This is America: Checked In for the Checked Out

This week Rachel and Aaron dive into the hurricane of Donald Trump’s chaos – from Jeffrey Epstein… to an unprecedented affordability crisis… to a new health care crisis… to an identity crisis for MAGA. Plus, a lesson for Democrats on how to message affordability. And another underwater poll for Donald Trump, “the dog that hasn’t barked.” LINKS: The Cycle on Substack: Should I Stay or Should I Go?...

This week Rachel and Aaron unpack the GOP’s framing of thousands of peaceful “No Kings” protests as “Hate America” rallies. How, exactly, did Republicans lose control of the narrative–at least for a weekend? Plus, why House Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to swear-in America’s newest member of Congress. And what do Venezuelan boat strikes have to do with disgraced Congressman George Santos? LINKS: AB...

This week, why we shouldn’t be afraid of using the other F-word: fascism, especially as the Right shatters political norms, turns citizens into public enemies, and politicizes the military. Rachel and Aaron discuss a Democrat who joked about violence, a Republican who preaches it, a billionaire who builds it into the algorithm, and a movement now summoning generals for loyalty oaths. Plus: The pol...

This week Rachel and Aaron discuss the Trump Administration’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death, his martyrdom, and what’s next on the march into authoritarianism. Plus, a trip to the front lines of Trump’s tariffs: rural America. Why are farmers feeling the pinch first? And Trump crosses a thin red line by ordering the U.S. Department of Justice to target his political enemies, facts be damned. LI...

With Labor Day behind us, Trump’s honeymoon is over and his march into fascist authoritarianism is in full force. This week Rachel and Aaron look at his latest distraction from a nosediving economy and the Epstein Files: an armed, federal invasion of America’s third-largest city. Plus, market instability rocks America’ farmers as Trump’s tariffs take a toll, a grilling for RFK junior (and no, we’r...

Why are Republicans trying to give themselves an edge in Congress? In the words of one GOP lawmaker: “Because we can.” This week, Rachel and Aaron separate the facts from JD Vance’s alt reality as some Democrats prepare to fight fire with fire. Plus: Trump takes federal control over Washington DC. And South Park sends up America’s most notorious puppy killer. LINKS: YouTube: President Trump holds...

Facts are stubborn things, at least two of Trump’s predecessors have said. And for Trump on the economy—and Jeffrey Epstein–-there’s nothing to see here. This week Rachel and Aaron look at what the latest job numbers mean for Trump 2.0. Plus, Trump is making his own list… of political enemies. And secret documents in a secret annex at FBI Headquarters? Pssh. LINKS New York Times : Until Trump Fire...

This week Rachel and Aaron stick to the one scandal that’s finally sticking to Teflon Don: Jeffrey Epstein, and the Trump Administration’s spectacular inability to control the narrative. Rachel dives into the need to “politicize everything.” A look at how Trump 2.0 is using immigration to destroy democracy with quiet bureaucracy. And why are some Dems demanding to fight “fire with fire” after the...

This week, as Trump’s FEMA struggles to answer questions about consequential budget cuts in the aftermath of Texas flooding, Rachel and Aaron look at how the Republican Party deliberately turned climate change into a conspiracy theory. It’s MAGA thought control. Plus, the FBI tries to go after thought crimes. And the Epstein Scandal threatens to unravel MAGA, despite Trump’s best efforts to move o...

Live Free. Die Fast. Get Digested… slowly. Welcome to “Alligator Alcatraz,” America’s first concentration camp. Plus, Rachel and Aaron explore the future, or not, of Elon Musk’s new “America Party.” Why, exactly, is America stuck with a two-party system? Meteorologists show us how cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service impact weather disaster warning systems. And Jeffrey Epstein’s client li...

What the hell is happening with Iran and Donald “No Wars” Trump? This week Rachel and Aaron break down the confusion, and the rift it’s causing in MAGA’s alt-reality. Plus, Rachel has an important lesson for the news media about the difference between rioting and protesting. How decaying democracy has opened the door to political violence and… who told “Whisky Pete” Hegseth to “be a man” during a...

What is the public hearing about Trump’s order to send more troops to Los Angeles? A lot of folks don’t even know who to blame. Plus, Rachel compares the fiery I.C.E. protests with how the Nazis rose to power in 1930s Germany. How Elon’s and Don’s Big Beautiful Breakup threatens the President’s tax cuts for billionaires. We unpack the DOJ’s fishy case against Kilmar Abrego Garcea and the headlines...

