The gang looks at Joe Biden's performance at the climate-change town hall, asks why we aren't blowing up Iran's ships, and announces Matt's successor as editor in chief.

Biden’s Bloody Eyeball, Bribing Iran, and the Beacon’s Big Announcement

The Free Beacon Podcast is the official podcast of the Washington Free Beacon, your favorite warmongering Kate Upton blog. Join favorites such as editor in chief Matthew Continetti, Free Beacon president Aaron Harison, and others as they talk about politics, national security, culture, elections, government, and the people that annoy them. We are on a mission to find an explanation of the moment, or something. Decadent, depraved, and always interesting, the Free Beacon Podcast can't be missed.

News & Politics

In the wake of the last Democratic debate before South Carolina and Super Tuesday, the gang examines what challenges may or may not be left for Bernie Sanders on the path to the nomination. Matt argues there's an opening for Biden if he pairs a South Carolina win with an impressive performance on Super Tuesday. However, the debate did not seem to change much about the race. In fact, Matt argues, it may be that no debates actually matter, except for the ones where a candidate totally self-destructs.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg continues to lap the field in total spending, sticking his face on everything from the debate commercial breaks to Axios's newsletters. The media have given him near-constant attention since he started his ad blitz, which appears to be exactly the kind of special treatment that paved the way for a certain Donald J. Trump to win the Republican primary in 2016. This comes, of course, after the media worried incessantly about how to learn from the so-called tragedy of Trump's rise. Goldfarb has a touching reason why we should not be surprised or upset: "Take the media and love them for who they are because they can't change."

Looking across the Pacific to discern what danger the coronavirus actually presents, the gang wonders what government official would actually tell people to panic. The eventual answer shows that there's always another opponent of the Trump administration inside the Trump administration.

Free Beacon legal correspondent Victorino Matus comes in with updates on Harvey Weinstein and Michael Avenatti, who have both been convicted in New York but face more legal trouble out in California. And if you want to know about Floyd Mayweather's lackluster parties or "genius, avant-garde" names for gender-nonconforming babies, Kitty has you covered.

Perhaps the most disturbing story of all, however, is the "free birthing" movement, which may be the end of us all.

South Carolina, Political Trolling, and Government-Approved Panic

Matt and Goldfarb are back to help analyze the ever-increasing bounty of Democratic infighting in our latest episode, sponsored by SwagRight.

Michael Bloomberg took the debate stage for the first time and faced a constant barrage of attacks, and the gang doubts he or anyone else can stop Bernie Sanders's march to the nomination. But with Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg all staying in the fight, there was plenty of antagonism to go around Wednesday. Harison is keen to celebrate the party being in disarray, with everyone from Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton deserving some of the blame.

But the Trump administration has other matters at hand, namely the case of Roger Stone's conviction. Trump tweeted support for his former adviser while Attorney General Bill Barr recommended a lighter sentence than the one prosecutors asked for. It turns out Barr was right once again, and Stone received a 40-month sentence after a judge decided prosecutors were out of line. However, he may not even serve that if Trump uses the pardon power again.

With Michael Avenatti being convicted, legal correspondent Victorino Matus is on hand to discuss what comes next. More trials and a whole lot of jail time, it appears. Kitty has updates on Al Pacino's lackluster love life and a Yankee stalker.

And finally, a Free Beacon Podcast first: After soliciting questions for an advice segment, we're reading a few on air and giving the most sage counsel available. Listeners can learn how to better deal with the libs in their lives or to keep hope alive that Hillary may, soon, be locked up at last.

Dems Self-Immolate, Sanders Marches On, and Roger Stone Looks for a Pardon

With no Matt or Goldfarb on the show today, there's no one to hold Harison and Eliana back as they cover everything from the Democratic primary to the Roger Stone case. This episode is brought to you by SwagRight, where you can shop for the finest conservative apparel and accessories.

