Monday Rundown: China deals, Kamala’s brainstorm, Ballroom brawl, next front in redistricting

Election Day: Can Spencer Pratt pull it off? We play Graham Platner Scandal Bingo

We talk about what it takes to lose a Senate race. Todd Akin lost Missouri over one comment about rape. Roy Moore lost Alabama — to a Democrat — over accusations involving underage women. Mark Robinson lost the North Carolina governor's race after praising Nazis. Each of those candidates was derailed by a single scandal. Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, now has the makings of all of them simultaneously: comments telling women to "take some responsibility" for their sexual assault, illicit texts sent to between six and twelve women, a presence on an app tied to exploitation of minors, and a Nazi tattoo — with more stories reportedly still coming. We run through Campaign Liability Bingo and ask the only question that matters: how desperate are Democrats to unseat Susan Collins that they're defending all of this? Democrats are also making an open and explicit threat to restructure the Supreme Court. Hakeem Jeffries, Jamie Raskin, and Sheldon Whitehouse have all gone on record. The Wall Street Journal editorial board calls it one of the most dangerous political promises of the cycle. We break down what the plan would actually look like and why it's getting less coverage than it deserves. Iran update: U.S. forces struck Iranian air defenses and a drone site in a new skirmish near the Strait of Hormuz — but there are signals that the shooting between Hezbollah and Israel may be nearing a stop. We sort through what's real and what's posturing heading into the week. Election night preview: California, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Montana all have primaries. The Los Angeles mayor's race is the one to watch — Karen Bass is in serious trouble, Spencer Pratt has gained eight points since March, and if no candidate clears 50%, the top two advance to a runoff. Yes, that Spencer Pratt. Democratic candidate Talarico delivered the exact same scripted answer in nine separate interviews. We have the supercut. It is something. And Jill Biden is on a media tour. She has said publicly that she thought the president was having a stroke — and still called for four more years. The tour is going about as well as you'd expect. Today's episode covers: • Platner's full scandal inventory — and the Bingo card • Democrats' explicit threat to the Supreme Court • Iran: Hormuz skirmish and ceasefire signals • California and LA primary preview • Talarico's nine identical answers • Jill Biden's media tour Subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who wants the week's most important stories before their first meeting. 0:00 - Intro 0:39 - Iran and Reconciliation 2:34 - CA Primary Preview   5:34 - Platner Liability Bingo: Every Scandal at Once 9:01 - Democrats Threaten the Supreme Court 11:39 - James Talarico’s Robot Performance 13:13 – Jill Biden's Media Tour Disaster

Monday Rundown: Platner's Illicit Texts, NJ Riot Fallout, Iran struggles & Jamie Dimon's war

It's Monday — here's what you need to know before the week gets away from you. The Platner story has taken a serious turn. The Wall Street Journal is reporting on illicit texts, and the Daily Wire has new reporting tied to an app called Kik. The candidate who had "nothing to worry about" just two weeks ago now has Cory Booker dodging questions, Andy Kim going silent, and his own campaign canceling scheduled MSNBC interviews. We track exactly who is still standing with Graham Platner, who has quietly walked away, and what the new reporting actually reveals about the man Democrats built into a national figure. In New Jersey, the protests outside Delaney Hall have crossed into riots. Rep. Mikie Sherrill — who showed up in person to rally demonstrators outside the ICE facility — is now asking everyone to "lower the temperature." We connect the dots: Democratic politicians helped light this fire, and the position underneath the protest is straightforward — they don't want immigration enforcement. They want to defund ICE. On Iran: President Trump is pushing back hard on reports that the U.S. would release money to Iran before the Strait of Hormuz is open and nuclear provisions are ironclad. The "No Dust, No Dollars" framework is holding. We update where negotiations actually stand heading into the week. And Jamie Dimon went on national television last week and attacked a crypto bill he clearly hadn't read. It's part of a pattern — Dimon waged the same war against Open Banking and consumer access to fee-free financial apps. The big banks have made their position clear: they're not against crypto specifically, they're against any innovation that competes with them. We call it what it is. Today's episode covers: • Platner's illicit texts and the Democratic exodus • Mikie Sherrill's riot problem in New Jersey • Iran: Trump pushes for tougher terms • Jamie Dimon embarrasses himself on crypto ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 00:41 –Platner's Illicit Texts & Democrats Go Silent 03:17 –NJ Riots: Sherrill Foments Then Runs 05:21 – Iran: Trump Toughens the Terms 07:27 – Jamie Dimon's Crypto Embarrassment 09:47 – The week ahead Subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who needs their Monday news in under ten minutes.

