WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.180 Welcome, curious minds. Today, we're taking a 00:00:02.180 --> 00:00:05.459 deep dive into a really striking collection of 00:00:05.459 --> 00:00:07.179 insights about our current political moment, 00:00:07.740 --> 00:00:10.279 especially looking ahead to the 2026 midterms. 00:00:10.359 --> 00:00:12.919 We've got a stack of articles, reports, analyses, 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:15.640 all detailing what our sources are calling a 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:18.600 multi front campaign of political maneuvering. 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:21.079 So, yeah, get ready for some thought provoking 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:23.359 connections. OK, let's try and unpack this a 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:25.219 bit. Our sources today, they paint a picture 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:27.019 where, you know, traditional political norms 00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:29.949 are being really tested, stretched. maybe even 00:00:29.949 --> 00:00:32.049 redefined, and that's across different branches 00:00:32.049 --> 00:00:34.149 of government, international relations, domestic 00:00:34.149 --> 00:00:38.090 policy, pretty much everywhere. Indeed. And our 00:00:38.090 --> 00:00:41.109 mission here for this deep dive is really to 00:00:41.109 --> 00:00:43.490 distill the core strategies that seem to be at 00:00:43.490 --> 00:00:46.070 play, to connect the dots between actions that 00:00:46.070 --> 00:00:49.960 might seem... unrelated at first glance and to 00:00:49.960 --> 00:00:52.159 understand the potential implications of what 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:55.479 some sources call these aggressive tactics, implications 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:57.320 for our political institutions and of course 00:00:57.320 --> 00:00:59.460 for you the listener. What's really intriguing 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:02.060 I think is how many of these moves seem driven 00:01:02.060 --> 00:01:05.599 by this singular focus consolidating and holding 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:08.500 onto power. And just to be clear, when we mention 00:01:08.500 --> 00:01:10.760 strong claims or opinions, we'll make sure to 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:12.840 attribute them directly to our sources. We're 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:15.579 here to explore the ideas, not necessarily endorse 00:01:15.579 --> 00:01:18.700 them. OK, so let's start with a pretty bold concept. 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:21.280 The idea of a government shutdown on October 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:23.379 1st. Our sources are suggesting this isn't maybe 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:26.140 just the usual negotiation tactic, but potentially 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:28.799 deliberate political statement. Ezra Klein, writing 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:30.459 in the New York Times, actually argues Democrats 00:01:30.459 --> 00:01:32.560 should seriously think about it. And here's where 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:34.799 the strategy gets kind of nuanced. Klein suggests 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:36.579 maybe Democrats missed A chance back in March 00:01:36.579 --> 00:01:40.439 now, a shutdown could be this crucial way to 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:42.939 grab everyone's attention. Right. And Klein's 00:01:42.939 --> 00:01:44.980 argument, at least as our sources presented, 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:48.120 it isn't really about changing laws immediately. 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:51.780 It's more about making a clear kind of powerful 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:54.560 case that certain actions happening in government 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.500 are, well, in his view, not normal, anything 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:00.540 but normal. The goal seems to be bringing this 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:03.560 whole list of perceived illegal or let's say 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:05.719 unconventional acts right to the front, trying 00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:07.939 to drive down approval ratings specifically with 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:10.800 independent voters. It does make you think though, 00:02:11.219 --> 00:02:13.900 in this age of just constant information overload, 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:16.120 how do you actually cut through all that noise? 