The TPM Social Club

Things Seem Bad w/ Layla A. Jones

TPM's Josh Kovensky and Joe Ragazzo are joined by TPM reporter Layla A. Jones to analyze the state of the economy and why it seems to be working for some people, but against most people. They take some time to eviscerate Jeff Bezos clownshow interview on CNBC earlier this week. U.S. Workers Are Getting Record-Low Compensation Based on Their Productivity [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/u-s-workers-record-low-wages-labor-share-bls] Americans still feel pessimistic about the economy. When will it get better? [https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/consumer-confidence-us-economy-inflation-iran-war-trade.html] US 30-Year Yield Hits Highest Since 2007 as Selloff Deepens [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-19/us-long-bond-yield-hits-highest-since-2007-on-inflation-concern?srnd=homepage-americas] The AI Boom Is Making Warsh's Bond Market Bind Even Worse [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-20/the-bond-market-sees-ai-making-warsh-s-inflation-bind-even-worse?srnd=homepage-americas] Trump DOJ: Yale’s Medical School Has Way Too Many Black Students [https://ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics/yale-medical-school-trump-doj-findings/] The exit economy is here. Black Women are paying the highest price | Fortune [https://fortune.com/2025/11/22/the-exit-economy-black-women-labor-force-participation-inequality/] To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/@tpm-video]. We also have newsletters: subscribe here [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/newsletters]! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.social] Facebook: https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo [https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo] Twitter: https://x.com/tpmsocialclub [https://x.com/tpmsocialclub] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tpmsocialclub/ [https://www.instagram.com/tpmsocialclub/] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Checking in on MAHA w/ Madeline Peltz

A nuanced look at the current state of the so-called Make America Healthy Again movement and it's relationship with the Trump Administration Number Two Pencil [https://numbertwopencil.substack.com/] Good Girls and Alpha Males: How Conservative Media Is Targeting Gen Z [https://bookshop.org/p/books/good-girls-and-alpha-males-how-conservative-media-is-targeting-gen-z-madeline-peltz/fe9f4d811b430430?ean=9781464255403&next=t] Breaking: Trump withdraws MAHA darling from Surgeon General nomination [https://numbertwopencil.substack.com/p/trump-withdraws-maha-darling-from] I asked MAHA voters outside the Supreme Court if they’d vote Democrat [https://numbertwopencil.substack.com/p/i-asked-maha-voters-outside-the-supreme] To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/@tpm-video]. We also have newsletters: subscribe here [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/newsletters]! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.social] Facebook: https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo [https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo] Twitter: https://x.com/tpmsocialclub [https://x.com/tpmsocialclub] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tpmsocialclub/ [https://www.instagram.com/tpmsocialclub/] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

How is AI affecting culture? with Leif Weatherby

An honest conversation about AI, language and culture with Leif Weatherby. Knowers of Ball [https://thebaffler.com/latest/knowers-of-ball-weatherby] Permanent Decline [https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/permanent-decline/#] The decline of Aaron Rodgers (with Leif Weatherby) [https://thepointmag.substack.com/p/the-decline-of-aaron-rodgers-with-4a1] Attention is All We Need: On Leif Weatherby’s Language Machines [https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2025/08/attention-is-all-we-need-on-leif-weatherbys-language-machines.html] TPM's Annual Membership Drive is underway! If you're not a member, now's the perfect time to join! For a limited time, you can get 25% off an annual Prime or Prime Ad Free membership [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/memberships]! To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/@tpmtv]. We also have newsletters: subscribe here [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/newsletters]! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/talkingpointsmemo.com [https://bsky.app/profile/talkingpointsmemo.com] Facebook: https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo [https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo] Twitter: https://twitter.com/tpm [https://twitter.com/tpm] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpointsmemo/ [https://www.instagram.com/talkingpointsmemo/] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

White House Conspiracy Dinner

Josh Kovensky and Joe Ragazzo are joined by TPM contributor and conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild (No, not those Rothschilds) to break down the strange reaction to the WHCD assassination attempt and discuss the current state of conspiracy theorizing. And then, believe it or not, we wrap up with some surprising developments from.....Summer House? Mike Rothschild writes Rough Edges for TPM, covering fringe groups, conspiracy theories, and how the Internet broke our brains. He is a journalist and expert in the growth and impact of conspiracy theories. He is the author of the first complete book on the QAnon conspiracy movement, 2021’s The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything; as well as Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories in 2023. https://www.patreon.com/cw/MikeRothschild [https://www.patreon.com/cw/MikeRothschild] What’s Really Underpinning the ‘Missing Scientists’ Conspiracy Theory [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/whats-really-underpinning-the-missing-scientists-conspiracy-theory] What the Difference Between Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories Tells Us About American History—and About Now [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/what-the-difference-between-conspiracies-and-conspiracy-theories-tells-us-about-american-history-and-about-now] How the Epstein Files Reveal the Final Failure of QAnon [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/how-the-epstein-files-reveal-the-final-failure-of-qanon] Donald Trump Became President By Appealing to Conspiracy Theorists — Now He’s Driving Them Away [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/donald-trump-became-president-by-appealing-to-conspiracy-theorists-now-hes-driving-them-away--] TPM's Annual Membership Drive is underway! If you're not a member, now's the perfect time to join! For a limited time, you can get 25% off an annual Prime or Prime Ad Free membership [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/memberships]! To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/@tpmtv]. We also have newsletters: subscribe here [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/newsletters]! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/talkingpointsmemo.com [https://bsky.app/profile/talkingpointsmemo.com] Facebook: https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo [https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo] Twitter: https://twitter.com/tpm [https://twitter.com/tpm] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpointsmemo/ [https://www.instagram.com/talkingpointsmemo/] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Pete Hegseth's Next Objective: Surviving the Rapture

Talking Popes Memo: Josh and Joe are joined by Deputy Editor Nicole LaFond to figure out why Trump is feuding with the Pope, why Hegseth quoted Pulp Fiction, and what makes the MAGA brand of evangelicalism so different. -- The Real Religious ‘Renewal’ Happening in Gen Z [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/christian-revival-generation-z/686612/] -- TPM's Annual Membership Drive is underway! If you're not a member, now's the perfect time to join! For a limited time, you can get 25% off an annual Prime or Prime Ad Free membership [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/memberships]! To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/@tpmtv]. We also have newsletters: subscribe here [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/newsletters]! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/talkingpointsmemo.com [https://bsky.app/profile/talkingpointsmemo.com] Facebook: https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo [https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo] Twitter: https://twitter.com/tpm [https://twitter.com/tpm] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpointsmemo/ [https://www.instagram.com/talkingpointsmemo/] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].