The Ken Harbaugh Show

Ken Harbaugh speaks with Nadim, a former interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan who later enlisted in the Marine Corps as a non-citizen, about what drew him to serve alongside American forces and ultimately put on a U.S. uniform himself. Against the backdrop of the Trump administration's ultimatum to more than 1,100 Afghan allies stranded in Qatar, the conversation takes on new urgency — a rem...

Ken Harbaugh examines how Pete Hegseth, JD Vance, and Donald Trump have each, in their own way, weaponized and debased religious faith — from Hegseth's Pulp Fiction prayer at the Pentagon to Trump's “Jesus, MD" post. He's joined by Reverend Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President of Interfaith Alliance, to discuss what it means for American democracy when the people in power treat faith as a politica...

Retired Naval Officer Bobby Jones breaks down the real reason food could be running out on U.S. warships in the Middle East — and it has nothing to do with the photos Pete Hegseth posted on X. The truth is in the logistics…when every port your replenishment ships depend on is under missile attack, your sailors eat boiled carrots and a tortilla. That's the reality. Visit https://meidasplus.com for...

Ken Harbaugh examines Donald Trump's claim that Iran agreed to keep the Strait of Hormuz open — a declaration that collapsed within 24 hours when Iranian gunboats forced ships to turn back mid-passage. He speaks with retired Air Force Major General Steven Lepper, former Deputy Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Air Force and Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, about what it m...

Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to blockade Iran — and nobody's talking about what it actually means for American sailors, the global economy, and international law. Retired Naval Officer Bobby Jones breaks down the various strains Trump is imposing on the world, to include his very own Service members. Is there a way out? And if so, is President Trump willing to lose face to have peace? Subscribe:  @...

Trump is picking a fight with the first American Pope — and according to Army combat vet and Vets Fighting Fascism founder Kris Goldsmith, it has nothing to do with religion. Ken Harbaugh brings in Goldsmith to lay out his case that the attacks are really about forcing JD Vance into a public act of submission, the latest in a pattern of humiliation rituals Trump deploys against anyone who might th...

Ken Harbaugh examines the moment Trump's AI Jesus image cracked the loyalty of his own Christian nationalist base — and what it means that figures like Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones are now floating the Antichrist accusation in earnest. He speaks with historian Kristin Du Mez about the theology, symbolism, and cultural history driving one of the strangest inflection points in American religious po...

Ken Harbaugh breaks down the historic defeat of Viktor Orbán in Hungary — the authoritarian leader who served as a blueprint for MAGA — and what it means for Ukraine, NATO, and the future of liberal democracy. He's joined by Kremlin influence expert Olga Lautman to examine the lessons for America as the midterms approach. Register here for the in-person DC screening of "Drone Hunters of Kherson,"...

Ken Harbaugh sits down with Daniel Biss — mathematician, former state legislator, and mayor of Evanston — fresh off a bruising 15-candidate primary to claim the seat Jan Schakowsky held for nearly three decades, to talk about what it will actually take to convert historic Democratic enthusiasm into margins too large to manipulate. Register here for the in-person DC screening of "Drone Hunters of K...

Retired Commander Bobby Jones sits down with James Martin — fourth-generation Floridian, former Coast Guard lieutenant commander, and the Democrat taking on five-term Republican incumbent Brian Mast in Florida's 21st Congressional District. Martin isn't your typical challenger. His teams seized over 200 tons of narcotics worth $3.5 billion. He commanded cutters in the Persian Gulf. He served as Ch...

Ken Harbaugh breaks down why the U.S.-Iran ceasefire may be less a diplomatic triumph than a strategic defeat — with Iran retaining its nuclear program, its missiles, and new leverage over the Strait of Hormuz — and speaks with Army combat veteran Kris Goldsmith about what this war has cost the troops who bore its consequences. Apply for the Paris Writing Retreat here: https://www.annmariekellyhar...

Ken Harbaugh sits down with conspiracy theory expert Will Sommer to trace how the right-wing media machine distorts, invents, and amplifies — from its origins in fringe forums to its current stranglehold on Republican politics — just as Trump posted his most apocalyptic threat yet, live, minutes before they hit record. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://JoinDeleteMe.com/ken and...

Ken Harbaugh welcomes Scott MacFarlane — a 25-year veteran of legacy media who walked away from CBS to join MeidasTouch — to discuss the collapse of institutional journalism, what's driving serious reporters out of the newsrooms they built their careers in, and what independent media can offer that legacy outlets no longer can. Apply for the Paris Writing Retreat here: https://www.annmariekellyhar...

