POPULARITY
Your favorite shrinks, John Gartner and Harry Segal, present “this week” in Trump's cognitive decline, as well as an extended excerpt of Pritzker's heroic speech pushing back on federal threats to Chicago. While describing this moment in history, the two psychologists offer support and ways to cope with the anxiety Trump's chaos generates for all of us. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Our site Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Amazon Music Subscribe on iHeartRadio When we revisit Trump's rallies and interviews this week, it feels less like campaign drama and more like a national group therapy session. Gartner and Segal track every rambling detour, abrupt topic shift, and glaring contradiction—not as mere gaffes, but as warning signals that someone at the helm may be losing his cognitive bearings. Every photo-op, from overseas summits to tense showdowns on U.S. streets, has started to resemble a rehearsal for power consolidation. Flashing military muscle instead of engaging in normal governance isn't strength; it's intimidation. Watching constitutional safeguards brushed aside as mere inconveniences ought to jolt us awake to the creeping authoritarian impulse. Amid that growing unease, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker stood up like a lighthouse in a storm. Invoking the Constitution, he called out federal threats to deploy the National Guard in Chicago and reminded everyone that local authority can't be bulldozed for political spectacle. While Trump's allies cheered each flex of force, Pritzker's words made clear that true leadership sometimes means speaking truth to power at the risk of losing applause. Gartner and Segal refuse to leave us adrift in anxiety. They argue that naming these mind games—the gaslighting, the fear-mongering—is our first line of defense. Checking facts in real time, fostering honest conversations with friends, and carving out simple daily rituals can help us stay grounded when the political airwaves feel like a hurricane. Listening to Shrinking Trump isn't just an exercise in critique; it's an invitation to reclaim our narrative. When we spot the cracks in Trump's rhetoric and recognize his power plays for what they are, we protect not only our sanity but the democratic foundations we hold dear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While Trump continues to show his disdain for American values, his physical and mental health has been in clear decline. Steve Schmidt looks at Trump's noticeable health issues and criticizes the lack of media attention on Trump's clear physical decline. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
The world of Donald Trump's legal battles has shifted yet again over these past few days, with courtrooms buzzing from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. and even all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Let me walk you through what's unfolded, because the headlines haven't stopped and the stakes keep rising.Just last week, Trump claimed victory after a court threw out a massive civil fraud penalty that was hanging over him. That multimillion-dollar judgment stemmed from years of litigation around alleged financial misstatements in his business empire. While Trump declared this a vindication, things remain anything but quiet. There are still plenty of legal clouds on the horizon—especially when it comes to criminal charges tied to the 2020 election.Let's zoom in on the federal election obstruction case, one of the country's most closely watched trials. Jack Smith—the special counsel with the Department of Justice—charged Trump with conspiracy to overturn his loss to Joe Biden. This all ties back to the January 6th Capitol riot, and the allegation is that Trump spread lies about election fraud to pressure state officials and even tried to get then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the results. Trump pleaded not guilty, but the case became tangled in questions about presidential immunity. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in early 2024 that Trump wasn't immune. He pushed it up to the Supreme Court, which decided in July 2024 that former presidents do have some immunity for their official acts, but not everything.Things took another twist when Jack Smith filed an updated indictment last August, only to later drop the charges in November after Trump won reelection—in part because as a sitting president, he'd be immune from prosecution on at least some charges. By January of this year, Smith issued a detailed report saying there was enough evidence to convict, but action has stalled.Meanwhile in Georgia, the election interference case has been bogged down by drama surrounding Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis—her personal relationship with a special prosecutor even led to her removal by a state appeals court last December. While Georgia's Supreme Court still has to decide if it'll take up an appeal on her removal, six counts have already been thrown out, and Trump still faces ten counts there. Whether that case goes forward during his presidency is completely up in the air.But Trump's legal teams aren't just fighting on criminal fronts. As of yesterday, the Trump administration jumped back into the Supreme Court ring, appealing a federal judge's order demanding that billions in foreign aid be paid out—foreign aid that was frozen by Trump's executive order back in January. Solicitor General John Sauer warned that if the court doesn't intervene, Trump's government will have no choice but to quickly spend billions they want to keep frozen under a review led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.That is the whirlwind—the cases are overlapping, the legal arguments are novel, and with Trump back in the White House, every trial is a political earthquake. For now, all eyes are on higher courts, and we're all waiting to see what the next headline brings. Thanks for tuning in. Come back next week for more updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.ai
While Trump threatens American cities with military force, his goons continue to push his propaganda across the media. Steve Schmidt reacts to Trump's dictator comments and explains why Americans are at risk of losing their freedom. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
The obituary of the Democratic Party is premature. While Trump fuels fear with crime lies and corporate seizures, data shows Democrats govern better, reduce crime, and serve the people over the wealthy.Subscribe to our Newsletter:https://politicsdoneright.com/newsletterPurchase our Books: As I See It: https://amzn.to/3XpvW5o How To Make AmericaUtopia: https://amzn.to/3VKVFnG It's Worth It: https://amzn.to/3VFByXP Lose Weight And BeFit Now: https://amzn.to/3xiQK3K Tribulations of anAfro-Latino Caribbean man: https://amzn.to/4c09rbE
While Trump keeps working hard on his own monetization and glorification—and delivers a Watergate practically every hour—the pro-democracy coalition must stay focused on winning next year's midterm elections. Trump is at the point of no return, Congress is becoming the only institution that can stop him, and holding onto that lever of power is his top priority. Meanwhile, not only did Trump look weak in Alaska, he also looked unpresidential. Plus, a new publication focused on the threats from the post-liberal right and left. Jerusalem Demsas and Garry Kasparov join Tim Miller. show notes Garry's Substack, "The Next Move" Jerusalem's "The Argument" Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen slamming the table after losing in June Trump comparing himself to Nixon *** THE BULWARK LIVE in Toronto, D.C. and NYC: Thebulwark.com/events *** Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.
Despite his deep delusions to the contrary, Donald Trump turning Washington, D.C. into a police state is making life and business in the District worse, thanks in large part to the team of bad faith bunglers Trump has assembled to carry out his will. While Trump's acolytes appear eager to help him weaponize the DOJ and law enforcement against his political enemies, their incompetence mostly yields embarrassment. The best possibility for a consistent ceasefire in Ukraine is if a coalition of outside countries deploy a NATO-like force to enforce it, argues former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor. Texas State Rep. Nicole Collier is essentially imprisoned in the State Capitol because she won't agree to being monitored by police, so they won't unlock the doors to allow her to leave. Oklahoma's MAGA superintendent of public schools is working hard to make his state the most poorly educated in the nation by prioritizing right-wing ideological standards instead of fact-based scholastics. And Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is probably wishing her spokesperson didn't invoke the church when offering a retort about Noem mooching a free apartment from the Coast Guard.
