Midterm Issues

This week on The Necessary Conversation, it’s Chad, Haley, and Mary Lou. Bob is still out recovering but once again sent in a video rant that we watch together on air. The midterms happened. MAGA got demolished. Let’s talk about it. 🗳️🏛️ Trump’s first official act after getting crushed in the midterms wasn’t to rally his party or chart a path forward — it was to sign a proclamation designating the Oval Office as a national monument so nobody can remove his cheesecake factory golden decorations after he leaves. The day after the election, he signed his name to a metal beam at his ballroom construction site. We ask Mary Lou: is this what a president should be doing after his party just got wiped out?🧑‍💼 Trump replaced chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller — the architect of family separation at the border whose emails were flagged by the Southern Poverty Law Center for promoting white nationalist ideas. After the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship this summer, Miller called it “a deep knife wound in the heart of the American republic.” The Washington Post says the move signals Trump is shifting further right despite voters making the largest shift left in half a century. We ask Mary Lou: is a white nationalist the right person for this job?🎖️ Calls for Pete Hegseth to be fired are growing from both sides of the aisle. Republican Thomas Massie says he’ll reintroduce articles of impeachment. Even Trump ally James Comer declined to defend him. Hegseth responded with a five-minute Twitter video filmed outside the Pentagon — produced by taxpayer-funded Pentagon staff — calling the impeachment effort a “sham” in what CNN described as a video aimed at an audience of one: Trump. We ask: should Hegseth be fired?👗 We simmer down to talk about our worst personal style eras.☠️ A new report found the Trump administration has taken over 500 actions to weaken protections against cancer-causing chemicals — delaying rules on asbestos, relaxing standards on formaldehyde, rolling back PFAS protections, and cutting hundreds of millions in cancer research funding. The NRDC says the result could be a dramatic increase in public exposure to carcinogens. We ask Mary Lou: why is Trump making more people get cancer?🥊 Trump offered the White House press secretary job to UFC president Dana White — calling him “a violent Fighter and Warrior” and suggesting UFC fighters serve as his “assistants.” White appears to have declined. But it’s widely believed Trump mixed up his Dana Whites — the other Dana White was the Pentagon’s actual chief spokesperson under Mattis. We ask: did Trump confuse two different people?📢 A grassroots revolt is building against both Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress. A petition against Jeffries has passed one million signatures. Schumer has the worst approval of all four congressional leaders. But both appear likely to hold on. We ask: should Democrats clean house at the top too?Bob couldn’t be here but his rant video didn’t disappoint. The midterms changed everything. Now what?🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — we read them all.#Midterms2026 #BlueWave #StephenMiller #Hegseth #DanaWhite #Cancer #Schumer #Jeffries #TheNecessaryConversation #FamilyPodcast #PoliticalDebate #MAGA #LiberalConnecting…Claude is AI and can make mistakes.If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

In this post mid-term episode Chad, Haley and Mary Lou discuss what this astounding Democrat victory means for the future of America and the future of Maga.If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

This week on The Necessary Conversation, it’s Chad, Haley, and Mary Lou — all dressed up for Halloween. 🎃 Bob is still out recovering. The midterms are Tuesday. We make our predictions and talk about who we’re voting for.⚠️ House Democrats released a 53-page report detailing new rape allegations against Trump tied to Jeffrey Epstein. The report includes evidence involving 11 women, five of whom accuse Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein’s company. The newest allegation comes from former Miss Switzerland Beatrice Keul, who says Trump raped her at the Plaza Hotel in 1993. Democrats are calling for an independent special counsel, but only AG Todd Blanche can appoint one — and they accuse him of helping cover it all up. We asked Mary Lou on Wednesday to read more about it. We check in on whether she did.🏟️ Trump cancelled two rallies in Kansas and Iowa, then flip-flopped and put them back on within 24 hours. CNN reported that Trump’s red-state rallies weren’t helping Republican candidates in the polls, and some believe he was writing off both states as already lost. The White House offered no explanation for the reversal. We ask: what’s going on with the campaign?💣 Reports emerged that Trump is planning a “short, intense military campaign” against Iran starting as early as November 4th — the day after the midterms. Senator Chris Murphy received a Pentagon briefing and said “their plan is insane,” warning it could include strikes on civilian infrastructure. Oil is already at $102 a barrel and diesel is up nearly 70% since the war began. We ask: why is Trump waiting until the day after the election to escalate?💡 We simmer down to talk about our favorite piece of technology invented in our lifetimes.🎭 The New York Times reported that aides to Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign helped recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to confuse voters in the Senate race against Republican Dan Sullivan. The report is based on text messages and interviews with Peltola’s fired former campaign manager. Trump says Democrats should be prosecuted. We ask: should they be? And if so, for what?👮 A court filing revealed the DOJ is sending about 1,000 federal election monitors to all 50 states — including Federal Bureau of Prisons guards, ATF agents, and DEA staff. That’s more than triple the 289 sent in 2022. Even Republican Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon called it “a bit aggressive.” We ask: why does Trump want prison guards watching us vote?⛪ Twelve Catholic archbishops and bishops met with Trump at the White House, where they prayed over him at the Resolute Desk. The White House posted video of it two weeks before the midterms — despite assuring the bishops no photos would be made public. Multiple bishops have since apologized, calling the moment “manipulated” and “exploited” for partisan purposes. One said many things tied to this administration are “blatantly at odds with our Catholic faith.” We ask Mary Lou: whose side is she on — Trump or the bishops?Election Day is Tuesday. This is the last episode before America decides.🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — we read them all.#Midterms2026 #Epstein #TrumpIran #Alaska #Halloween #CatholicChurch #ElectionDay #PrisonGuards #TheNecessaryConversation #FamilyPodcast #PoliticalDebate #MAGA #LiberalIf you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

In this midweek episode Chad plays clips about Trump's new rape accusations emerging from the recently released Democrat led investigation into the Epstein files.If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

This week on The Necessary Conversation, it’s Chad, Haley, and Mary Lou. Bob is still out recovering but he sent in a video rant about Trump’s election interference in Alaska that we watch together on air.🗳️ With the midterms days away, Trump’s DOJ is suing to overturn election results before the elections even happen. In Alaska, the DOJ asked a federal judge to block certification of the Senate race — but only if the Republican loses. Trump said the quiet part out loud: “I’m the one that said do it.” In California, the DOJ sued to stop officials from counting over 20,000 mail ballots. Suing to invalidate elections before they happen is unprecedented. We watch Bob’s video rant about it and ask Mary Lou: what does she think Trump will do if Democrats win?🖥️ Videos are spreading online of voting machines flipping votes from Democrats to Republicans in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Ohio — even Dolly Parton’s sister reported it happening to her. Officials say it’s calibration errors. But a ProPublica investigation revealed that Trump political appointees at DHS asked CISA to secretly hack a voting machine and report the findings to Trump — without alerting the manufacturer about any security flaws. We ask: why would Trump want to know how to hack voting machines and keep the vulnerabilities secret?💣 Pressure is building on the Pentagon to come clean about the true damage to U.S. bases in the Middle East. Iran has hit facilities in eight countries. Hundreds of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. The Pentagon is considering permanently closing some bases. Russia is supplying Iran with missiles being used against us — and Trump is simultaneously helping Russia by waiving their sanctions. Eighteen U.S. service members are officially dead and over 800 wounded, though the real numbers may be higher.🌀 We simmer down to discuss whether reality has shifted since they turned off the Large Hadron Collider.😵 Trump had a string of bizarre moments on the campaign trail — making strange guttural and gagging noises mid-speech, struggling to keep his eyes open on stage, and posting on Truth Social: “A healthy person has a thousand dreams. A sick person has only one.” He offered no explanation. The 80-year-old president was also seen with a new bruise near his temple. We ask: what’s going on with him?🎤 Barack Obama hit the campaign trail in Detroit, rallying for Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson. Obama took shots at Trump and Hegseth, particularly targeting Hegseth’s obsession with projecting manliness. The Michigan Senate race could decide control of the chamber. We ask Mary Lou: does Obama campaigning help or hurt El-Sayed?🤮 Republican candidate for Ohio governor Vivek Ramaswamy ran an ad featuring the estranged birth mother of his opponent, Dr. Amy Acton — a woman who was removed from her mother’s custody at 12 after her stepfather was charged with raping her. The ad uses Acton’s childhood abuse as a political weapon. JD Vance said he’s “disgusted” by Republicans who criticized it. The backlash crossed party lines, with a Republican senator saying he wouldn’t have run it and a former Ramaswamy primary rival switching his vote to Acton. We ask Mary Lou: why are Republicans okay with this?Bob couldn’t be here but he made his voice heard. Election week is next. Stay tuned.🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — we read them all.#Midterms2026 #ElectionInterference #VotingMachines #TrumpHealth #Obama #Ramaswamy #IranWar #TheNecessaryConversation #FamilyPodcast #PoliticalDebate #MAGA #LiberalIf you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

In this midweek episode Chad, Haley and Mary Lou discuss what are the most important issues in the upcoming midterm election as well as what anyone can believe when it comes to right wing propaganda.If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

