Despite death threats and harassment, Republicans in Indiana delivered the biggest political setback to Trump since officials in Georgia wouldn’t help him find 11,780 votes in 2020. Turns out, some conservatives at the state level still have enough principles to not gerrymander on demand. Meanwhile, antisemitism, white nationalism, and neo-Nazism are flourishing among the very online right, including among people who used to be showcased by Fox. And they’re chewing on and mainstreaming some of the deepest, darkest conspiracies out there. But now those voices are more influential than the cable channel—even our vice president, ever mindful of 2028, won’t distance himself from the crowd. Plus, MTG’s come to Jesus moment, and the PR instead of reporting that is happening in the press room at the Pentagon
Alyssa Farah Griffin joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
Republican disunity is being obscured by affection for Trump, but just below the surface, MAGA is being pulled apart at the seams. At the same time, the administration is busy committing war crimes while conducting an illegal, nonsensical war, and the FBI is investing progressive groups for their views. The state of free speech protections may be worse than during the Red Scare. Meanwhile, SCOTUS keeps shaping the power of the presidency, Tucker and Candace’s conspiracies and Israel fear-mongering are way past an act, and the Andrew Tates of the manosphere are giving cover to men who just want to be a**holes.
Big boss Trump, who claims the power to run the whole government via executive order and pushes all our allies around, suddenly is a man with no agency when it comes to the economy. He says the high cost of living is a Democratic hoax, or in true Christmas spirit, he’s back to blaming parents for spoiling their daughters with too many dolls. And while his approval rating slips into the the 30s, voters keep rewarding Democrats at the ballot box. On the healthcare front, Republicans have been promising an alternative to Obamacare for 15 years with nothing to show for it. Plus, the corruption of Trump & Co is so pervasive, it’s hard for voters to get their minds around it, and Dems have to go all-in on winning the Senate next year—which means winning independents and non-MAGA republicans in red states.
Neera Tanden, at the Center for American Progress,joins Tim Miller.
Heaping scorn and disdain on Europe, Trump called its countries decaying and its leaders weak, but the U.S. likely needs Europe more than they need us. And while POTUS is whining that Zelensky won't consider his rigged deal with Putin, the corruption of Trump's negotiating team is off the charts, with Witkoff and Kushner trying to work a land deal rather than a peace treaty. Meanwhile, the boat bombings seem to be about performative politics, Hegseth is pushing out another high-ranking black officer—for voicing concerns about the strikes on alleged drug-runners in the Caribbean—and where is the video of that Sept 2 restrike that killed two survivors?
ICE and Border Patrol are kidnapping people in the suburbs near New Orleans based on racial profiling—it’s like the South of 70 years ago. Mini Greg Bovino cares far more about his video team capturing him menacing and harassing people going about their lives than he does about due process and the Fourth Amendment. But despite her own pinup-style social media spreads, Trump may be readying to dump Kristi Noem from DHS. Meanwhile, the administration keeps creating new excuses for why it killed the two shipwrecked men near Venezuela, while also withholding key information. Plus, Trump is handing out more welfare checks to farmers, MTG says MAGA is not America First, the Dems get another shot this week on the affordability issue, Colin Allred may have been unwisely pushed out of the Texas Senate race, and Tim and Bill share a rare ‘you gotta hand it to Ted Cruz’ moment.
Trump is overseeing extrajudicial killings off the coast of Venezuela but nothing was going to stop him from getting a peace prize—even if it’s a fake one from super highly reputable FIFA. He also helped himself to a federal agency that used to work on peace initiatives, but which Elon DOGE’d. Democrats should embrace the spirit of McCain and focus on the massive corruption in the administration around crypto, the ballroom, the pardons, and more. At the same time, the Dems have a disconnect between leaders and the base over Israel, Netanyahu, and AIPAC. Plus, Candace may be less worried about the French taking her out than she plays on her podcast, and Fox doesn’t seem like it’s rooting for war in Venezuela.