On Friday, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met face-to-face for the first time in Trump's second term at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. While Trump described the meeting as “productive,” he shared minimal details from the discussions, and the White House has not announced any new agreements. Ukraine was not part of the discussions; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Trump in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Tangle LIVE tickets are available!We're excited to announce that our third installment of Tangle Live will be held on October 24, 2025, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in Irvine, California. If you're in the area (or want to make the trip), we'd love to have you join Isaac and the team for a night of spirited discussion, live Q&A, and opportunities to meet the team in person. You can read more about the event and purchase tickets here.Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today's “Have a nice day” story here.Take the survey: What do you think is the most likely scenario for an end to the Ukraine–Russia War? Let us know!Disagree? That's okay. My opinion is just one of many. Write in and let us know why, and we'll consider publishing your feedback.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
President Trump and his team are gearing up for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in Alaska, to discuss putting an end to the war in Ukraine. While Trump is confident in a successful meeting with Putin that will set the stage for a second meeting roping in Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, he says there is a 25% chance the meeting will not go successfully.
President Trump and his team are gearing up for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in Alaska, to discuss putting an end to the war in Ukraine. While Trump is confident in a successful meeting with Putin that will set the stage for a second meeting roping in Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, he says there is a 25% chance the meeting will not go successfully. Futurist Kevin Cirilli joined us to discuss!
President Donald Trump meets Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war. While Trump seeks peace, critics fear concessions. Is this a breakthrough or a geopolitical gamble? Stay with KMJ News for the latest. Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Broeske & Musson' on all platforms: --- The ‘Broeske & Musson Podcast’ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you listen to podcasts. --- ‘Broeske & Musson' Weekdays 9-11 AM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Facebook | Podcast| X | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine (which Putin started). While Trump insisted Wednesday there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn't agree to some kind of ceasefire, the Russian president has given no indication he plans to give up his goal of eventually taking over all of Ukraine. And Ukraine continues to insist it will not cede any of its territory to Russia. In short: The war is still at a stalemate, and the president of the United States wants to move the needle by hosting the aggressor — an international pariah who faces an arrest warrant on war crimes from the Hague – right here on American soil. Julia Ioffe, a founding member of Puck News and a long-time Russian politics expert, joins us to talk about the Alaska summit and what could come out of it.And in headlines: Trump suggested he may extend federal control of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department beyond the 30-day limit, a panel of appeals court judges opened the door for the White House to suspend or terminate billions in foreign aid funding, and fewer Americans say they're drinking alcohol.Show Notes:Pre-order Julia's book – https://tinyurl.com/2btnv3pkCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
While Trump is overtaking American cities across the country, he's making sure the news media covers it all the way he wants them to cover it. Steve Schmidt sits down with former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran to get the real story of why he was fired from ABC News. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
While Trump is inviting Putin to Alaska for peace talks, Ukraine is not invited - and is not happy about it
A version of this essay has been published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/shadow-warrior-from-crisis-to-advantage-how-india-can-outplay-the-trump-tariff-gambit-13923031.htmlA simple summary of the recent brouhaha about President Trump's imposition of 25% tariffs on India as well as his comment on India's ‘dead economy' is the following from Shakespeare's Macbeth: “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”. Trump further imposed punitive tariffs totalling 50% on August 6th allegedly for India funding Russia's war machine via buying oil.As any negotiator knows, a good opening gambit is intended to set the stage for further parleys, so that you could arrive at a negotiated settlement that is acceptable to both parties. The opening gambit could well be a maximalist statement, or one's ‘dream outcome', the opposite of which is ‘the walkway point' beyond which you are simply not willing to make concessions. The usual outcome is somewhere in between these two positions or postures.Trump is both a tough negotiator, and prone to making broad statements from which he has no problem retreating later. It's down-and-dirty boardroom tactics that he's bringing to international trade. Therefore I think Indians don't need to get rattled. It's not the end of the world, and there will be climbdowns and adjustments. Think hard about the long term.I was on a panel discussion on this topic on TV just hours after Trump made his initial 25% announcement, and I mentioned an interplay between geo-politics and geo-economics. Trump is annoyed that his Ukraine-Russia play is not making much headway, and also that BRICS is making progress towards de-dollarization. India is caught in this crossfire (‘collateral damage') but the geo-economic facts on the ground are not favorable to Trump.I am in general agreement with Trump on his objectives of bringing manufacturing and investment back to the US, but I am not sure that he will succeed, and anyway his strong-arm tactics may backfire. I consider below what India should be prepared to do to turn adversity into opportunity.The anti-Thucydides Trap and the baleful influence of Whitehall on Deep StateWhat is remarkable, though, is that Trump 2.0 seems to be indistinguishable from the Deep State: I wondered last month if the Deep State had ‘turned' Trump. The main reason many people supported Trump in the first place was the damage the Deep State was wreaking on the US under the Obama-Biden regime. But it appears that the resourceful Deep State has now co-opted Trump for its agenda, and I can only speculate how.The net result is that there is the anti-Thucydides Trap: here is the incumbent power, the US, actively supporting the insurgent power, China, instead of suppressing it, as Graham Allison suggested as the historical pattern. It, in all fairness, did not start with Trump, but with Nixon in China in 1971. In 1985, the US trade deficit with China was $6 million. In 1986, $1.78 billion. In 1995, $35 billion.But it ballooned after China entered the WTO in 2001. $202 billion in 2005; $386 billion in 2022.In 2025, after threatening China with 150% tariffs, Trump retreated by postponing them; besides he has caved in to Chinese demands for Nvidia chips and for exemptions from Iran oil sanctions if I am not mistaken.All this can be explained by one word: leverage. China lured the US with the siren-song of the cost-leader ‘China price', tempting CEOs and Wall Street, who sleepwalked into surrender to the heft of the Chinese supply chain.Now China