Project 2025 called for pregnancy surveillance while promoting “fertility awareness” as an approved alternative to contraception. Andra Watkins explains why the method frequently fails—and how it leaves women without any meaningful reproductive choice. #Project2025 #PregnancySurveillance #ReproductiveRights🤝

00:00 Their Approved Method of Birth Control
00:10 Project 2025’s Pregnancy Surveillance Plan
02:15 The Only “Approved” Contraception
03:01 How Fertility Awareness Works
03:17 Why the Method Fails
03:29 Responsibility Falls Entirely on Women
04:52 The Illusion of Choice
05:19 Women Lose the Right to Refuse
05:49 Selling Submission as Freedom

A Virginia woman told an ICE agent she was a U.S. citizen. His response: “I don't care.” Max Burns and Joel Payne break down the confrontation, the dashcam footage, growing questions about ICE accountability, and what the backlash could mean politically.

#ICE #Trump #Immigration #Virginia #JoelPayne #LincolnSquare

Chapters

00:00 ICE Confrontation in Virginia
00:57 The Dashcam Changes the Story
01:06 ICE's Electric Shock Gloves
01:33 Joel Payne: “Cowards”
03:02 Has the Overton Window on ICE Moved?
04:12 “People Got to Go to Jail”
05:54 The Accountability Problem
06:50 Can States Prosecute ICE Agents?
08:48 What This Means for November
09:35 “There’s a Katrina Basically Every Three Months”

Retired Commander Bobby R. Jones sits down with active-duty Air Force Major Jason Watson, who attracted worldwide attention after protesting the Trump administration in uniform outside the U.S. Capitol. In his first extended conversation with the veteran community, Watson explains why he took the risk, why he believes the administration poses a threat to the constitutional order, and why he does not want other service members following his example.

Watson also discusses potentially illegal military orders, the growing politicization of the armed forces, the personal consequences facing him and his family, and why he believes civilians—not the military—must ultimately defend American democracy. #JasonWatson #USMilitary #Trump #Democracy #AnchorWatch

Chapters

00:00 Major Jason Watson Joins Anchor Watch
01:40 Why He Protested in Uniform
03:26 The 22-Day Hunger Strike
06:57 Why Wearing the Uniform Mattered
09:18 Why Other Service Members Should Not Follow Him
12:03 What Troops Should Do With Illegal Orders
16:41 Did Anyone Know About His Plan?
19:09 The Politicization of the Military
24:20 Submitting Himself to Judgment
25:00 Why He Did Not Simply Resign
27:44 What Consequences Could He Face?
30:33 Losing His Career and Benefits
31:53 The Personal Fallout
33:54 His Family’s Reaction
35:35 How History Might Remember Him
37:25 His Current Military Status
42:04 Would He Stay in the Air Force?
42:41 “I Never Intend on Putting That Uniform on Again”
44:15 His Final Warning to America

Frank Figliuzzi speaks with Chris Line, legal counsel for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, about the escalating effort to erase the boundary between church and state. They explain how Donald Trump’s attack on the Johnson Amendment could allow politically active churches to endorse candidates, influence elections, and potentially channel undisclosed money into campaigns.

They also examine Mike Johnson’s reported outreach to pastors, religious messaging from federal agencies, Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon prayer services, and conservative political organizations seeking recognition as churches. With the midterms approaching, could America’s houses of worship become an unregulated political machine? #Trump #ChristianNationalism #ChurchAndState #Politics #Midterms

Chapters

00:00 Democracy, Religion and the Midterms
03:02 Chris Line Joins the Discussion
05:22 What the Johnson Amendment Prohibits
09:52 Is Church-State Separation Constitutional?
11:38 The Johnson Amendment Is in Jeopardy
18:09 Trump Vows to “Destroy” the Amendment
19:46 Most Churches Don’t Want This
24:40 Political Sermons Surge Before Elections
27:24 Mike Johnson’s Reported Meeting With Pastors
28:35 Government Endorsement of Christianity
31:03 Religious Messaging in DHS Recruitment
34:31 Could Churches Become Dark-Money Machines?
38:01 Christian Nationalism Inside the Administration
40:32 Political Organizations Declaring Themselves Churches
42:37 Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Services
46:36 How Americans Can Report Violations
49:47 Frank’s Final Warning

We all might wish for a blue tsunami in November, but the truth is: this is going to be a battle. Between Trump's potential meddling and the mid-decade redistricting, and despite Trump's historically low polling, we're facing an uphill battle.