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:19.039 Yeah, good question. And the list Klein suggests 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:21.479 Democrats should highlight, it's pretty extensive, 00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:24.120 he lays out this thought experiment like imagine 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:26.039 if a previous administration had done these things, 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:28.939 things like refusing to spend money, Congress 00:02:28.939 --> 00:02:31.840 lawfully appropriated, or firing agency heads 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:33.560 who are supposed to be protected by statute, 00:02:34.020 --> 00:02:36.819 or dismissing civil servants, possibly violating 00:02:36.819 --> 00:02:38.719 the Pendleton Act, that law meant to protect 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:41.080 federal workers from, you know, political firings. 00:02:41.300 --> 00:02:43.300 Yeah, and the list goes on. Our sources mentioned 00:02:43.300 --> 00:02:45.979 Klein citing things like calling up the National 00:02:45.979 --> 00:02:49.120 Guard for what he calls flimsy reasons or even 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:52.039 outsourcing government decisions to someone unconfirmed. 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:54.539 One source specifically named Elon Musk being 00:02:54.539 --> 00:02:58.300 involved in like budget cuts. Then there are 00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:00.979 allegations of corrupting government for personal 00:03:00.979 --> 00:03:03.900 gain using the DJ, the Department of Justice 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:07.139 to go after rivals, brow beating law firms, media 00:03:07.139 --> 00:03:10.039 outlets, universities, appointing cabinet officers 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.280 described as well incompetent, accepting expensive 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:16.009 gifts from foreign countries. potentially violated 00:03:16.009 --> 00:03:18.550 the emoluments clause. That's the one prohibiting 00:03:18.550 --> 00:03:20.710 gifts from foreign states. Exactly. And even 00:03:20.710 --> 00:03:22.750 claims about using the National Guard to occupy 00:03:22.750 --> 00:03:25.710 U .S. cities, possibly violating the Posse Comitatus 00:03:25.710 --> 00:03:28.509 Act. Which generally keeps the military out of 00:03:28.509 --> 00:03:31.030 domestic law enforcement. Right. And using mask 00:03:31.030 --> 00:03:33.009 agents to sweep people off streets without due 00:03:33.009 --> 00:03:35.610 process. Some reportedly deported to what sources 00:03:35.610 --> 00:03:38.669 even describe as a gulag in El Salvador. Yeah. 00:03:39.250 --> 00:03:41.490 Referencing these really harsh detention centers. 00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:44.710 That is. Quite an inventory. It's striking. And 00:03:44.710 --> 00:03:46.990 the strategic thinking behind laying all this 00:03:46.990 --> 00:03:49.110 out according to the sources is to frame it by 00:03:49.110 --> 00:03:52.360 asking that question. What would you think if 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:55.219 Joe Biden or Barack Obama had done all this? 00:03:55.580 --> 00:03:57.840 Right, drawing that parallel. Yeah, the idea 00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.900 is to highlight what might look like a double 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:02.360 standard, potentially shifting how independents 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:05.280 see things. And history does suggest that if 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:07.840 approval ratings dip into the low 30s, it can 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:10.319 mean big trouble electorally for the party in 00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:12.900 power. In Klein's piece, it argues that just 00:04:12.900 --> 00:04:16.540 sort of. politely asking for small concessions 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:19.399 to avoid a shutdown, that's cowardice, that's 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:21.879 the word used. Instead, he's pushing for Democrats 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:25.300 to have this really unified, bold message. And 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:27.660 Senator John Ossoff from Georgia apparently gave 00:04:27.660 --> 00:04:29.959 a strong example back in July connecting this 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:32.399 idea of corruption directly to people's everyday 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:34.740 struggles. Like what? Like defunding nursing 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:37.079 rooms to pay for tax cuts or high prescription 00:04:37.079 --> 00:04:39.879 costs, denied insurance claims, hedge funds, 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:43.480 buying up houses, crazy ambulance fees. Making 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:46.379 it personal. Yeah, making it tangible, relatable, 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:49.279 not just abstract policy talk. So the sources 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:51.459 suggest this approach involves claiming the system 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:55.300 is rigged. But specifically by Trump for himself. 