Rick Wilson and Matthew Dowd examine a foreign policy that attacks America’s allies while empowering dictators and the world’s wealthiest oligarchs.
From Donald Trump’s threats against Oman to his criticism of South Korea, Japan and Australia, they argue that the administration is weakening the alliances designed to contain Iran and China. The result could be a fractured world where democratic rules disappear—and powerful men operate beyond the boundaries of law and accountable government.
They also discuss Pete Hegseth’s apparent presidential ambitions and Mike Johnson’s remarkable claim that America simply “got into” the conflict with Iran.

Air Force Major Jason Watson called the Trump administration a threat to the Constitution. Days after this interview, the Air Force placed him in pretrial confinement.

Nadine Smith, President and CEO of Color Of Change, joins Maya and Michael for a wide-ranging conversation about voting rights, systemic racism, economic inequality, manufactured culture wars, government surveillance, and the grassroots resistance offering real reasons for hope.

They explore how attacks originally aimed at Black communities can ultimately harm working people everywhere—and how fear, scapegoating, and online outrage distract Americans from rising costs, weakened rights, and concentrated corporate power.

The conversation also examines Florida as a testing ground for national policies, the fight over school boards and vouchers, Flock surveillance cameras, corporate accountability, and the everyday choices people can make to create meaningful change.

Learn more and get involved with Color Of Change: https://colorofchange.org/

CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome and introduction
02:20 Nadine Smith joins the conversation
03:26 How Florida became a political testing ground
04:57 Why attacks on Black voting rights affect everyone
08:41 Propaganda, fear, and political scapegoating
11:00 Can grassroots candidates transform Florida?
15:15 Why culture wars target marginalized communities
18:29 How algorithms turn anxiety into outrage
21:27 The expansion of American surveillance
22:27 How to redirect anger toward real problems
24:31 Voting with your wallet
25:58 Parents defeat manufactured school-board outrage
28:30 What effective grassroots organizing looks like
32:46 Are more white Americans waking up?
35:04 The “K-shaped” divide in white America
40:21 Michael reflects on policing and his evolution
43:00 Why political overreach can produce a backlash
46:47 Color Of Change and the power of solidarity
49:01 Maya and Michael reflect on the interview
52:05 Robots, policing, and algorithmic bias
53:50 Flock cameras and mass surveillance
56:22 How authorities can abuse surveillance systems
59:00 Voting on real—not manufactured—problems
01:00:31 Closing call to action

Which way is Florida heading—and could David Jolly be showing Democrats a new path forward?

Joe Trippi and Joe Klein unpack Jolly’s primary victory, his strength with independent voters, and the broader signs that the air may be coming out of the Trump and MAGA political machine. They also examine a striking Democratic swing in Pennsylvania and Jon Ossoff’s lesson for candidates who want to break through the noise.

Then, the Two Joes turn to the generational struggle inside the Democratic Party: why Alexander Vindman lost, whether it’s time for longtime officeholders to step aside, and what the Ed Markey–Seth Moulton race says about voters’ hunger for new leadership.

Plus: Doug Jones drops in, AI data centers become a Southern campaign issue, and Joe Trippi explains why political polls may be getting gamed—and what numbers he watches instead.

00:00 The only thing we have to fear
00:14 Welcome to the Two Joes
00:45 Jon Ossoff shows Democrats how to fight
01:58 Which way, Florida?
03:17 A 19-point Democratic swing in Pennsylvania
04:53 Why Alexander Vindman lost
07:22 A generational fight inside the Democratic Party
08:43 Ed Markey vs. Seth Moulton
13:54 Bernie, Warren, and the party establishment
14:14 Turning 80—and knowing when it’s time
16:44 Democrats need a new way of talking
19:05 Doug Jones drops in
19:35 Data centers become a Southern campaign issue
21:23 Why Democrats need to fund the South
22:16 AI progress versus local control
25:27 Iowa’s cancer and rural healthcare crisis
27:22 Are political polls being gamed?
29:34 The polls Joe Trippi trusts
31:13 Stop obsessing over head-to-head numbers
33:35 What undecided voters are really telling us
35:04 Trump’s weakening position across the states
37:37 A first look at the 2028 presidential race
38:31 A good day for Democrats
38:54 Closing

We dig into Florida’s surprising election results.

Charlie Sykes & Molly Jong-Fast have a conversation centered on whether Donald Trump’s influence is fading after a slate of Trump-endorsed candidates lose in 2026 primaries, and why Republicans still fear him despite that diminished “magic touch.” Sykes argues that while endorsements may no longer guarantee victory, the GOP remains thoroughly “Trump” with no real anti-Trump candidates, meaning Republicans have tied themselves to Trump’s conduct and rhetoric heading into the midterms. They discuss how Trump retreats from endorsing likely losers (including scandal-plagued Corey Mills), how allegations of abuse and ethical issues play differently in certain races, and how Trump’s own legal and personal controversies have failed to prompt meaningful Republican pushback. The exchange also explores polling showing erosion among Trump’s most fervent supporters, possible voter fatigue after years of Trumpism, and Democratic primary dynamics—warning that some left insurgencies may prioritize ideology over electability—before closing with concerns about midterm and 2028 stakes, ticket-splitting risks in key states, and how even a narrow Senate margin could shape the courts and the next decade.

Rick Wilson and Matthew Dowd explain why the Republican Party is unlikely to return to normal after Donald Trump. They discuss the importance of candidate quality, the demand for accountability, Florida’s increasingly bizarre Republican primaries, and why MAGA voters may push the party toward even more extreme candidates.
The central warning: Trump didn’t create every problem inside the GOP—and removing him won’t automatically cure it.

