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Political commentator and seasoned comedian Pete Dominick joins Susan J. Demas and Sam Osterhout to break down Trump’s painfully awkward performance. Every good comedian knows how to recover from a bad joke — everyone except Trump. Unable to laugh at himself, he resorted to tired insults, blatant attacks on transgender people, and jokes about serving a fourth term.

But, the jokes reveal something much bigger than bad comedic timing. The inability to accept responsibility is the same narcissism that has defined his political career: every failure belongs to someone else, every criticism is a conspiracy theory, and every perceived slight demands retaliation. If it wasn’t already clear who Trump is — he’s spelling it out for you.

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Susan closed the episode with the weekly assignment: call your senators and urge them to vote NO on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It’s time we send the White House a message and deny them the blank check they want to keep fighting their unjust war.

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Stuart recalls Yoshi once saving his life during a medical emergency in Albania. And he’s stunned by the transformation as a Trump propagandist, comparing it to watching a friend self-destruct.

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Many Republicans, like Stuart, chose to leave the GOP and fight against what it’s become under Trump. He closes with a direct, sorrowful appeal: Yoshi could still walk away and “get back to trying to be a decent human being.”

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But these obsessions are connected more than you might think. And some of the most powerful voices in our government are all-in on these ideas.

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Andra Watkins and Sam Osterhout connect the dots to dominionism. Check out this week’s episode of Unholy Ground.

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And in the wake of the Callais decision handed down from SCOTUS this past spring gutting the Voting Rights Act, folks in Mississippi have every right to be concerned.

Donna Ladd, CEO and Executive Editor with the Mississippi Free Press, joined Edwin Eisendrath on It’s The Democracy, Stupid to discuss the issue of voter access and how some Republicans have moved polling locations to prevent more people from voting.

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It’s a conversation you can’t miss.

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Max Burns welcomes Michelangelo Signorile, SiriusXM Progress host and writer of The Signorile Report on Substack, to It’s the End! … of the Week to pick apart the Hegseth hearing, as well as our new forever war with Iran.

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And does JD Vance have a chance in 2028? Check out It’s the End! … of the Week to find out what Max and Michelangelo think, right here on Lincoln Square.

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That was long before Trump and Stuart left the Republican Party. Listen to his thoughts about Friday’s dinner and the state of the media today.

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And support independent media by subscribing to Lincoln Square.

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And what one word has Joe thinking he’s seen this movie before about the Iran war?

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Young Americans aren’t driven by ideology as much as frustration. From unaffordable housing and healthcare to shrinking job prospects and growing isolation, today’s political divide is being fueled by an economic system that leaves working people behind while rewarding corporate power.

The answer isn’t another political party; it’s building a movement that connects people through shared values and ending corporate control.

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They also examine Trump’s continuing to make 2020 election fraud claims, how they’ve been repeatedly debunked, and the increasing challenges of staying informed with the misinformation this current administration traffics in every day.

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Watch this week’s Tim & April Show for much more. And leave your thoughts in the comments.

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Steven Beschloss welcomes Miles Taylor, a man who has seen the inner workings of a Trump administration from the inside.

Taylor served as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the first Trump administration and authored the anonymous 2018 New York Times op-ed, I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.

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He’s also a bestselling author of books including, A Warning and Blowback and currently runs initiatives opposing Trump policies while working as a security expert and commentator.

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But that’s only the beginning. Gupta connects the outbreak to rising measles cases, weakened vaccine oversight, and even military readiness under the Trump administration.

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Scott Ferson joins his fellow veteran Democratic strategist Joe Trippi and celebrated political author Joe Klein from the Pine Tree State to give us an update, and to discuss his new book, How the Democrats Lost America: Making Sense of the 2024 Election and the Future of American Politics.

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Tune in for this conversation and more, like the Joes discussing the Stat of the Week.

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That perspective starts with the Senate. Garcia dismissed much of the speculation surrounding Mitch McConnell’s prolonged absence and focused instead on the practical reality: every missing senator changes the math. McConnell isn’t just another Republican vote — he chairs the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and has long represented the dwindling wing of the GOP that strongly supports Ukraine and traditional American alliances. His absence leaves Republicans without one of their most influential foreign policy voices at a moment when the party is increasingly skeptical of international engagement in Iran and elsewhere. The political intrigue may dominate cable news, but the real consequence is felt in committee rooms where budgets, nominations, and military policy are decided.

That realism extended to Democratic calls for Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to challenge state law and appoint a Democratic replacement should McConnell leave office. Garica was clear: there isn’t a winning strategy there. Democrats frustrated by Trump’s aggressive use of power increasingly want their own leaders to “fight fire with fire,” but political hardball has legal limits. Picking unwindable constitutional battles may satisfy an angry base, but it won’t ultimately change anything. The bigger story is that Democratic voters increasingly measure leaders by how aggressively they resist Trump, even when victory isn’t realistically on the table.

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That same frustration is reshaping Democratic politics well beyond Kentucky. Garcia described a party base hungry for confrontation, helping fuel the rise of more progressive candidates across the country. But he also noted the limits of idealogical purity. Looking at Michigan’s Senate primary, Garcia argued the race isn’t simply a battle between moderates and progressives. It’s a collision between different Democratic coalitions. Suburban women, union workers, African Americans, Arab Americans and younger progressives represent key parts of a divided electorate, making Michigan one of the most unpredictable contests in the country. “It’s a jump ball,” said Garica, resisting the temptation to offer easy predictions where none exist.

