Grounded with Jon Tester & Maritsa Georgiou

JT & MG have a candid conversation with Rich Logis, founder of the nonprofit Leaving MAGA and author of the memoir One Betrayal Too Many. Logis is a former die-hard MAGA pundit, campaign volunteer, and donor. He talks about his break from the movement in 2022 and how it started with a simple idea: diversifying his news sources. Logis discusses what works to move people, what he calls an addict...

We always gain so much valuable perspective from David Becker, co-founder and executive director for the Center for Election Innovation and Research. He joins us again to break down myriad questions revolving around the upcoming midterm elections. We tackle the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling about counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, including unpacking why the RNC sued deep-red Mi...

What happens when the federal government tries to triple a small town's population overnight and won't even take your call? It’s what the city manager of Social Circle, Georgia was up against earlier this year. Eric Taylor joins grounded to take us through the six-month fight to stop the Department of Homeland Security from turning a vacant warehouse into an ICE detention camp. Taylor takes us thr...

It was a big weekend in Big Sandy, Montana. Jeff Ament, through his nonprofit Montana Pool Service , hosted the 16th annual Big Sandy Skate Jam + Pig Roast Saturday. It gave us the perfect reason to host our first joint episode from the Tester farm (and snag some MPS merch)! A few days ago, our friend Dana DuBois connected us with Nick Paro , a disabled veteran and advocate who recently joined for...

Oh so much to talk about with former RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who co-hosts the Weeknight on MSNOW. We discuss why Steele joined the GOP 50 years ago, his efforts to get the party back to its roots, and why he has no patience for Republican lawmakers (and pundits) speaking out against this administration only when it’s politically convenient. “Right now our system is broken because of the infes...

Former DOJ pardon attorney Liz Oyer joins Grounded for the third time to discuss her new focus on Acting AG Todd Blanche's pending Senate confirmation. Hear why Liz thinks he's one of the most dangerous people in Washington right now, and what citizens can actually do to stop him. Plus, Oyer flags a potentially dangerous new policy change at the Bureau of Prisons and why she sees it as a tool to f...

What does a secret, beautiful girlfriend in Canada have to do with the newly announced (and still unpublished) deal with Iran? Economist Justin Wolfers will tell you both stories smell off. He uses an "unraveling" argument from game theory and economic concepts to explain.
 “If I have an amazing deal, I would definitely run out and hold a press conference and show you the text right now. The fact...

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the country's oldest civil rights coalition, has put a lot of work into documenting the Trump administration’s efforts to turn back the clock on civil and human rights progress within the United States. The organization’s president and CEO Maya Wiley joined Grounded for a wide-ranging conversation to discuss several interconnected threats to civ...

Let’s be honest. There’s a lot to feel sad about in the world. There’s also a lot to stay hopeful about. 
 JT’s travel schedule prevented us from locking in a guest for today, but we wanted to hop on and go over some of the big headlines. President Trump is still claiming a deal with Iran is just “days away” while fighting between Israel and Iran continues. We dissect parts of this weekend’s Meet...

At a time when all of us are drowning in tech, AFT President Randi Weingarten just rolled out an action plan to combat the use of screens in classrooms before third grade, which includes an emphasis on more hands-on learning. “We are at a crossroads that will define the future of work and society,” Weingarten said. “Without proper oversight and strong guardrails, there will be real dangers to our...

We got an early start Tuesday dissecting all things legal with former federal prosecutor and national treasure Glenn Kirschner, who holds online community chats every night to discuss the pressing legal developments of the day. “When you’re fighting for democracy, it’s not really a job. This is mission. You know, I got a lot of kids and grandkids and what are we going to leave them?” Kirschner sai...

“This is a film about cryptocurrency. It’s pretty stupid.” And as actor, author, and filmmaker Ben McKenzie will tell you, something that’s really stupid can also be really dangerous. McKenzie joined Grounded to talk about Everyone is Lying to You for Money , his film that dives into the deceitful world of cryptocurrency. It all started during the COVID-19 pandemic when a friend started telling Be...