00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:57.660 That's the framing suggested. Right. And the 00:04:57.660 --> 00:05:00.360 idea floated is that the DNC, the Democratic 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:03.019 National Committee, should pull what people are 00:05:03.019 --> 00:05:05.339 actually unhappy about, blame it squarely on 00:05:05.339 --> 00:05:07.639 Trump, and then clearly say what Democrats are 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:10.040 fighting for. You. It really does underscore 00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:12.139 when you connect it to the bigger picture just 00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:14.600 how important that simple, relatable messaging 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:18.680 is in today's very complex political world. OK, 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:21.040 so moving on from that legislative brinkmanship, 00:05:21.899 --> 00:05:24.420 let's look at two other areas where sources say 00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:26.680 significant pressure is being applied, Congress 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:29.600 and the Supreme Court. What do these next points 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:31.860 tell us about, say, transparency in the rule 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:34.899 of law? First. the Epstein files. Right. So there's 00:05:34.899 --> 00:05:37.360 this discharge petition. Representative Thomas 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:39.639 Massey, Republican from Kentucky, started it. 00:05:39.899 --> 00:05:42.680 The goal is to force a House vote on releasing 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:44.620 all the Epstein files. And the interesting thing 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:46.519 is the alignment on this, right? Yeah. It's pretty 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:48.699 unexpected, kind of bipartisan. All the Democrats 00:05:48.699 --> 00:05:50.399 are apparently for it, plus a few Republicans. 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:52.579 Massey, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:55.519 Nancy Mace. And our sources say those last two 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:57.819 votes needed, they're pretty much in the bag. 00:05:58.339 --> 00:06:01.000 They're expected from two newly elected Democrats, 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:04.879 James Walkinshaw and Adelita Grishalva, from 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:08.480 special elections in Virginia and Arizona. Both 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:10.660 have apparently said publicly they'll sign once 00:06:10.660 --> 00:06:13.779 they're sworn in. The political angle here is 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:17.060 potentially quite significant. Trump's base, 00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:19.800 maybe surprisingly to some observers, has been 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:22.800 really vocal about wanting these files out. So 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:25.040 you could end up with a scenario where Democrats 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:27.899 are seen as the party of transparency and most 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:30.779 Republicans maybe look like the party of secrecy. 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:33.439 That could be a serious PR heading for the GOP, 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:35.560 the Grand Old Party, especially heading towards 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:37.879 the next elections. OK, now let's pivot to the 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:40.000 Supreme Court. There's an article in Politico 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:42.720 magazine. It describes efforts by former President 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.279 Trump to, well, the source uses strong words 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:48.480 like blackmail or lobby the court about tariffs. 