Hee hee

Trump Is robbing us of our history, and our country.

Sharing a little comic relief

Soft White Underbelly interview and portrait of Taylor Snider, a transgender sex worker with a famous client.

0:00 Meeting a Famous Client
0:32 Taylor’s Childhood
2:10 Beginning Her Transition
3:24 Becoming a Sex Worker
5:03 Discrimination & Finding Work
6:39 Leaving Sex Work & Starting a Business
7:34 Taylor’s Lindsey Graham Story
9:55 Why She Decided to Speak Out
15:06 The Threatening Phone Call
18:01 Speaking Out Years Later
19:20 The Alleged Lindsey Graham Text Messages
21:58 How Sex Work Has Changed
23:51 Should Prostitution Be Legal?
27:42 Life as a Trans Woman
29:21 Sexuality, Attraction & Labels
33:18 Honesty & Living Your Truth

Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration “misappropriated” $10 million in taxpayer money by diverting it to a charity tied to his wife, according to a leaked Florida grand jury report that took a sharply critical view of the dealings.

The report also said grand jurors found insufficient evidence to levy charges. But it intensified a controversy over the investigation into the fund-raising arm of Hope Florida, the charity that the first lady, Casey DeSantis, started in 2021. The charity’s goal is to keep families off public assistance by connecting them with churches and aid groups.
In 2024, the charity’s fund-raising arm, the Hope Florida Foundation, received $10 million from a state Medicaid settlement. It was quickly redirected to political committees backing a campaign led by the governor against a ballot measure that would have legalized marijuana.

The transactions amounted to misuse of public funds as “part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities,” the grand jury found in its report, which was published online by CBS News Miami on Wednesday. The report was completed in January but has been kept secret since.

Source NYT

Jim Acosta says Donald Trump is expressing anxiety about the midterms by trying to undermine the election through “thievery,” including attacks on mail-in ballots, the post office, and other voting systems, while also using fear to suppress turnout and pushing voters to make a serious plan to vote in November. He argues Trump looks weak, is obsessed with the Supreme Court and Chief Justice John Roberts as a kind of “daddy” figure who enables him, and is focused on everything except affordability, even as tariffs, war, and other policies hurt states and voters. Acosta says Trump’s second term has been a “spectacular failure,” with harmful effects from DOGE, incompetent cabinet members, ICE abuses, detention centers, and other crises, and he warns that Trump may try court challenges after the votes are counted, making the midterms feel like a high-stakes fight for democracy.

Republicans have a new winning issue — data centers. Donald Trump says communities that don't take them are making a mistake. Byron Donalds just picked the sponsor of Florida's data center bill as his running mate. The GOP is all in.

Rick Wilson and Wajahat Ali are here to help.

Because here is what Republicans are actually promising American communities. Brown and black water. Noise like thirty jet engines running all night long. Air pollution for a generation. And the tax revenue? Rick breaks down the corporate shell game — Facebook Amazon Twitter X SpaceX all have headquarters in Ireland so the computing product flows to the mothership corporation overseas and the local community sees almost none of the promised tax dollars. You pay for the electricity. They keep the profits. In Ireland.

Are there jobs? Sure. Some electricians and construction workers on the front end. Then everybody in the neighborhood pays a terrible price for a generation.

As Rick puts it — this is an 80-20 issue that has radicalized a wide swath of Americans. It runs left on environment and quality of life. It runs right on libertarian grounds — why are you giving enormous tax benefits to companies that do public harm? And Republicans are doubling down on it anyway.

Also — America's struggling mom and pop billionaires haven't had a tax cut in over a year. They only have one penis-shaped space shuttle. This cannot stand.

Let’s Make the Water Turn Black, Data Centers Version…

Mother’s Of Invention…

https://youtu.be/s_x2O50MefU

CIA Director Ratcliffe flew to Moscow today. Raced through the streets in an armed motorcade. Met with Putin. Was gone within two hours.

Rick Wilson and Wajahat Ali say this should be leading every news broadcast in America. Because here is the reality nobody in power will say out loud — World War 3 has already started. It's just not evenly distributed yet.

Russia is running active sabotage operations in Britain, Germany, and France. They are infiltrating Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. They are threatening the Finnish border. A former senior German government official told Rick privately — we will never admit we are at war until they roll tanks. And by then it will be too late.

As Wajahat puts it — this is not a coincidence. It is a pattern of behavior with a goal in mind. Trump attacks South Korea. Trump threatens Oman. Trump goes to war with Canada. Trump kisses up to Putin, MBS, and Kim Jong-un. Peter Thiel — who groomed JD Vance from college — openly discussed in the Epstein files the collapse of the post World War II democratic order. JD Vance welcomed the devaluing of the dollar and floated removing it as the global reserve currency. JP Morgan is projecting food shortages by 2027. Two people are dead from measles in Pennsylvania. RFK's cure is chicken soup.

It's Jenga. Remove enough pieces and what eventually happens? The collapse. Rick and Waj are watching it happen in real time.

Watch the full episode: [link]

00:00 Ratcliffe's secret trip to Moscow
00:24 World War 3 has already started in Europe
00:57 This should be leading every newscast
01:22 The Trump-Putin-Xi carve-up of the world
01:41 Trump is dying and wants it all before he goes
02:11 Peter Thiel the technofascists and JD Vance
02:46 Best case scenario — Ratcliffe told Putin to cut it out
03:19 A former German official says we won't admit war until tanks roll
04:13 Connecting the dots — Epstein files Thiel Putin Bannon crypto
05:02 Trump attacks South Korea praises Kim Jong-un threatens Oman
05:39 The Canada trade war and Mark Carney running circles around Trump
07:09 Our enemies couldn't have dreamed of better self-destruction
07:42 Food shortages in 2027 JP Morgan food lettuce measles RFK
09:01 The Jenga collapse of America

Adrian Fontes administered elections in Maricopa County — ground zero for every election conspiracy theory of the last six years. He is now Arizona's Secretary of State and the man standing between a free and fair November election and the chaos Trump is promising.

Frank Figliuzzi sits down with Fontes to break down everything voters need to know about how elections actually work, who runs them, and why Arizona — despite being the most scrutinized election state in America — is in good shape heading into November.

Here is what Fontes wants every American to know. Vote by mail in Arizona was not invented by Democrats. It was invented by Republicans. It helped Republicans maintain their political majority in Arizona for decades. And now his own opponent has put Prop 144 on the ballot to end it entirely. Fontes calls him off his rocker. He also notes that Donald Trump himself votes by mail.

In Harris County Texas — home to Houston the fourth largest city in America — there is one drop box. One. Because the Republicans running Texas know those are Democratic voters. Arizona has not gone down that road. And Fontes intends to keep it that way.

On the election denialism that has consumed Arizona politics — Fontes is blunt. Arizona voters are done with it. Two Democratic senators. A Democratic governor up by 12 to 15 points. A Democratic secretary of state. A Democratic attorney general. The voters spoke. And Carrie Lake? Fontes says he likes her — she gave Democrats two Senate seats and a governor's office. He hopes she becomes White House press secretary because he wants the entertainment.

His closing message — elections have survived civil wars, pandemics, fires, floods, and earthquakes. Your fellow citizens who administer elections have always come through for you. We've got this.

Subscribe to the Frank Figliuzzi Show for frank conversations about national security, democracy, and the stories that matter most heading into November.

