LEMON DROP | Cameron Kasky on the State of American Politics & Meeting the Moment

Tonight, we’re once again digging into the MAGA response to the killing of Charlie Kirk, and it’s getting even darker. JD Vance and Stephen Miller are now vowing revenge, twisting the tragedy to claim that violence only comes from the left, and openly threatening to go after so-called “left-wing organizations.” How did we get here? At a moment when the nation desperately needs unity and calm, MAGA’s leaders are choosing to inflame division and stoke fear. It’s a grim reminder of just how dangerous this political moment has become. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Quit stalling and start saving when you make the switch. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/DONLEMON. Upfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo.). Limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don Lemon sits down with activist Cameron Kasky for a wide-ranging conversation on some of the biggest issues shaping America right now. From the fight against oligarchy, to the crisis in Israel and Gaza, to the generational and gender divides within Gen Z, no topic is off the table. They also take a hard look at the Democratic Party’s missteps, and what Democrats must do if they want to move forward, inspire voters, and meet the urgency of this moment. Thoughtful, sharp, and unfiltered, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning, Don takes a hard look at just how dark things have gotten in America. First up: the MAGA response to the Charlie Kirk killing. Political violence is always wrong, but now MAGA world is on a warpath, calling for the firing of anyone who said anything short of absolute adoration for Kirk. Funny how the folks who claim to be champions of “free speech” only mean it when you agree with them. Then, we turn to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, who actually suggested on air that we should kill homeless people. He has since apologized, but seriously, WTF?! From glorifying violence to silencing dissent, the rhetoric is getting darker by the day. Where does this end? This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Quit stalling and start saving when you make the switch. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/DONLEMON. Upfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo.). Limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’re diving into all the updates on what we know about the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk. Trump and MAGA wasted no time painting this as the work of “violent leftist extremists,” but new information suggests the picture may be far more complicated, and not aligned with their narrative. Details are still emerging, but what we do know already raises big questions. Joining Don is comedian, actor, and radio host D.L. Hughley to break it all down. Then, an all-star panel takes the conversation further with author & commentator Wajahat Ali, author Tim Wise, Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones, host of the Higher Learning podcast Van Lathan, and tech journalist Taylor Lorenz. It’s a can’t-miss discussion about facts, spin, and the dangerous politics of the moment. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Beam. Visit https://shopbeam.com/lemon and use code LEMON at checkout to get our exclusive discount of UP TO 40% off. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning, we’re unpacking Trump’s wild interview on Fox & Friends. He announced that a suspect is in custody for the Charlie Kirk shooting, but wasted no time spinning it into his favorite narrative: that “leftist extremists” are the real danger. (Right-wing extremists, apparently, get a free pass.) And because no Trump appearance is complete without a dose of authoritarian theater, he also floated sending the National Guard into Memphis. What does this all mean for the country, and how much further will he go to rewrite reality? Let’s break it down. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Beam. Visit https://shopbeam.com/lemon and use code LEMON at checkout to get our exclusive discount of UP TO 40% off. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The killing of Charlie Kirk has brought us to an incredibly dangerous political moment. Instead of waiting for facts, many on the right are rushing to blame the left,some even going so far as to call this a “war.” Little is known about the shooter, their motives, or affiliations, but what we do know is clear: escalating rhetoric and fueling division will only make this crisis worse. Tonight, we’ll break down what’s happening, why tensions are rising, and why it’s more urgent than ever to step back from the brink. We're joined by Comedian, Actor, and Radio Host DL Hughley, along with an all star panel: friends of the show Jennifer Welch, Jolly, and Michael Fanone, political commentator  @thedavidpakmanshow , Sam Rosenholtz (a.k.a. Good Trouble on social media), and journalist and progressive pundit Walter Masterson. This episode is sponsored by Beam. Visit https://shopbeam.com/lemon and use code LEMON at checkout to get our exclusive discount of UP TO 40% off. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning, we’re covering the horrific breaking news: Charlie Kirk is dead, killed in an act of political violence that should never happen in America. But instead of calls for unity or calm, Trump and MAGA allies are already escalating, some even openly calling for violence against liberals and framing this moment as a “war.” Meanwhile, the shooter has not been caught, and we still have no clear understanding of their motives or political affiliation. Now is the time to de-escalate and bring tensions down, but MAGA seems determined to stoke the fire. What comes next for our country? This episode is sponsored by Beam. Visit https://shopbeam.com/lemon and use code LEMON at checkout to get our exclusive discount of UP TO 40% off. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’re covering breaking news out of Utah, where political activist, conservative influencer, and co-founder of Turning Point USA was shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. Political violence is never acceptable. We’ll discuss what happened, what we know so far, and what this moment means for our country as tensions continue to rise. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by Beam. Visit https://shopbeam.com/lemon and use code LEMON at checkout to get our exclusive discount of UP TO 40% off. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning we’re talking about something that’s becoming a theme: people really don’t like Donald Trump. Fresh off being booed at the U.S. Open, he just got booed again, this time at a cabinet member’s dinner. We’ll be joined by one of the protesters who let him have it to break down what went down in the room. With his approval ratings sliding and public backlash growing louder, what does this mean for Trump’s policies? And more importantly, can Democrats and voters keep up the momentum heading into the midterms? Let’s dig in. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by Beam. Visit https://shopbeam.com/lemon and use code LEMON at checkout to get our exclusive discount of UP TO 40% off. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’re continuing our deep dive into the bombshell release of the Epstein Birthday Book, and yes, the infamous birthday letter Donald Trump wrote to Jeffrey Epstein. First they said it didn’t exist. Now that the receipts are out, they’re trying a new line: it wasn’t really from Trump. Really? So when can we expect more from the Epstein files? And will MAGA ever admit that Trump may have been involved, or are they sticking with denial ‘til the bitter end? Joining us to break it all down is Rep. Dave Min from California. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Beam. Visit https://shopbeam.com/lemon and use code LEMON at checkout to get our exclusive discount of UP TO 40% off. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices