Pod Save America

At the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Donald Trump promises that he'll give every American adult a $5,000 check if — and only if — Republicans retain control of the Senate and House, a plan so absurd that even his own defenders can't explain it. Jon and Dan process the most ridiculous moments from the 18 hours of speeches, including JD Vance previewing his presidential campaign, Mike Rogers and Ted Cruz using the 25th anniversary of 9/11 to paint Democrats as terrorist sympathizers, and Democratic Senator John Fetterman's surprise video appearance. Then, to cap off a Republican-filled episode, Lovett talks to Steve Hilton, the Republican nominee for California governor, about his relationship with Trump and what it'll take to tackle California's housing crisis.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.You can request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

Nate Silver, Clare Malone, and Galen Druke — the hosts of Crooked Media's new show Still Counting — join Lovett to talk about the Senate races they find most interesting and Trump doing everything in his power to help Republicans lose the midterms. The crew, who you may remember from the FiveThirtyEight podcast, dives deep into the numbers, breaking down what polling errors we should expect this November, what kind of candidates overperform versus underperform the national average, and the science behind Nate's midterm election forecast model, FLIPR. Subscribe to Still Counting on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Weeks after a Republican campaign committee called AI data centers the "anchor hanging around" GOP candidates' necks, Trump weighs in to say that all Americans who oppose data center construction are "backwards and poor" — while he digs in on the trade war with Canada and the hot war with Iran. No wonder a leading Republican senator tells Politico that Trump — and the whole party — are "in serious trouble." Jon, Lovett, and Tommy try to make sense of Trump's choices at home and abroad, process the latest from the courts on mail-in voting and the White House ballroom, discuss Abdul El-Sayed's apology to Michigan's Jewish community, and react to the latest racist provocation from Laura Loomer. Then, Tommy sits down with Aaron Ford, the Democratic nominee for governor in Nevada.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.You can request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

With his approval rating 20 points underwater, Donald Trump previews his new midterm strategy: telling voters to pretend he’s on the ballot. Jon and Dan break down how that will play, react to the president renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” and preview the Republican Party’s midterm convention. They also discuss Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handling of a measles outbreak in Pennsylvania, new polling that has James Talarico up on Ken Paxton in Texas, and the unnerving number of Nazi-related scandals surrounding Mike Collins’s Senate campaign in Georgia. Then, Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee for Senate in South Carolina, talks to Dan about the momentum building for her campaign now that Darline Graham has won the Republican nomination.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.To watch this episode with subtitles, click here and turn on closed captions (CC).You can request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

How can Democrats reach the elusive swing voter? Danielle Butterfield, executive director of Priorities USA, one of the most important PACs in Democratic politics, joins Dan to talk about Priorities' attempts to reshape how Democratic campaigns think about targeting voters on the internet. She breaks down their research into how voters are looking for information on search engines, why campaigns need to rethink how they talk to voters on YouTube, and how Priorities USA is getting out ahead of 2028 by trying to frame JD Vance and Marco Rubio in swing voters' minds before the presidential election begins. Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.You can request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

Jon Ossoff attacks Trump for sidestepping his duties to "travel with Natalie," the White House aide known as Trump's "Human Printer," who has a suspiciously close relationship to the president. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss the new line of attack and the president's response, the end of the 60-day cease-fire agreement with Iran, Trump's decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, and his reaction to the horrible conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Then, they check in on the fight to take back the Senate, Ken Paxton stealing a $1,000 pen, Mary Peltola rejecting Kamala Harris's endorsement, and a new poll in Michigan that has Abdul El-Sayed down four points to Mike Rogers. Then, Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker, talks to Tommy about his campaign to unseat disgraced congressman Max Miller of Ohio.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.You can request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

Donald Trump hides in a catering truck and boards a secret plane to evade an Iranian security threat, leaving reporters, White House officials, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio alone aboard Air Force One to fend for themselves. Dan and Jon discuss the President's profile in courage and the rest of the latest, including a series of shocking new developments with ICE, the discourse around electability after David Crowley's unexpected primary win in Wisconsin, and Nate Silver's new midterm model, which is uncharacteristically optimistic about Democrats' chances of taking back both the House and Senate. Then, the guys bid farewell to press secretary Karoline Leavitt and debate which MAGA-world figures are most likely to replace her.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.You can request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

MS NOW's Chris Hayes joins Alex Wagner to talk about what Democrats should take away from the progressive movement's big primary win in Michigan and how the party's reaction may predict what's ahead in the 2028 presidential election. They debate whether Abdul El-Sayed should continue to campaign with leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, discuss how AIPAC's media strategy is backfiring with voters and how ideals of masculinity continue to influence our politics.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.To watch this episode with subtitles, click here and turn on closed captions (CC).You can request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan's democratic Senate nomination, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens by one point after a heated campaign about the future of the Democratic party. Jon and Dan sit down for a bonus pod to talk about how El-Sayed overcame $60+ million in outside spending against him, make sense of the closer-than-expected results, and to preview the general election message against Mike Rogers, the Trump-endorsed Republican nominee. Then, Senator Bernie Sanders, who endorsed El-Sayd's campaign on the day of its launch, talks to Jon about the future of the progressive movement. Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.You can also request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

Jonathan V. Last, editor of The Bulwark, stops by the show to talk to Lovett about his "Grand Unified Theory of Trumpism" — that Trump's opponent "will always choose surrender over discomfort." Together, they try to make sense of America's rotting political culture, breaking down when and where it all went wrong, and debate what it'll take for the nation to heal from this moment, be it a reckoning of virtue, kindness, or democratic will. Jonathan also walks Lovett through the echoes of Goebbels recently displayed by Secretary Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller and why he believes the desire for a figure like Trump may have always been present within the Republican base.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.To watch this episode with subtitles, click here and turn on closed captions (CC).You can also request a transcript by emailing [email protected]. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

A slew of new reporting details big problems at the DNC, from deepening financial woes to leaks, paranoia, and an allegation that Chairman Ken Martin threw his phone at a staffer. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett react to the disarray inside the Democratic Party, debate whether it's possible to replace Martin before the midterms, and discuss how the DNC's new 2028 primary calendar, which starts with South Carolina, could shape the race for president. They check in on the Michigan Senate race, the latest in Trump's continued back-and-forth with Iran, and his pitiful performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Then, Ben Wikler, former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, stops by the new studio to talk to Jon about his new book "This Is the Plan" and what Democrats can do to restructure and protect American democracy.For a transcript of this episode, email [email protected]

The White House doubles down on both of Trump's wars — the war against Iran and his trade war — sending Pete Hegseth to the Hill to request a $70 billion cash infusion for the Pentagon and imposing new tariffs on Canadian imports and prescription drugs. Jon and Dan discuss how Democrats should approach the administration's funding request, how voters — especially MAGA Republicans — are reacting to Trump's moves, and the president's warning to Americans that they "can't fight" the construction of new data centers in their communities. Then, the guys break down a series of new polls that show the Democrats carrying a big lead into November, the "fight to the death" at the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee to determine which state will lead off the 2028 Democratic presidential primary, and a new video showing the extent of Trump's Oval Office renovations. Then, Dan talks to former White House communications director Jen Palmieri about her new series, "Long Play," on winning back power in the South, available at youtube.com/@longplayseries or wherever you get your podcasts.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.