has cornered Trump via its monopoly over various things, the most obvious of which is rare earths. Trump really has no option but to give in to Chinese blackmail. That must make him furious: in addition to his inability to get Putin to listen to him, Xi is also ignoring him. Therefore, he will take out his frustrations on others, such as India, the EU, Japan, etc. Never mind that he's burning bridges with them.There's a Malayalam proverb that's relevant here: “angadiyil thottathinu ammayodu”. Meaning, you were humiliated in the marketplace, so you come home and take it out on your mother. This is quite likely what Trump is doing, because he believes India et al will not retaliate. In fact Japan and the EU did not retaliate, but gave in, also promising to invest large sums in the US. India could consider a different path: not active conflict, but not giving in either, because its equations with the US are different from those of the EU or Japan.Even the normally docile Japanese are beginning to notice.Beyond that, I suggested a couple of years ago that Deep State has a plan to enter into a condominium agreement with China, so that China gets Asia, and the US gets the Americas and the Pacific/Atlantic. This is exactly like the Vatican-brokered medieval division of the world between Spain and Portugal, and it probably will be equally bad for everyone else. And incidentally it makes the Quad infructuous, and deepens distrust of American motives.The Chinese are sure that they have achieved the condominium, or rather forced the Americans into it. Here is a headline from the Financial Express about their reaction to the tariffs: they are delighted that the principal obstacle in their quest for hegemony, a US-India military and economic alliance, is being blown up by Trump, and they lose no opportunity to deride India as not quite up to the mark, whereas they and the US have achieved a G2 detente.Two birds with one stone: gloat about the breakdown in the US-India relationship, and exhibit their racist disdain for India yet again.They laugh, but I bet India can do an end-run around them. As noted above, the G2 is a lot like the division of the world into Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence in 1494. Well, that didn't end too well for either of them. They had their empires, which they looted for gold and slaves, but it made them fat, dumb and happy. The Dutch, English, and French capitalized on more dynamic economies, flexible colonial systems, and aggressive competition, overtaking the Iberian powers in global influence by the 17th century. This is a salutary historical parallel.I have long suspected that the US Deep State is being led by the nose by the malign Whitehall (the British Deep State): I call it the ‘master-blaster' syndrome. On August 6th, there was indirect confirmation of this in ex-British PM Boris Johnson's tweet about India. Let us remember he single-handedly ruined the chances of a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine War in 2022. Whitehall's mischief and meddling all over, if you read between the lines.Did I mention the British Special Force's views? Ah, Whitehall is getting a bit sloppy in its propaganda.Wait, so is India important (according to Whitehall) or unimportant (according to Trump)?Since I am very pro-American, I have a word of warning to Trump: you trust perfidious Albion at your peril. Their country is ruined, and they will not rest until they ruin yours too.I also wonder if there are British paw-prints in a recent and sudden spate of racist attacks on Indians in Ireland. A 6-year old girl was assaulted and kicked in the private parts. A nurse was gang-raped by a bunch of teenagers. Ireland has never been so racist against Indians (yes, I do remember the sad case of Savita Halappanavar, but that was religious bigotry more than racism). And I remember sudden spikes in anti-Indian attacks in Australia and Canada, both British vassals.There is no point in Indians whining about how the EU and America itself are buying more oil, palladium, rare earths, uranium etc. from Russia than India is. I am sorry to say this, but Western nations are known for hypocrisy. For example, exactly 80 years ago they dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, but not on Germany or Italy. Why? The answer is uncomfortable. Lovely post-facto rationalization, isn't it?Remember the late lamented British East India Company that raped and pillaged India?Applying the three winning strategies to geo-economicsAs a professor of business strategy and innovation, I emphasize to my students that there are three broad ways of gaining an advantage over others: 1. Be the cost leader, 2. Be the most customer-intimate player, 3. Innovate. The US as a nation is patently not playing the cost leader; it does have some customer intimacy, but it is shrinking; its strength is in innovation.If you look at comparative advantage, the US at one time had strengths in all three of the above. Because it had the scale of a large market (and its most obvious competitors in Europe were decimated by world wars) America did enjoy an ability to be cost-competitive, especially as the dollar is the global default reserve currency. It demonstrated this by pushing through the Plaza Accords, forcing the Japanese yen to appreciate, destroying their cost advantage.In terms of customer intimacy, the US is losing its edge. Take cars for example: Americans practically invented them, and dominated the business, but they are in headlong retreat now because they simply don't make cars that people want outside the US: Japanese, Koreans, Germans and now Chinese do. Why were Ford and GM forced to leave the India market? Their “world cars” are no good in value-conscious India and other emerging markets.Innovation, yes, has been an American strength. Iconic Americans like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Steve Jobs led the way in product and process innovation. US universities have produced idea after idea, and startups have ignited Silicon Valley. In fact Big Tech and aerospace/armaments are the biggest areas where the US leads these days.The armaments and aerospace tradeThat is pertinent because of two reasons: one is Trump's peevishness at India's purchase of weapons from Russia (even though that has come down from 70+% of imports to 36% according to SIPRI); two is the fact that there are significant services and intangible imports by India from the US, of for instance Big Tech services, even some routed through third countries like Ireland.Armaments and aerospace purchases from the US by India have gone up a lot: for example the Apache helicopters that arrived recently, the GE 404 engines ordered for India's indigenous fighter aircraft, Predator drones and P8-i Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft. I suspect Trump is intent on pushing India to buy F-35s, the $110-million dollar 5th generation fighters.Unfortunately, the F-35 has a spotty track record. There were two crashes recently, one in Albuquerque in May, and the other on July 31 in Fresno, and that's $220 million dollars gone. Besides, the spectacle of a hapless British-owned F-35B sitting, forlorn, in the rain, in Trivandrum airport for weeks, lent itself to trolls, who made it the butt of jokes. I suspect India has firmly rebuffed Trump on this front, which has led to his focus on Russian arms.There might be other pushbacks too. Personally, I think India does need more P-8i submarine hunter-killer aircraft to patrol the Bay of Bengal, but India is exerting its buyer power. There are rumors of pauses in orders for Javelin and Stryker missiles as well.On the civilian aerospace front, I am astonished that all the media stories about Air India 171 and the suspicion that Boeing and/or General Electric are at fault have disappeared without a trace. Why? There had been the big narrative push to blame the poor pilots, and now that