Rubio's Iran Warning, $10M DNC Autopsy DISASTER, Protesters CHEER ICE & Texas Election Night

At Trump's 12th Cabinet meeting, Secretary of State Rubio was blunt: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon — full stop. Defense Secretary Hegseth went further, making clear that if negotiations don't produce a deal, the Department of War is ready to finish the job militarily. We break down what these back-to-back statements mean for the state of talks and what the administration's red lines actually are. Texas held its primary runoff last night. John Cornyn holds on. The Paxton-Cornyn calculus shifted dramatically once voters got a closer look at Democratic candidate Talarico — including his "God is queer" remarks that even CNN panelists couldn't defend. We break down the results and what they mean heading into November. The DNC just released its 2024 election autopsy — a report they paid $10 million for. DNC Chair Ken Martin's own cover letter says he's "not proud of this product," doesn't endorse what's in it, and couldn't put the DNC's stamp of approval on it. The report also fails to address the single most important factor in 2024: Joe Biden's delayed exit from the race. Democrats have lost massive ground in elections from 2009 through 2024, and this autopsy doesn't come close to explaining why. We give it the autopsy it deserves. Meanwhile 2028 jostling is already underway. Cory Booker says "the system is rigged." Chris Murphy is talking about "community." Ro Khanna says Democrats lost because they "weren't willing to say the working class was shafted." We look at who's positioning, who's being honest, and who's just running the same playbook that's been losing for 15 years. Andrew Bremberg has a three-step plan to cut healthcare costs through transparency — giving patients prices before care, cleaning up the federal employee health program, and forcing transparency across employer health plans. It's a practical, serious proposal and worth five minutes of your time. The EU is planning to hit Google with a fine in the high triple-digit millions over antitrust concerns. Google says the changes they've already made represent "the biggest downgrade in the product's history." The U.S. State Department is watching closely and calling it "corrosive to private investment." We break down what's really happening. And the moment nobody expected: anti-ICE protesters outside a detention facility — cheering for ICE agents. We play the clip. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro 0:31 - Cabinet Meeting Highlights & Iran 2:02 – Texas Primary Night Results 5:28 – Andrew Bremberg’s OpEd 7:42 - Europe & Google 9:51 – 2028 Democrats: Who's Positioning & How 14:32 – Anti-ICE Protesters Cheer for ICE

Graham Platner’s bizarre origin story; Dems fight ICE by building a wall; Jaxson Dart and the heckler’s veto

Graham Platner positioned himself as a working-class Maine veteran ready to take on the establishment. So why did his father give him $200,000 to buy his first house? Why did GQ profile him weeks before he even filed to run? Why did the New York Times write a feature on him before he even announced? And why does the same political consultant who worked for Fetterman and is now working for Zohran Mamdani keep showing up in his orbit? We break down the full Platner operation — and why it looks a lot less like populism and a lot more like the Beto O'Rourke playbook dressed up in Carhartt. Meanwhile Democrats are running from Platner faster than he can cash his donor checks. Elizabeth Warren — silent. Chuck Schumer — silent. Hakeem Jeffries — "haven't seen those posts." Cory Booker — "not been following." Jake Auchincloss essentially endorsed Susan Collins in a safe D+11 seat. The party that built Platner is now pretending he doesn't exist. In New Jersey, anti-ICE protesters outside Delaney Hall in Newark are building an autonomous zone — digging up cement blocks to physically blockade vehicle access to the detention facility. You might even say they're building a wall. Rep. Mikie Sherrill tried to visit and was turned away. We break down what's actually happening inside and outside the facility. Iran update: U.S. forces destroyed IRGC ships attempting to lay new mines in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. Talks are ongoing but the IRGC is making clear why peace negotiations aren't simple. We explain what "defensive in nature" actually means in this context. This week's Waste, Fraud & Abuse Wednesday: the numbers that should make every taxpayer's blood pressure spike. And Jaxson Dart introduced President Trump at a recent event — and is now getting torched by sports media for it. Emmanuel Acho says introducing the president shows a "lack of wisdom." We push back: political intolerance shouldn't be a veto over a teammate's right to their own beliefs. We all sat through years of Obama at every sporting event. Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes said it best. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro 0:37 – The Latest from Iran 2:00 – ICE takes on New Jersey 3:08 - the Platner Problem 6:46 - The Planter Op 9:40 – Waste, Fraud & Abuse Wednesday 11:38 – Jaxson Dart, the Heckler's Veto & Sports Politics 🔔 Subscribe for sharp, fast political news every Tuesday and Thursday. #GrahamPlatner #MaineSenate #ICE #DelaneyHall #Newark #IranDeal #JaxsonDart #WasteFraudAbuse #BetoORourke #ZohranMamdani #AntiICE #10MinuteDrill #PoliticalNews #BreakingNews #2026Midterms

Memorial Day Recap: Honoring the 13 Fallen, Iran on the Brink, Platner's Portnoy Disaster & Newsom's Gas Lie

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro  00:40 – Honoring the 13 Fallen of Operation Epic Fury 01:11 – Iran Deal: "95%" There — or Not? 02:25 – America’s red lines with Iran  06:44 – Newsom Blames Chevron for Gas Prices 08:00 – California Primary Clown Car 09:50  – Platner Won't Apologize for mocking purple heart recipient 10:43 – Platner campaign steps in it with Portney