Systemic Error Podcast

Conservative commentator Scott Jennings on CNN’s “The Arena.” (CNN screenshot) What happened RawStory reports that President Donald Trump played a leading role in creating two overtly political videos produced by the White House communications office and labeled “paid for by the U.S. Government.” The ads promoted Republicans ahead of the midterms; legal experts cited by the outlet said they clearl...

US President Donald Trump looks on as he attends the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Medinah Country Club, in Medinah Illinois, US, September 27, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened President Donald Trump’s reported midterm strategy is to promote corporate investment announcements as evidence that his administration created jobs. RawStory, citing The New York Times, reported that Trump ann...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on ahead of expected trilateral signing event with US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, regarding a deal on Greenland’s security, during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper What happened RawStory, citin...

Jack Smith, former special counsel at the Justice Department, attends a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., US, September 29, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened RawStory reports that former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith refused three times to discuss his wife’s political views during a September 29, 2026, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing...

REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz What happened AlterNet’s answer is that President Donald Trump is reducing Americans’ chances of becoming richer by weakening the institutions that support long-term growth. Economist Justin Wolfers pointed to erratic tariffs, favoritism, attacks on democratic accountability, tax cuts favoring wealthy people, and spending cuts affecting poorer people. He argued that the dama...

President Donald Trump looks on as he exits Air Force One on his arrival at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, January 31, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened AlterNet reports that former Trump administration official Miles Taylor predicts President Donald Trump will respond to expected Republican losses in the November midterms by pursuing revenge and creating pol...

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media aboard Air Force One, en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., following a two-day visit to Ireland, September 13, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper What happened AlterNet reports that several prominent Trump loyalists have broken with President Donald Trump over his war with Iran, economic turmoil, and his administration’s handling of fil...

REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened AlterNet reports that President Donald Trump used Truth Social to deny an Axios report that his administration was open to easing sanctions and unlocking frozen Iranian assets if Tehran took concrete steps concerning its nuclear program. Axios attributed that account to anonymous U.S. officials; Trump called it fabricated, demanded a retraction, and said he had...

Jack Smith, former special counsel at the Justice Department, arrives to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., US, September 29, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened RawStory reports that Sen. Dick Durbin cut off Sen. John Kennedy during a Tuesday hearing after Kennedy repeatedly interrupted former special prosecutor Jack Smith and told him,...

Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 10, 2026. REUTERS/Callaghan O’Hare What happened RawStory reports that former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night that Democratic candidates “do 360s” on policy after campaigning as moderates. Her intende...

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after exiting Air Force One as he returns from Medinah, Illinois, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September 27, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened RawStory, citing Politico, reports that President Donald Trump was scheduled to campaign in heavily Republican states because GOP candidates there were struggling. The reported itinerary included...

U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive assistant Natalie Harp listens as Trump speaks during a meeting with travel executives in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 2, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein What happened RawStory reports that Natalie Harp, now a close White House aide to President Donald Trump, began attending megachurch pastor David Jeremiah’s sermons...

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr Mehmet Oz stand behind US President Donald J. Trump as he makes an announcement on healthcare in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 18, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci What happened Arkans...

A “MAGA Mom” hat lies on the ground as Kristi Noem testifies before a House committee. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper What happened RawStory’s column argues that the supposed “mystery” is why some women embrace MAGA politics and “trad wife” ideology despite the restrictions those movements may impose on women. But the piece never establishes an answer. Its author points to conservative religious upbringing,...

Television presenter Sean Hannity speaks during the funeral service for late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 28, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci What happened RawStory reports that Fox News host Sean Hannity deleted an X post praising Sen. Eric Schmitt for putting former special counsel Jack Smith “on the spot” during a Tuesday hearing....

U.S. Supreme Court justices pose for their group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022. Seated (L-R): Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Elena Kagan. Standing (L-R): Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo What happ...

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein What happened The “fatal mistake,” according to AlterNet, was one of timing: Republican officials backed policies and crises, then reversed themselves so quickly that voters could see the contradiction. The clearest example is Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who supported President Donald Trump’s war with Iran before releasing an advertisement urging Trump to end it...

(REUTERS) What happened AlterNet published commentary by Ben Palen, a fifth-generation farmer and agriculture consultant, who says several farmers he spoke with recently—including some who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 and as early as 2016—now believe they “had been conned.” Palen describes their change of heart as a response to what they see as national moral decline, damaged international trust...

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith raises his hand to swear in, before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque What happened CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori said Rep. Jim Jordan’s attempt to build a criminal case against former special counsel Jack Smith “will fail miserably.” According to Alte...

US President Donald Trump attends National Design Studio launch event for America.gov, a new AI-powered government website, at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., US, September 29, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst What happened AlterNet reports that Fox Business host Stuart Varney identified President Donald Trump’s central political liability five weeks before the midterms: the war with Iran w...

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs for a state visit to Britain, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., September 16, 2025. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque What happened AlterNet reports that taxpayer money for President Donald Trump’s television advertisements came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, using funds Congress provided to the Department of Homeland Security thro...

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) attends a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s annual report February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst What happened AlterNet reports that Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican not seeking reelection, used part of a Tuesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with former special counsel Jack...

Donald Trump in taxpayer-funded ad (MS NOW screenshot) What happened RawStory reports that a U.S. government-funded advertisement featuring President Donald Trump declared, “This is the final battle,” promoted his record, and ended with the disclaimer “Paid for by the US Government.” On Monday, an MS NOW “Morning Joe” panel argued that the ad used public money for political self-promotion while in...

Alina Habba, Counselor to U.S. President Donald Trump, announces to reporters that Trump has appointed her to serve as interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 24, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque What happened RawStory reports that former New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba married Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon at New York City’s W...

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein What happened AlterNet reports that Republican pollster Frank Luntz called Donald Trump’s effort to make congressional elections a referendum on himself a “very dangerous strategy.” Luntz told CNN that Trump could energize loyal supporters who otherwise might stay home, but weaker support for Trump could instead reinforce the turnout advantage Luntz currently sees for Demo...