there is more than reasonable doubt that these US MNCs are to blame, there is a media blackout?Allegations about poor manufacturing practices by Boeing in North Charleston, South Carolina by whistleblowers have been damaging for the company's brand: this is where the 787 Dreamliners are put together. It would not be surprising if there is a slew of cancellations of orders for Boeing aircraft, with customers moving to Airbus. Let us note Air India and Indigo have placed some very large, multi-billion dollar orders with Boeing that may be in jeopardy.India as a consuming economy, and the services trade is hugely in the US' favorMany observers have pointed out the obvious fact that India is not an export-oriented economy, unlike, say, Japan or China. It is more of a consuming economy with a large, growing and increasingly less frugal population, and therefore it is a target for exporters rather than a competitor for exporting countries. As such, the impact of these US tariffs on India will be somewhat muted, and there are alternative destinations for India's exports, if need be.While Trump has focused on merchandise trade and India's modest surplus there, it is likely that there is a massive services trade, which is in the US' favor. All those Big Tech firms, such as Microsoft, Meta, Google and so on run a surplus in the US' favor, which may not be immediately evident because they route their sales through third countries, e.g. Ireland.These are the figures from the US Trade Representative, and quite frankly I don't believe them: there are a lot of invisible services being sold to India, and the value of Indian data is ignored.In addition to the financial implications, there are national security concerns. Take the case of Microsoft's cloud offering, Azure, which arbitrarily turned off services to Indian oil retailer Nayara on the flimsy grounds that the latter had substantial investment from Russia's Rosneft. This is an example of jurisdictional over-reach by US companies, which has dire consequences. India has been lax about controlling Big Tech, and this has to change.India is Meta's largest customer base. Whatsapp is used for practically everything. Which means that Meta has access to enormous amounts of Indian customer data, for which India is not even enforcing local storage. This is true of all other Big Tech (see OpenAI's Sam Altman below): they are playing fast and loose with Indian data, which is not in India's interest at all.Data is the new oil, says The Economist magazine. So how much should Meta, OpenAI et al be paying for Indian data? Meta is worth trillions of dollars, OpenAI half a trillion. How much of that can be attributed to Indian data?There is at least one example of how India too can play the digital game: UPI. Despite ham-handed efforts to now handicap UPI with a fee (thank you, brilliant government bureaucrats, yes, go ahead and kill the goose that lays the golden eggs), it has become a contender in a field that has long been dominated by the American duopoly of Visa and Mastercard. In other words, India can scale up and compete.It is unfortunate that India has not built up its own Big Tech behind a firewall as has been done behind the Great Firewall of China. But it is not too late. Is it possible for India-based cloud service providers to replace US Big Tech like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure? Yes, there is at least one player in that market: Zoho.Second, what are the tariffs on Big Tech exports to India these days? What if India were to decide to impose a 50% tax on revenue generated in India through advertisement or through sales of services, mirroring the US's punitive taxes on Indian goods exports? Let me hasten to add that I am not suggesting this, it is merely a hypothetical argument.There could also be non-tariff barriers as China has implemented, but not India: data locality laws, forced use of local partners, data privacy laws like the EU's GDPR, anti-monopoly laws like the EU's Digital Markets Act, strict application of IPR laws like 3(k) that absolutely prohibits the patenting of software, and so on. India too can play legalistic games. This is a reason US agri-products do not pass muster: genetically modified seeds, and milk from cows fed with cattle feed from blood, offal and ground-up body parts.Similarly, in the ‘information' industry, India is likely to become the largest English-reading country in the world. I keep getting come-hither emails from the New York Times offering me $1 a month deals on their product: they want Indian customers. There are all these American media companies present in India, untrammelled by content controls or taxes. What if India were to give a choice to Bloomberg, Reuters, NYTimes, WaPo, NPR et al: 50% tax, or exit?This attack on peddlers of fake information and manufacturing consent I do suggest, and I have been suggesting for years. It would make no difference whatsoever to India if these media outlets were ejected, and they surely could cover India (well, basically what they do is to demean India) just as well from abroad. Out with them: good riddance to bad rubbish.What India needs to doI believe India needs to play the long game. It has to use its shatrubodha to realize that the US is not its enemy: in Chanakyan terms, the US is the Far Emperor. The enemy is China, or more precisely the Chinese Empire. Han China is just a rump on their south-eastern coast, but it is their conquered (and restive) colonies such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, that give them their current heft.But the historical trends are against China. It has in the past had stable governments for long periods, based on strong (and brutal) imperial power. Then comes the inevitable collapse, when the center falls apart, and there is absolute chaos. It is quite possible, given various trends, including demographic changes, that this may happen to China by 2050.On the other hand, (mostly thanks, I acknowledge, to China's manufacturing growth), the center of gravity of the world economy has been steadily shifting towards Asia. The momentum might swing towards India if China stumbles, but in any case the era of Atlantic dominance is probably gone for good. That was, of course, only a historical anomaly. Asia has always dominated: see Angus Maddison's magisterial history of the world economy, referred to below as well.I am reminded of the old story of the king berating his court poet for calling him “the new moon” and the emperor “the full moon”. The poet escaped being punished by pointing out that the new moon is waxing and the full moon is waning.This is the long game India has to keep in mind. Things are coming together for India to a great extent: in particular the demographic dividend, improved infrastructure, fiscal prudence, and the increasing centrality of the Indian Ocean as the locus of trade and commerce.India can attempt to gain competitive advantage in all three ways outlined above:* Cost-leadership. With a large market (assuming companies are willing to invest at scale), a low-cost labor force, and with a proven track-record of frugal innovation, India could well aim to be a cost-leader in selected areas of manufacturing. But this requires government intervention in loosening monetary policy and in reducing barriers to ease of doing business* Customer-intimacy. What works in highly value-conscious India could well work in other developing countries. For instance, the economic environment in ASEAN is largely similar to India's, and so Indian products should appeal to their residents; similarly with East Africa. Thus the Indian Ocean Rim with its huge (and in Africa's case, rapidly growing) population should be a natural fit for Indian products* Innovation. This is the hardest part, and it requires a new mindset in education and industry, to take risks and work at the bleeding edge of technology. In general, Indians have been