Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was under the spotlight this week. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are demanding video and audio of a “double-tap” strike he ordered on a boat allegedly carrying drugs into the U.S.
The Trump administration has halted immigration applications from 19 countries. This comes after the shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan national in Washington D.C.
The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against food manufacturers over ultra processed products. It’s the first of its kind and argues that cities and states have been burdened with treating the diseases the food causes.
Meanwhile, graphic depictions of at least two survivors being killed by a second U.S. military strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat sparked outrage on Capitol Hill. This comes as tensions between Caracas and Washington reach a fever pitch.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro confirmed that he did speak with President Donald Trump in a phone call that he described as “cordial.”
An American delegation attended talks in Moscow, hoping to end the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to compromise during negotiations.
And the Israeli government announces it will reopen the Rafah border crossing, but only to for Palestinians to leave Gaza.
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The Gist - Funny You Should Mention: Mohanad Elshieky
Mohanad Elshieky joins Funny You Should Mention with stories that make Benghazi feel less like a political Rorschach test and more like the small town where he learned comedy by roasting his siblings and dodging unlicensed militias. He walks us through the dictatorship-era silence around politics, the sudden rise of ISIS-adjacent checkpoints, and the knife-wielding "helper" who hijacked his car only to request a future hangout. We also dig into the Greyhound incident that vaulted him into national headlines, why clapter makes his skin crawl, and how Portland's well-meaning curiosity can feel like its own border crossing.
Produced by Corey Wara
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The Bulwark Podcast - Tommy Vietor: The ‘Peace’ President
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.
show notes
Tommy Vietor joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes
-
Tommy's podcast, "Pod Save the World"
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Hillary on TikTok influencing young people's opinions on Israel
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Ben Rhodes's piece on Israel in the NYT
- Tim's playlist
- Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BULWARK at https://www.oneskin.co/BULWARK
#oneskinpod
Federalist Radio Hour - Inside The Complex Policy Battle Over AI
On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Neil Chilson, former FTC chief technologist and head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute, joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to sort through the fact and fiction about artificial intelligence, explain AI's role in the job market, health care, and politics, and examine the legal challenges that come with governing its use.
You can find Chilson's book Getting Out of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World here.
If you care about combating the corrupt media that continue to inflict devastating damage, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism America needs.
You can find Chilson's book Getting Out of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World here.
If you care about combating the corrupt media that continue to inflict devastating damage, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism America needs.
The Commentary Magazine Podcast - JD Vance’s Christmassy Hanukkah Party
Enough with the pomposity about gerrymandering—each party does it and the other one has a cow and then they switch positions and do it all over again. Latest example: Texas. Also, Tom Cotton defends the boat strike, JD Vance puts a "Golden Noel" label on an event celebrating a Jewish holiday, and we answer listener mail. Plus I recommend the hilarious performances of Walter Matthau in The Sunshine Boys and Edith Evans in The Importance of Being Earnest. Give a listen.
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Getting Hammered - A Near-Christmas Miracle: We’re Back!
In the inaugural independent episode of "Getting Hammered," Vic and MK decide to bring back the show at least once a week this holiday season, with thanks to all you listeners who have stuck around during hiatus season. In the near future, we'll concoct some ways for you to support the show as we head toward the new year, whether it's premium content, subscriptions, or contributing to our holiday cocktail fund. In the meantime, you can help by subscribing, listening, reviewing, and spreading the word. Today, Vic and MK do a review of Thanksgiving health damage, Christmas traffic, and MK's kids destroying decor before diving into U.S. military attacks on alleged drug-trafficking boats near Venezuela, the law of the sea, Franklin memes, Aftyn Behn, midterm forecasts, special elections, and people who should not sing on stage, the Minnesota massive fraud story, and the drama, drama, drama of Lane Kiffin.
10:10 Narco Terrorist
21:45 Minnesota
31:25 2026 Prospects
44:39 Lane Kiffin
The Daily - The Lonely Work of a Free-Speech Defender
Warning: This episode contains strong language and mentions of suicide.
Over the past year, the federal government has taken a series of actions widely seen as attacks on the First Amendment.
Greg Lukianoff, the head of a legal defense group called the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, speaks to Natalie Kitroeff about what free speech really means and why both the left and the right end up betraying it.
Guest: Greg Lukianoff, the president and chief executive of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
Background reading:
- Read Mr. Lukianoff’s guest essay for New York Times Opinion from September.
Photo: Moriah Ratner for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
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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Federalist Radio Hour - ‘The Kylee Cast’ feat. Clare Morell, Ep. 20: Stop Soothing Your Kid With A Digital Pacifier
On this episode of "The Kylee Cast," tech expert and author Clare Morell joins Kylee Griswold to explain why a screen-free childhood is not only necessary but possible! Clare and Kylee dive into why interactive screens are particularly problematic, the dangers of screens and AI in classrooms, the myth of parental controls, and why screens are less like harmful digital sugar and more like deadly digital fentanyl.
Buy Clare's book, "The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones," here: https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Exit-Practical-Freeing-Smartphones/dp/059373629X
More resources available here: https://sites.prh.com/thetechexitbook
Follow Clare on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetechexit/
The Federalist Foundation is a nonprofit, and we depend entirely on our listeners and readers — not corporations. If you value fearless, independent journalism, please consider a tax-deductible gift today at TheFederalist.com/donate. Your support keeps us going.
Buy Clare's book, "The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones," here: https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Exit-Practical-Freeing-Smartphones/dp/059373629X
More resources available here: https://sites.prh.com/thetechexitbook
Follow Clare on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetechexit/
The Federalist Foundation is a nonprofit, and we depend entirely on our listeners and readers — not corporations. If you value fearless, independent journalism, please consider a tax-deductible gift today at TheFederalist.com/donate. Your support keeps us going.
The Gist - TJ Raphael on the Liberty Godparent Trap and the Cost of Coercion
TJ Raphael, host of the series Liberty Lost, joins Mike to investigate the "Liberty Godparent Home"—a facility on Liberty University's campus where pregnant teens were allegedly pressured into adoption under the guise of spiritual redemption—and discuss why the financial incentives of the "adoption industrial complex" often cause the promise of open adoption to fall apart. Plus, Mike breaks down President Trump's "pardoning fiesta" and does the "Cocaine Math" on whether federal prosecutors are getting high on their own sentencing statistics.
Produced by Corey Wara
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