Half the Answer

ICE has been transporting people in inhumane conditions to countries to which they have no affiliation or connection. What do the courts think about this? It's…confusing. Reporter Gillian Brockell is here to get the word out, sharing stories not only about ICE's awful actions and our ridiculous Supreme Court but also about how Democrats on Chicago's city council have fought back.

Resources

https://gillianbrockell.com

https://prospect.org/2026/10/07/federal-judge-dhs-must-bring-back-gay-arizona-man-imprisoned-africa-ahmed-soliman/

https://prospect.org/2026/10/02/ice-airline-omni-air-chicago-trump-third-country-deportation-flights/

https://prospect.org/2026/09/30/supreme-court-allows-ice-to-restart-third-country-removals/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am0NlFUQYvQ

Donald Trump is changing the landscape of Washington—literally. From East Potomac Park to the Kennedy Center to the 'Arc de Trump,' everything he touches turns to plaster and adhesive gold-colored filigree. And all the while, D.C. is still under occupation by National Guard out-of-towners. Stephanie Mencimer, a senior reporter with Mother Jones and resident of the city under siege, joins us.

Resources

https://bsky.app/profile/smencimer.bsky.social

https://www.motherjones.com/topics/reveal-podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@MotherJones

https://www.tiktok.com/@motherjonesmag

https://www.motherjones.com/author/Stephanie-mencimer/

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/fore-trumps-dc-golf-course-is-already-in-the-rough/

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/the-kennedy-center-was-part-of-dc-life-trump-destroyed-it/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/30/trumps-upscale-golf-plan-would-destroy-dc-haven-cyclists-runners/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/29/trumps-arch-not-expected-feature-drones-snipers-officials-say/

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NZIUqUdoz2I

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/23/secret-white-house-bunker-undercuts-trumps-ballroom-lawsuit-ex-officials-say/

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/us/politics/trump-ballroom-construction.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/09/30/kennedy-center-was-solvent-when-trump-took-over-then-its-finances-collapsed/

https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/29/politics/mike-lee-kennedy-center-bill

https://apnews.com/article/trump-rose-garden-historical-statues-founders-sculptures-0fe922ef11337b4937adf3ac505e9b5b

https://www.turtlediaries.net/p/update-from-the-great-american-state

https://people.com/trump-rose-garden-renovations-complete-photo-timeline-11985903

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/a-year-of-troops-in-washington/688317/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-put-thousands-soldiers-washingtons-streets-they-seldom-stop-crime-2026-08-19/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/daily-news-lessons/2025/10/east-wing-of-white-house-torn-down-as-trump-clears-space-for-his-ballroom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNpIOlDhigw

Donald Trump appears to be deteriorating…in every way possible. Physically, mentally, internationally, grammatically—somehow, orange man worsening, while word salads, IVs, and naps are great again. Ryan Cooper of the American Prospect helps us think through what it means for 2026, 2028, and beyond.

Resources

https://prospect.org

https://www.leftanchor.com

https://wlos.com/news/local/joke-trump-fema-funding-president-donald-trump-north-carolina-western-helene-reaction-whatley-cooper-election-candidates-politics-gov-josh-stein-community

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mvoaqk2q2523

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-chance-for-peace-delivered-before-the-american-society-newspaper-editors

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/how-the-homeless-continue-to-be-forgotten-in-the-midst-of-the-covid-19-pandemic/

"Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Our European correspondent Hunter CG, often known as RoteRoteMedia, clues us into the latest Old World happenings, with special attention to the ongoing adventures of Donald Trump's middle-aged son-in-law and "special envoy for peace" Jared Kushner.

https://www.LiberalCurrents.com/drive/

https://www.democratsabroad.org/about_us

https://www.thedemcon.org

https://www.tiktok.com/@roterotemedia

https://www.instagram.com/roterotemedia/

https://www.youtube.com/@roterotemedia/shorts

https://bsky.app/profile/roterote.bsky.social

https://apnews.com/video/protest-against-kushner-linked-coastal-development-held-near-albanias-parliament-f09c4305bc7548f3a37a5aa1d5463826

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c986w38r4j5o

https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/who-rupert-lowe-restore-britain-5HjdTPC_2/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8znyzgkjjo

https://apnews.com/article/wales-scotland-northern-ireland-independence-uk-devolution-4242b7fd6987520211562a2250f093a1

https://www.reuters.com/world/italys-meloni-says-albania-migrant-camp-scheme-will-continue-2025-11-13/

https://apnews.com/article/sweden-election-opposition-wins-andersson-bf88ef9771cdd4f435a1568b98a11790

https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-wedding-bankrolled-russian-oligarch-umar-kremlev-putin

https://www.britannica.com/event/2025-Nepalese-Gen-Z-Protests

https://apnews.com/article/madagascar-protests-gen-z-rajoelina-e39ef11bd1f4a92f1f4b353900348219

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/how-serbian-students-created-the-largest-protest-movement-in-decades/

When those at the very top echelon of influence in Silicon Valley think about, talk about, and interact with government, what does that look like? Can we come up with a legible, understandable picture of the tech elites' idea of what governing is and how they relate to it? Adrian Daub says yes, and he says it in his new book "What Tech Calls Governing."

