Systemic Error Podcast

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...

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein What happened AlterNet, drawing on ProPublica’s reporting, says the Trump White House pursued mail-voting restrictions that could have disrupted the 2026 midterms before the Supreme Court blocked the final executive order on Sept. 14. An earlier proposal would have required ballots to travel exclusively by certified mail, forcing voters to be present and sign for delivery....

REUTERS/Daniel Heuer What happened AlterNet reports that the White House’s 24-hour “Trump TV” livestream lost nearly all of its launch audience, while former press secretary Karoline Leavitt accidentally drew far more viewers by starting an Instagram Live from bed. Citing The Daily Beast, AlterNet says the official stream fell as low as 187 concurrent viewers, compared with 1,157 for Leavitt’s bri...

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testifies during a U.S. House of Representatives panel hearing on immigration enforcement funding and other Homeland Security budget priorities, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 3, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened The Department of Homeland Security used footage of former Philadelphia Eagles player Brian Dawkins in a charged...

FBI Director Kash Patel and country music artist Alexis Wilkins arrive for UFC Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst What happened RawStory reports that FBI Director Kash Patel appeared in a photograph from a New York wedding alongside Ali Abdelaziz, an MMA manager whom the FBI reportedly stopped using as an informant in 2008 after suspecting he was acting as...

US President Donald Trump pats Wyndham Clark’s girlfriend Emily Tanner on the shoulder as he joins members of the US Team during the trophy ceremony at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, US, September 27, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened RawStory reports that U.S. Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker credited President Donald Trump after the...

US President Donald Trump talks to members of the US Team during the trophy ceremony after the US team won the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Medinah Country Club, in Medinah Illinois, US, September 27, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened RawStory reports that President Donald Trump was caught on a live microphone saying, “I’d like to go home,” after the U.S. team’s 17–13 Presidents Cup v...

FILE PHOTO: The demolition of the East Wing of the White House, the location of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom is seen from an elevated position on the North side of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 23, 2025. REUTERS/ Andrew Leyden/File Photo What happened RawStory columnist Ray Richmond argues that Donald Trump’s presidencies have damaged a sweeping range of Ame...