This week on The Necessary Conversation, it’s just Chad and Mary Lou. Haley is off galavanting again and Bob is still recovering. We miss you both. ❤️🇷🇺 Trump signed an order waiving sanctions on Russia days before they were set to take effect — right after agreeing to buy Putin’s diesel. Ukraine says Musk’s Starlink restrictions have left them unable to intercept Russian drones killing civilians. Zelensky called the deal “wrong” and said he’s done with Trump. Even Republicans pushed back — Thom Tillis called it “beyond irresponsible” and John Cornyn said “Lindsey would be appalled.” We ask Mary Lou: do you think Putin has blackmail on Trump?🤡 Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia lasted five days. Her only briefing was 14 minutes long. She claimed to be an attorney — turns out she took the California bar exam and failed, and was never licensed anywhere. She is now the 11th high-profile member of Trump’s administration to leave or be fired. We run through the full list. We ask Mary Lou: does Trump know how to pick the best people?🚨 Homeland Security agents raided Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s home three weeks before the midterms, seizing her phone, passport, and computers. The investigation centers on immigration paperwork her late father filed when she was a child. No charges have been filed. No evidence has been made public. Trump officials reviewed her records in 2019 and didn’t find enough for a full investigation. Legal experts say denaturalization is extremely rare. We ask: why now, three weeks before an election?✈️ We simmer down to talk about our favorite places we’ve ever galavanted, in honor of Haley being gone.💀 Trump posted multiple videos of people being killed by big cats — including footage of the fatal tiger attack on 23-year-old William Chapman at a zoo in England. Then he posted an AI video of himself wrestling the tiger and befriending it set to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Chapman’s family pleaded for people to stop sharing the footage, saying it’s causing them severe distress. We ask: why does the president keep posting videos of people being killed?👊 At a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, a woman wearing a “Release the Epstein Files” shirt was punched in the face, jumped on, and had her hair ripped out by MAGA attendees while the crowd chanted “USA.” Trump mocked her from the stage, called her “scum” and a “fat guy,” and told her to go on a diet. No one has been arrested or charged. We ask Mary Lou: did she deserve to get punched in the face?🏫 The 369th mass shooting of the year happened at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon. A 16-year-old gunman killed three children — ages 5, 8, and 11 — and a 25-year-old teacher. A father carrying a concealed weapon followed the shooter inside and killed him. Despite children being murdered, there is zero movement in government to even discuss changing gun laws. Guns remain the number one cause of death for children in America. We ask Mary Lou: do you think our gun laws are working?Just Chad and Mary Lou this week. No punches pulled.🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — we read them all.#TrumpRussia #KatieZacharia #IlhanOmar #MAGAViolence #MassShooting #EpsteinFiles #Midterms #TheNecessaryConversation #FamilyPodcast #PoliticalDebate #MAGA #LiberalClaude is AI and can make mistakes.If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

In this midweek episode Chad and Mary Lou discuss the upcoming midterms and Chad shows Mary Lou some clips of the candidates running for office in Mary Lou's home state of Oklahoma.If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

This week on The Necessary Conversation we discuss:☠️ Trump and Hegseth announced they’re going to execute a man by firing squad and livestream it on the internet for anyone to watch — including children. The execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan is scheduled for December 3rd, just in time for Christmas. It would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961. The only countries that still do public executions? Afghanistan, Yemen, North Korea, and Somalia. After massive backlash, Trump started flip-flopping — one day after approving the plan. We ask Mary Lou: are public executions Christian?🚨 ICE agents shot a man seven times in the neck while his 5-year-old child sat in the back seat. The lead agent, Brenden Cuni, was wearing construction clothes with nothing identifying him as law enforcement. Federal judges have previously questioned his conduct, he’s been sued for tasing a handcuffed man and forcing a pregnant woman to the ground, and doorbell video contradicted his sworn account in another case. Five thousand people marched in Manhattan in protest. We ask: how many times can ICE shoot into a car with a child before you denounce Trump?🇷🇺 Trump made a deal with Putin to buy Russian diesel in exchange for easing sanctions — sanctions that were imposed over the invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky said he was blindsided and called it “not fair and not honest.” Trump’s response? “I suggest they get a new leader.” We ask: why does Trump like Putin so much?🐴 We simmer down for Mary Lou to share something about horses that most people don’t know.🏆 Trump threw a public tantrum after the Nobel Peace Prize went to South African judge Navi Pillay instead of him. He called her a “mystery person,” sanctioned the International Criminal Court where she served, and posted a rambling screed claiming he should have won eight Nobel Peace Prizes. He called it “an indelible stain on Norway.” Pillay joked she might share the prize with him. We read his unhinged post in full.🦠 A lab technician at a Russian plague research institute died after a broken test tube incident, and nearly 200 people were placed under medical observation. A watchdog group revealed the NIH funded nearly $780,000 in research connected to the lab. Trump says Putin has it under control. We ask: does it worry you that Russia may be developing the plague and Trump is brushing it off? Remember when he said COVID would magically disappear?🎤 Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia has a history of calling Bill Gates a “eugenicist,” demanding the suspension of habeas corpus, insisting the 2020 election was stolen, encouraging Trump to run for a third term in violation of the Constitution, and blaming school shootings on “leftist transgender assailants.” She also called Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed — who was born in the U.S. — an indictment of the immigration system. We ask: will she be any better than Karoline Leavitt?Every week we think it can’t get worse. Every week it does.🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — we read them all.#PublicExecution #ICE #TrumpPutin #NobelPeacePrize #RussianPlague #KatieZacharia #TheNecessaryConversation #FamilyPodcast #PoliticalDebate #MAGA #LiberalIf you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]

On this special Friday episode Mary Lou, Haley and Chad are joined by Dr. Steven Hassan, author of The Cult of Trump.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultexpert/Substack: https://stevenhassan.substack.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drstevenhassanFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.steven.hassanTwitter/X: https://x.com/CultExpertBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cultexpert.freedomofmind.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cultexpertLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhassan/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@cultexpert If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:[email protected]