content to replicate others' innovations at lower cost or do jugaad (which cannot scale up). To do real, disruptive innovation, first of all the services mindset should transition to a product mindset (sorry, Raghuram Rajan). Second, the quality of human capital must be improved. Third, there should be patient risk capital. Fourth, there should be entrepreneurs willing to try risky things. All of these are difficult, but doable.And what is the end point of this game? Leverage. The ability to compel others to buy from you.China has demonstrated this through its skill at being a cost-leader in industry after industry, often hollowing out entire nations through means both fair and foul. These means include far-sighted industrial policy including the acquisition of skills, technology, and raw materials, as well as hidden subsidies that support massive scaling, which ends up driving competing firms elsewhere out of business. India can learn a few lessons from them. One possible lesson is building capabilities, as David Teece of UC Berkeley suggested in 1997, that can span multiple products, sectors and even industries: the classic example is that of Nikon, whose optics strength helps it span industries such as photography, printing, and photolithography for chip manufacturing. Here is an interesting snapshot of China's capabilities today.2025 is, in a sense, a point of inflection for India just as the crisis in 1991 was. India had been content to plod along at the Nehruvian Rate of Growth of 2-3%, believing this was all it could achieve, as a ‘wounded civilization'. From that to a 6-7% growth rate is a leap, but it is not enough, nor is it testing the boundaries of what India can accomplish.1991 was the crisis that turned into an opportunity by accident. 2025 is a crisis that can be carefully and thoughtfully turned into an opportunity.The Idi Amin syndrome and the 1000 Talents program with AIThere is a key area where an American error may well be a windfall for India. This is based on the currently fashionable H1-B bashing which is really a race-bashing of Indians, and which has been taken up with gusto by certain MAGA folks. Once again, I suspect the baleful influence of Whitehall behind it, but whatever the reason, it looks like Indians are going to have a hard time settling down in the US.There are over a million Indians on H1-Bs, a large number of them software engineers, let us assume for convenience there are 250,000 of them. Given country caps of exactly 9800 a year, they have no realistic chance of getting a Green Card in the near future, and given the increasingly fraught nature of life there for brown people, they may leave the US, and possibly return to India..I call this the Idi Amin syndrome. In 1972, the dictator of Uganda went on a rampage against Indian-origin people in his country, and forcibly expelled 80,000 of them, because they were dominating the economy. There were unintended consequences: those who were ejected mostly went to the US and UK, and they have in many cases done well. But Uganda's economy virtually collapsed.That's a salutary experience. I am by no means saying that the US economy would collapse, but am pointing to the resilience of the Indians who were expelled. If, similarly, Trump forces a large number of Indians to return to India, that might well be a case of short-term pain and long-term gain: urvashi-shapam upakaram, as in the Malayalam phrase.Their return would be akin to what happened in China and Taiwan with their successful effort to attract their diaspora back. The Chinese program was called 1000 Talents, and they scoured the globe for academics and researchers of Chinese origin, and brought them back with attractive incentives and large budgets. They had a major role in energizing the Chinese economy.Similarly, Taiwan with Hsinchu University attracted high-quality talent, among which was the founder of TSMC, the globally dominant chip giant.And here is Trump offering to India on a platter at least 100,000 software engineers, especially at a time when generativeAI is decimating low-end jobs everywhere. They can work on some very compelling projects that could revolutionize Indian education, up-skilling and so on, and I am not at liberty to discuss them. Suffice to say that these could turbo-charge the Indian software industry and get it away from mundane, routine body-shopping type jobs.ConclusionThe Trump tariff tantrum is definitely a short-term problem for India, but it can be turned around, and turned into an opportunity, if only the country plays its cards right and focuses on building long-term comparative advantages and accepting the gift of a mis-step by Trump in geo-economics.In geo-politics, India and the US need each other to contain China, and so that part, being so obvious, will be taken care of more or less by default.Thus, overall, the old SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. On balance, I am of the opinion that the threats contain in them the germs of opportunities. It is up to Indians to figure out how to take advantage of them. This is your game to win or lose, India!4150 words, 9 Aug 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe
Sean Combs, also famously known as Puffy or P Diddy, remains at the center of widespread media coverage as his high-profile legal battles intensify this summer. This week, major outlets including Contactmusic and the Bangkok Post confirm that Combs has now been denied bail for the fifth time since his September 2024 arrest. The judge stated that Combs continues to pose a risk of flight and potential danger, reinforcing that even a $50 million bond and stringent conditions were not enough for his temporary release. Combs will remain in custody at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center in New York at least until his sentencing, which is scheduled for October 3, 2025.Last month, a New York jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison, according to multiple reports including the Times of India and Sky News. Although he was acquitted of the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges, the prosecution presented evidence of violence, coercion, and subjugation linked to his case, including video footage and multiple testimonies from former partners.His legal team has submitted a motion for acquittal or retrial on the prostitution charges. Meanwhile, Sean Combs' defense lawyer recently confirmed to CNN and as reported in the Hindustan Times that the team has reached out formally to President Donald Trump's administration to seek a possible presidential pardon. While Trump's public response has been lukewarm, noting past cordial relations but dismissing the likeliness of a pardon due to prior political hostility from Combs, the music mogul remains hopeful through his attorney, Nicole Westmoreland. They argue that pursuit of the case was itself improper, especially as Combs was cleared of the most severe accusations.Separate from his legal troubles, Combs' legacy as an entrepreneur and artist is also in the spotlight. AfroTech highlights Combs' complex history with the liquor industry and Diageo, recalling how his landmark branding work with Cîroc grew their business yet left him without equity. He later fulfilled his ambition of owning a tequila brand with DeLeón, of which he reportedly holds a fifty percent stake. Combs reflected that the obstacles he faced were typical of corporate America's approach to diversity and ownership, but emphasized that his hard-earned journey was worth it.Thanks for tuning in and make sure to come back next week for the latest updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for more, check out QuietPlease Dot AI.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.ai
While Trump's approval rating hits new lows, the Democratic Party remains ineffective as an opposition to the MAGA movement. Steve Schmidt looks at Trump's latest approval numbers and emphasizes the importance of American values. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