Resources

"What Tech Calls Governing": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781503648333

"The Cancel Culture Panic: How an American Obsession Went Global": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781503640849

screengrab of Elizabeth Holmes from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGJSRFWALTI

Elon Musk photo by Gage Skidmore https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/54349592271/in/album-72177720324044219

Mark Zuckerberg with Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI-ULy4akl0

Peter Thiel photo by Gage Skidmore https://flic.kr/p/2n3bPZt

Tim Cook in Oval Office from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSAGUjY2HIs

What is the current state of affairs in Israel, Palestine, and the surrounding nations? We ask Y. L. Al-Sheikh for her help summarizing and contextualizing recent developments.

Resources

⁠https://bsky.app/profile/diplomatofnight.com⁠

⁠https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/ylalsheikh/⁠

⁠https://foreignpolicy.com/author/yaseen-al-sheikh/⁠

⁠https://internationalpolicy.org/resource-author/y-l-al-sheikh/⁠

⁠https://foreignpolicy.com/author/yaseen-al-sheikh/⁠

⁠https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/new-maps-show-how-israel-has-thwarted-hopes-for-a-palestinian-state⁠

⁠https://truthout.org/articles/air-force-is-reviewing-case-of-iran-war-gold-star-widow-being-denied-benefits/⁠

"The One State Reality: What Is Israel/Palestine?": ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781501768408

Donald Trump's unprovoked trade war with Canada and his chaotic attacks on Iran have him hemorrhaging support in states he won in 2024. Why doesn't he seem to care? What is he thinking? We can't read minds, but we can talk to Greg Sargent from the New Republic about Trump's statements, posts, and actions over the last month or so.

Resources

https://newrepublic.com

https://bsky.app/profile/gregsargent.bsky.social

https://newrepublic.com/article/214669/trump-canada-trade-war-backfiring

https://newrepublic.com/article/214682/transcript-krugman-trump-reveals-deep-contempt-maga-voters

https://newrepublic.com/article/214748/transcript-trump-fury-canada-already-backfiring-badly

Who are the women supporting the rise of the far right in the United States? Are they brainwashed? Confused? Under coercive control? Dr. Katie Gaddini presents her findings after interviewing politically active right-wing women across the country and explains that there can be several distinct classifications of such women, who all are different, complex, and active participants in their political movement.

Resources

https://katiegaddini.com

"Esther's Army: The Christian Women Who Power the American Right" https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781324123767

https://slate.com/culture/2026/07/conservative-women-right-wing-republican-christian-evangelical-trump-politics-maga.html

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/katie-gaddini/esthers-army/

podcast: blessed & stressed https://katiegaddini.com/podcasts

https://katiegaddini.substack.com

Vaccination rates are falling across the country, vaccine deniers are occupying positions of power in the United States government, and previously eradicated diseases are reappearing. Tracking all of this is Caitlin Gilbert and her colleagues at the Washington Post health, science, and wellness desk. We asked her to fill us in on the state of the nation when it comes to vaccination, inoculation, and all things disease prevention.

Resources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/caitlin-gilbert/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/08/17/trump-rolls-back-vaccine-recommendations-see-where-your-school-stands/

https://bsky.app/profile/caitlingilbert.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/caitlingilbert.bsky.social/post/3msr4aokzkc2s

https://www.tiktok.com/@caitlingilbertdata

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24135-vaccines

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3407399/

It's an unhinged political ad round-up, featuring racist memes from Donald Trump himself and Ken Paxton's rancid, deep-fried AI slop rip-off of one of the most famous ads from history. Author Jonathan M. Katz helps us make sense of the hideous soup of extremism, slander, bad art, and dirty dealings that we're all floating in.

Resources:

https://www.theracket.news

https://www.forever-wars.com

"Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781250135599

"The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781137278975

"The Legend of Skokie: A Story of Free Speech and Fascism in America": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781250427519

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/michigan-senate-results

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/the-right-is-targeting-abdul-el-sayeds-family-members/

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/trump-backed-candidate-michigan-loss-dropped-out/73357749

https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/racist-book-camp-saints-gains-popularity/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Turner-Diaries

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/an-infamous-attack-ad-just-got-an-ai-resurrection/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/arts/rachel-pollack-dead.html

https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/turner-diaries-other-racist-novels-inspire-extremist-violence/