What’s the Story We’re Telling? + Sen. Ruben Gallego (Crooked Con)

The fate of Hollywood rests in President Trump's hands as Netflix and Paramount fight to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery—the home of HBO Max, Harry Potter, and Superman. Will Trump back Paramount's bid by longtime loyalist Larry Ellison (with help from presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner)? Or will Netflix's Ted Sarandos be able to woo the President to his side? Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss Trump's involvement in the Hollywood mega-deal and all the rest of the news, including the administration's bailout for soybean farmers who have been hurt by tariffs, Congressional Republicans unwillingness to do anything about the coming ACA premium hikes, and the President's promise to sign an executive order that would sweep away state AI regulations. Then, Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw, who broke the Warner Brothers merger news, talks to Lovett about the future of Hollywood and the details of the rival bids for WBD.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did Robert F. Kennedy — once the heir-apparent to the Kennedy family's Democratic dynasty — become the Secretary of Health in the Trump administration and the nation's most important anti-vaccine advocate? Michael Scherer, staff writer at The Atlantic, sat down with Kennedy for 7+ hours, getting to know him during jean-clad workouts, Congressional hearings, and the plane ride where Kennedy learned of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The image Michael paints of Kennedy, in a profile published in The Atlantic this month, is a man of extreme changes — a promising political figure turned heroin addict, an environmental lawyer turned anti-vaccine activist, a Democratic presidential candidate turned Republican Secretary of Health. Contributor Alex Wagner sits down with Michael for an interesting conversation to ask if a better understanding of the strange political figure can help us better make sense of his dangerous approach to health and politics. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reacts defiantly to two scandals: his department's decision to murder the survivors of a September strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, and a Pentagon report that found that Hegseth's infamous Signal messages put American troops at risk. Jon and Dan discuss what comes next for the former Fox News host, and then jump into the rest of the news, including Trump's disgusting comments about Somali Americans, his insistence that affordability is a Democratic "con job," and Mike Johnson's struggles to hold his caucus together after the GOP's underperformance in the TN-07 special election. Then, Dan talks to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries about Democratic momentum heading into the midterms, the ongoing investigation into the double-tap strike, and Trump's pardon of embattled Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The House and Senate Armed Services Committees launch an investigation into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after a report that he ordered a second strike on a boat in the Caribbean while survivors were clinging to the wreckage. Was his order a war crime? Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss and then jump into the rest of the news, including the White House's reaction to the shooting of two National Guard members in D.C., Trump's pardon of a former Hondoran president convicted of helping drug traffickers bring hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States, and a special election in Tennessee where the Democrat has a fighting chance to flip a Trump +22 district. Then, Rob Sand, Democratic candidate for governor of Iowa, joins to talk about his race—and how Iowa farmers are reacting to the Trump trade war.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Can Democrats repeat their big 2025 wins in next year's midterms? Can the party win back the support of white working-class and Latino voters? Can high-quality candidates overcome an unfavorable Senate map? Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, joins Dan to survey next year's electoral landscape, voters' attitudes towards Trump, and what obstacles stand between Democrats and a blue wave.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Live from Crooked Con, Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, Dan Pfeiffer and producer Elijah Cone record a special episode of our subscriber-exclusive show Terminally Online. They blind-rank 2025's most online politicians and reveal who Crooked Con straw poll participants want to see running for president in 2028.This holiday season, we're offering 25% off annual subscriptions through November 30th. Head over to crooked.com/friends now to subscribe!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After a public fallout with the President, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene unexpectedly announces that she'll resign from congress on January 5. Could her decision spark a wave of resignations from her Republican colleagues? Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss why so many GOP representatives are unhappy with the status quo, a federal judge's decision to toss out the Justice Department's indictments against James Comey and Letitia James, the administration's threats against Sen. Mark Kelly, and a new Page Six-worthy media/sex scandal involving Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy. Then, Rep. Summer Lee stops by the studio to talk to Jon about Greene's resignation and the Oversight Committee's field hearing on ICE immigration raids in LA.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Live from Crooked Con, Alex Wagner hosts a discussion with Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Ruben Gallego, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal about what America would look like with Democrats in charge of one or both chambers, and how we sell Americans on that vision. Then, former FTC Chair Lina Khan joins Tommy Vietor to talk about the power of good ideas and how progressives can keep up the fight against the tech monopolies threatening to swamp America.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump calls for six congressional Democrats to be executed for treason because the group—all military and intelligence vets—dared to post a video reminding troops that they shouldn't follow illegal orders. The dangerous outburst wraps up a bad week for the Commander in Chief: Republican defections forcing him to sign the Epstein files bill, incompetence by his own lackeys in the prosecution of James Comey, a big legal loss for Texas gerrymandering, and economic polling numbers going from bad to worse. Jon and Dan react to Trump and Republicans' freakout over the video and discuss the latest on the Epstein files, why we still need to worry about Trump's DOJ, why he'll never be a good economic messenger, and how the Republican redistricting effort backfired. Then, Tommy talks with Swing Left's Yasmin Radjy about a better way to contact, engage, and organize voters and volunteers.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Live from Crooked Con, Jon Favreau talks to Jen Psaki, Faiz Shakir, Lis Smith, Rebecca Katz, and Adam Jentleson about the narrative we’re pitching—not just about why Trump and the MAGA loons are bad, but why Democrats are good. Then, Sen. Ruben Gallego joins Jon Lovett to talk about how Democrats can win on immigration and how to run a localized race when all politics feels national.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.