While Trump visits Scotland and insults European leaders, his answer to a question about Ghislaine Maxwell shows what's really important to him. Steve Schmidt reacts to Trump's latest comments on the Epstein case and show how the media is only helping Trump's case. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
South Park is back, and they don't care about pissing off Donald Trump… unlike Columbia University. While Trump fumes about his disastrous PR and anybody who dares to even joke about him, the sinister undercurrents of his regime continue to flow. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the challenges facing universities, the complete erosion of legal norms under Trump, and the latest episode of South Park. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
South Park is back, and they don't care about pissing off Donald Trump… unlike Columbia University. While Trump fumes about his disastrous PR and anybody who dares to even joke about him, the sinister undercurrents of his regime continue to flow. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the challenges facing universities, the complete erosion of legal norms under Trump, and the latest episode of South Park. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While Trump tries to distract people with conspiracies about Obama, his deep ties to Jeffrey Epstein have started to come to light. Steve Schmidt sits down with Tara Palmeri as she details her years long investigation into the Trump Epstein relationship and the justice needed for the victims. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
South Park is back, and they don't care about pissing off Donald Trump… unlike Columbia University. While Trump fumes about his disastrous PR and anybody who dares to even joke about him, the sinister undercurrents of his regime continue to flow. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the challenges facing universities, the complete erosion of legal norms under Trump, and the latest episode of South Park. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While Trump promised peace and thriving economy, his leadership has only brought international crises and chaos. Steve Schmidt looks at the negative impact of Trump's policies and the need to restrain his power. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
Tonight's rundown: Hey BillOReilly.com Premium and Concierge Members, welcome to the No Spin News for Monday, July 21, 2025. Stand Up for Your Country. Talking Points Memo: O'Reilly gives President Trump his six-month scorecard. Trust us, you won't get this honest reporting on the president anywhere else. While Trump has done a lot of good for the country, the distractions persist in the 2nd Trump administration – here's a look at the distractions that are hurting Trump. As predicted, CBS has canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Bernard Goldberg offers perspective. Federal Judge dismisses Donald Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward. Are the Washington Redskins making a comeback? Trump calls for Commanders to return to old name. Another California billionaire is leaving the progressive state. Smart life: American's debt vs. other countries debt examined. This Day in History: Biden announces he will no longer seek reelection. Final Thought: Rewarding yourself. In Case You Missed It: Read Bill's latest column, A Wake-Up Call for Late Night Check out the Not Woke Shop! We've got Not Woke t-shirts, polos and mugs. Get yours today and stand out from the crowd! Pre-order Bill's next book in the new Confronting Series, ‘Confronting Evil' NOW! Now's the time to get a Premium or Concierge Membership to BillOReilly.com, the only place for honest news analysis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell and JVL debate whether Trump's reaction to the Epstein files, calling it a “hoax” and lashing out at former supporters, marks a turning point. They explore whether this could crack the deep trust his base has in him, especially conspiracy-driven voters who saw him as the one to expose elites. They also argue Democrats should lean into the issue, pushing for hearings and accountability. While Trump's health and appearance come up briefly, the real question is whether this controversy could shake his hold on crank-aligned voters who once saw him as their truth-teller. Sponsors: Get free shipping and 365 day returns from Quince at https://Quince.com/thenextlevel Get 50% off your first order with Green Chef at https://GreenChef.com/50NEXTLEVEL Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THENEXTLEVEL at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod #sponsored
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comTim, Sarah and JVL debate whether Trump's reaction to the Epstein files, calling it a “hoax” and lashing out at former supporters, marks a turning point. They explore whether this could crack the deep trust his base has in him, especially conspiracy-driven voters who saw him as the one to expose elites.They also argue Democrats should lean into the issue, pushing for hearings and accountability. While Trump's health and appearance come up briefly, the real question is whether this controversy could shake his hold on crank-aligned voters who once saw him as their truth-teller.Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Use the controls on the the left side of the player to toggle to the free audio-only edition or find The Next Level wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.This ad-free video version of The Next Level is exclusively for Bulwark+ members. You can add The Next Level to your podcast player of choice, here.
While Trump, the FBI, and the DOJ are trying to shut down any more questions about Jeffrey Epstein, a major question remains: did Epstein have ties to domestic or foreign intelligence? Plus: Brazil's tyrannical censorship judge demands that Rumble censor a U.S. citizen and hand over data, escalating tensions between Brazil and the Trump administration. -------------------------------- Watch full episodes on Rumble, streamed LIVE 7pm ET. Become part of our Locals community Follow System Update: Twitter Instagram TikTok Facebook
The $4 trillion Republican spending bill, signed by President Trump on July Fourth, is packed with giveaways to the oil and gas industry. These include tax breaks, opening more public lands and offshore acres to drilling, and a lowering of royalty rates that oil and gas companies must pay for extracting fuel from government lands. Trump's so-called “big, beautiful” bill is also full of ugly ironies, including this one: While Trump campaigned on lowering energy prices for consumers, his spending bill is expected to raise average household energy costs by about $280 per year, in part because it slashes support for wind and solar, which are some of the cheapest forms of energy. To break down all the handouts to the fossil fuel industry, we interview Josh Axelrod, senior program advocate at NRDC. (Photo by iStock)
A fragile ceasefire. A fractured people. And a pressing question: What now? On this edition of Roqe, Jian Ghomeshi leads a probing conversation about the aftermath of the Israel–Islamic Republic conflict, and what it has revealed about the state of Iranians today — politically, emotionally, and spiritually. While Trump, Netanyahu, and Khamenei claim “victory,” the Iranian people face a resurgence of crackdowns and internal division. Panel guests include: – Bahador Alast, popular YouTuber and commentator – Picasso Moin, athlete and social observer (from Istanbul) – Sadeq Bigdeli, lawyer and political analyst (from Toronto) Plus, psychotherapist and PTSD expert Shirin Amani Azeri joins the show for an intimate and powerful look at the psychological toll of the past two weeks.