The gang starts off with New Hampshire, where the socialist revolution was started in earnest by Bernie Sanders, with Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar nipping at his heels. But Harison argues the party has painted itself into a corner where the only choices are to let Bernie win or to stop him with Bloomberg's billions. With Mini Mike paying for everything from ads to memes, his candidacy is a test of whether you really can buy an election. For Harison, whatever happens will lead to either Bernie or Bloomberg running as an independent. And he'll be at the Democratic convention—with his gas mask on—to chronicle the chaos that is sure to ensue.

Eliana takes the discussion to President Donald Trump's tweets about the Roger Stone case. And news breaks right as the show is going! Eliana gets the scoop with her handy-dandy smart phone. It turns out, Attorney General William Barr is not happy with Trump opining on social media about this high-profile case, and you'll have to listen to find out what is Harison's take.

Free Beacon legal correspondent Victorino Matus has the latest on Michael Avenatti's ongoing Nike court case, where he could face decades in jail if he's found guilty of extortion. If he manages to get out of that bind, he's got another one in April where he's defending himself from the charge of stealing from porn star Stormy Daniels. And then after that, there's a federal fraud trial coming in Los Angeles. He's a busy guy.

And in the culture update, Kitty has the latest on Keith Richards's newfound sobriety and the possibility of Tupac Shakur being alive and hiding in New Mexico.

Bernie’s Red Dawn, Bloomberg’s Bank Account, and What to Do About Roger Stone

The gang has you covered this week on everything from the coronavirus to impeachment to Japanese hashtags.

With John Bolton taking center stage in the latest impeachment drama, the gang analyzes whether he's trying to get back at President Trump, sell some books, or do something else. If Mitch McConnell wraps the impeachment trial up in the next few days, it may turn out well for sales of the book but badly for Nancy Pelosi's future as speaker. The gang disagrees about whether Pelosi can last as her party's leader if Trump wins reelection, and a friendly wager is made.

Meanwhile, the boring Democratic primary continues and Bernie keeps climbing. Mayor Pete has tried to get nasty, but at this point Bernie is well positioned to take not just Iowa but New Hampshire as well. Matt says nobody knows what is going to happen, but Harison sees it differently—this is Bernie's race to lose. Will that prediction pan out as well as his guarantee that Trump would win in 2016?

Matt argues that Bernie has none other than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to thank for his comeback in the polls, while Harison has to be reminded that she cannot, in fact, be his running mate in 2020.

Michael Bloomberg, meanwhile, has been bombing the airwaves with ads for his long-shot candidacy, and Goldfarb has a conspiracy theory about his advertising strategy.

Vic drops in to update everyone on Hunter Biden and Michael Avenatti, while the culture discussion has Beyonce, Barbies, and even a little Joseph Schumpeter.

Bolton Takes Center Stage, Bernie Surges in Iowa, and Bloomberg Bombs Airwaves

With the House Democrats’ prosecution phase in the impeachment case against President Trump winding down, it looks like Mitch McConnell’s hand has only gotten stronger. Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler have won few converts in their speeches before the Senate, even angering some senators with their belligerence. Harison argues that this has been an incredibly unserious process, and it hasn’t yet shown a major political upside for the Democrats.

Meanwhile in Iowa, Elizabeth Warren’s struggles continue. Confronted by a father asking whether her free college and debt cancellation policy would "screw" people who did the right thing, Warren was not sure how to answer—probably because that’s exactly what her plan would do. Falling to fourth overall in many polls, Warren is now warning her team not to expect much success from the first few states.

Vic returns for another update on Hunter Biden’s legal situation. A jury is set to be selected soon, and the Free Beacon Podcast will continue to be the top source on the matter.

On a lighter note, Twitter personality Comfortably Smug has constructed the ultimate competition for liberal hacks, which will demand the utmost attention of faithful opponents of fake news. But will any of this matter with the Doomsday Clock getting ever-so-close to midnight?

Biden’s Bloody Eyeball, Bribing Iran, and the Beacon’s Big Announcement

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