Nick Hauselman is still out and about, leaving Jared Yates Sexton to tackle some recent stories, including the revelation that Donald Trump was likely bought off by a TikTok investor, RFK Jr. naming his chief donor his running-mate, NYC deploying AI surveillance, and a deep-dive into a truly wild Ross Douthat column wrestling with "the liberal sex crisis."

This is a preview of the subscriber-exclusive Weekender episode. To gain access to a bonus show every Friday, as well as exclusive analysis and live shows, head over to Patreon and become a patron today.
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Weekender PREVIEW: Oligarchs, Surveillance, and Sex Panic?

The Muckrake Podcast is the political podcast that promises to dig deeper. Political analysts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman tackle the news of the day but go beyond the stale and tired narratives to provide historical context and alternative perspectives, all to bring a little order to chaotic times.

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This is a preview episode of The Muckrake Podcast's Patreon show that happens every Friday. To unlock the full show and a host of other great things, visit http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman discuss the sudden announcement of two debates between the presidential candidates. They're much earlier than normal, they cut out the middle man, and it's... something. They move on to Mitt Romney appearing on MSNBC to say the Biden should have given Trump a blanket pardon since, obviously, he can't get enough of that sweet Trump buzz. They finish up pulling apart the misogyny of an NFL kicker and the musings of tech bro Palmer Luckey. 
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The Biden/Trump Debates Make No Sense

Jared had the chance to sit down with the one and only Sarah Kendzior. Here they discuss the current state of American politics, the clashes over Gaza, growing authoritarianism, and more.
Sarah's book They Knew: How A Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent is now out in paperback. You can find her writings on her Substack.
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BONUS EPISODE: Conversation with Sarah Kendzior

Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman go over the latest polling in some battleground states, none of which look good for Biden. They discuss how Donald Trump has unleashed surrogates to appear at his trial in New York and then help him violate his gag order. JD Vance has been the most vocal of these surrogates as he hopes to get picked for Vice President. They dissect what it means that Elon Musk is cozying up to so many authoritarians before finishing with Clarence Thomas lamenting how mean people are to him. 
To gain access to a bonus episode every Friday, as well as exclusive live episodes and electoral analysis, head over to Patreon and become a patron.
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JD Vance Gags On Trump's Order

This is a preview episode of The Muckrake Podcast's Patreon show that happens every Friday. To unlock the full show and a host of other great things, visit http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman discuss the President Joe Biden's announcement to not draw a red line and stop sending arms to Israel if they make an incursion into Rafah. They then have to talk about the fact that Robert Kennedy Jr has a dead worm in his brain before finishing up with an article about young kids having past lives. 
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Brain Worms Affecting Our Political Process

Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman discuss Mitt Romney saying the quiet part out loud: Congress was motivated to force TikTok to sell because they didn't like how they couldn't control the media narrative. They then welcome on the show Dr. Roberto J. Gonzalez of San Jose State University, who is the author of War Virtually: The Quest to Automate Conflict, Militarize Data, and Predict the Future. They discuss his article "How Big Tech and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Military-Industrial Complex": https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2023/2024/Silicon%20Valley%20MIC.pdf
To gain access to a bonus episode every Friday, as well as exclusive live episodes and electoral analysis, head over to Patreon and become a patron.
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Weekender PREVIEW: Oligarchs, Surveillance, and Sex Panic?

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