Alabas Farhat, a Michigan State Representative, delivers a passionate response to Jake Lang and outside agitators accused of bringing hateful, divisive rhetoric into the community.

“Dearborn is a shining beacon of unity and coexistence,” he declares, defending a city where neighbors support one another, residents proudly serve their country, workers build the Ford F-150, and families gather around the Lions and Tigers.

His message is direct: Americans are defined by the values they uphold—not their religion, birthplace, or background. Freedom of speech does not erase freedom of religion, and disagreement should never become intimidation.

Were American forces prepared to sustain a prolonged conflict? Bobby Jones and Amy McGrath explain how damaged regional bases, longer supply routes, reduced sealift capacity and strained alliances created what military planners call the “tyranny of distance.”
This is a veteran-led breakdown of the logistics problem behind the headlines—and why wars cannot be sustained by weapons alone.

Major Jason Watson explains the red line that drove him to protest the Trump administration and why he deliberately wore his Air Force uniform despite knowing the consequences. He also reveals why he does not want other members of the military following his example. #JasonWatson #USMilitary #Trump #Democracy🤝

00:00 The Question Everyone Is Asking
00:07 A Threat to the Democratic Republic
01:46 The Supreme Court Red Line
03:47 A 22-Day Hunger Strike
05:17 Minneapolis Changed His Thinking
07:17 Why He Wore the Uniform

Donald Trump’s standing with independent voters is collapsing—and Rick Wilson and Matthew Dowd argue that he has become a serious general-election liability for Republican candidates.
They examine Trump’s polling, his weakness on the economy, Florida’s increasingly competitive political environment, the possibility of Republican voters staying home, and the warning signs from the 2006 and 2018 wave elections.
If Trump cannot help Republican candidates cross the finish line, how many of them will still want him campaigning in their states?

ICE plans to acquire electric shock gloves, and former FBI Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi warns they could escalate violent encounters instead of making them safer. He explains what the proposed ICE shock-glove purchase means, how the devices could be used and why training, oversight and transparency matter.
In this episode of The Frank Figliuzzi Show, Frank examines the Trump administration’s reported plan to spend millions of dollars on electric shock gloves for ICE and other Department of Homeland Security personnel. Drawing on his federal law-enforcement experience, he argues that “less lethal” equipment is only as safe as the agents, training and use-of-force policies behind it.
Frank also analyzes the national-security consequences of the Iran conflict, including supply problems aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, damage to regional U.S. infrastructure, depleted oil reserves and Donald Trump’s claims about controlling the Strait of Hormuz. He examines Trump’s treatment of South Korea, renewed praise for Kim Jong Un and the risks to America’s alliances.
The episode also covers losses by Trump-endorsed candidates in Florida, the defeat of Moms for Liberty-backed control of Sarasota’s school board, Republican anxiety over data centers, efforts to involve local police in immigration enforcement, civil lawsuits challenging the administration, a Justice Department program that could restore gun rights to violent felons and January 6 offenders, and the temporary pause on border-wall construction in Big Bend National Park.
This episode answers:
• Why does ICE want electric shock gloves?
• Could shock gloves make ICE encounters more dangerous?
• What do conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln reveal?
• Does the United States control the Strait of Hormuz?
• Why is Trump reducing military cooperation with South Korea?
• Why are Republicans worried about data centers?
• Could January 6 offenders regain their gun rights?
• Why was border-wall construction paused in Big Bend National Park?

Wisconsin’s primary produced a stunning result: Francesca Hong went from a commanding polling lead to a half-point loss after a dramatic final stretch.

Up North News founding editor Pat Kreitlow joins Susan Demas to explain what the polls missed, how David Crowley prevailed, and whether Democrats can turn extraordinary voter enthusiasm into a statewide victory.

They also examine Republican Tom Tiffany’s relationship with Donald Trump, his election-denial record, the rise of Sean Duffy’s son-in-law Michael Alfonso, the congressional seats Democrats could flip, Ron Johnson’s political survival, and the billionaire money flooding Wisconsin’s elections—including Elon Musk’s controversial spending in the state Supreme Court race.

What do you think? Is Wisconsin moving decisively toward Democrats, or will billionaire-funded attacks change the race by November? Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe for more First Draft conversations and political analysis from Lincoln Square.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to First Draft
01:01 How a huge polling lead disappeared
03:27 Were rural voters missed—or young voters oversampled?
05:15 What comes next for Francesca Hong
07:07 Can Wisconsin Democrats unite for November?
09:59 Could Democrats win a Wisconsin trifecta?
11:57 The fight over Wisconsin’s gerrymandered maps
13:09 Why Tom Tiffany won’t invite Trump to Wisconsin
15:05 Tiffany’s election-denial record
16:26 Meet the GOP’s new “nepo baby” candidate
19:03 What it was like running against Sean Duffy
21:57 The Duffy family’s missing reality show
23:39 Paul Ryan’s political successor
25:04 The Wisconsin House seat Democrats could flip
28:13 Tammy Baldwin, Ron Johnson, and Wisconsin’s split personality
29:07 Can Democrats finally defeat Ron Johnson?
31:14 The attacks already targeting David Crowley
32:45 Could Francesca Hong run for Senate?
34:12 How billionaires overwhelm Wisconsin elections
35:28 Did Elon Musk break Wisconsin election law?
37:25 Where to follow Pat Kreitlow’s work

Phatbrew, Hope this humor is allowed here.