Author: Pod Save America

The State of the Union has arrived. Will war with Iran come with it? Jon, Tommy, and Lovett react to reports that Trump is considering launching air strikes against Iran in the coming days and then jump into the rest of the news, including the President's decision to impose a new fifteen percent global tariff—after the Supreme Court ruled his existing ones were illegal—Kash Patel's taxpayer-funded trip to party with the U.S. men's hockey team, and the various ways Congressional Democrats are planning to respond to tonight's State of the Union address. Then, Lovett chats with MS NOW's Symone Sanders-Townsend and Eugene Daniels about the Democratic Party's 2028 frontrunners, the Crockett-Talarico Texas primary, and their new podcast, "MS NOW Presents: Clock It."

The Supreme Court tanks Donald Trump's tariff program in a 6-3 ruling supported by two of his hand-picked justices. Lovett talks to Jerusalem Demsas, economics writer and editor-in-chief of The Argument, about the epic presidential tantrum that followed and what Trump might do now. Then they discuss the findings from a new Argument poll about the backlash to trans rights, why Congress won't assert itself as a coequal branch, the way forward for housing policy, and why all the commentary about the anti-Trump resistance being "cringe" is missing the point.

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.

Trump's economic messaging tour takes him to Georgia, where he claims "I've won affordability"—as White House advisors concede in a high-level meeting that he "will do what he wants to do, say what he wants to say." No surprise then that Republican strategists are beginning to go public with their fears about the midterms. Jon and Dan react to all the latest, including Trump's plans for war in Iran, the saga of Texas Senate candidate James Talarico's cancelled interview with Stephen Colbert, and the rumored departure of spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, the face of DHS's worst lies.

Live from Sydney, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan discuss the lurid details of The Wall Street Journal exposé on Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski's eye-opening behavior at (and high above) the Department of Homeland Security. Then, they look at the latest with Republicans' efforts to steal the midterms, including Noem's promise to make sure "we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders," RFK Jr.'s new war on donuts, and Barack Obama's advice for Democrats on resolving their differences. Then, they stage their own debate about which Democratic presidential hopeful would be the strongest candidate, drawing names from the 2028 Sorting Hat.

What can we learn from other countries that have lived through dictatorships? How can artists fight authoritarianism? How should an Oscar nominee react to an encounter with ICE on the way to the Academy Awards? Alex Wagner is joined by actor and filmmaker Wagner Moura, star of the Oscar-nominated The Secret Agent — a thrilling, beautiful film set during Brazil’s military dictatorship. You may also remember Moura as Pablo Escobar from Narcos. Wagner and Wagner discuss the political parallels between Brazil and the United States, what Alex Pretti’s killing teaches us about masculinity, and the Trump administration’s distorted response to violence in the streets. They also talk about the importance of cultural memory, what the Epstein Files say about power, Trump’s reaction to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance, and the gutting of The Washington Post. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett will be back in your feeds this week.

Live from Melbourne, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan react to Democrats’ decision to stand firm on ICE funding and force a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, Pam Bondi’s epic meltdown in front of the House Judiciary Committee, Megyn Kelly’s unhinged response to the Bad Bunny halftime show, and what really happened with the the laser weapon that shut down El Paso airspace. Then, the Australian crowd and American hosts attempt to answer questions from each other's citizenship test.

Epstein revelations continue. New files reveal that the notorious sex offender had closer relationships than previously known with Trump’s inner circle, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Ghislaine Maxwell pleads the Fifth to Congress, while her lawyer says she’s “prepared to speak fully and honestly” if Trump agrees to let her out of prison. While Jon, Tommy, and Lovett are overseas, Alex Wagner and Ben Rhodes discuss how the files are rattling politicians around the world, and why consequences have been more severe abroad than in the U.S. There’s also the fight to put limits on ICE playing out in the courts and Congress, Trump’s scheme to celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a fresh grift, and why RFK Jr. can’t be trusted with the Super Bowl snacks.

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.

Epstein revelations continue. New files reveal that the notorious sex offender had closer relationships than previously known with Trump’s inner circle, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Ghislaine Maxwell pleads the Fifth to Congress, while her lawyer says she’s “prepared to speak fully and honestly” if Trump agrees to let her out of prison. While Jon, Tommy, and Lovett are overseas, Alex Wagner and Ben Rhodes discuss how the files are rattling politicians around the world, and why consequences have been more severe abroad than in the U.S. There’s also the fight to put limits on ICE playing out in the courts and Congress, Trump’s scheme to celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a fresh grift, and why RFK Jr. can’t be trusted with the Super Bowl snacks.

Does Trump know ball? Is he afraid of Bad Bunny—or did MAGA just fumble the halftime show? This Super Bowl Sunday, Tommy sits down with journalist and sportswriter Pablo Torre to unpack how America’s once-sacred sports institutions have been overtaken by politics. The two dig into Trump’s long and messy relationship with the NFL, MAGA’s Bad Bunny boycott, and the rise of online sports gambling and prediction markets.

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.

Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, and Mike Johnson hint at plans to steal the midterm elections, from "nationalizing" the voting to straight-up sending ICE to "surround" the polls. Jon and Dan sound the alarm and offer Democrats some advice on how to respond. Then, they react to Border Czar Tom Homan's announcement that 700 DHS officers (out of 3,000) will be leaving Minneapolis, Vice President Vance's refusal to apologize to the family of Alex Pretti for calling him a "domestic terrorist," and Jeff Bezos's gutting of The Washington Post. Then Dan talks to Maine Governor and Senate candidate Janet Mills about ICE's operations in her state, what blue states can do to protect the midterms, and whether the Democratic Party has an age problem.