DEFIANCE Daily

Republicans move to impeach Hegseth as Trump threatens Democratic investigations. Plus, former CIA officer Steven Cash on the Nvidia spy scandal.

Well, folks, it’s Friday, and after this week’s historic midterm wipeout, MAGA Losses of the Week practically writes itself. What did Republicans lose? The whole country.And the fallout is already reaching the White House. Susie Wiles is out as chief of staff, and Trump has picked Stephen Miller to replace her. After voters delivered a massive rejection of his agenda, he’s putting the architect of his immigration crackdown in charge.Maritsa joins Miles and Xander for a particularly satisfying round of losses. Trump landed on the cover of TIME with an “I Voted” sticker over his mouth, a judge blocked his giant arch, and even his beloved LIV Golf is going under. Meanwhile, Katie Miller blamed Republican mothers for failing to vote, only to admit she didn’t cast a ballot herself.And remember when we told Trump officials to lawyer up? They’re listening. Steve Scalise is warning Republicans to prepare for Democratic investigations, while White House aides are reportedly racing to hire attorneys before their colleagues beat them to it. Elon Musk might want to get in line.Plus, Bill Murray confronts Trump’s economic adviser Kevin Hassett about his perpetual smile, and we say goodbye to the DJT Solemate Award with one final round of nominees.What a week. Enjoy the losses!

As Trump weighs replacing Hegseth and Democrats prepare investigations, Andrea Pitzer joins us to examine his expanding ICE detention system.

We’re not waiting for January. Investigations into Trump’s corruption begin NOW! DEFIANCE is funding former federal prosecutors and FBI agents to build cases and hold his administration accountable.

Well, folks, Election Day is finally here, and more than 59 million Americans cast their ballots before polls even opened this morning. Democrats are looking at a promising map, with some races close enough to make Republicans nervous. Even Ted Cruz is warning his party about a potential Democratic sweep in Texas.Former Congresswoman Susan Wild joined us at the top of the show to talk about what she’s watching tonight and the fallout from Haley Stevens’ stunning endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan. Wild knows Stevens personally and was among the Democrats who publicly condemned her decision.We also covered the voting problems already giving Trump allies ammunition for fraud claims. In Westchester County, New York, ballot scanners malfunctioned, but election officials have procedures in place to secure and count those votes.And with Israel becoming an increasingly unpopular issue among his own voters, Trump appears to be throwing an Election Day Hail Mary. This morning, he announced plans to end billions in U.S. aid to Israel, a move he claims he's been discussing with Netanyahu for months, a move he claims he's been discussing with Netanyahu for months. In the end, it all came down to a “bad talking point” for him heading into tonight’s election. Plus, a Texas Young Republican leader resigned rather than support her party’s candidate.We’re joining Jim Acosta’s election night coverage at 7 PM ET, so stick with us as the results come in. And if you’re still waiting to vote when the polls close, stay in line!

It’s Election Eve, and Donald Trump spent his closing argument talking about the grass in Washington, D.C., while standing in front of one of the biggest stains on his second presidency: the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Our breakdown found that over 60% of his speech focused on D.C. specific pet projects, while only 24% covered the midterms. He even found time to brag about his helipad.We have one question: Who told him this was a good idea?With more than 57 million early votes already cast, Trump’s attempts to interfere with the election continue to come up short. A federal judge tossed his DOJ’s lawsuit in Alaska, although Trump is already entertaining the idea of a do-over if Republicans lose. And while we were live, breaking news came in that the Supreme Court had rejected his emergency bid to set aside more than 20,000 California ballots.We also dug into the political firestorm in Michigan, where Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers two days before the election, despite previously promising to support Abdul El-Sayed. Her explanations have raised more questions than answers, especially after former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard said he witnessed Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, pressuring her to abandon El-Sayed. Turkish has longstanding ties to pro-Israel political circles and had already announced his support for Rogers over El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel. Whether those connections explain Stevens’ sudden reversal is still an open question.Let us know in the comments: Why do you think Haley Stevens flipped?Tomorrow is Election Day, so get out and vote! If you’ve already cast your ballot, help someone else get to the polls. We’ll be streaming live with Jim Acosta starting at 7 PM ET.

Happy birthday to the DEFIANCE! One year ago today, we came together with a simple idea: stop waiting for someone else to fight back. Twelve months later, we’ve grown to more than 150,000 members and subscribers, supported over 35 pro-democracy organizations, and taken more than 125 actions together. Not bad for our first trip around the sun, Defy-Ants!But with five days until the midterms, there’s no time to put our feet up. Current and former FBI officials are warning that Trump could order agents to seize ballots or voting machines. And while we were live, breaking news: the DOJ issued subpoenas to California election officials over its claims about 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters. The subpoenas order employees to appear in court the day after Election Day.We also examine an AP investigation into ICE detaining a man for nearly a year despite substantial evidence he’s an American citizen.Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee joins us to discuss why Trump’s administration is welcoming Brazil’s defeated presidential candidate while pursuing deportations at home, and how Trump’s oil investments are growing as Americans pay more at the pump.Plus, our newest member of the DEFIANCE has a direct line to the Vatican.