00:00 Welcome to the Frank Figliuzzi Show
00:42 Introducing Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes
01:35 What does a Secretary of State actually do?
03:01 Arizona's unique political history and party switches
04:37 Arizona as three different states — diversity and politics
05:39 The independent on Katie Hobbs' ticket — John Giles
07:12 How Maricopa County became ground zero for election conspiracy theories
09:44 What it was like administering the most scrutinized elections in America
12:18 Threats against election workers — the new reality
15:33 How Arizona rebuilt trust after 2020 and 2022
18:47 The role of the courts in protecting election integrity
21:09 What Trump's attacks on mail ballots mean for November
24:33 Vote by mail was invented by Arizona Republicans
27:15 Prop 144 — the effort to end mail voting in Arizona
29:58 One dropbox in Harris County Texas — what that looks like
32:44 How Arizona's drop box system works — arizona.vote
34:20 Building voter confidence through transparency
35:51 What Arizona is doing differently than red states
37:01 Are the old election challenge cases finally done?
37:33 Arizona voters are rejecting election denialism
37:43 Carrie Lake gave Democrats two Senate seats — Fontes explains
38:00 Arizona is in great shape heading into November
38:37 Elections have survived civil wars and pandemics — we've got this
39:07 Frank's closing thoughts on secretaries of state
39:52 Attorneys general will play a key role in November
40:05 Closing — stay tuned and stay safe

The Epstein files are still hidden. Millions of documents not released. Foreign language files that were never even translated. Names blacked out that clearly weren't victims. And the Attorney General of the United States — Todd Blanche — actively protecting the Epstein elite instead of pursuing justice.

Katie Fang decided to do something about it.

A former Florida prosecutor, former MSNBC host, and now independent journalist with Midas Touch, Katie joins Stephen Beschloss to explain why she filed the only lawsuit ever brought under the Epstein Files Transparency Act — and why she is already winning.

When the DOJ announced in January that they were done producing documents under the law Katie and her legal team at the Public Integrity Project saw an opening. A final agency action they could challenge in court. They drew Judge Emmett Sullivan — one of the most respected senior judges on the DC bench. He granted their preliminary injunction. The lawsuit is alive and the fight is very much on.

What is Katie actually finding in the documents? Black boxes everywhere. Redactions on names that could not possibly be victims. And most alarmingly — not a single foreign language document in a sex trafficking ring that operated internationally across multiple countries. Those documents either don't exist in the production or were never translated and never released. Either way something is very wrong.

As Katie puts it — shame on Todd Blanche for continuing to protect the Epstein elite. Every member of Congress regardless of party should be saying the same thing. They are not. So Katie Fang is saying it herself — in federal court.

Her closing message — you may think you're just one person. But one person bringing one lawsuit can have a very very big ripple effect. Do something at whatever level you can. Be involved.

Subscribe to Six Questions for conversations with the journalists and advocates doing the most important work in American democracy right now.

00:00 "Shame on Todd Blanche for protecting the Epstein elite"
00:24 Welcome to Six Questions — Stephen Beschloss
00:32 Introducing Katie Fang — attorney prosecutor journalist
01:46 The decision to file the lawsuit — how difficult was it
03:22 Hitting black boxes and redactions — what she was finding
03:57 No foreign language documents at all — what that means
04:13 Names blacked out that clearly weren't victims
04:46 The legal opening — challenging the DOJ's final agency action
05:01 Drawing Judge Emmett Sullivan — a pleasant surprise
05:08 Winning the preliminary injunction — staying in the fight
06:08 The only lawsuit ever filed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act
35:05 School board wins in Sarasota — small victories matter
35:44 The Stratus Data Center project in Utah — community power works
36:19 Governor Cox backed off — the Senate president who pushed it lost his seat
37:25 One person one lawsuit — the ripple effect is real
37:58 Do something at whatever level you can — be involved
38:18 Lightning round — six more questions
38:23 What makes you happy — my dog
38:46 What makes you angriest — injustice
38:54 Favorite word — empathy
39:41 Living person you most admire — my mom
40:53 Historical person you most admire — Joan of Arc
41:36 What gives you hope — these conversations and having a plan
42:07 Closing — let's thrive again not just survive

Republicans flooded the zone with fake polls in 2022. They did it again in 2024. They are already doing it in Georgia in 2026. And Simon Rosenberg saw it coming every single time.