While Trump claims to have destroyed Iranian nuclear sites, his own National Intelligence Director has refuted the claim. Steve Schmidt looks at the aftermath of the attack on Iran and how Trump's false narratives are harming our military. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
It's the end of the line for Donald Trump as the Electoral College finally meets and casts their votes for Joe Biden. While Trump vows to fight on, his MAGA warriors are targeting the GOP for failing to overturn the election in Trump's favor. We also look back at the previous five weeks and pick out the highs and lows in Trump's clown car coup attempt. Plus, Vanity Fair's Emily Jane Fox, author of Born Trump, joins Michael to discuss the future of the President's offspring. Also, make sure to check out Mea Culpa: The Election Essays for the definitive political document of 2020. Fifteen chapters of raw and honest political writings on Donald Trump from the man who knows him best. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M5VKQ6T/ For cool Mea Culpa gear, check out www.meaculpapodcast.com/merch To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices It's the end of the line for Donald Trump as the Electoral College finally meets and casts their votes for Joe Biden. While Trump vows to fight on, his MAGA warriors are targeting the GOP for failing to overturn the election in Trump's favor. We also look back at the previous five weeks and pick out the highs and lows in Trump's clown car coup attempt. Plus, Vanity Fair's Emily Jane Fox, author of Born Trump, joins Michael to discuss the future of the President's offspring. Also, make sure to check out Mea Culpa: The Election Essays for the definitive political document of 2020. Fifteen chapters of raw and honest political writings on Donald Trump from the man who knows him best. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M5VKQ6T/ For cool Mea Culpa gear, check out www.meaculpapodcast.com/merch To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
While Trump and his administration are the ones politicizing the rule of the law, ignoring due process, and annihilating democratic norms, it's Republicans leaders saying and doing nothing in response that poses a bigger threat to our country and democracy. Meanwhile, when it comes to the Middle East, we don't know who Trump is talking to—or listening to. Plus, when Bush 43, McCain, and Jeb pushed for immigration reform, the romantic idealism of Aaron Sorkin, and the sounds of kids and dogs. (An unfiltered) Nicolle Wallace joins Tim Miller. show notes Nicolle's new pod, 'The Best People' Matt Gaetz arguing with his mom via text *Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to: https://www.wildalaskan.com/BULWARK
While Trump brings the US to war in the Middle East, a dangerous and powerful religious movement is growing in America. Steve Schmidt looks at the situation with Iran and how people like Mike Lee are bringing religious extremism into our government. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
Trump is a big problem, but he's not the only problem America faces. While Trump is the avatar of many of americas woes, it's critical to remember that many of our biggest challenges go back decades. But the time to fix it is now. Wajahat Ali joins David Rothkopf to diagnose America's ailments and remind us of the golden rule: don't be a fascist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Trump is a big problem, but he's not the only problem America faces. While Trump is the avatar of many of americas woes, it's critical to remember that many of our biggest challenges go back decades. But the time to fix it is now. Wajahat Ali joins David Rothkopf to diagnose America's ailments and remind us of the golden rule: don't be a fascist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The past few days have been a whirlwind in the world of Donald Trump's ongoing legal battles. Just recently, intense focus was back in a Manhattan federal appeals court. Trump's attorneys were there, still fighting to overturn the criminal conviction he picked up last year in New York State Supreme Court. That conviction, stemming from his hush money case involving adult film star Stormy Daniels, resulted in Trump being found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment. This was the very case that forced the nation's attention back onto courtroom drama just as Trump was settling into his second presidential term.Here's the extraordinary part: even though the jury found Trump guilty, the sentence handed down—just ten days before he was sworn in again—was what's known as an unconditional discharge. That meant no prison, no fines, not even probation. The conviction, though, remains firmly on Trump's record. In his sentencing, Trump appeared only via video, stating bluntly, “I was treated very, very unfairly.” He's maintained his innocence throughout and has vowed at every turn to keep appealing the case.This past week's hearing in Manhattan was the latest round in that fight. Trump's legal team is arguing that the entire case should actually be moved out of state court and into federal court—a technical move based on a fairly obscure law. Legal experts say it's a long shot, but as always with Trump's legal strategies, it's about testing every possible avenue.But the New York criminal case isn't the only courtroom battleground for Trump's circle right now. Appeals are still pending in the New York civil fraud case, where Attorney General Letitia James secured a major judgment against Trump and his business empire last year. Those appeals have been consolidated and will be reviewed together by the Appellate Division. Meanwhile, over in Georgia, several of Trump's allies—including Mark Meadows—are petitioning higher courts in their own efforts to shift criminal proceedings to federal court or to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting them.And let's not forget the lingering fallout from the former classified documents case in Florida. While Trump got the indictment dismissed on procedural grounds, federal prosecutors immediately appealed, keeping another high-profile case on the calendar.The legal calendar for Donald Trump is crowded, and courtroom developments are coming fast. The only certainty is that, no matter the outcome of this latest appeal, Donald Trump's entanglement with America's courts will remain center stage for months to come.
It’s the kind of war he’s promised for years to avoid. Then just last week, Donald Trump said he’d take the fortnight to consider his options. But on Sunday, under the cover of darkness, the US president announced American forces had struck Iran. The secret and brutal assault on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, using so-called "bunker buster" bombs, brought the United States directly into the conflict between Israel and Iran. While Trump has certainly claimed the total obliteration of Iran’s nuclear capability, the full extent of the damage remains unclear – so too how the Islamic Republic may retaliate, including a potential move to choke the world’s oil supplies. Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol on the fast-escalating developments in the Middle East.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A lot of things going down in the past week. We review some MAGA reactions to the Musk/Trump slap fight. While Trump and the US Army had their joint birthday party, cops are still attacking protesters in LA. Israel attacked Iran, reminding the world that Israel attacking its neighbors is absolutely not them starting a new war but is actually them defending themselves from an enemy who might possibly, maybe, but probably not, attack them at some future time. A man, who was clearly politically and religiously motivated, killed a state lawmaker in Minnesota along with her husband and shot another one and his wife, critically injuring them. After being on the run for a few days, he was caught on Sunday, June 15.