“I often say that a vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for our children. And our prayers are stronger when we pray together.” Wise words from Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, who joined Grounded Wednesday to discuss Tuesday primary results, the redistricting fight in the South, and why turnout is going to matter so much in the general election in November. When it comes t...

Apologies to everyone who noticed the blurry video in our live stream this morning— it seems the Montana WiFi overlords are not playing well with us. We uploaded the clean version here so you can watch it without frustration! Former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg (or Mayor Pete, as we lovingly call him) is in Big Sky Country this weekend stumping for the Montana Plan, an effort to make the eff...

It's our 100th full episode! We love any chance to talk to our friend Katie Phang, especially when we get to talk about the historic lawsuit she filed against the U.S. Department of Justice over its botched handling of releasing the Epstein files. We talk about the complaint, the bipartisan support she’s getting from lawmakers, and the outcome she’s hoping to see. Plus, Katie’s take on the indictm...

We have a lot to unpack after an eventful weekend. We discuss the 60 Minutes interview with President Trump about the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the 60-day mark to the war in Iran, and a new look for the National Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. Plus, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joins JT & MG to discuss ICE raids, homelessness, and funding for wildfire victims. She...

We unpack Saturday night’s timeline after the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and how it unfolded across town at the Substack party for new media. It’s being reported the security checkpoint was breached at 8:34 p.m. I received a text from my mom 9 minutes later telling me there was a shooting at the WHCA dinner at the Washington Hilton. I looked around the room at t...

Talking with Scott MacFarlane was a great way to kick off the new week, even if it had to start in the 6:00 a.m. hour in Montana because of seeding on the Tester farm. Scott (NOT SETH) joined the independent media space earlier this year after leaving his correspondent role at CBS News. We talked extensively about his indefatigable reporting on January 6 defendants, why traditional journalism rule...

On Jan. 23, 2020, then-Rep. Adam Schiff delivered his closing arguments in the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. “No constitution can protect us if right doesn’t matter any more. And you know you can’t trust this President to do what’s right for this country," Schiff said at the time. We discuss the relevance of those words when applied to Trump 2.0, how the conflict with Iran com...

This is a repost from Heather Cox Richardson's channel Monday, when JT & MG join her to discuss the Citizens United decision, exorbitant amounts of money in politics, and the Montana Plan! Plus, organizations (like End Citizens United ) trying to combat the effects of big money in politics and what YOU can do about it.

It’s a month that starts with A, which means Jon Tester becomes increasingly harder to schedule because of work on the farm (April means planting; August means harvest). That said, many people have been asking where he’s been, so we attempted a Tractor Time with Tester episode that we came very close to pulling off… until his phone died. We asked Ellie Leonard to join us to discuss Melania Trump’s...

Big thanks to former White House counsel Ty Cobb for joining us on Grounded this morning. We shared some laughs and also talked about some very serious concerns about the rule of law, the Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, the president’s threats to pull out of NATO, and more. Plus, how he came to work for the first Trump administration and his memories of his friend, former FBI dire...

We could have done an entire episode about the lengthy Trump cabinet meeting at the White House earlier today, including the 5 minutes spent talking about pens and sharpies (Yes, really). We cover a little bit of that with THE Sharon McMahon, America’s Government Teacher, author of The Preamble on Substack and also The Small and the Mighty (with newly illustrated version We Are Mighty out May 19)....

If you’re worried about the future, Knowa De Baraso should help ease some concerns. The 14-year-old podcast host and political phenom is not only engaged—he’s bold. You may remember Knowa from the viral clip of him confronting the conspiracy peddling (and now Minnesota gubernatorial candidate) Mike Lindell at the 2024 DNC. We talk about how he became interested in politics, his plans to be active...