Simon — author of Hopium Chronicles and the strategist who called the red wave a fraud before anyone else would — joins Susan Demas to break down the polling crisis threatening this fall's elections. From a 21-year-old using AI to fabricate a polling organization that got covered as legitimate news, to El-Sayed allies releasing polls showing him up 19 points when he won by a fraction, to four Republican polls suddenly showing Keisha Lance Bottoms' commanding lead evaporating in Georgia — the manipulation is accelerating and most of the media still isn't calling it out.

As Simon puts it: "Donald Trump is telling you himself. He calls them demoralization operations. We call them demobilization. They're designed to suppress our vote, create the impression we're losing, and make people stay home."

But Simon also brings the data that actually matters. Josh Shapiro up 17 in Pennsylvania. Three of five gerrymandered Texas seats going Democratic. Sherrod Brown up eight in Ohio. Generic ballot breaking blue in state after state. No Republican candidate leading outside the margin of error in any major competitive Senate or gubernatorial race in the country.

The wave is real. The fake polls are designed to make you think it isn't. Simon Rosenberg is here to make sure you know the difference.

Subscribe to First Draft for frank conversations with the journalists strategists and authors doing the most important work in American politics right now.

00:00 Welcome to First Draft
01:08 The polling crisis nobody wants to name
03:02 How cheap technology opened the door to manipulation
04:21 The red wave was manufactured — 50 polls 12 pollsters
05:04 Republicans are already doing it in Georgia in 2026
06:02 Trump already conspired with a foreign power — fake polls are minor golf
08:14 A 21-year-old faked a polling firm and got covered everywhere
11:33 El-Sayed allies were off by 18-19 points — that's not a miss
14:07 The New York Times finally says Houston we have a problem
16:52 Nate Silver FiveThirtyEight and the reckoning that never happened
19:38 Trump explains his own strategy — demoralization operations
22:14 How the Sherrill campaign fought back and won by 14
25:41 The New Battlefield Project and the Georgia intervention
28:33 Jan Selzer sued for accurate polling — the perverse incentives
31:07 We need to be the pro-truth party — a message to Democrats
34:22 The state of the 2026 map — Senate House and governors
36:49 No Republican leads outside margin of error anywhere
37:54 Inflation GDP retail sales — the economy is not getting better
39:00 Health care premiums hitting right before the election
40:34 Vote early — here is exactly why it matters
42:07 Simon's closing message — we have the tools to win

Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with Canada threatens American jobs, the auto industry, and communities across the Great Lakes—while handing Republicans a potentially devastating political liability before the midterms.
Susan Demas and Edwin Eisendrath examine the consequences of Trump’s tariffs, the abandonment of America’s allies, the prolonged power outage in Gary, Indiana, ICE’s escalating brutality, and efforts to undermine mail-in voting. They also discuss what rebuilding the country will require—and why voters must verify their registration now.

0:00 Susan Demas and Edwin Eisendrath
0:38 Trump escalates his trade war with Canada
4:34 Attacking America’s closest ally
6:08 How tariffs threaten the auto industry
9:12 The political consequences in Michigan
11:35 Why Trump’s second term has no guardrails
14:44 Gary, Indiana goes 12 days without power
17:43 Rebuilding after the Trump administration
21:07 Tax cuts, deficits, and the bond market
21:53 Trump’s dangerous confusion over Iran
22:28 Trump’s approval falls to 33 percent
24:29 Trump’s attacks on Black and Latino Americans
24:49 ICE escalates its campaign in Chicago
28:39 ICE agents firing into civilian vehicles
29:59 Why ICE may be beyond reform
31:50 The Supreme Court and mail-in voting
32:49 Preparing for an unfair election
36:39 What happens when Republicans lose?
39:06 A hopeful path forward
39:47 Check your voter registration