Today on The Gist we revisit an interview from 2017 with Lena Kahn and play a segment from this week where Mike talked abouts the new popes MAGA brother.
MAGA is having a performative tantrum calling for James Comey to be jailed over a seashell meme because the daily job of Trump's supporters and Cabinet members is to try to warm his heart—that includes Kristi Noem changing her face and Tulsi firing top intel officials because they told the White House the truth it doesn't want to hear. Meanwhile, fentanyl deaths and violent crime fell dramatically last year, and border crossings have plummeted, but the administration keeps hyping a "crisis" to try to justify suspending habeas corpus. Plus, Tim briefly goes back to his comms job, the GOP's bill is not on a glide-path, Dems think their leaders are "spineless," Gavin tries "just win" on for size, Kamala mulls the CA governor's race—and new baby advice!!
Peter Hamby joins Tim Miller for a bountiful weekend pod.
Democrats complain about oligarchs but are the party of the rich. Democrats talk about Trump as a pathological liar but are exposed having lied about Biden's infirmities. How are they going to compete with the energy of the GOP when they seem not to understand themselves? Give a listen.
Is Donald Trump eroding American democracy and consolidating power for himself? Or is he trying to do that and failing? Is this what sliding toward authoritarianism looks like? Or is this what a functioning democracy looks like? And how can you tell the difference?
Two articles came out recently that offer very different perspectives on these questions. In Vox, Zack Beauchamp wrote a piece called “Trump Is Losing,” which argues that Trump’s efforts to cow his enemies and consolidate power are not organized or strategic enough to make a serious dent in our democratic system. In The New Yorker, Andrew Marantz published a piece that he reported in Hungary, about how life in a modern authoritarian regime doesn’t look and feel like you might expect: “You can live through the big one, it turns out, and still go on acting as if — still go on feeling as if — the big one is not yet here,” he writes.
So I invited both Beauchamp and Marantz on the show to debate these big questions: What timeline are we on? What signs are they looking at? If we’ve crossed the line into authoritarianism, how would we know? Is Trump losing? Or is it possible he’s already won?
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Rollin Hu and Jack McCordick. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Elias Isquith, Marina King, Jan Kobal and Kristin Lin. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
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On today’s episode, we’re tracking Trump’s trip to the Middle East and his push for price controls. Plus, covid data tracker Kelley Krohnert, start-stop engines, and girls trip side chats. Tune in!
On his tour of the Middle East, Trump lavishes praise on dictators—as they deposit bribes in his pocket. Republicans, in between defending Trump's jet grift, finalize more details of their "big beautiful bill," which, in addition to gutting Medicaid, now aims to cut food assistance, funding for Planned Parenthood, and Biden's clean energy tax credits. The Supreme Court hears arguments on two important, intertwined questions: whether Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship is constitutional (it's not), and whether federal judges below the Supreme Court can issue nationwide injunctions. Jon and Dan react to the Solicitor General's clueless argument before the justices and new polling on Trump's "inoculation" against corruption attacks, and offer Democrats some advice on how to talk about the GOP's tax cuts. Then Jon sits down with long-time friend of the pod Beto O'Rourke to talk about Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Beto's future in the Lone Star State.
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.
On this week's Progress Report, Zachary and Emma break down some surprising stories of progress, from China’s clean energy boom finally driving down emissions, to Hungary’s unexpected rise as a solar power leader, to a dramatic drop in infant hospitalizations thanks to a new RSV vaccine. Plus, hear the wild tale of the American who built up immunity to snake venom-enduring 900 venom exposures-to help scientists develop a universal anti-venom.
What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.
For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org
American taxpayers may have flown Donald Trump to the Middle East, but he's not there to negotiate on behalf of our strategic or national interests—he's on the prowl for goodies, and happy to make policy changes in return. Like, the new Syrian president offering a Trump Tower in Damascus: Zap, sanctions on Syria are over. Or the jumbo jet-giving Qataris requesting that Trump go 'easy' on Iran: 'Not a problem, no sirree.' Sorry to all the hawkish Trump voters out there who thought he'd deliver a maximum pressure campaign on Tehran. Plus, Russia's Potemkin peace talks with Ukraine, and another installment from ICE's cold-blooded deportation campaign.
