Pod Save America

Donald Trump insists he has the right to render people to a foreign prison even though the courts say otherwise, and Democrats dig in for a critical fight. From El Salvador, Senator Chris Van Hollen briefs Dan on his effort to get answers about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Then, Jon and Dan look at the latest targets of Trump's retribution tour, most notably Harvard, his threats to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, and Elon Musk's ultra-creepy project to populate Earth with a "legion" of his own offspring. Then, Tommy sits down with Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, about how he's trying to push back on Trump's defiance of the courts.

Donald Trump and the president of El Salvador gloat about shipping migrants to a Salvadoran mega-prison, muse about sending American citizens there next, and lie about the court orders they're ignoring. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy break down what it means for the administration to ignore the Supreme Court's order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the message Trump is sending to student visa holders with the arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk, why Trump's war on the media appears to be succeeding, and reports that the Trump family is teaming up with Binance, the shady crypto platform, on a new money-making scheme. Then, Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal joins Jon to talk about Trump's trade war, the possibility of a recession, and what might happen next.   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/yLQgfsERAlI]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Republicans go into full propaganda mode to sell Trump's reversal on tariffs as the culmination of a brilliant master strategy—until Trump himself admits it was just a reaction to the markets freaking out. Meanwhile, in one of his scariest, most authoritarian moves yet, Trump orders investigations into two former aides for the sin of criticizing him and telling the truth about the 2020 election. House Republicans manage to pass the Senate budget resolution, which calls for massive cuts to Medicaid to pay for Trump's billionaire tax cut. And the second act of the Resistance notches some meaningful wins on immigration and Social Security. Jon and Dan discuss why the market turmoil from Trump's tariffs will continue, the next steps for the GOP's budget plan, and how Democrats should be talking about all of it. Then, Dan is joined by physician, best-selling author, and public health expert Atul Gawande to talk about RFK Jr.'s mission to destroy the agency he now runs, and why he forced out the FDA's top vaccine regulator.   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/RmqPcG1tb1U]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

As Donald Trump's insane tariffs plunge America further into a trade a war, the MAGA faithful—with a few notable exceptions—fan out to defend Dear Leader. Meanwhile, Trump says he'd love to send Americans to El Salvador's mega-prison, anti-Trump protests sweep the country, and President Obama speaks out for the first time since the inauguration. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss Republicans' new "suck it up" message on the economy, why Democrats should talk more about Trump's deportations, and how Interior Secretary Doug Burgum likes his cookies. Then, Lovett negotiates the intellectual rationale and practical impact of Trump's tariffs with conservative economist Oren Cass.   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/guMQRP11pJc]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Michael Lewis, acclaimed author of The Big Short, Moneyball and The Fifth Risk joins Lovett to discuss his most recent book, Who is Government? Lewis and his coauthors profile the civil servants whose thankless and unglamorous work prevents mines from collapsing, castaways from drowning, and rare diseases from killing people. He and Jon talk about why it’s so important to break down the “bureaucrat” stereotype right now, why Lewis is convinced Elon Musk has no idea how to run DOGE, and what leads the people he writes about to stand up to Trump or succumb to their personal ambition.   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/0p8Y4i8pAQQ]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.   To enjoy ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, and more, subscribe to our Friends of the Pod Community now at crooked.com/friends [http://crooked.com/friends] or directly on Apple Podcasts! For a limited time, start your 30 day free trial today.