Happy Friday! Sam and Emma speak with Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.com and proprietor of the blog Hullabaloo, to round up the week in news. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Trump’s cuts to the Social Security Administration, Musk’s attacks on NOAA, the devastating effect of Trump’s gutting of USAID, FEMA’s struggles, Bird Flu, the Pentagon’s trans ban, Trump’s tariffs, and MAGA confusion about Trump releasing an edited Epstein file, before expanding on the GOP’s ongoing attacks on Medicaid and Social Security, highlighted by the obvious attempt to revamp the demonization of people who receive government benefits. Digby then joins, jumping right into the genuinely astonishing divide between federal and state-level Democrats’ ability to function as an opposition party, with Democrats in New York, California, and the Midwest embarrassing national leadership when it comes to preparing (or caring) to fight the Trump administration. Parton, Sam, and Emma also reflect on the coalescing of Big Tech and the Heritage Foundation, dissect some of Elon Musk’s deeper desires for collecting Americans’ data, and assess the chokehold the Musk-Trump regime has on the rest of the Republican Party – from the threat of a primary to the active disregard of their voters’ wishes. After touching once more on the impotence of national Democratic leadership (Hakeem Jeffries) in contrast with state-level leaders (Governor Walz), Digby and MR wrap up by diving deep into Trump’s insane authoritarian confrontation with Ukraine President Zelenskyy during a live press conference today.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch Kaitlan Collins stump Mike Johnson with confusing questions about “budgets” and “resolutions,” and cringe as Piers Morgan goes out of his way to rain shimmering showers of praise on Elon Musk (while just happening to defend his own wealth along the way), plus, your IMs!

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