Author: LaMonica McIver, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Favreau

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Pod Save America - Two Strikes. Is Hegseth Out?

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reacts defiantly to two scandals: his department's decision to murder the survivors of a September strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, and a Pentagon report that found that Hegseth's infamous Signal messages put American troops at risk. Jon and Dan discuss what comes next for the former Fox News host, and then jump into the rest of the news, including Trump's disgusting comments about Somali Americans, his insistence that affordability is a Democratic "con job," and Mike Johnson's struggles to hold his caucus together after the GOP's underperformance in the TN-07 special election. Then, Dan talks to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries about Democratic momentum heading into the midterms, the ongoing investigation into the double-tap strike, and Trump's pardon of embattled Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.


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What A Day - Hegseth Takes His “Secretary of War” Title Too Seriously

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been under fire for his continually evolving explanations and blame-shifting regarding a September attack on an alleged “drug boat” in the Caribbean. Following a report from the Washington Post, the Associated Press found that the Pentagon was indeed aware that there were two survivors after the initial attack on the boat — and still carried out a follow-up strike. At the same time, the Trump administration has gone from denying a second strike ever happened to blaming the second strike on an admiral. Pressure on the Pentagon is building and Nevada Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen is among the many members of Congress calling for Hegseth to resign. We spoke with Senator Rosen about Hegseth’s failures and what she thinks needs to happen to protect America’s service members.

And in headlines, President Donald Trump pardons a Democratic congressman indicted on white collar crimes, Republican infighting escalates in the House, and ICE targets Somali immigrants in Minneapolis.

Show Notes:


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What A Day - President Trump Is Disconnected From His Beloved Base

President Trump is old, and it shows. But in his second term in the White House, he's not just old – he's cloistered. After building his political career on massive rallies, he's spent significantly more time this year on international travel and hanging out with billionaires, and significantly less time with the Americans who actually voted for him. Could that be why he's spent way more energy focused on getting America psyched up for a war with Venezuela and building a new ballroom than pretty much anything his base supported him for? To find out, we spoke to Jonathan Lemire, staff writer at The Atlantic and co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW, about his piece called "The Bubble-Wrapped President."

And in headlines, the president holds another perfectly normal cabinet meeting, more immigration judges get pink slips, and the Trump administration threatens to cut off SNAP payments in most Democratic-led states next week… unless those states turn over detailed personal records on aid recipients.

Show Notes:
 


 


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What A Day - With Next Phase Of Ceasefire Unclear, Gazans Brace For Winter

It's been nearly two months since the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect. The ceasefire is intended to be the first phase of an overarching plan to bring peace to the region after two years of war. But the next steps in the plan seem murky at best. Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported that countries that had planned to deploy troops to Gaza to keep the peace as part of an International Stabilizing Force have backpedaled on their commitments. Meanwhile, Gazans are continuing to struggle – reeling from massive flooding and increasingly cold weather. For more on the current conditions in Gaza, we spoke with Mohammed Aklouk, a coordinator for the Norwegian Refugee Council who lives in Gaza with his family.

And in headlines, Luigi Mangione's lawyers attempt to get key pieces of evidence thrown out in his New York state trial, a federal court rules that Alina Habba has been serving unlawfully as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, and Indiana Republicans continue their push to assist President Donald Trump's calls for partisan gerrymandering.

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Show Notes:


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Pod Save America - Department of War (Crimes)

The House and Senate Armed Services Committees launch an investigation into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after a report that he ordered a second strike on a boat in the Caribbean while survivors were clinging to the wreckage. Was his order a war crime? Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss and then jump into the rest of the news, including the White House's reaction to the shooting of two National Guard members in D.C., Trump's pardon of a former Hondoran president convicted of helping drug traffickers bring hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States, and a special election in Tennessee where the Democrat has a fighting chance to flip a Trump +22 district. Then, Rob Sand, Democratic candidate for governor of Iowa, joins to talk about his race—and how Iowa farmers are reacting to the Trump trade war.


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Strict Scrutiny - December Preview: SCOTUS Doubles Down on Its BS

Kate, Leah, and Melissa kick off the show by speaking with New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin about First Choice Women’s Resource Centers  v. Platkin, whose wonky exterior masks an under-the-radar abortion case. Then they preview the rest of December’s oral arguments, which include cases about the future of the administrative state as we know it, campaign finance, and judicial review of asylum cases. Finally, some legal news, including the dismissal of the James Comey and Letitia James indictments. 

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Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 

  • 3/6/26 – San Francisco
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Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

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What A Day - Trump Capitalizes On The National Guard Shooting

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot just a few blocks away from the White House, on Wednesday. One of the two shooting victims, 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, died of her injuries on Thursday. The alleged shooter is a 29-year-old man from Afghanistan who served in a “Zero Unit,” an Afghan military force that helped the US military. He moved to the United States in 2021 as part of a Biden-era program to help Afghan nationals who had assisted US troops. He was living in Washington State with his family before making the cross-country trip to commit the attack, and he’d reportedly been struggling with mental health issues for years. For more on what role, if any, mental health considerations might have in the judicial process and the overall effectiveness of the DOJ under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, we spoke to Ken White. He’s a federal criminal defense attorney, former federal prosecutor, and the co-host of the legal podcast, Serious Trouble.

And in headlines, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pursues peace between Ukraine and Russia at a lavish Miami golf club, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz defends himself after a New York Times report detailed massive fraud targeting his state’s social services programs, and the person who drew Alabama’s new state Senate map is… an 18-year-old?

Show Notes:


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Pod Save America - Will There Be a Blue Wave in 2026?

Can Democrats repeat their big 2025 wins in next year's midterms? Can the party win back the support of white working-class and Latino voters? Can high-quality candidates overcome an unfavorable Senate map? Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, joins Dan to survey next year's electoral landscape, voters' attitudes towards Trump, and what obstacles stand between Democrats and a blue wave.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.


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Pod Save America - Terminally Online: Live from Crooked Con (Subscription Preview)

Live from Crooked Con, Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, Dan Pfeiffer and producer Elijah Cone record a special episode of our subscriber-exclusive show Terminally Online. They blind-rank 2025's most online politicians and reveal who Crooked Con straw poll participants want to see running for president in 2028.

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For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.


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What A Day - Protecting The Franchise: How Can We Secure Our Elections?

Fear is mounting about the integrity of next year’s elections and all the tricks MAGA World might be able to pull. How valid are those concerns? What are the reasons for confidence? Jane Coaston convenes a discussion with some of the elected officials and experts who know best: Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias, North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, and Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar. This episode was recorded at Crooked Con on November 7th.


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