Ken Harbaugh takes viewers inside the MeidasTouch and VALOR Media tribute concert in Minneapolis honoring Alex Pretti and Renee Good — murdered by the Trump regime — featuring Dropkick Murphys, conversations with veterans, Mayor Jacob Frey, and congressional candidate Jason Knapp, as Trump's Truth Social attack on Bruce Springsteen only underscores why artists and activists are refusing to stay si...

Ken Harbaugh examines the Marine Corps' official notice announcing the stationing of ICE agents at Parris Island to screen the families of graduating recruits — and what it reveals about an administration willing to target immigrant military families in the name of enforcement theater. Then, Army veteran and Veterans Fighting Fascism founder Kris Goldsmith joins to break down why this story hit a...

Ken Harbaugh sits down with Dr. Adam Hamawy — the combat surgeon who saved Senator Tammy Duckworth's life in Iraq and later volunteered in Gaza — to examine what Pete Hegseth's gleeful embrace of bombing really means to those who've seen its consequences firsthand. From Christian Nationalist tattoos to a Pentagon worship service, this episode asks what it costs a military when its civilian leaders...

Ken Harbaugh examines the Trump administration's unprecedented information blackout surrounding the U.S.-Iran war, from Pete Hegseth's systematic dismantling of Pentagon press access to the absence of any coherent military strategy — and what it means when a government keeps its own people in the dark during wartime. He's joined by Iraq war combat veteran and Veterans Fighting Fascism founder Kris...

For weeks, Iran has been strangling the Strait of Hormuz, choking off global oil supplies and sending gas prices skyrocketing. Now Yemen's Houthi rebels have opened a second front — and with it, a second chokepoint: the Bab al-Mandab Strait. That's 15% of global maritime trade. 30% of container ship traffic. And the only remaining exit for Gulf energy exports. Retired Navy Commander Bobby Jones —...

Six weeks ago, Donald Trump stood in Davos and announced a new international organization he called the "Board of Peace" — declaring it would be "the most consequential international body in history." He signed the charter. He posed for photos. He charged countries $1 billion for a permanent seat at the table...then he launched a war. Commander Bobby Jones breaks down exactly who signed onto Trump...

The U.S. Army just raised its maximum enlistment age from 35 to 42 — but the Pentagon is simultaneously bragging about record-breaking recruitment numbers. So which is it? If joining the military under Pete Hegseth is so appealing, why do we need 42-year-olds to fill the ranks? In this video, Retired Navy Commander Bobby Jones break down what the data actually shows — from the DoD's own surveys to...

Donald Trump keeps telling America we're winning — but the Pentagon is sending the 82nd Airborne, the 31st MEU, and the 11th MEU toward the region. Winning nations don't surge combat-ready forces. Losing ones do. Trump is simultaneously boasting about strength while quietly calling on allies for help and repositioning some of the most capable rapid-response assets in the U.S. military. Retired Com...

Bobby Jones breaks down one of the most underreported stories of the U.S.-Iran conflict — the collapse of American credibility with its own allies. From NATO to the Gulf States to Japan, the war didn't just expose Iran's capabilities. It exposed how years of alliance neglect left the United States fighting alone while friends watched from the sidelines. Bobby walks through how Trump's public shami...

Ken Harbaugh takes aim at Markwayne Mullin — the chest-pounding, stolen valor bully who is about to become America's next Secretary of Homeland Security — and makes the case that veterans can spot this kind of fraud from a mile away. Then Ken sits down in Boston with Capitol defender Mike Fanone, Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey, and Senate candidate Seth Moulton to expose ICE's expanding bruta...

Ken Harbaugh and Army combat veteran Kris Goldsmith, founder of Vets Fighting Fascism, respond to the Trump PAC's use of a dignified transfer photo in a fundraising email — and the offer of "private national security briefings" to donors. It's the latest example of Trump exploiting the military's fallen to fill his coffers, even as his administration slashes funding for the veterans still living....

Ken Harbaugh examines Trump's increasingly unhinged power grabs — from Cuba threats to using the military as his personal instrument — and asks when the armed forces will finally push back. Retired Air Force Major General Steven Lepper, a 35-year JAG officer and former Deputy Judge Advocate General, joins Ken to break down the legal limits of executive power and what should happen when a commander...