Ballot with Patrick Gutfield - Fun Politics. Late-Night Energy.

Director James Gunn triggered outrage by pointing out Superman is—gasp!—an immigrant. Conservatives melted down, Fox News lost its mind, and the cast of the new Superman movie clapped back. Also: Stephen Miller blames immigration for... traffic jams. Seriously. Because nothing says policy genius like blaming Somalia for your commute.For more political absurdity and culture war chaos, subscribe to Ballot. Go ad-free with Caloroga Plus at caloroga.com/plus

Donald Trump reportedly told Vladimir Putin he’d “bomb the bleep out of Moscow”—and he said it at a fundraiser. Meanwhile, a Rhode Island couple bought a $640 luxury “Trump” watch... but it just says “RUMP.” We also cover Elon Musk’s AI Grok going off the rails with antisemitic posts, and Trump’s official letters filled with typos and gender mix-ups. Welcome to diplomacy, twenty twenty-five style.Subscribe to Ballot and unlock ad-free listening with Caloroga Plus: caloroga.com/plus

An AI voice clone impersonating Secretary of State Marco Rubio fooled foreign ministers and a member of Congress—proving even top officials can't trust their own voicemail anymore. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is crowdsourcing her official portrait on Instagram… dressed as a cowgirl. And just in time for summer travel, say hello to a new COVID variant: XFG. It’s spreading fast, but should we panic?

The Justice Department says there is no Epstein “client list,” despite years of speculation—so what was Pam Bondi waving around on Fox News? Meanwhile, Ted Cruz is caught vacationing in Greece while deadly floods devastate Texas. His office says he came back “as fast as humanly possible,” which apparently means “after dessert.” And finally, good news: the TSA might be letting us keep our shoes on—but what does that mean for TSA PreCheck?

A construction worker who saved a 9-year-old from a shark attack is now facing deportation—because heroism has paperwork. Penn reverses course on Lia Thomas, wiping her name from the school’s swimming records after a Title IX investigation. And in New York, thieves are skipping wallets and just stealing the entire ATM. Yes, the whole thing. Like a heist movie written by someone who failed economics and physics. Get the show without ads. Five bucks. For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple Podcasts app which says UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus.