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The MAGA Machine Can't Save Trump From Epstein (w/ David Frum) | The Bulwark Podcast
What's covered: David Frum joins The Bulwark to discuss how Trump's Epstein connections are breaking through despite the MAGA media machine's attempts at distraction and denial. The conversation covers the mounting evidence, the failure of deflection tactics, and why character still matters in evaluating fitness for office.
Frum nails it: no amount of MAGA spin can erase the documented friendship with a child sex trafficker. Character used to be non-negotiable for conservatives. Watch this.
Paul "Nazi Streak" Ingrassia Was Too Much for the Senate, So Trump Is Promoting Him
What's covered: After Paul Ingrassia's nomination failed due to exposed texts showing he claimed to have a "Nazi streak," wanted to "eviscerate every holiday celebrating Black Americans," and stated the Founders were wrong about equality, Trump promoted him to deputy counsel at the GSA—a position that doesn't require Senate confirmation. Ingrassia has no relevant experience or qualifications.
This is what happens when there are no guardrails. The Senate rejected this extremist, so Trump just went around them. This isn't governing—it's deliberately placing white nationalists in positions of power.
SCOTUS Blasted for Use of Emergency Docket in Blistering Dissent
What's covered: Supreme Court justices issue a scathing dissent condemning the Court's abuse of its emergency "shadow docket" to make major policy decisions without proper briefing, oral arguments, or transparency. The dissent argues this undermines the Court's legitimacy and circumvents the deliberative process that's supposed to define the judicial system.
When Supreme Court justices are publicly blasting their own colleagues for procedural manipulation, we have a legitimacy crisis. The shadow docket has become a tool for ideological outcomes over sound jurisprudence.
Syrian President & Former Al-Qaeda Commander Meets With Trump Behind Closed Doors
What's covered: Trump held a secret White House meeting with Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda commander who led the jihadist group that overthrew Assad. The meeting was conducted without transparency, proper vetting protocols, or consulting national security advisors about the implications of legitimizing someone with al-Sharaa's background.
Remember when Republicans lost their minds over Obama's Iran deal transparency? Now we have secret meetings with former Al-Qaeda commanders and it's just another Tuesday. National security used to mean something to conservatives.
FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
What's covered: During congressional testimony, FBI Director Kash Patel repeatedly dodged questions about whether he waived polygraph security screenings for Dan Bongino and other senior staff after they received "disqualifying alerts." When pressed, Patel claimed not to remember and deflected by citing crime statistics.
The FBI Director can't remember if he waived security screenings for people who failed their polygraphs? This is exactly the kind of loyalty-over-competence corruption that undermines national security. We used to care about this.
Trump DOJ Can't Find Lawyer for Comey Lawsuit
What's covered: Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey and an accomplished federal prosecutor, is suing after being fired by Trump in retaliation for being Comey's daughter. Now, no one at the Department of Justice—not SDNY, EDNY, or the Federal Contracts Division—will show up to defend the case, effectively disqualifying themselves from representing Trump's retaliatory firing.
When Trump's own DOJ won't defend his retaliation against career prosecutors, you know the case is indefensible. This is what authoritarian purges look like in practice.
Shutdown Over, Epstein Files, and the Penny Disappears
What's covered: Coverage of the government shutdown resolution, ongoing revelations from unsealed Epstein files implicating Trump, and the Treasury Department's decision to eliminate the penny from circulation. The segment connects the shutdown chaos to broader Republican dysfunction and highlights new documentary evidence in the Epstein case.
The GOP can't govern—they shut down the government over their own incompetence—while new Epstein documents keep dropping. Fiscal conservatism used to mean responsible budgeting, not hostage-taking and corruption.
Why Is Trump Threatening to Intervene in Nigeria?
What's covered: Trump is threatening military intervention in Nigeria based on claims of Christian genocide, a narrative pushed by Ted Cruz and conservative media. On-the-ground reporting from Nigeria shows the situation is far more complex—involving jihadist groups, bandits, intercommunal violence, land disputes, and secessionists—with both Christians and Muslims being targeted. Nigeria's 90 million Christians live normal lives, and experts warn U.S. intervention could destabilize an already fragile situation.
Threatening military intervention based on cherry-picked conservative media narratives instead of actual intelligence is reckless. This isn't foreign policy—it's culture war cosplay with real consequences.
Adam Kinzinger Teases a Run Against Ted Cruz
What's covered: Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger hints at potentially challenging Ted Cruz in Texas, positioning himself as a principled conservative alternative to Cruz's MAGA transformation. Kinzinger cites Cruz's abandonment of conservative principles and his role in undermining democratic norms as motivations for considering the race.
Kinzinger represents the kind of conservatism that used to define the GOP—constitutional, principled, serious. Watching him consider primarying Cruz shows just how far the party has fallen.
Seth Moulton Calls for 'A New Generation of Leaders'
What's covered: Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton argues for generational change in party leadership, calling for younger voices to take the helm and connect with voters on issues like economic anxiety, national security, and effective governance. He criticizes the Democratic establishment's resistance to new ideas and leaders.
Moulton's right that both parties need fresh thinking. Democrats ignoring their generational leadership crisis mirrors how Republicans ignored theirs—and then MAGA filled the vacuum.
Ken Burns' 'The American Revolution' Explores the Beginnings of the Nation's Democracy
What's covered: Ken Burns' new documentary series examines the American Revolution as a complex, bloody civil war—not just men thinking great thoughts in Philadelphia. The series emphasizes the war's contradictions: revolutionary ideals alongside slavery, Native American displacement, and internal divisions. Burns argues that understanding the messy, complicated origin story is essential for navigating current threats to democracy.
Burns refuses to sanitize history, showing the Revolution as it was—brutal, contradictory, and transformative. Real conservatism means preserving what the Founders got right while acknowledging what they got wrong. Worth watching.