The world watched in shock as Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran last Friday, October 13th – an operation that has dramatically reshaped Middle Eastern geopolitics and exposed a troubling web of deception at the highest levels of government.In this eye-opening episode, Middle East expert Alistair Crooke provides a masterful analysis of what he describes as a "synergistic shock" strategy – a coordinated military operation a year in the making that sought to destabilize Iran through simultaneous attacks on its military command structure, air defenses, and nuclear scientists. The operation, designed to create a profound psychological impact similar to what occurred with Hezbollah following Hassan Nasrallah's assassination, was predicated on the assumption that Iran would collapse into internal chaos.What makes this situation particularly alarming is the revelation of deliberate deception. While Trump publicly declared himself the "President of Peace" and his envoys suggested productive negotiations were underway, behind the scenes a very different scenario was unfolding. As Crooke explains, "The first deception was Witcoff and Trump saying negotiations were making progress... all of that was to prepare for this shock attack." This duplicity reached its most disturbing expression when Trump later boasted, "The people I was dealing with are dead," confirming his knowledge of plans to assassinate the very officials with whom he was supposedly negotiating.The operation's architects severely miscalculated Iran's resilience. Rather than fracturing, Iran quickly restored its air defenses, reestablished command structures, and launched an effective counteroffensive that has exposed significant vulnerabilities in Israel's much-vaunted military capabilities. The strategic paradigm that has governed Middle Eastern politics for decades – built on assumptions of Israeli technical superiority and invulnerability – is now cracking as Iran systematically targets Israeli military infrastructure with increasingly sophisticated missiles.This episode offers crucial insights into how this conflict is reshaping regional power dynamics, the coordinated patterns of Western intelligence services, and the profound damage done to American diplomatic credibility. As the situation continues to evolve, understanding these underlying dynamics becomes essential for anyone seeking to comprehend what may become a transformative moment in international relations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
While Trump abuses and weaponizes our armed forces to stop protests, he's also hijacking the 250th anniversary celebration of the US Army and making it about him. Steve Schmidt looks at Trump's "Führer parade" and explains how the media is helping to sell his message. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
The tide is turning, and people are done staying quiet. Let's take a look at the growing chorus of voices speaking out against Donald Trump and his inhumane policies. From celebrities to lawmakers, folks are using their platforms to say what needs to be said. Kim Kardashian called the ICE raids what they are: inhumane. Tyler Perry and Doechii used their time at the BET Awards to call out Trump directly. And Eva Longoria took to social media to slam the cruelty of ICE detention practices. The message is loud and clear... enough is enough. While Trump tries to rule by fear, intimidation, and bad faith birthday parades, people are standing up and calling him out. Let's talk about who's speaking up, why it matters, and what happens next. WE HAVE MERCH!! Purchase here: https://don-lemon-merch-store.myshopify.com/ This episode is brought to you by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Go to https://FFRF.US/Freedom or text DON to 511 511 and become a member today. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is brought to you by Beam. Visit https://shopbeam.com/LEMON and use code LEMON to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at SHOPIFY. COM/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When immigration raids began in the Los Angeles area last weekend, so did spontaneous protests. On Sunday, Trump federalized 2,000 California national guardsmen in response. While Trump stopped short of invoking the Insurrection Act, he claimed authority to send troops wherever ICE operations might be contested by mass demonstrations. Guest: Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When immigration raids began in the Los Angeles area last weekend, so did spontaneous protests. On Sunday, Trump federalized 2,000 California national guardsmen in response. While Trump stopped short of invoking the Insurrection Act, he claimed authority to send troops wherever ICE operations might be contested by mass demonstrations. Guest: Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When immigration raids began in the Los Angeles area last weekend, so did spontaneous protests. On Sunday, Trump federalized 2,000 California national guardsmen in response. While Trump stopped short of invoking the Insurrection Act, he claimed authority to send troops wherever ICE operations might be contested by mass demonstrations. Guest: Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While Trump's tariffs and trade policies creating problems for Americans, the real goal is something much more sinister. Steve Schmidt sits down with David Pakman to discuss the economy, the press and political instability in America. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
While Trump rants and threatens Russia, Putin and leaders around the globe see him for what he really is - a coward. Steve Schmidt breaks down Trump's latest threats towards Russia and shows how meaningless his words are. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES
We remember the great George Wendt, America's favorite barfly, Norm Peterson on Cheers. Wendt had all kinds of ties to Kansas City and is remembered as a great family man and one of the all time great characters in the history of television. While Trump was working on Cap Hill for the Big Bill, he kept bringing up Joe Biden's auto pen signatures and it's pretty clear now a huge investigation is about to begin. Who exactly ran our country the last four years? Victor Davis Hanson, on a podcast, muses that Kansas City could be a new destination for the FBI to have headquarters outside DC. If true, this could be thousands of jobs here. The Royals have another weak night at the plate and fall to the Giants, 3-2. KU is having an incredible baseball season and their coach has just won a huge award. And an incredible, global cycling event is here this holiday weekend and it sounds like the toughest event ever.
While Trump gathers his forces to give billionaires another massive tax break, how are the rest of us made all the poorer in the process? Progressive Rep Ro Khanna joins Thom with a Congress-eye view.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
While President Trump is being received like a king in Riyadh, personally greeted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a lavish ceremony, an even bigger political earthquake is happening here at home. A 20-year record has just been shattered: nearly half of American likely voters now believe the country is on the right track. This isn't just a poll, it's a seismic shift. In this episode, we unpack the implications of Trump's roaring domestic approval, the implosion of Democrat support, and why the liberal establishment is panicking.--Today you can get an exclusive offer by clicking the link below, just use code: “Turley” for 25% off your entire order. https://www.mybrightcore.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopH6JV0KFO7blI-kcFPcWHP5aTyRBCu-s_bcFRkmYFrkyzul-rf*The content presented by sponsors may contain affiliate links. When you click and shop the links, Turley Talks may receive a small commission.*Leave a message for Steve! Call now! 717-844-5984Highlights:“The Crown Prince pulled out all the stops for President Trump in a lavish welcome ceremony heralding the era of civilization.”“The number of American likely voters who believe the country is on the right track has just hit a 20-year high— a record 49 percent!”“You can't have Trump in a polling freefall all the while right track numbers hit their highest point in 20 years!”“While Trump is setting records at home and being welcomed abroad, the Democrats are imploding.”Timestamps: [00:21] Trump's hero's welcome in Saudi Arabia vs. Biden's past snubbing[03:14] The 20-year high in "Right Direction" polling from Rasmussen[06:15] Record-breaking budget surplus driven by tariffs[07:15] The polling establishment vs. independent, accurate pollsters[12:49] Democrats' “geriatric problem” and the unsustainable base of the left--Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and/or leave a review.FOLLOW me on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/DrTurleyTalksSign up for the 'New Conservative Age Rising' Email Alerts to get lots of articles on conservative trends: https://turleytalks.com/subscribe-to-our-newsletter**The use of any copyrighted material in this podcast is done so for educational and informational purposes only including parody, commentary, and criticism. See Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015). It is believed that this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
The Normies—the wealthy, connected conservatives who always knew better—saw exactly what Trump was and supported him anyway. Obsessed with tax cuts and terrified of Kamala Harris, they cloaked their fears in talk of markets and freedom while enabling chaos, cruelty, and economic sabotage. Their silence wasn't ignorance—it was complicity. While Trump's base waved flags and spread conspiracies, the Normies offered respectability to a movement they knew was dangerous. Now, with recession looming, civil norms unraveling, and the moral cost mounting, the truth is unavoidable: they made this happen. They gambled with democracy to protect their comfort, and the bill is coming due. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices