80-Year-Old Man Loses War

Trump ends his war against Iran without accomplishing any of the goals he set at the war's onset. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss how real the deal to end the war actually is, how it's playing out in MAGA world, and its implications for the economy and the midterms. Then, they react to the corruption at the UFC fight at the White House and Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement that he and his wife are being targeted by Trump's Justice Department. Finally, Sen. Mark Warner talks to Tommy about the situation in Iran and Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence.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, episode title, and episode date.

Legendary humorist David Sedaris stops by the studio to talk to Lovett about his new book of essays, "The Land and Its People," his father's support for Trump, and what he learned about liberals when he was bitten by a dog. They also unpack Sedaris's frustration with being labeled "queer," his nonnegotiable rule about what not to discuss in a relationship, and his unique approach to growing older.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, episode title, and episode date.

As Trump prepares for his UFC match on the White House lawn, Politico reports that "knives are out" inside the White House, with staffers reeling from a president "increasingly frustrated with everyone, from his own team to the Senate." Jon and Alex discuss the toxic workplace and then break down the rest of the news, including Trump's on-again, off-again relationship with Iranian negotiators, incredible new details about how the White House handled its Epstein crisis, and Trump admitting that he "love[s] the inflation." Then, veteran political journalist Ron Brownstein talks to Jon about the Democrats' chances of taking the House and Senate in November.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, episode title, and episode date.

President Trump, days after storming out of a Meet the Press interview, returns to New York City to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss how New Yorkers are reacting to the president's visit, discuss the latest from Trump's wars, including the outbreak of more violence between Iran, Israel, and Lebanon, and debunk MAGA's new, unfounded claims about voter fraud in California. Then, Roger Bennett, host of Men in Blazers, joins Tommy to preview the World Cup and discuss how the president may insert himself into that event, too.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, episode title, and episode date.

Will Sommer, author of The Bulwark's "False Flag" newsletter, sits down with Tommy to talk about the MAGA media world — including the right-wing personalities who may be considering a political future (Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens), those whose influence is crumbling (Ben Shapiro), and some of the most troubling — and strangest — rising voices. Tommy and Will then break down the ways some of MAGA's leading voices are abandoning the president, what their world will look like and whether it can even survive in a post-Trump future.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, episode title, and episode date.

President Trump announces yet another D.C. construction project — a renovation to the Lincoln Memorial dubbed "The Trump Promenade" — as well as the nominations of his former personal lawyer Todd Blanche for Attorney General and shitposter-turned-FHA Administrator Bill Pulte for acting Director of National Intelligence. Alex Wagner joins Jon Favreau to discuss the latest, including California's torturously slow primary tallies, new allegations against presumptive Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner, and Scott Pelley's dramatic last stand at CBS's "60 Minutes." Then, Jon reveals how he was accidentally invited to the UFC fight on the White House lawn.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, episode title, and episode date

Donald Trump thinks JD Vance is a bit of a loser and he's worried he may not be presidential enough to be the 2028 Republican nominee, according to The New York Times. After a series of court losses, the White House signals that it's about to ditch its $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund." Trump is reportedly "getting very bored" with the Iran negotiations. Democratic voters head to the polls to decide a series of contentious primaries in California and Iowa. Then, Senator Andy Kim talks to Jon about the atrocious conditions at Newark's Delaney Hall Detention Center.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, episode title, and episode date.

Jon sits down with our own Ben Rhodes to talk about how American leaders tell the story of who we are — and who they think we should be — through the speeches they give. The two go through the seminal speeches Ben selected for his new book "All We Say," discussing their power for good (Frederic Douglass on human rights) and evil (Alexander Stephenson on the "moral truth" of white supremacy), and their own memories of writing presidential addresses for Barack Obama when the stakes were highest.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, episode title, and episode date.

After Ken Paxton's victory in the Texas Senate Republican primary runoff, the MAGA faithful set their sights on James Talarico, attempting to disqualify him for being too much of a beta male for Texas. Will it stick? The White House is on the verge of getting Iran to the table to negotiate, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismisses concerns that the U.S. economy is heading toward stagflation, and Trump accelerates his quest to stamp his image on Washington, covering statues in gold and attempting to create a $250 bill with his own face on it. On the presidential family front: ProPublica reports that the administration funneled millions to a company owned in part by Donald Trump Jr., while Dr. Jill Biden finally speaks candidly about her reaction to her husband's infamous 2024 debate performance. Then, Scott Colom, the Democratic nominee for Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat, stops by the studio to talk to Jon about why he believes the deep-red state is in play.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, episode title, and episode date.

Norm Eisen, President Obama's "ethics czar" and founder of Democracy Defenders, talks to Alex Wagner about Trump's latest avalanche of corruption: the $1.8 billion slush fund to pay off Jan. 6 rioters, the IRS immunity announcement, the ballroom, the reflecting pool renovation, the 3,000-plus stock trades placed while in office, and, unfortunately, much more. Together, they unpack how Democrats in Congress — or lawyers outside of it — could stop Trump's slush fund, and what impact this onslaught of self-enrichment, cronyism, and taxpayer abuse may have on the midterm elections.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, episode title, and episode date.