and intelligence. Solomon and Jordan discuss the implications of recent revelations, including Harmeet Dhillon's explosive letter to the states.The conversation then shifts as historian and thought leader Victor Davis Hanson joins Solomon to reflect on the first 18 months of the Trump presidency, providing a historical perspective that promises to enlighten listeners on the current political landscape.In the final segment, Jim Baugh, a two-time inductee into the Sports Hall of Fame, presents his initiative to combat the alarming fitness crisis among America's youth. With 75% of young people failing to meet military fitness standards, Baugh's program, P.H.I.T. America, aims to motivate children to embrace physical fitness and combat rising obesity rates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As the Trump administration continues to weaponize the Justice Department and FBI, Jon is joined by former Special Counsel Jack Smith and former Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll to examine what happens when these institutions are turned against the principles they were designed to uphold. Together, they explore whether the DOJ and FBI are capable of holding power accountable, investigate how the assault on the rule of law has been used to punish and intimidate public servants, and consider what it would take to repair these institutions. This episode is brought to you by: GROUND NEWS - Go to https://groundnews.com/stewart to see all sides of every story. Subscribe for 40% off the Vantage Subscription only for a limited time through our link https://groundnews.com/stewart FACTOR - https://FactorMeals.com/TWS50OFF MINT MOBILE - Shop plans at https://MintMobile.com/TWS Follow The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart on social media for more:  > YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weeklyshowpodcast > Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weeklyshowpodcast > TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@weeklyshowpodcast  > X: https://x.com/weeklyshowpod   > BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/theweeklyshowpodcast.com Host/Executive Producer – Jon Stewart Executive Producer – James Dixon Executive Producer – Chris McShane Executive Producer – Caity Gray Producer – Brittany Mehmedovic  Producer – Gillian Spear Video Editor & Engineer – Rob Vitolo Audio Editor & Engineer – Nicole Boyce Music by Hansdle Hsu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preview for Later Today: Iran's Potential for Nuclear Weaponization. Henry Sokolski warns that Iran's Bushehrreactor contains significant spent fuel. He estimates this fuel holds enough plutonium for hundreds of bombs, which could be extracted quickly, complicating views on Iran's nuclear energy program. (5)1951

The Context of White Supremacy hosts the Counter-Racist Weekly Review 07/04/26. This broadcast examines current events from across the globe to learn what's happening in all areas of people activity. We cultivate Counter-Racist Media Literacy by scrutinizing journalists' word choices and using logic to deconstruct what is reported as "news." We'll use these sessions to hone our use of terms as tools to reveal truth and neutralize Racists/White people. #ANTIBLACKNESS This week, we analyze the global enforcement of state-sanctioned trauma, physical degradation, and targeted systemic terror: 1. The Weaponization of Sports and Public Space: We dissect the immediate aftermath of the 2026 FIFA World Cup round-of-16 matches, examining how the Netherlands national football team faced rapid, coordinated racial abuse online following their elimination match by Morocco. We deploy counter-racist logic to decode how global sport serves as a recurring theater for white supremacy when non-white athletes outpace or eliminate European teams. 2. The Domestic Violation of Non-White Youth: We analyze a fresh federal lawsuit filed in Attala County, Mississippi, where seven families allege that a white principal and a school resource officer subjected Black McAdams High School students to humiliating strip-searches over missing vaping devices. We scrutinize the media's framing to expose how educational systems function as early-stage pipelines for structural violation and state control over Black bodies. 3. Biological, Environmental, and Medical Warfare: We investigate the devastating local attack out of Tacoma, Washington, where a pregnant mother was severely mauled by unleashed pit bulls on her due date, forcing an emergency labor induction. Furthermore, we decode BBC segments tracking the exploitation of non-white children following the Venezuelan earthquakes alongside the calculated distribution of fentanyl within the U.S. Somali population, revealing how environmental hazards and chemical dependencies are managed to compromise non-white survival. Call: 720.716.7300 Code: 564943#

