What happens when immigration enforcement crosses into authoritarian territory, and what does it actually cost the country?

This episode breaks down the growing debate around DHS and ICE, examining why calls for reform are no longer enough for many critics. Drawing from immigration research, legal analysis, and economic data, the discussion challenges the idea that mass enforcement benefits American workers or public finances. Instead, the argument presented is that aggressive immigration crackdowns cause measurable harm to entrepreneurship, foreign investment, labor markets, and long term economic stability.

The conversation also addresses claims frequently made by right wing politicians and media figures, including allegations that immigrants drain public resources or suppress wages. According to the data cited, immigrants are more likely to start businesses, contribute more in taxes over their lifetimes, and attract outside investment into local economies. Removing them, the argument goes, weakens growth at a time when declining birth rates already threaten the sustainability of social programs and infrastructure.

Beyond economics, the episode raises serious concerns about civil liberties, constitutional protections, and the normalization of performative cruelty in enforcement practices. The choice facing the country, as framed here, is stark: a diverse, growing economy or an exclusionary system that undermines its own future.

Listen to the full conversation over on Luke’s Substack: https://lthomas.substack.com/

Subscribe for more in depth political analysis, media criticism, and long form commentary every week.

Chapters

00:00 DHS reform question

01:05 ICE enforcement abuses

02:10 Immigration and investment data

03:15 Immigrants and entrepreneurship

04:10 Economic myths debunked

05:15 Birth rates and social programs

06:20 Ethnostate vs prosperity

07:30 Political scapegoating exposed

Luke Thomas Gets Political: Donald Trump has - illegally - renamed the Kennedy Center the Trump-Kennedy Center.

Trump’s latest moves reveal a governing style driven by retribution, self enrichment, and historical revisionism rather than problem solving. From efforts to rename public institutions to punishing states and cities that resist him, this discussion breaks down how Trump’s obsession with legacy and loyalty is actively harming public trust, cultural institutions, and effective governance.

The conversation examines the push to reshape public spaces in Trump’s image, including the backlash surrounding the Kennedy Center, and why these symbolic power grabs are failing. It also explores how Trump’s inner circle has shifted from institutional restraints to pure enablers, exposing a transactional and openly corrupt approach to governing. As affordability worsens, housing costs remain high, and basic economic pressures mount, Trump’s focus appears increasingly detached from the real problems facing Americans.

There is also a broader discussion about whether the GOP is beginning to move on, as Trump’s inability to deliver results collides with growing political fatigue. From climate retaliation to immigration crackdowns to foreign policy saber rattling, the thread running through it all is punishment over progress.

If you are trying to understand where Trumpism is headed and why its cracks are becoming harder to ignore, this conversation lays it out clearly.

Subscribe for more long form political analysis and commentary.

Listen to the full conversation over on Luke’s Substack: https://lthomas.substack.com/

Chapters

00:00 Trump and the Kennedy Center

00:48 Obsession with monuments

01:30 Cultural backlash grows

02:00 Governing by loyalty

02:45 Corruption and self dealing

03:40 Punishment politics

04:15 GOP fatigue emerges

05:10 Reality vs rhetoric

Slavery was banned in the U.S. in 1865, which means for most, it’s a shameful but distant historical footnote. Yet, as historian Patrick Wyman argues, the ideas underpinning it still hold currency in the modern world. For as much as the practice of the slavery is associated with outdated ethical codes and even ancient societies, there is a through line to our present day.

In his new podcast Past Lives, Wyman not only explores the question of slavery and the people who lived it, but does so from the perspective of the ‘ordinary’. In other words, rather than try to understand history solely through the lens of great leaders or singularly consequential figures, Wyman’s new podcast tries a sociological approach of examining the lives of the individual living in what were more common for their time. This view, he argues, is often missing from historical analysis and offers a new window into understanding not merely the lives of slaves (or even just ordinary people), but the greater context in which they lived.

In this interview, Wyman and I discuss this new podcast, explore the ways in which slavery still bleeds into the modern world, talk his time in combat sports and so much more.

**As always, thanks to the Substack paid subscribers who made this interview possible.**

Patrick Wyman holds a PhD in history from the University of Southern California. He previously worked as a sports journalist, covering mixed martial arts and boxing from 2013 to 2018. His work has been featured in Deadspin, The Washington Post, Bleacher Report, and others. He is currently host of the podcast, Past Lives. He previously hosted Tides of History and Fall of Rome.

#history #historian #podcast

Historian Patrick Wyman explains to Luke Thomas that slavery isn't a binary of free or unfree, but a broad range of different kinds of unfreedoms. This, he argues, means we are still living with the impacts of the thinking that underpins the practice even in the modern world.

To watch the whole interview, go to my Substack: https://lthomas.substack.com/p/slavery-is-still-with-us-an-interview

#history #slaveryhistory #podcast

Luke Thomas breaks down the groyper movement, Christian nationalism, and how antisemitism gets smuggled in under “anti-Israel” rhetoric before tackling COVID policy, rent control, and the Ali Reform Act.

Luke explains what Groypers actually are, why their project revolves around a white ethnostate and aggressive anti-immigrant politics, and how that worldview is built on vibes instead of evidence about immigration or demographics. Luke draws a sharp line between serious criticism of Israeli policy and naked bigotry toward Jews or any Abrahamic religion, making clear you can oppose a government’s conduct without endorsing religious hatred.

From there, he revisits the COVID era, arguing that vaccines and Operation Warp Speed were crucial but that mandates in some civilian contexts and overly “managed” scientific messaging damaged public trust and left openings for bad faith attacks. He talks candidly about what he would reconsider on mandates and what still holds up in hindsight.

Luke also fields a question on rent control and rent stabilization, outlining why adding housing supply matters more than price controls alone, and why he is cautious about drawing strong conclusions without a deeper read of the literature. Finally, he reacts to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s questioning at the Ali Reform Act hearing, why UFC reform is likely to sail through the House, and why the real fight will be getting 60 votes in the Senate.

Listen to the full conversation over on Luke’s Substack: https://lthomas.substack.com/

If you find this kind of long-form political analysis useful, hit subscribe and turn on notifications so you do not miss future breakdowns.

Chapters

00:00 What is a groyper

00:26 Christian nationalism and antisemitism

02:19 Criticizing Israel without bigotry

03:17 COVID response and vaccine debates

04:19 Rethinking mandates and mistakes

04:55 Science messaging and public trust

05:20 Rent control and rent stabilization

06:03 Rep. Omar and Ali Reform Act

06:40 Will UFC Ali bill actually pass

Luke Thomas reacts to US immigration wanting to see five years of social media posts to let people into the country, and he breaks down how performative cruelty has become a governing style of Donald Trump.

Listen to the full conversation over on Luke’s Substack: https://lthomas.substack.com/

Subscribe for more political breakdowns, clips, and full episodes.

Chapters:

00:00 “Remotion” and remigration fear

00:17 DHS social media hostility

00:48 Visa vetting and privacy invasion

01:20 Tourism drop and backlash

02:26 Tariffs and ideological governing

03:43 Venezuela escalation risk

04:08 Oil tankers and provocation claims

07:03 Online debates and media moments

08:11 Right wing infighting snapshot

09:13 Fuentes and ethnonationalist project

Luke Thomas: Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing hits UFC, boxing, and the Ali Revival Act debate.

Is the UFC’s media deal talk and new combat-sports legislation REALLY a behind-the-scenes bargaining chip for Saudi normalization with Israel? In this clip, we walk through why that “grand negotiation” theory feels like a stretch—and why the more believable explanation is far more obvious (and more important): Saudi soft power.

The conversation digs into how influence actually works in 2025—less cloak-and-dagger, more saturation. If you can establish a constant presence across major sports, entertainment, and tech, you don’t need a single secret deal. You just become part of the American mainstream.

Subscribe for more unfiltered political commentary through the lens of sports, media, and power.

Listen to the full conversation over on Luke’s Substack: https://lthomas.substack.com/

Chapters:

00:00 Abraham Accords theory debunked

00:24 Saudi soft power play

01:07 Why this job isn’t stress

01:59 When media platforms disappeared

02:29 The ladder disintegrates

03:17 Boxing monopoly warning

04:28 No stenography for bad actors

05:11 Waking up at 3AM

06:15 What ambition cost

07:36 Skills built for vanished world

08:03 Finding new answers

Luke Thomas speaks to John Fugelsang, actor and political commentator, about the problem of Christian nationalism, how it differs from Christianity, why he believes the religion has been hijacked and what can be done about it.

His new book, "Separation of Church and Hate" is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Separation-Church-Hate-Fundamentalists-Flock-Fleecing/dp/1668066890

#lukethomas #christiannationalism #christianityontheright

Trump’s latest Venezuela saber rattling raises the question of whether he will try to use a war scare to invoke the Alien Enemies Act and target Venezuelans while selling another round of “regime change” to the public.

In this clip, we look at the talk of airstrikes, drone sorties in the Caribbean, and the familiar mix of drug war rhetoric and terrorism panic that Washington reaches for when it wants to justify military escalation. He compares today’s lazy effort to manufacture consent for action in Venezuela with the massive propaganda campaign that preceded the Iraq War, from Colin Powell’s infamous UN presentation to the wall to wall media blitz after 9/11.

At the same time, he walks through what is actually happening inside Venezuela’s oil sector, how Maduro has offered foreign access to heavy crude, and why Washington’s goals have very little to do with fentanyl or “cartels” and everything to do with power. From there, the conversation turns to domestic politics and the 2028 Democratic primary. He explains why he is fed up with centrist “managers,” why he only cares about candidates who will fight for a different political and economic model, and why he is skeptical of figures like Gavin Newsom.

Finally, he looks at Zohran Mamdani’s recent win, what his margins with young men and other key groups tell us, and how his listening first, affordability focused campaign offers a real roadmap for Democrats trying to win back voters who went to Trump.

Listen to the full conversation over on Luke’s Substack: https://lthomas.substack.com/

If you find this helpful, hit subscribe, drop a comment, and share the clip with someone who still believes the official story on Venezuela.

Chapters

00:00 Trump, Venezuela, and Alien Enemies Act

00:00:37 Drone strikes and drug war pretext

00:02:00 Iraq War vs Venezuela propaganda

00:02:18 Maduro’s oil offer to the U.S.

00:03:09 Lazy manufacturing of consent today

00:05:18 Who to back in 2028 primary

00:06:38 What Dems must learn from Mamdani

00:07:09 Affordability and winning young men

Luke Thomas: After Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was accused of a war crime this week, Luke asks just how many of Trump's cabinet members like Pam Bondi or Kristi Noem face potential legal jeopardy for their acts in office?

SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK: https://lthomas.substack.com/

#lukethomas #donaldtrump #petehegseth