Trump & Musk: Rapid unscheduled disassembly

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice dive into both the awful news from the Supreme Court and the very encouraging news out of New York City.If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below:David and Aaron discuss:* Why the court’s ruling on Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship is a disaster for democracy—and a recipe for chaos* How Zohran Mamdani exposed the old guard’s decay, and why it should serve as a warning to incumbent Democrats* Why Mamdani’s relentless focus on affordability is a strong message for Democratic candidates just about everywhereAnd much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above!Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET, though we’ll be taking off next week for the Fourth of July holiday and will be back on July 11. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice talk with fellow Substacker Laura Belin all about Iowa!You can subscribe to Laura’s newsletter by clicking the button below:Laura tells us:* Why she wasn’t shocked to hear Republican Sen. Joni Ernst might not run again—but why she still expects her to.* How Democratic strength in Iowa, once a swing state, has eroded but not vanished.* Why MAGA can sniff out phonies from a mile away.And much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above!Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!If you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below: Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice pull the curtain back on the conventional wisdom that immigration is Donald Trump’s strong suit.David and Aaron explain:* Why Trump’s polling on immigration has taken a nosedive since he deployed the military to Los Angeles.* How a federal judge eloquently demolished Trump’s claim that he’s suppressing a “rebellion.”* Why Saturday’s “No Kings” rallies across the country are so important for showing Americans opposed to autocracy that they’re not alone.And much more.If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above!Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!If you haven’t yet subscribed to Public Notice, which offers insightful and independent commentary on U.S. politics and media, click the button below:And if you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below: Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice share a hearty laugh with Joe Sudbay, who hosts “State of the States” on SiriusXM Progress, over the rapid unscheduled disassembly of the Trump-Musk bromance.The trio dive into:* How the crackup threatens the passage of Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill”* Why JD Vance is screwed no matter what side he takes* Why Elon Musk has made his (probably disgusting) personal life fair gameAnd much, much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above!Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!If you haven’t yet subscribed to Public Notice, which offers insightful and independent commentary on U.S. politics and media, click the button below:And if you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below: Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice hold their noses as they dissect the politics of Donald Trump’s nightmarish “Big Beautiful Bill.”Aaron and David discuss:* Why passage of the bill is by no means assured, thanks to the competing demands of prickly Republican senators.* Why you shouldn’t buy any of the soft-focus encomiums to Elon Musk, whose reign was pure disaster (and may not even be over).* Who’s the flat-out dumbest member of the Senate?And much more! We also took some excellent questions from viewers about Trump’s attacks on the courts and whether “DOGE” might be more effective with Musk supposedly receding from view.If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above!Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!If you haven’t yet subscribed to Public Notice, which offers insightful and independent commentary on U.S. politics and media, click the button below:And if you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below: Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

On the latest episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice talk with Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters, the indispensable media watchdog organization.Matt sheds light on today’s right-wing media ecosystem, including:* How two dozen people with Fox News on their résumés now occupy senior posts in the Trump administration.* How the James Comey “86 47” story shows how quickly things now move from MAGA influencer to the Oval Office—with Fox as the conduit.* Why the right-wing media bubble can inflict damage on Trump, with tariffs just the latest example.And much more!If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above! You can also find a complete transcript by clicking here and looking for the “Transcript” button.Next week, we’ll be taking off for the Memorial Day holiday, but we’ll be back on Friday, May 30, at 2 PM ET with another episode. The easiest way to watch is by downloading the free Substack app.Folks who are paid subscribers to either of our publications can participate in our Q&A!If you haven’t yet subscribed to Public Notice, which offers unique insights and independent commentary on U.S. politics and media, click the button below:And if you haven’t yet subscribed to The Downballot, which provides unparalleled coverage of the thousands of critical elections below the presidency, sign up below: Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

I’m putting the Aaron Rupar Show on indefinite hiatus, and this brief episode explains some of the reasons why. Thank you for listening, and please subscribe to my Public Notice newsletter to follow my work. Cheers! Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

This week's episode of the Aaron Rupar Show features Melissa Hortman, speaker of the Minnesota House, reflecting on her two decades in the legislature, the state’s Democratic trifecta and this year’s historic legislative session, and much more.Speaker Hortman and I touched upon everything from lessons she took from losing her first two legislative campaigns in resounding fashion to Jesse Ventura's legacy to why Trumpism is such a bad fit for Minnesota Republicans. Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

This week’s episode of the Aaron Rupar Show features Ruth Ben-Ghiat, one of America’s foremost authoritarianism scholars and author of Strongmen and the Lucid Substack. We discuss the factors that contributed to Trump’s rise and MAGA’s parallels to other authoritarian movements, the bizarre GOP primary as a reflection of Trump’s personality cult, the current state of the global struggle been authoritarianism and democracy, and much more. Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

This week's episode of the Aaron Rupar Show features lawyer and political commentator David Lurie. Topics include a premortem of the DeSantis campaign that David just wrote for Public Notice, the Trump indictments as well as the legal defenses and delaying tactics David expects from Trump's attorneys, why Hunter Biden is actually being treated unfairly by the DOJ, and more. Get full access to Public Notice at www.publicnotice.co/subscribe