THE WIN: TRUMP KEEPS LOSING IN COURTSix days until the midterms, and Trump’s Justice Department is running out of time to win its election-related lawsuits.A Trump-appointed judge in Utah threw out the DOJ’s demand for voter data. A federal appeals court rejected its emergency attempt to set aside roughly 20,000 California ballots. And in Washington, D.C., a grand jury refused to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide whose January 6 testimony made her a target of Trump’s ire.Even Trump’s effort to remake a public golf course has run into a judge who refuses to budge.But the biggest win this week belongs to our members at DEFIANCE: CORRUPTIONLAND is officially out, streaming free at corruptionland.org. We’ve already had a million site visits and 60,000 people sign on.Yesterday, Trump was asked a simple question: Would he respect the results of next week’s election?His answer? “I will — if they’re honest elections.”There it is. Six days before voters finish casting their ballots, Trump is already leaving himself an escape hatch.And his administration isn’t waiting until Election Day to act. The DOJ is suing Alaska over an election that hasn’t happened yet. Election officials are preparing for the possibility of federal agents showing up at polling places, attempts to seize ballots, and interference with certification.So we’re preparing, too.Kim Rogers of the State and Local Election Alliance joined us to explain how election officials are protecting the process and what happens if the federal government tries to interfere.Then we welcomed Doran Schrantz of The Power Lab, who helped organize the massive civilian response to ICE operations in Minneapolis. Her message is simple: don’t wait for someone else to organize your community.And we’re putting resources behind that work. Today, DEFIANCE announced a $45,000 grant to The Power Lab, in partnership with One For Democracy, to help protect election results through January.Election Day is Tuesday. But the work of protecting the results could continue long after the polls close.As a DEFIANCE.org member, here’s how you can prepare this week:1️⃣ Build your network of 10 to 15 people. Reach out to neighbors, friends, or parents from school. Start a Signal or text thread and get everyone ready to respond together.2️⃣ Call your member of Congress, Democrat or Republican. Ask them to publicly commit to counting the votes, seating the winners, and rejecting attempts to sabotage the election. Then get your network to call, too.3️⃣ Pledge to respond to the call. If there’s a call to peacefully assemble, show up. If you can’t, help someone else get there, bring food, make signs, or organize shifts.We don’t have to wait until something goes wrong to get ready.THE MISSION: STOP THE STEALYOUR ACTIONS: GET READY NOW

One week until the midterms, and Trump’s efforts to interfere with the election keep running into a familiar obstacle: the courts. His DOJ has now lost 27 straight voter-roll lawsuits, including its latest defeat at the hands of a Trump-appointed judge.But Trump has a new idea: a $1 million bounty for reporting voter fraud. Who’s paying? Nobody seems to know. And given some of the actual voter fraud involving Republican operatives, this could get interesting.The Epstein files are also looming over the election. A new poll finds that 88% of likely voters want candidates who will release the full files, while House Democrats have released disturbing new allegations against Trump.And we’re following the money with RepresentUs CEO Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno. A newly filed Texas campaign report reveals Elon Musk gave Gov. Greg Abbott $5 million, ten times the amount previously reported. And breaking news hit while we were live: a grand jury refused to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump White House aide whose testimony helped expose what happened behind the scenes on January 6. Another setback for Trump’s pursuit of his perceived enemies.Plus, two former South Carolina governors cross party lines, and CORRUPTIONLAND is now streaming free at corruptionland.org.

Trump’s DOJ just suffered a humiliating reversal. A federal judge ruled that the firing of Maurene Comey, the prosecutor who helped put Ghislaine Maxwell behind bars, was illegal. Filing show that the Justice Department even admitted she’d received outstanding performance reviews. But while we were live, breaking news: Trump’s DOJ brought yet another criminal case against her father, James Comey. All within hours of the ruling in his daughter’s favor.The DOJ is also trying to explain away its lawsuit targeting Alaska’s Senate election. Attorney General Todd Blanche insists it isn’t about blocking certification, despite the lawsuit saying exactly that. Trump, of course, already admitted he ordered it.Former FBI counterintelligence chief Frank Figliuzzi joins us to unpack the latest prosecutions and allegations involving Jared Kushner’s hacked phone. And with Election Day approaching, we meet with Hands Off NYC, which has already trained 10,000 New Yorkers to peacefully respond to threats against the election and is preparing for what comes after Election Day.Plus, CORRUPTIONLAND premieres tonight for DEFIANCE members.