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:51.139 And he's reportedly making claims the source 00:06:51.139 --> 00:06:55.160 calls absurd and nonsensical, like claiming the 00:06:55.160 --> 00:06:57.759 government is pulling in 17 trillion dollars 00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:00.959 in tariffs. Yeah, that number, it's like four 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:03.839 times the total value of all imports. It's about 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:07.389 15 percent of the entire planet's GDP. I mean, 00:07:07.689 --> 00:07:10.910 way off. Completely. And his allies are apparently 00:07:10.910 --> 00:07:13.889 involved in this pressure campaign, too. Former 00:07:13.889 --> 00:07:16.350 Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that if 00:07:16.350 --> 00:07:18.089 the court struck down the president's tariff 00:07:18.089 --> 00:07:21.050 power, it would hurt national security, maybe 00:07:21.050 --> 00:07:24.050 even make ending the Ukraine war harder. Wow. 00:07:24.129 --> 00:07:26.149 And Solicitor General John Sauer apparently went 00:07:26.149 --> 00:07:28.629 even further, claiming that without Trump's tariff 00:07:28.629 --> 00:07:31.730 authority, the U .S. would be, quote, ruinous. 00:07:31.870 --> 00:07:35.310 or a dead country. That's strong rhetoric. Extremely. 00:07:35.329 --> 00:07:37.209 And it raises that big question. How does this 00:07:37.209 --> 00:07:39.449 kind of intense public and political pressure 00:07:39.449 --> 00:07:41.870 affect how people see the court's independence? 00:07:42.209 --> 00:07:44.009 And the implication, according to the source, 00:07:44.129 --> 00:07:46.910 is that maybe Trump's actual legal case on tariffs 00:07:46.910 --> 00:07:49.029 is pretty weak. That's what the source suggests. 00:07:49.110 --> 00:07:52.009 And so he's essentially lobbying the court, rule 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:54.709 for me now, find the legal reason later. Which 00:07:54.709 --> 00:07:57.949 is exactly the sort of judicial activism that 00:07:57.949 --> 00:08:00.290 conservatives traditionally have really railed 00:08:00.290 --> 00:08:04.079 against. And there seem to be two big hurdles 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:07.379 for Trump here based on our sources. First, the 00:08:07.379 --> 00:08:11.420 legal basis he's using, the IEEPA. The International 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:14.100 Emergency Economic Powers Act. Right. That grants 00:08:14.100 --> 00:08:16.879 power to regulate, not necessarily to tax or 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:18.959 levy tariffs in this way. Tariffs aren't explicitly 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:22.860 mentioned there. OK. Second, public opinion seems 00:08:22.860 --> 00:08:25.040 pretty strongly against tariffs because, well, 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:27.240 they tend to raise prices for consumers. And 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:29.920 the Supreme Court It's already facing a lot of 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:33.200 public scrutiny, low approval ratings. The justices 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.559 have got to know that siding with Trump on tariffs 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:38.340 would likely push those numbers down even further. 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:41.779 And that could potentially give a future democratic 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:43.759 government, if they control the White House and 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:45.820 Congress, the political cover, to take pretty 00:08:45.820 --> 00:08:48.669 drastic actions against the court. Like expanding 00:08:48.669 --> 00:08:50.889 it or stripping its jurisdiction over certain 00:08:50.889 --> 00:08:53.789 issues. So it highlights this really deep tension 00:08:53.789 --> 00:08:56.889 Doesn't it between political pressure and trying 00:08:56.889 --> 00:08:59.289 to maintain judicial independence? Absolutely. 00:08:59.529 --> 00:09:02.049 Okay from the courts. Let's shift now to the 00:09:02.049 --> 00:09:05.509 global stage where Kind of ironically, one source 00:09:05.509 --> 00:09:07.509 suggests Trump seems to be bringing countries 00:09:07.509 --> 00:09:10.149 together, but maybe not in the way that helps 00:09:10.149 --> 00:09:13.169 traditional US alliances. Yeah, this is an interesting 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:14.990 development highlighted in the materials. Yeah. 00:09:15.269 --> 00:09:18.970 He's reportedly pushing India. the world's biggest 00:09:18.970 --> 00:09:22.289 democracy, longtime U .S. ally, into this sort 00:09:22.289 --> 00:09:25.250 of informal cooperation with China, Russia, North 00:09:25.250 --> 00:09:28.090 Korea, and Iran. That's quite a block. It really 00:09:28.090 --> 00:09:30.149 is. You're talking 3 .1 billion people there 00:09:30.149 --> 00:09:33.470 versus maybe 780 million for the U .S. and E 00:09:33.470 --> 00:09:36.350 .U. combined. One analyst starkly put it as, 00:09:36.690 --> 00:09:39.309 team dictatorship is 4X bigger than team democracy. 00:09:39.450 --> 00:09:42.529 Oof. And Trump himself seemed to almost acknowledge 00:09:42.529 --> 00:09:44.629 it on social media, saying something like, looks 00:09:44.629 --> 00:09:46.730 like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:49.399 darkest... And the sources suggest this wasn't 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:52.299 just random chance, this loss of India. No, they 00:09:52.299 --> 00:09:54.779 directly link it to Trump slapping that huge 00:09:54.779 --> 00:09:57.620 50 % tariff on Indian imports. And it's not just 00:09:57.620 --> 00:09:59.559 India, right? Leaders from other countries showed 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:01.759 up at a recent meeting of Russia, North Korea, 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:04.960 China. Yeah, Egypt, Turkey, Vietnam are there 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:07.720 too. Yeah. And potentially Brazil, South Africa 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:09.929 might loosely align themselves as well. So the 00:10:09.929 --> 00:10:11.889 sources are suggesting this could fundamentally 00:10:11.889 --> 00:10:15.289 reshape the whole geopolitical map, potentially 00:10:15.289 --> 00:10:18.210 leaving the U .S. more isolated. That's the concern 00:10:18.210 --> 00:10:20.789 raised, that it ends up being less America first 00:10:20.789 --> 00:10:25.289 and more America alone. And India's big crime, 00:10:25.649 --> 00:10:27.830 according to these sources, was just buying Russian 00:10:27.830 --> 00:10:30.960 oil. Pretty much. The sources suggest a smarter 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:33.259 diplomatic play might have been, say, offering 00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:35.639 American oil at a good price instead of just 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:37.519 hitting them with tariffs. It really makes you 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:39.960 question, doesn't it? What happens when you apply 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:42.559 maybe real estate negotiation tactics to really 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:44.919 complex, delicate international relationships? 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:48.120 Very different arena. OK, back home now, domestically. 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:50.899 We see what sources describe as a relentless 00:10:50.899 --> 00:10:53.659 pursuit of political rivals. Senator Adam Schiff, 00:10:53.860 --> 00:10:56.460 the Democrat from California, seems to be a prime 00:10:56.460 --> 00:10:59.360 target, especially given his role in Trump's 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:01.879 first impeachment. Trump has used some pretty 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:05.080 harsh language, sleazebag, lowlife, pencil neck, 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:07.980 and has apparently said he wants Schiff jailed 00:11:07.980 --> 00:11:10.299 for mortgage fraud. Right. The charge centers 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:13.919 on Schiff apparently claiming two principal residences. 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:16.679 on mortgage applications. One in California, 00:11:16.740 --> 00:11:19.080 one in Maryland. For listeners, the principal 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:21.139 residence thing is important for mortgage terms, 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:23.679 sometimes tax breaks, and you usually only get 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:27.600 one. Exactly. But the sources stress the crime 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:30.919 of mortgage fraud needs proof of intent to defraud. 00:11:31.100 --> 00:11:34.240 And that's often hard to prove here. Lots of 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:36.279 members of Congress have a place back home in 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:39.240 one near D .C. It's pretty common, especially 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:41.450 if neither place is being rented out. And banks 00:11:41.450 --> 00:11:44.210 often know about this setup anyway. Often, yes. 00:11:44.509 --> 00:11:46.809 Plus, Schiff apparently only claimed the homestead 00:11:46.809 --> 00:11:49.210 tax exemption for his California home, which 00:11:49.210 --> 00:11:51.090 sort of undermines the idea he was trying to 00:11:51.090 --> 00:11:53.509 defraud anyone. But what's really striking, according 00:11:53.509 --> 00:11:56.149 to our sources, is how this information supposedly 00:11:56.149 --> 00:11:58.820 came out. Trump appointed a close associate, 00:11:59.580 --> 00:12:02.639 this wealthy developer, Bill Pulte, to run the 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:06.179 Federal Housing Finance Authority, the FHFA, 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.340 which apparently gives Pulte access to basically 00:12:09.340 --> 00:12:12.360 every mortgage in the country. And the allegation 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:16.039 is that Pulte is using this access to specifically 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.519 look for people on what's called Trump's enemies 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:21.860 list who happen to have two mortgages. That's 00:12:21.860 --> 00:12:24.600 quite an accusation. And the irony... the sources 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:27.919 point out, runs deep. Polta's own father and 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:31.139 stepmother, Mark and Julie Polta, they've reportedly 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:33.559 claimed principal residences and homestead exemptions 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:35.659 in both Michigan and Florida. Which is definitely 00:12:35.659 --> 00:12:37.960 illegal, right? Getting a tax break in two states 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:41.440 like that. Yeah, you can't do that. So this pattern... 