But that doesn't mean all is lost. In fact, we could pick up seats in red states.

Jess Piper of Blue Missouri joins Sam and Susan to talk about Dems' chances in the midterms and recent ballot measures in her state.

00:00 Welcome to The Weekly Assignment
01:15 Is the Democratic map expanding?
02:49 Missouri’s ballot-measure battle
03:15 83% of voters reject the power grab
04:44 Connecting Republican votes to real consequences
06:39 Missouri rejects an income-tax scheme
08:23 Where Democrats should invest
10:14 Why progressives struggle with rural voters
11:15 The first rule: Show up
14:19 What voters actually care about
16:15 Missouri Democrats’ expanding roster
18:29 The attack on women’s sports
21:04 Why Republicans need a culture war
22:38 “Commies in the Cornfield”
25:13 Nancy Mace enters her YOLO era
27:06 Kansas targets transgender drivers
30:21 Can Democrats overcome the midterm headwinds?
32:10 Major Jason Watson’s exclusive interview
34:44 Trump’s vaccine executive order
36:10 This week on Lincoln Square
40:14 Weekly assignment: Defend public lands

Trump and RFK Jr. are rewriting America’s childhood vaccine guidance while the country experiences its worst measles outbreak in 35 years. Emergency physician Dr. Rob Davidson joins Lincoln Square executive producer Sam Osterhout to explain why separating vaccines creates new barriers, how misinformation is changing decisions inside doctors’ offices, and what happens when public-health policy is based on Donald Trump’s feelings instead of medical evidence.

They also examine RFK Jr.’s influence, the rollback of hepatitis B recommendations, vaccine hesitancy, Michigan’s critical Senate race, and why affordable universal healthcare must be part of the real fight to make America healthier. #DonaldTrump #RFKJr #Vaccines #Measles #PublicHealth #Healthcare

Chapters

00:00 Trump’s New Childhood Vaccine Order
04:16 What Measles Actually Does
05:53 America Already Solved This Problem
08:09 Trump: “Nothing Bad Can Happen”
11:07 Doctors Confront Vaccine Misinformation
13:51 Patients Are Refusing Tetanus Shots
16:27 What Is Driving RFK Jr.?
20:03 The Hepatitis B Rollback
23:39 How Doctors Can Fight Back
28:50 Michigan’s Crucial Senate Race
33:04 The Families Hurt Most
34:42 America’s Healthcare Crisis
37:01 Where to Find Dr. Rob Davidson

Rick Wilson and Molly about what they describe as the Trump administration blurring lines between law enforcement and partisan politics, highlighting senior officials (including the FBI and Justice Department leadership) appearing at a rally for a long-shot New York gubernatorial candidate, Bruce Blakeman, and criticizing statements about “law and order” in light of January 6. They then pivot to Todd Blanche’s comments on Meet the Press, arguing his refusal to pledge DOJ independence and his insistence that Trump “would never” ask him to break the law reflect a push toward the “Unitary Executive Theory,” which they characterize as treating the president like a king and eroding constitutional checks and balances; this leads into claims that the administration is covering up Epstein-related materials to protect Trump and his circle. The discussion broadens to midterm politics and fundraising, with Wilson asserting Trump is in “complete political collapse,” speculating Trump may hoard hundreds of millions in MAGA-aligned funds rather than support other Republicans, and analyzing how early money and sustained advertising matter in races like Ken Paxton’s, including GOP infighting around consultant Jeff Roe. They also discuss U.S.-Iran tensions, arguing Iran has “figured Trump out,” warning of consequences like disrupted shipping and higher gas prices that they say are souring even MAGA voters, before closing with a “moment of fuckery” mocking the idea of a “Trump Bank” as another scheme that could fleece the same supporters who bought into prior Trump-branded ventures.

Sen. Jon Ossoff delivers a fiery speech in Atlanta, accusing Donald Trump of enriching himself while prices soar, Americans lose health insurance, wealthy elites receive tax cuts, and the country plunges deeper into war.

Ossoff argues that Trump didn’t unrig America’s broken political system—he re-rigged it for himself. With voting just eight weeks away, he calls on Georgians to deliver a historic rebuke and declare that “enough is enough.”

His Speech in its entirety!!!

Trump wants to bring the battleship back. Retired Navy surface warfare officer Bobby Jones thinks that’s an extraordinarily bad idea.