Tommy Vietor joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
Trump’s use of his pardon power is downright crazy, and that’s not even counting his rescue of a convicted drug kingpin. He’s also sabotaging his own redistricting plans in Texas by pardoning Rep. Henry Cuellar, and wasting taxpayer money absolving a sports executive who was indicted by his own Justice Department earlier this year. Meanwhile, down in NOLA, two men with a Napoleon complex are unleashing misery of the psychic and economic kind on the city through its ICE and Border Patrol operation. Plus, someone needs to scour the immigration history of Phil Mickelson’s family, and why is Tucker so obsessed with the gays?
Trump’s rallies have been his signature event, but since he returned to the White House, he has stopped doing them. And his allies are worried he’s losing touch with voters, as well as his political antenna. Instead of traveling the country, he’s dining with billionaires, playing golf, and going abroad in search of his elusive peace prize. Meanwhile, he can’t stay awake in own Cabinet meetings. Plus, the heat is on Hegseth, the ex-Honduran president Trump pardoned bragged about stuffing drugs up the noses of Americans, and the results of the Tennessee special election are a good sign for Democrats—and a reminder for the party to go all-in on the gerrymandering war.
There are no shortage of scandals plaguing Washington D.C. right now.
One that has captivated much of the political and media professions involves Olivia Nuzzi, a political writer formerly of the magazine New York, and now an editor with Vanity Fair, who was involved in a relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the 2024 campaign.
Nuzzi’s relationship has provided incredible fodder for the press, not least because her ex-fiance, Ryan Lizza, has penned a multi-part series on the matter where he has unspooled numerous accusations against her and RFK Jr., in anticipation of the publication of Nuzzi’s book, American Canto, which was released Tuesday. Those accusations are quite serious, many of which Nuzzi addresses in her book, including an admission that she secretly aided RFK Jr.’s campaign. The more important ones, however, deal with RFK Jr. himself, including the charge that he has hid drug use and was both manipulative of and threatening to Nuzzi during their relationship.
Nuzzi has not discussed any of it on camera.
Until now.
In a sit down interview with Tim Miller, she talked about the ethical breaches that cost her her job, the conflict between her responsibilities as a reporter, the private relationship that blurred those boundaries, and the fear and isolation she experienced as the scandal unfolded. She describes withdrawing from the world, fleeing across the country, and trying to rebuild her sense of self while contending with public shaming and, what she saw as, the “weaponization” of her personal life against her.
She also offers some insights and revelations regarding the now Health and Human Service secretary, who has denied the relationship. She and Tim discuss her relationship with RFK Jr. and the wreckage that followed, whether he continues to use drugs while occupying a cabinet post, what type of threats she felt, and why she didn’t feel compelled to speak up as it became clear that Kennedy was ascending to remarkable heights of political power.
They also discuss the broader political moment that shaped all of it: the Trump era’s constant tug between reality and spectacle, the corrosion of public trust, and the ways journalists become characters in the dramas they cover.
And they broach one of the more understated questions throughout this entire, sordid ordeal: why even bother writing this book to begin with? Nuzzi explains that writing was an act of survival and the clarity that came from separating herself from Washington, D.C.’s rituals and delusions. Along the way, she says, she became further entrenched in the delusions she was hoping to escape. show notes
As a candidate, Trump knew to steer clear of Project 2025. But as president, he embraced its deeply unpopular policy goals and it has been driving down his poll numbers. Meanwhile, what are we doing with Venezuela? No one in the administration has made a remotely convincing case for the intimidation campaign against President Maduro. And the boat bombings are putting members of our military in legal danger under the guidance of Hegseth. Plus, the threats against legislators in Indiana who aren't going along with redistricting, and the broad-based coalition standing up to ICE—including people in costumes and grannies on scooters—has been one of the most successful responses to Trump's immigration agenda.
