CFP LIVE, Episode 34: Trump Restarts the War, Can't use Qatar Force One, and Embarrasses Himself at the World Cup

ESSAY: Did Trump’s Pentagon Drop Four Soldiers to Hide the Cost of His War?

The Pentagon first reported that 18 American service members had been killed in the Iran war. One day later, the official casualty count dropped to 14—after four soldiers killed in Jordan and Iraq were removed from the public list. This episode examines what happened to Lt. Tyler James Feehan, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, Sgt. Angel Rampersad, and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, and asks why the Trump administration and the Department of Defense changed the public accounting of American war dead. It also places the controversy in the larger history of Donald Trump’s comments and conduct involving military service members, including Trump’s “suckers and losers” remarks about fallen soldiers.

ESSAY: Ossoff Grills Hegseth: When Facts Confront MAGA's Bluster

Senator Jon Ossoff confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with the facts he did not want to answer. During a Senate hearing, Ossoff questioned Hegseth about the cost and results of the Iran conflict—and about Hegseth’s earlier claims that Iran’s military had been “destroyed,” rendered “combat ineffective,” and defeated in a “historic and overwhelming victory.” But when Ossoff asked Hegseth to answer those claims with a simple yes or no, Hegseth deflected. In this episode, I examine Ossoff’s questioning, Hegseth’s shifting explanations, and the danger of cheerleading an irresponsible war

Trump and MAGA are Driving Gen Z Away from Church! (with Doug Pagitt from Vote Common Good)

Doug Pagitt - a longtime pastor in the Twin Cities and the founder of Vote Common Good - joins Pat Kahnke and Adam Swenson to talk about the impact the Trump years are having on young people. We also hope to have a wide ranging discussion on the Emergent church, Doug's vision for Christians to engage in politics for the common good, and maybe even round it out with some guitar talk.

ESSAY: ICE is Hiring the "Worst of the Worst" To Do Donald Trump's Unthinkable Work

ICE agents have shot and killed two men during immigration enforcement encounters—Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine. This video examines the conflicting accounts, witness statements, and unanswered questions surrounding both ICE shootings. Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda depends on thousands of ICE agents carrying out increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement operations. But what happens when the people being targeted are not “the worst of the worst”—and when the agents involved are not wearing body cameras? For Christians, this is also a test of whether our stated beliefs about human dignity, justice, and the image of God can survive contact with political power.

CFP LIVE, Episode 34: Trump Restarts the War, Can't use Qatar Force One, and Embarrasses Himself at the World Cup

Trump restarts the war, can't use Qatar Force One, and embarrasses himself at the World Cup: Pat and Ken discuss all of this, and more, on Culture, Faith, and Politics LIVE!