00:12:41.549 --> 00:12:44.210 Sources describe it as potentially weaponizing 00:12:44.210 --> 00:12:46.529 federal agencies against opponents while maybe 00:12:46.529 --> 00:12:49.230 looking the other way for allies. It keeps coming 00:12:49.230 --> 00:12:51.409 up in the materials we reviewed. And beyond going 00:12:51.409 --> 00:12:53.330 after individuals, there's also this reported 00:12:53.330 --> 00:12:56.129 effort to make becoming a citizen harder. The 00:12:56.129 --> 00:12:58.830 plan, linked to OMB director Russell Vought, 00:12:58.909 --> 00:13:01.210 that's the Office of Management and Budget, involves 00:13:01.210 --> 00:13:03.610 toughening the citizenship test, maybe adding 00:13:03.610 --> 00:13:05.450 an essay question, which could give officials 00:13:05.450 --> 00:13:08.970 more leeway to fail applicants. And beyond just 00:13:08.970 --> 00:13:12.190 the test, the sources suggest definition of good 00:13:12.190 --> 00:13:15.070 moral character could become this kind of slippery 00:13:15.070 --> 00:13:18.509 slope. Right now, it mostly means you don't have 00:13:18.509 --> 00:13:20.769 a serious criminal record. OK. But in the future, 00:13:21.009 --> 00:13:24.210 it might require showing positive contributions. 00:13:24.210 --> 00:13:28.070 Yeah. Like maybe owning DJT stock or submitting 00:13:28.070 --> 00:13:31.789 really positive tweets about Trump leaving it 00:13:31.789 --> 00:13:33.990 up to the examiner's discretion. Disgraciously. 00:13:34.149 --> 00:13:36.450 Tweets. That's mentioned in the sources. Along 00:13:36.450 --> 00:13:38.610 with social media vetting, where support for 00:13:38.610 --> 00:13:40.919 the Second Amendment is a plus. But maybe the 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:44.139 First Amendment isn't so much. And opposing Israeli 00:13:44.139 --> 00:13:46.500 Prime Minister Netanyahu could be classed as 00:13:46.500 --> 00:13:49.279 anti -Semitic activity and a definite no -no. 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:52.240 That raises some pretty big questions about fairness, 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:54.480 doesn't it? And who gets to define what a good 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:56.679 citizen looks like? Absolutely. And this seems 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:58.600 connected to Trump's lawsuit against the city 00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:02.000 of Boston. Yes, over Boston's policy of not actively 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:04.600 cooperating with ICE immigration and customs 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:06.860 enforcement to detain immigrants. But Boston 00:14:06.860 --> 00:14:08.740 isn't actually breaking federal law, are they? 00:14:08.940 --> 00:14:11.279 Cities aren't required to help IC like that. 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:14.159 That's correct. But former Attorney General Pam 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:16.340 Bonney claimed the DOAJ would protect Boston 00:14:16.340 --> 00:14:20.220 citizens from illegal alien crime, even though 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:22.799 Boston actually ranks much lower in violent crime 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:24.759 than many other major U .S. cities. It's number 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:27.720 71, I believe. Right. And Mayor Michelle Wu has 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:30.179 pushed back hard, saying Boston will defend its 00:14:30.179 --> 00:14:32.500 laws and rights. Yeah. And the analysis in our 00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:34.480 sources suggests the real goal might not even 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.580 be to win the lawsuit. It might just be to intimidate 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:40.179 the mayor, try to force her to, quote, bow down 00:14:40.179 --> 00:14:43.860 to federal pressure. OK, so. All these different 00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:46.179 actions we've discussed, foreign policy shifts, 00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:48.960 pressure on the courts, targeting rivals, immigration 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:51.620 policies, it all seems to circle back, according 00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:54.620 to our sources, to this central motivation. fear 00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:57.799 of losing the midterm elections. Trump is reportedly 00:14:57.799 --> 00:15:00.100 still angry about his two impeachments and really 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:02.299 doesn't want a repeat of 2018 when the Republicans 00:15:02.299 --> 00:15:04.980 lost the House. He apparently feels he stayed 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:08.019 in his lane back then and lost and sources say 00:15:08.019 --> 00:15:10.039 that's a mistake he doesn't intend to make again. 