Pod Save America

Elon Musk is back in the news, with a New York Times investigation detailing his rampant drug use right as he hightails it out of Washington. Lovett and Dan compare notes on their own White House drug tests, then dig into Trump’s most recent comments on his Big Beautiful Bill, the legislation’s fate in the Senate, and Sen. Joni Ernst’s psychopathic consolation for people being kicked off Medicaid. Then Lovett sits down with author and history professor Erik Loomis to talk about whether the U.S. is still capable of mass mobilization—do liberals actually care about workers? How do we meet people where they’re at? And are we all too individualistic to show true solidarity?

Donald Trump loses his cool when a reporter asks him about a newly popular Wall Street phrase: TACO, aka Trump Always Chickens Out. A federal court unanimously rules that the majority of Trump’s tariffs are illegal — before an appeals court allows them to remain in place (for now). And after 128 days of destruction, Elon Musk's time as a Special Government Employee officially comes to a close. Jon and Dan discuss the future of DOGE after Musk, check in on Trump’s ongoing war with Harvard University, and deliver a new Corrupt-date — this time on Trump’s clemency spree. Then, Jon talks to Liz Oyer, a former DOJ Pardon Attorney, about her MAGA successor’s very political approach to a historically nonpartisan job. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/exANdXHJk1w]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Jon, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan talk about the administration's attempt to bar Harvard from enrolling international students and other new Trump threats, including possible sweeping tariffs on the EU and Apple products. The guys answer your questions on everything from the future of Democratic leadership and why some Senate Democrats keep voting with Trump, to whether a future Democratic president should roll back executive power. Plus: who's surprisingly not terrible in Trump 2.0? How would they handle a Trump interview? Finally, some thoughts on Bluesky, how use AI without losing your mind… and whether 100 Crooked staffers could take down a gorilla.   For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/XcxtIR0rLLk]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

In the middle of the night, the House narrowly passes Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," a witch's brew of tax cuts for the wealthiest and benefit cuts for the neediest, sending it on to the Senate. Jon and Dan talk about what Democrats can do to stop the bill—and the upside of Republicans passing something so massively unpopular, Trump's "white genocide" show-and-tell for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and the damning new data showing why Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election. Then, Dan talks with Rep. LaMonica McIver about getting slapped with criminal charges by Trump's Justice Department, and what it means for the executive branch to be targeting legislators for doing their job. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/hNS4KovJRnI]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

President Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer—news that lands in the middle of a media cycle already consumed with questions about Biden's decline thanks to a buzzy new book and the release and of the audio from Biden's special counsel interview. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy unpack the fallout: the questions, conspiracies, criticisms, and some truly disgusting reactions. Plus: Trump's "excellent call" with Putin, his new attacks on the media and Kamala Harris's celebrity endorsers, and Kash Patel and Dan Bongino disappoint MAGA's conspiracist base. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/iUuCo5rgZms]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. For tickets to Free Andry: A Crooked/The Bulwark Fundraiser At WorldPride, visit https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/150062AFA79E3227 [https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/150062AFA79E3227].