About this episode

The episode discusses the collapse of Graham Plattner's Senate run, Mitch McConnell's health, and various political scandals.

This is a preview of The Weekender. Sign up for our Patreon and get access to the full episode, plus special Live Shows and the community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman open with the collapse of Graham Plattner's Senate run in Maine, and the ugly 11-minute video where the presumed nominee blamed powerful forces instead of taking any responsibility. They dig into what his exit means for the seat, why Susan Collins built her whole strategy around scandal, and the bigger trap facing anyone who tries to carry a genuine class-based movement without getting torched by their own party. From there it's Trump's corruption-mobile, the Qatari jet he abandoned for the old Air Force One over security worries, plus his NATO summit bullying and an instant-classic reference to the Islamic Republic of Japan. Then the main event: Mitch McConnell has been missing for nearly a month, and the pair work through whether he is convalescing, on life support, or being kept afloat by suspiciously identical 20-minute phone calls that his allies keep claiming to have. There is an August 3rd deadline, a Kentucky seat in the balance, and a wife who is somehow…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jared Yates Sexton, Nick Hauselman

Topics covered

• political campaigns
• Senate race
• Trump's actions
• Mitch McConnell's health
• class-based movements
• media influence
• political scandals

Keywords

• Graham Plattner
• Mitch McConnell
• Susan Collins
• Trump
• political strategy
• class movement
• August 3rd
• Mr. Beast
• Patreon

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Islamic Republic of Japan, Patreon

Places: Maine, Kentucky, China

More episodes of The Muckrake Political Podcast

• Diarrhea Straits · July 21, 2026 · 44 min
• Made In China Syndrome · July 17, 2026 · 10 min
• A Grave Situation In The Senate · July 14, 2026 · 48 min
• Plattner Of Least Resistance · July 7, 2026 · 55 min
• Sweet Land of Larceny · July 3, 2026 · 8 min
• The Fed and the Furious · June 30, 2026 · 54 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Muckrake Political Podcast podcast page.