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:12.840 So there's this clear pivot towards the midterms 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:15.379 described in the sources, especially after that 00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:18.320 big bill passed in July, the one big, beautiful 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:21.139 bill act. Right. Apparently White House aides 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:24.080 quickly realized its tax cuts heavily favored 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:26.440 the wealthy and would likely mean service cuts 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:29.500 for poorer Americans, which led to some pretty 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:31.860 hostile town hall meetings for GOP lawmakers. 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:33.919 Yeah, I remember reading about those. So that 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.360 prompted this rush to rebrand the law, right? 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:38.860 Moving away from Trump's own name for it towards 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:40.860 something like the the working families tax cut 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:42.639 bill, even if that wasn't entirely accurate. 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:45.360 Exactly. And we also see the Jeffrey Epstein 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:47.679 scandal bubbling up again. Sources note it's 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:49.820 proving hard for Trump to just make it go away. 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:52.320 It's even causing some rare pushback from parts 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:54.899 of his own Maggie base who are demanding more 00:15:54.899 --> 00:15:57.610 information be released. That shows maybe a little 00:15:57.610 --> 00:16:00.049 crack in what's usually a very unified front. 00:16:00.250 --> 00:16:03.009 So it could be. So Trump is reportedly using 00:16:03.009 --> 00:16:07.110 this potent brew of tactics to try and influence 00:16:07.110 --> 00:16:09.809 the twenty twenty six midterms going way beyond 00:16:09.809 --> 00:16:12.490 just traditional campaigning. One example cited 00:16:12.490 --> 00:16:16.149 is a redistricting arms race, starting with Texas 00:16:16.149 --> 00:16:19.029 redrawing its congressional maps to try and gain 00:16:19.029 --> 00:16:21.389 five extra Republican seats, even though they 00:16:21.389 --> 00:16:23.590 just redrew them back in twenty twenty one. Right. 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:27.000 That's pretty audacious. It is. And that move, 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:29.460 according to the sources, prompted other states 00:16:29.460 --> 00:16:32.919 – California, Missouri, Indiana, New York – to 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:34.779 start thinking about their own redistricting 00:16:34.779 --> 00:16:38.000 plans in response. As one former Biden staffer 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:40.340 quoted in the material put it, if Republicans 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:42.779 thought they could win on their record, they 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:44.679 wouldn't have opened the redistricting conversation 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:47.230 in the first place. That suggests maybe they 00:16:47.230 --> 00:16:49.549 feel they need structural advantages, not just 00:16:49.549 --> 00:16:51.789 policy arguments. That's the implication. And 00:16:51.789 --> 00:16:53.690 voter suppression tactics are apparently also 00:16:53.690 --> 00:16:56.570 being discussed. Steve Bannon floated ideas like 00:16:56.570 --> 00:16:59.710 a mid -decade census that would exclude unauthorized 00:16:59.710 --> 00:17:02.090 immigrants. Yes, and also requiring proof of 00:17:02.090 --> 00:17:04.349 citizenship just to register to vote. And Trump 00:17:04.349 --> 00:17:06.789 himself has apparently reignited his attacks 00:17:06.789 --> 00:17:09.730 on mail -in voting, even threatening an executive 00:17:09.730 --> 00:17:12.789 order to ban it. Despite the continued lack of 00:17:12.789 --> 00:17:15.309 evidence for any widespread fraud with mail -in 00:17:15.309 --> 00:17:19.049 ballots. OK, then there's the economy. Huge pressure 00:17:19.049 --> 00:17:21.349 reportedly being put on the Fed chair, Jerome 00:17:21.349 --> 00:17:24.250 Powell, to lower interest rates. Yeah, Trump's 00:17:24.250 --> 00:17:26.609 even mused publicly about trying to oust him. 00:17:27.210 --> 00:17:29.930 And this ties into that DOJ investigation of 00:17:29.930 --> 00:17:33.450 Fed Governor Lisa Cook over those unprevent allegations 00:17:33.450 --> 00:17:37.029 of mortgage fraud. Many observers quoted see 00:17:37.029 --> 00:17:39.410 that as another example of potentially weaponizing 00:17:39.410 --> 00:17:41.869 the federal government against people seen as 00:17:41.869 --> 00:17:44.430 political obstacles. And the White House is also 00:17:44.430 --> 00:17:46.809 reportedly planning this big deregulation push, 00:17:47.150 --> 00:17:51.170 trying to, quote, before the midterms. Right. 