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A federal judge throws out Justice Department subpoenas of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey calling them “blatantly unlawful.” The full DC Circuit Court of Appeals panel will hear arguments over Judge Boasberg's contempt inquiry into CECOT deportations. Former IRS officials call for a Miami judge to scrutinize Trump's “breathtakingly improper” immunity from tax audits as part of the Justice Department's anti-weaponization slush fund settlement. The Director of National Intelligence commissioned two reports on voting machine accuracy that show no votes were flipped in 2020 but the White House is blocking their release. Plus listener questions. Do you have questions for the pod or something for HITMEINTHEHEADWITHABAT?  Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/ Follow AGMueller, She Wrote SubstackMueller She Wrote on Blueskyhttps://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrotehttps://twitter.com/dailybeanspodMore from Andrew McCabeThe Real McCabe on Substack@therealmccabe.com on BlueskyThe Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump This Show is Available Ad-Free And Early For Patreon and Supercast Supporters at https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr when you Subscribe on Apple Podcastshttps://apple.co/3YNpW3P Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Let's talk about the Trump admin refusing to declare the weaponization fund over..…

Glenn was in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, and he watched Judge Leonie Brinkema deliver a judicial spanking of Attorney General Todd Blanche and of Donald Trump's $1.8 billion so-called "weaponization fund", which is really an insurrection fund or - more directly - a cop-beaters fund. Glenn reviews how the court hearing unfolded.Find Glenn on Substack: glennkirschner.substack.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As primary results continue to come in, significant primary elections in Iowa and New Jersey set up crucial November contests. A "weaponization" fund intended to compensate Americans unfairly targeted by the government has been abandoned by the Trump Administration, surprising lawmakers. President Trump confirmed reports about the strong language he used while on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while they both insist they are on great terms. Amid the current college sports landscape featuring massive NIL deals and endless transfers, Congress considers new regulations.   Pure Talk: Dial #250 and say keyword MEGYN KELLY to switch to Pure Talk and get unlimited data for just $34.99 a month!   SimpliSafe: Visit https://simplisafe.com/MEGYNto claim 50% off any new system! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Republican voters in Iowa rejected President Trump's pick for governor in last night's primary, a rare moment of pushback as voters in six states set up key November matchups including House races that could decide control of Congress. The Justice Department is scrapping President Trump's nearly $1.8 billion dollar anti-weaponization fund after sustained bipartisan backlash, though the DOJ says part of the IRS settlement shielding Trump and his family from past tax investigations still stands. And President Trump has named Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence despite his complete lack of intelligence experience, drawing skepticism even from Senate Republicans.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Megan Pratz, Anna Yukhananov, Rebekah Metzler, Mohamad ElBardicy and Lindsay Totty.It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.(0:00) Introduction(01:59) Primary Results(05:58) DOJ Scraps Anti-Weaponization Fund(09:40) Trump Appoints Acting DNISee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Justice Department says it will abide by a court order temporarily blocking President Trump's anti-weaponization fund, even as Senate Republicans push the White House to abandon the nearly two billion dollar program entirely amid bipartisan backlash. The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is barely holding as Israel keeps expanding its war in Lebanon, with Gulf states watching nervously as President Trump's diplomatic push faces its biggest test yet. And it's primary day in six states including California, where Democrats hope new congressional maps will help them flip up to five Republican-held House seats and the Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi's seat is up for grabs.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Jason Breslow, Tina Kraja, Megan Pratz, Mohamad ElBardicy and Taylor Haney.It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.And our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.(0:00) Introduction(02:11) DOJ Pauses Anti-Weaponization Fund(05:52) Iran Deal Complications(09:40) California PrimarySee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

A federal court put President Trump's “anti-weaponization fund” on hold, but Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say they would like to see the president back away from the fund permanently. We discuss why the fund poses a political problem for Republican lawmakers.This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, Supreme Court and justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez.This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Israeli forces captured a 900-year-old castle in southern Lebanon in their deepest incursion into the country in 26 years, complicating U.S. efforts to reach a deal with Iran even as the two sides traded more strikes over the weekend. Congress returns from its Memorial Day break facing a stalled immigration funding bill that has become tangled up with President Trump's push for an anti-weaponization fund and possible payments to January 6 defendants. And the Trump administration's anti-weaponization fund is facing new legal hurdles after one judge temporarily blocked it and another judge raised questions about the settlement that created the nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Anna Yukhananov, Mohamad ElBardicy and Lindsay Totty.It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.(0:00) Introduction(01:57) Israel Pushes Deeper Into Lebanon(05:37) Immigration Bill Stalled(08:58) Anti-weaponization FundSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy