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.
Chapo Trap House - UNLOCKED: The Siege of Cuba feat. Liz Oliva Fernández
Havana-based journalist Liz Oliva Fernández of Belly of the Beast joins us for an interview about the economic siege of Cuba by the United States. We talk about the looming specter of regime change and the collapse of Cuba’s healthcare system and power under the weight of a decades-long blockade. (NOTE: Liz’s connection was a little spotty so the ending of the interview is a little abrupt.)
[This is the second half of our recent premium episode. If you would like to hear the first half where Felix and Will recap recent news such as the El Paso airspace closure and James Fishback's run for governor, subscribe to patreon.com/chapotraphouse].
Watch The War on Cuba: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/the-war-on-cuba
1A - The News Roundup For February 13, 2026
Border czar Tom Homan announced the end of the ICE operation in Minnesota in the coming days following weeks of operations by federal law enforcement in the state.
Customs and Border Patrol officials closed airspace around the El Paso airport this week after firing an anti-drone laser, and failing to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration.
And President Donald Trump ordered pride flags at New York City’s Stonewall National Monument, a prominent site in LGBTQ history, removed as part of a larger campaign to change displays at national parks around the country.
And, in global news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington this week meeting with President Donald Trump. Items on the agenda were Iran, its ballistic missiles, and Iranian nuclear capabilities.
Meanwhile, European leaders gathered in Belgium to counter economic pressure from China and military threats from Russia.
And the Trump Administration threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe Memorial Bridge over disputes with the Canadian government. The structure, which connects Michigan and Ontario, took several years and billions of dollars to build.
We cover the most important stories from around the globe on the News Roundup.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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Customs and Border Patrol officials closed airspace around the El Paso airport this week after firing an anti-drone laser, and failing to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration.
And President Donald Trump ordered pride flags at New York City’s Stonewall National Monument, a prominent site in LGBTQ history, removed as part of a larger campaign to change displays at national parks around the country.
And, in global news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington this week meeting with President Donald Trump. Items on the agenda were Iran, its ballistic missiles, and Iranian nuclear capabilities.
Meanwhile, European leaders gathered in Belgium to counter economic pressure from China and military threats from Russia.
And the Trump Administration threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe Memorial Bridge over disputes with the Canadian government. The structure, which connects Michigan and Ontario, took several years and billions of dollars to build.
We cover the most important stories from around the globe on the News Roundup.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
The Bulwark Podcast - Scott Galloway: Time to Send a Message to the CEOs
In addition to protesting and voting, we have another option hiding in plain sight against this administration: our economic power. Scott says resistance should also include unsubscribing—from one or more streaming platforms, from LLMs, or from ride hailing platforms. Stick it to the CEOs who are enabling Trump and take a piece of hide out of Big Tech, especially Tim Cook’s Apple. There should be an economic downside to supporting ICE. After all, the day Alex Pretti was murdered, Cook was at the White House for a “Melania” screening. Plus, the weak job growth numbers under Trump, the shabby state of our healthcare system, the dangers v. the benefits of AI, the unregulated predictions markets are a breeding ground for bad actors, and young men need to get off their screens, and focus on being healthy, smart, and kind.
Scott Galloway joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes
- Scott's "Resist and Unsubscribe"
- "Notes on Being a Man," Scott's latest book
- The Prof G podcasts
- "Raging Moderates" pod with Scott and Jessica Tarlov
- "Pivot" podcast with Scott and Kara Swisher
- Tim's playlist
- Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE shows in Dallas on March 18 and in Austin on March 19. Plus, we have a handful of seats still available for our second show in Minneapolis on February 18. TheBulwark.com/Events.
The Commentary Magazine Podcast - Noemland Security
Today we discuss a worrisome new Wall Street Journal piece on Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski's conduct at the Department of Homeland Security. Plus, early signs that Trump's iron grip on the Republican party starting to slip, the alarmism surrounding the revocation of the EPA's regulation of CO2, the HHS's assault on medical advancements, and Christine recommends Magda Szabó's The Fawn.