00:17:51.529 --> 00:17:53.650 And finally, the issue of crime. It's being framed 00:17:53.650 --> 00:17:56.710 as a winning issue. Trump has deployed the National 00:17:56.710 --> 00:17:59.289 Guard to Washington, D .C., sometimes with armored 00:17:59.289 --> 00:18:01.990 vehicles, sources say, despite resonant backlash. 00:18:02.210 --> 00:18:03.869 And he's talked about sending troops to other 00:18:03.869 --> 00:18:06.490 cities, too. Chicago, Baltimore, New York, even 00:18:06.490 --> 00:18:08.410 if the governor's object. That's been floated. 00:18:08.589 --> 00:18:11.109 Yes. And while violent crime rates have actually 00:18:11.109 --> 00:18:13.329 fallen in most of the country since the pandemic 00:18:13.329 --> 00:18:16.009 peak, polling still shows crime is a big concern 00:18:16.009 --> 00:18:19.079 for a lot of Americans. So the analysis suggests 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:21.440 Trump is playing on those fears, using these 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:23.579 deployments to put Democrats on the defensive, 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:26.119 trying to make crime a national issue that benefits 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:29.579 him. So when you pull it all together, what's 00:18:29.579 --> 00:18:32.339 the end game? Well, according to a Republican 00:18:32.339 --> 00:18:34.519 strategist quoted in our source material, the 00:18:34.519 --> 00:18:36.660 overall goal of all these wide -ranging power 00:18:36.660 --> 00:18:39.319 plays is pretty clear. Make the midterms about 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:42.559 him. secure his legacy and operate without what 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:45.000 he sees as checks on his power. Wow, that was 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:47.819 quite the deep dive into these really complex, 00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:50.079 often confrontational strategies that are shaping 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:52.079 our political future from potential government 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:54.460 shutdowns and pressure on the courts to global 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:57.240 realignments, targeted domestic moves. It's definitely 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:01.400 clear the road to the 2026 midterms is not looking 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:04.500 conventional. No. Not at all. And these strategies, 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:06.720 as our sources really lay them out, they seem 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:09.220 to reveal this profound shift in how politics 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:12.400 is being engaged, where the lines between governing, 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:15.099 campaigning, even the established rule of law, 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:18.039 they seem increasingly blurry. What's really 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:20.720 insightful, I think, is understanding how these 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:23.519 multi -front campaigns actively challenge those 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:26.480 traditional democratic norms and how public perception, 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:29.119 which can be swayed by powerful narratives, becomes 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:31.410 this really critical battleground. Absolutely. 00:19:31.849 --> 00:19:33.809 And maybe that brings us to our final provocative 00:19:33.809 --> 00:19:36.089 thought for you, the listener. Given this political 00:19:36.089 --> 00:19:38.470 landscape where institutions are under pressure 00:19:38.470 --> 00:19:41.450 and norms are being tested, perhaps the key insight 00:19:41.450 --> 00:19:43.670 is realizing that the rules of the game themselves 00:19:43.670 --> 00:19:46.829 are constantly being redefined. So how do you, 00:19:46.910 --> 00:19:49.390 as an informed citizen, adapt your own framework 00:19:49.390 --> 00:19:51.630 for evaluating political actions when the players 00:19:51.630 --> 00:19:53.930 themselves seem to be actively trying to move 00:19:53.930 --> 00:19:56.849 the goalposts? It's definitely a lot to consider. 00:19:57.029 --> 00:19:58.349 Thanks for joining us for this deep dive.