He also highlighted an uncomfortable reality both parties continue to wrestle with: policing misconduct within their own ranks. From allegations involving Republican members of Congress to Democrats’ eventual push to force Graham Platner out of the Maine Senate race, Garcia argued that political parties have developed a far higher tolerance for scandal than they once had. While Democrats have often been quicker to remove politicians facing credible allegations, he noted that both parties have shown an increasing willingness to excuse behavior that would have ended political careers a generation ago.

Immigration illustrates that broader collapse in public trust as ICE has become one of the defining political flashpoints of the Trump era, with recent enforcement actions dramatically shifting public opinion. Garcia contrasted Susan Collins’ argument that she helped place guardrails around ICE through funding and oversight with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s response that funding the agency ultimately means owning its actions. Garcia pointed to polling showing nearly half of Americans now support abolishing ICE. Many increasingly see ICE less as a traditional law enforcement agency and more as an arm of unchecked federal power.

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That changing landscape is especially visible among Latino voters. Garcia pushed back against simplistic narratives about Hispanic political behavior, arguing that economic concerns and immigration fears now exist side by side. Many Latino voters supported Trump because they associated his first term with lower prices and economic stability, while simultaneously worrying that expanded deportation efforts could affect their own families or communities. Democrats have finally begun investing in year-round Spanish-language outreach rather than parachuting in weeks before Election Day, but Republicans still retain advantages in messaging. Winning Latino voters, Garcia argues, requires recognizing that concerns over affordability and immigration are often intertwined rather than competing priorities.

Looking ahead, Garcia believes the biggest stories won't simply revolve around personalities, but around whether Republicans can convince voters they're improving everyday life. With gas prices rising again, inflation squeezing working families, and immigration remaining politically explosive, he argued that cost of living will likely eclipse many of Washington's procedural battles. He also pointed to Georgia (not Michigan) as the state to watch most closely, given the combination of Senate, gubernatorial, and legislative races that could shape national politics for years to come.

Tune in for Susan Demas’ full conversation with Eric Michael Garcia on First Draft, right here on Lincoln Square.

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In this administration, the solutions to nonexistent problems also happen to be the cause of crisis-level problems.

None of this makes sense.

Joe and Stuart talk through the war in Iran, the war in Ukraine, and share their personal experiences with Bibi Netanyahu.

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In fact, he was lying. Or, perhaps, he doesn’t really understand what winning actually entails. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. American troops have been lost in the last few days. Our weapon cache is depleted. As retired Navy Commander says, Iran holds all of the cards, and there are only two options for breaking the current status of this war: An American surrender or an American invasion.

Bobby predicted we’d be here way back in April. Take a look:

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On this episode of Anchor Watch, Bobby welcomed Samuel Ratner, an analyst, writer, and editor focused on civil wars, statebuilding, southern Africa, and progressive U.S. foreign policy. He serves as Policy Director at Win Without War and is a contributing editor at Zitamar News, where he covers southeast African security issues.

Sam’s expertise is global, but Iran is currently front and center in his focus. Watch and let us know what you think is going to happen in this war.

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And is Trump or any of his health advisors like Robert Kennedy, Jr. doing anything to help? Unless you’re a farm with a direct line to the Oval Office and some cash, don’t hold your breath.

Speaking of what’s in the air, the increasingly frequent Canadian wildfires fueled by climate change are blanketing communities in smoke, worsening air quality, and raising public health concerns across North America. Trump’s plan to combat this and help our neighbors to the north? Throw some tariffs their way.

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Join Susan J. Demas and a fired-up Edwin Eisendrath as they discuss these issues and more, including ICE’s deadly surge and what New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani might do when Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu comes to the city for his United Nations visit in September.

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He then turned to the Justice Department’s first-ever use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, warning that extraordinary government powers deserve close scrutiny. Especially when the definition of “terrorism” could be expanded to fit anyone Trump deems undesirable. This paired with news that ICE shootings may no longer be investigated shows that the Trump administration is doing whatever it can to avoid accountability.

Does the government exist to keep us safe, or just to serve Trump? The question is rhetorical. But as a former Assistant Director of the FBI, Frank brings the perspective how things are supposed to work in Washington — and how they can again.

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Watch Frank’s full analysis and let us know what the Trump administration is doing that concerns you most right now.

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Susan J. Demas and Sam Osterhout also discussed President Trump crashing the FIFA Club World Cup trophy presentation even though he was openly rooting against Spain. So does Trump hear fans booing him or is it like that classic episode of The Simpsons? Susan and Sam debate.

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They welcome Zac Mueller, senior strategist at States at the Core (STAC), to tell us how communities can combat authoritarianism and respond to civic threats like ICE. They have several trainings coming up — sign up now. Check them out on Substack.

States at the Core

News, offerings, and updates from your friendly neighborhood democracy defenders.

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And it’s as bad as you think.

But the big hits that everyone’s talking about — women shouldn’t vote, we should ban abortion etc. — aren’t the most alarming things about his message.

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While America isn’t there yet, many of the warning signs feel strikingly familiar, especially when it comes to attacks on democratic institutions and the normalization of political intimidation.

Their conversation explores the resilience of democracy, the responsibility of citizens when institutions falter, and why independent journalism remains one of the strongest safeguards against authoritarianism. Together, Eisendrath and Smith unpack the week’s headlines and how we can make a difference during a time when democratic norms are increasingly being put to the test.

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Oh, and they also talked about the World Cup. Tune in!