This week Rachel and Aaron follow Elon “Black Eye” Musk out the door as he whines about the American political system he destroyed. Plus: cracks in the ice when it comes to criticizing Donald Trump and the Big Ugly Bill, a weird reminder of death from a U.S. Senator (and a weirder “apology”). What happens when you call a fascist… a fascist? And we take a hard look at the Great Replacement Theory t...

This week Rachel and Aaron translate whatever Donald “Marie Antoinette” Trump is trying to say about groceries, tariffs and Wal-Mart. Plus, an alarming shakeup in the national intelligence community. How does it compare to Adolph Hitler? And criticism of Trump from his former VP. For Mike Pence, it’s as salty as it gets. And the latest threat from Trump’s DOJ: If you can’t charge ‘em, shame ‘em. L...

Trump pushes socialist price controls for pharmaceuticals, refugee status for white people and free flights out for everyone else. Rachel and Aaron also dive into the effort to suspend the U.S. Constitution, and compare how Trump’s chaotic presidency parallels the rise of Vladimir Putin. Plus… the Da President thinks he invented a brand new word, and Da Pope offers inspiring words for the world. L...

This week Rachel and Aaron investigate the three words that hit hardest from Donald Trump’s recent interview on NBC's Meet the Press , and the one word missing from the New York Times’s editorial criticizing his first 100 days. Plus: Jews and fascism? An eye-opening comparison between Trump’s “Lord of the Shadows” and the rise of the Third Reich. LINKS: NBC’s Meet the Press : Full interview with D...

As another texting scandal jolts the Pentagon into “full-blown meltdown,” Rachel earns national attention for her internet sleuthing skills and gets vindicated in the aftermath of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Plus, she and Aaron take a close look at the first rule in fighting tyranny… and share a masterclass from a European internet troll. LINKS: Politico Opinion: Former Top Pentagon Spokespe...

This week Rachel and Aaron change up the format to take a deep dive into the arrest and deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, imprisoned in El Salvador without due process despite a U.S. Supreme Court order to “facilitate” his return. The case has chilling parallels to what happened in Germany between 1933 and 1945. This is a warning from history worth understanding. LINKS The Persecution and Murde...

Trump’s planned destruction of America’s economy is a pivotal political moment. This week Rachel and Aaron offer advice for “normies” who are just now waking up to the mess. Plus, a reading of the tea leaves after the recent special elections, how to send us your best signs for this month’s next nationwide protests, and why was this week’s show a little late? We’ve got an exciting reason! LINKS: T...

It's Election Day! Will it be a difficult one for MAGA in Wisconsin and Florida? Plus, Rachel and Aaron get into the nitty gritty over Third Term Gate… and Signal Gate. The Trump Tax, er “Liberation Day,” prompts Aaron to move up his car shopping timeline. Musk gives away millions. And what's the one issue voters associate most with the Democratic Party? The answer may surprise you. LINKS: NBC New...

This week Rachel and Aaron chase the firetrucks to the dumpster fire of the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress who’re trying to defend it. How do you explain an unprecedented security breach involving secret war plans accidentally shared with a news editor? Where do voters draw a line in the sand? Plus, a closer look at why Elon Musk is trying to break the Overton Window. And are spr...

This week Rachel and Aaron explore the good, the bad and the ugly. Why is Schumer’s vote to keep the government open an important political move? What prompted a pissed-off federal judge to issue an order from the bench? And what do the latest poll numbers mean for Trump 2.0? Plus: adios, habeas corpus . And we drop into a fiery town hall meeting in North Carolina’s bright red 11th Congressional D...

As the Trump administration tanks the stock market and sends prices soaring even higher, Rachel and Aaron examine the stupid in “it’s the economy, stupid.” Europe reconsiders a new world leader while here at home, Republican politicians become snowflakes. Plus, a chilling observation from The New York Times ’ chief White House correspondent. And how would Rachel have responded to Trump’s boring Jo...

This week Rachel and Aaron cut through the noise as Elon's "Chainsaw for Democracy" cuts thousands of federal jobs, and as Steve "Prison Toady" Bannon massacres the Constitution--surprising even a fellow neo-Nazi. Trump's honeymoon is over though, according to public polling (surprise! Americans don't seem to care about DEI). And members of Congress face the music at public town halls, even in dee...

This week Rachel and Aaron go behind the Resolute Desk with Elon, Donald and "X Æ A-XII." They untangle a "very weird 20 minutes" from failed comedian JD Vance in Munich, start the clock on Marco Rubio's tenuous tenure as Secretary of State, and shine light on the plain-sight quid-pro-quo between Trump's Justice Department and NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Oh... and how does Trump's controversial "Napoleo...