Journalism's having a moment—and not in a good way. We're only halfway through the year, and mainstream media's already managed to trip over its own feet... again. Truth is, it's been a slow-motion train wreck for years, and a lot of the damage is self-inflicted. This week, the gang digs into how legacy outlets keep botching the basics, what they're getting wrong, and whether there's any hope of turning things around.

 

(0:00:00) - Intro (Meredith's Colorado porch pirate, hotels suck, immigration update)

(0:26:08) - Sounds of the Week:

• Joe Rogan disapproves of deportations
• Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Finishes Record-Setting Speech 

(0:48:58) - Roles and responsibilities of mainstream media

 

Songs:

"A Letter to the New York Post" by Public Enemy

"Trouble Every Day" by Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention

"Dirty Laundry" by Don Henley

 

Notes:

• BYU Study: Using a gun in bear encounters doesn’t make you safer (0:06:27) 
• Safe travel in bear country (0:07:04)
• Kilmar Ábrego García alleges torture and abuse in El Salvador prison (0:16:57)
• ICE arrests 84 people in raid at Louisiana racetrack (0:17:25)
• Judge briefly blocks immigrants’ deportation to South Sudan, but legal path eventually cleared (0:17:38)
• Reporter Is Detained by ICE After Reporting on Immigration Protest (0:17:55) 
• ‘What are they hiding?’ Florida lawmakers shut out of Alligator Alcatraz (0:18:14)
• ICE is using no-bid contracts, boosting big firms, to get more detention beds (0:20:00)
• Text of the Big Beautiful Bill (0:20:25)
• Senate Approves Unprecedented Spending for Mass Deportation, Ignoring What’s Broken in our Immigration System (0:20:50)
• Shortage of immigration judges could slow down Trump deportation goals (0:21:49)
• Mark Ruffalo slams Joe Rogan as 'a little late' after podcast host calls Trump ICE raids 'insane' (0:31:12) 
• July 2025 FBI memo regarding the Jeffrey Epstein client list (0:34:10) 
• Trump faces growing criticism from his base over Jeffrey Epstein files (0:34:10)
• Greene: People ‘not going to accept’ memo saying there’s no Epstein client list (0:34:22)
• Cory Booker sets a record with marathon Senate speech protesting Trump (0:37:51)
• Dem lawmakers say their voters are threatening 'blood' and 'violence' over inability to hinder Trump: report (038:11)
• Hakeem Jeffries' Instagram post with a baseball bat (0:39:20)
• Trump suggests federal government could run New York City if Mamdani becomes mayor (0:41:58) 
• Social media post claiming NPR botched reporting on Medicaid cuts in budget reconciliation bill. The actual report could not be found, so the claim cannot be confirmed. (0:58:53)
• ‘A threat to public broadcasting’: Nashville Public Radio fears funding cuts to NPR, PBS  (0:59:55)
• The Overton Window (1:01:07)
• Yes, the media’s Biden coverage was flawed. But its reporting on Trump was far worse (1:17:04)
• Don’t blame the election on fake news. Blame it on the media. (1:17:29)
• 'The Interview': The Head of NATO Thinks President Trump 'Deserves All the Praise' (1:22:14)