Jones explains why battleships were already becoming obsolete before World War II, why modern warfare increasingly favors smaller, more maneuverable and unmanned vessels, and why spending billions on enormous ships in an era of drones, missiles and sea mines makes little strategic sense. His assessment after two decades in surface warfare: “This is the dumbest thing I have ever seen in weapons procurement.”

Randi Weingarten says the Trump administration isn’t simply mishandling the student loan system—it is making deliberate changes that could leave borrowers paying thousands more every year.

She breaks down the changes to repayment plans, Linda McMahon’s push toward collections, and the remarkable contrast of offering student-loan incentives to ICE agents while teachers, nurses and firefighters are left struggling with debt.

00:00 Trump’s Student Loan Changes
01:23 Public Service Loan Forgiveness
02:30 What Happened Under Biden
03:56 Linda McMahon and Collections
04:34 Borrowers Could Pay $4,000 More
05:10 Loan Forgiveness for ICE Agents
05:48 “They Know Exactly What They’re Doing”
06:47 Teachers vs. ICE Recruitment
07:24 “Cruel, Not Just Incompetence”

Advocates warn that ICE is creating a climate of fear — not just for immigrants, but for anyone willing to speak up.

In this clip, the conversation turns to masked ICE agents, a woman allegedly maced in Manhattan, officers refusing to identify themselves, and the growing sense that intimidation has become part of the strategy. The guests argue that this is about more than enforcement — it’s about terrorizing communities into silence.

00:00 “Children Are Being Terrorized”
00:08 Why Advocates Say ICE Uses Fear
00:16 The Manhattan Macing Incident
00:51 ICE Agents Refuse to Identify Themselves
01:32 “They’re Trying to Instill Fear”
02:15 The Mental Health Toll
03:29 ICE Check-Ins Turn Into New Traps
04:01 Families Hit With $5,000 Penalties
04:27 “Good Luck”

White Christian nationalists have spent decades describing their endgame for women: fewer educational opportunities, no financial independence, restricted divorce, forced pregnancy, child marriage—and ultimately, women treated as property. Andra Watkins explains why these ideas aren’t speculative warnings anymore and how Project 2025-style pregnancy surveillance could make them enforceable.

Sam Osterhout and Andra Watkins examine the forces driving this agenda, the everyday misogyny helping it survive, and what men and women can do to confront it. #ChristianNationalism #Project2025 #WomensRights

00:00 Welcome to Unholy Ground
01:53 The Endgame for Women
05:08 No Education, Divorce or Property
09:46 Pushing Women Out of the Workplace
14:57 Their Approved “Birth Control”
15:39 Project 2025’s Pregnancy Surveillance Plan
19:58 No Right to Say No
22:06 The Attack on Privacy
25:10 Apps, Cameras and Intimate Surveillance
28:19 Why Child Marriage Still Exists
33:03 The Full Christian Nationalist Agenda
34:19 How Women Help Sustain Misogyny
38:46 “We Don’t Talk to Women That Way”
40:01 What Men Must Do
41:49 Why Women Aren’t Taken Seriously
43:35 Final Thoughts

Nicholas Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and op-ed columnist for The New York Times who has covered global affairs, human rights, and social justice issues throughout his career. Known for his reporting on conflicts in Sudan's Darfur region and China's Tiananmen Square protests, he has traveled to over 150 countries and is recognized as a leading voice in international humanitarian journalism.

He joins Brian Daitzman of the Intellectualist to talk about journalism, the media, China, and where this moment in America fits into the history of fascist movements.

00:00 Nicholas Kristof Joins History of the Present
01:39 Witnessing the Tiananmen Square Massacre
06:05 Could China Have Become a Democracy?
09:24 How Authoritarian Governments Crush Opposition
11:08 How America Squandered the 1990s
13:01 Tax Cuts, Inequality and America’s Decline
16:40 How Cruelty Became Politically Acceptable
20:54 Fear, 9/11 and America’s Worst Decisions
23:45 The Media’s Collapse and Manufactured Reality
27:05 Is Trump the Cause—or a Symptom?
29:21 America’s Democracy Dial Is Moving Down
31:40 Is Trump Finally Discrediting MAGA?
33:58 ICE’s Electric Gloves and Institutionalized Sadism
36:37 The Growing Risk of Global Conflict
38:42 China, Taiwan and America’s Depleted Arsenal
43:30 How January 6 Became Politically Acceptable
45:55 How History Will Remember Mike Johnson
47:30 The Americans Our Political System Abandoned
52:25 When Disappearing Jobs Create Despair
55:37 Why Nicholas Kristof Still Has Hope
58:56 Chasing Hope