This week, Jason Kander is joined by Paul Rieckhoff, founder and executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who is subbing in as host while Ravi travels, to break down Trump’s disastrous speech in front of military generals after Pete Hegseth’s “Warrior Ethos” address at Quantico, where senior commanders were summoned from across the world and greeted the remarks with stone-cold silence. They analyze Hegseth’s social-media boast—“Today, we end the War on Warriors”—the awkward pauses when he expected applause, and the eerie lack of reaction from those in attendance. Kander and Rieckhoff also dive into Trump’s rambling, partisan remarks that were wholly inappropriate for a military audience — including his calls to prepare military leadership to accept the use of combat troops against American citizens — and the deep questions that raises about civil-military norms. Plus, they explain the fallout from the government shutdown that began at midnight, which agencies remain open for essential functions, the White House’s warning to agencies to prepare for mass firings, and what that uncertainty could mean for ordinary people. This and more on the podcast that helps you, the majority of Americans who believe in progress, convince your conservative friends and family to join us—this is Majority 54!

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