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Federalist Radio Hour - Inside Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Transformation Operation
On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Justin Fulcher, a former senior adviser to Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to discuss cultural transformation of the Department of War under Hegseth and analyze what's next for the world's most powerful military.
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 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 Daily - The Government Shutdown Fight Over Immigration
The U.S. government this weekend is expected to find itself in yet another shutdown. This time, it is only one agency shutting down: the Department of Homeland Security.
Michael Gold, a congressional reporter for The New York Times, explains why Democrats are once again picking a fight over funding with President Trump.
Guest: Michael Gold, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times, based in Washington.
Background reading:
- Senate Democrats refused to move ahead with a spending bill needed to keep the Department of Homeland Security running.
- Video: How Democrats are trying to rein in ICE.
Photo: Elizabeth Frantz 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.
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The Ezra Klein Show - The Infrastructure of Jeffrey Epstein’s Power
At the end of January, Trump’s Justice Department released what it said was the last tranche of the Epstein files: millions of pages of emails and texts, F.B.I. documents and court records. Much was redacted and millions more pages have been withheld. There is a lot we want to know that remains unclear.
But what has come into clear view is the role Epstein played as a broker of information, connections, wealth and women and girls for a slice of the global elite. This was the infrastructure of Epstein’s power — and it reveals much about the infrastructure of elite networks more generally.
Anand Giridharadas is something of a sociologist of American elites. He’s the author of, among other books, “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World” and the forthcoming “Man in the Mirror: Hope, Struggle and Belonging in an American City.” He also publishes the great newsletter The.Ink.
Back in November, after the release of an earlier batch of Epstein files, Giridharadas wrote a great Times Opinion guest essay, taking a sociologist’s lens to the messages Epstein exchanged with his elite friends. So after the government released this latest, enormous tranche of materials, I wanted to talk to Giridharadas to help make sense of it. What do they reveal — about how Epstein operated in the world, the vulnerabilities he exploited and what that says about how power works in America today?
Note: This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, Feb. 10. On Thursday, Feb. 12, Kathryn Ruemmler announced she would be resigning from her role as chief legal officer and general counsel at Goldman Sachs.
This episode contains strong language.
Mentioned:
“How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails” by Anand Giridharadas
“How JPMorgan Enabled the Crimes of Jeffrey Epstein” by David Enrich, Matthew Goldstein and Jessica Silver-Greenberg
“Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons: The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich” by David Enrich, Steve Eder, Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Matthew Goldstein
Book Recommendations:
Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Unpublished Work by Conchita Sarnoff
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.
You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Jack McCordick. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, mixing by Aman Sahota and Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker and Aman Sahota. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
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.
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Getting Hammered® - A250: Gunpowder, Protecting NYC, and Punctuality at the Continental Congress
On Feb. 12, 1776, the journals of the Continental Congress reveal that Major Gen. Lee is very worried about New York and that troops should be sent form Pennsylvania and New Jersey to aid him. The Congress also works on distribution of salt peter for the purposes of making gunpowder and blankets for a batallion. John Hancock urges Pennsylvania Delegate John Dickinson to get to Congress on time to vote the next day.
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The Gist - Not Even Mad: Joe Nocera & Jonah Goldberg
Joe Nocera of The Free Press and Jonah Goldberg of The Dispatch parse the Epstein files fallout on both sides of the Atlantic, from Keir Starmer's London personnel shakeup to America's seemingly bottomless tolerance for shamelessness. Then they pivot to Mark Leibovich's Atlantic provocation, "The Democrats Aren't Built for This," with Nocera arguing the party's job is simple, win elections, and Goldberg blaming weak parties and primary incentives that elevate activist frippery over median-voter politics. The back half turns into a partial necropsy of The Washington Post, with "Wordle" as an explanation to why the Times scaled and the Post stalled. Plus, Goat Grinders: AI narrated pro-Trump government ads, mandatory adoration in TV recaps, and the great tennis ball fuzz conspiracy.
Produced by Corey Wara
Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig
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