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Tucker Carlson says the CIA is building a criminal case against him. Joe Kent just resigned from the DNI’s counterterrorism office with a letter that contradicts itself. And legacy media — the same outlets that cheerleaded the Iraq war without a single tough question — are now going wall-to-wall negative on Iran. Coincidence?

Meseidy and Rachel break down Tucker’s pattern of CIA and NSA victim claims, Joe Kent’s scathing resignation letter (and his very different statements from just two years ago), how the media is rooting against America because they’re rooting against Trump, and Joy Reid’s take that the U.S. is only “marginally better” than Iran. Plus: Cuba’s electrical grid has completely collapsed, Iranian women soccer players are being threatened back home, and it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Real talk, no filter.

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• Tucker Carlson claims the CIA is preparing a criminal referral against him — but his own track record of identical victimhood claims (including against the NSA in 2021) makes the story hard to take at face value
• Joe Kent resigned as Director of Counterterrorism citing conscience objections to the Iran war — except his own resignation letter applauds the same Trump foreign policy he now opposes, and clips from two years ago show him making the case for exactly this kind of action
• Legacy media covered the Iraq WMD narrative without skepticism in 2003; today those same outlets are running six pages of relentlessly negative Iran headlines while ignoring every military success — and Meseidy and Rachel ask the obvious question: which is the real bias?
• Cuba’s entire electrical grid collapsed, leaving 11 million people without power after Venezuela and Iran cut oil supplies — and protests are already breaking out
• Iranian women soccer players who sought asylum in Australia are being coerced into returning by threats against their families back home — and the regime has a documented history of executing athletes who embarrass it
• Joy Reid compared the United States to Iran on live television and called it “marginally better” — Rachel had thoughts
• 
  

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00:00 Introduction to CPAC and Personal Updates

02:42 Current Events: Iran and Media Coverage

05:36 Tucker Carlson’s Controversial Claims

11:38 Cuba’s Crisis and International Relations

17:38 Tucker Carlson: A Deeper Analysis

23:35 Conclusion and Reflections on Media Dynamics

23:56 The Role of High-Profile Journalists

26:50 Self-Deprecation and Privilege in Media

29:39 Rhetoric and the Rise of the Anti-Administration Right

32:14 Joe Kent’s Resignation and Its Implications

36:04 Contradictions in Joe Kent’s Statements

39:00 The Legacy Media’s Reporting on Iran

51:36 Negative Framing in Legacy Media Coverage

52:28 Iran’s Leadership Crisis and U.S. Response

54:54 Political Narratives and U.S. Foreign Policy

59:38 Media’s Role in War Narratives

01:01:54 Emotional Arguments in Political Discourse

01:03:27 Iranian Women’s Soccer Team and Asylum Issues

01:09:42 Cultural Reflections: Movies and Current Events

Two Pennsylvania teenagers yelled “Allahu Akbar” and threw a homemade TATP bomb into a crowd in New York City — and the media called it a “normal day gone wrong.” We’re not doing that. This week, Mercedes and Rachel break down the NYC bombing attempt, Mayor Zoram Mamdani’s stunning non-response, and the media’s shameless cover for what’s clearly ISIS-inspired terrorism. Then: the Iran operation’s messaging crisis, the Tomahawk missile question Trump fumbled, and the Iranian women’s soccer team members who risked everything to defect in Australia. Plus — Tucker Carlson’s latest nihilistic spiral, why his rhetoric is drifting somewhere deeply cynical, and what a Republican fundraiser just revealed about 2028. Buckle up. The media is trash, and we have zero tolerance for it.

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• Two teenagers attempted a Boston Marathon-style bombing outside the NYC mayor’s home — and one said he wanted a bigger body count. The media ran a sympathetic profile and then deleted it.
• Mayor Zoram Mamdani opened his press conference talking about Jake Lang and white supremacy — barely mentioning the actual ISIS-sympathizing bombers in his own city.
• Trump called the Iran conflict “an excursion” and appeared not to know Tomahawk missiles aren’t a generic term — raising serious questions about the girls school bombing.
• Tucker Carlson’s rhetoric has officially drifted into nihilism territory — repeatedly invoking rape and pillaging as the inevitable outcome of U.S. military action, prompting a sharp breakdown from Mercedes and Rachel.
• Seven members of the Iranian women’s soccer team were granted asylum in Australia after refusing to sing the national anthem — and risking death for it.
• At a Republican fundraiser, the crowd reportedly went nearly unanimous for Rubio over Vance when Trump asked who should run in 2028.

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00:00 Welcome back — office chaos & Diet Coke discourse

05:46 Today’s topics: Iran, NYC bombing, media bias

06:17 Six months since Charlie Kirk’s assassination

07:15 Conservative coalition fracture: Tucker, Candace & Megyn vs MAGA?

14:20 Iran: Trump’s “excursion” & messaging chaos

18:08 Girls school bombing — unanswered questions

26:44 Iranian women’s soccer team defection story

30:08 Tucker’s unconditional surrender take

44:06 NYC ISIS bombing attempt with TATP

47:31 CNN deleted sympathetic bomber profile

57:19 Mayor Mamdani: ignores bombers, defends wife

1:01:26 NYT reporter’s double standard on politicians’ wives

1:07:07 Free Press reporter canceled from CNN

1:08:28 2028 straw poll: Rubio over Vance

1:14:46 This Day in History: Bell’s first phone call

1:19:56 Outro

Texas just handed Democrats a weapon and they're already using it. James Telerico won the Texas Senate Democrat primary, and the media is rebranding this progressive seminarian as a "moderate Christian" — spoiler: he's neither. We break down his scripture cherry-picking, play the clip of a progressive pastor getting absolutely schooled by a congressman on the Bible she claims to represent, and then turn our attention to Tucker Carlson's increasingly unhinged holy war against Israel — including his claims about the IDF, Chabad, and the third temple. Plus: what the Cornyn-Paxton Senate runoff actually means, why Trump may endorse the "establishment" pick, and the McDonald's CEO who accidentally started a fast food beef by taking the saddest bite of a burger in recorded history.

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• Texas Runoff Drama: Crenshaw is out, Cornyn and Paxton head to a May 26th runoff — and Trump’s endorsement may hinge on the SAVE Act filibuster deal
• Telerico’s Fake Christianity: The media’s new “moderate” Democrat winner reinterprets the Annunciation as a consent negotiation and calls God non-binary — we go to the actual text
• Pastor vs. Congress: A progressive “pastor” cited Matthew 25 in her opening statement to a congressional hearing and couldn’t identify the Parable of the Talents when questioned — the full exchange is something else
• Tucker’s Holy War: Tucker Carlson frames the entire Iran conflict as a Chabad-orchestrated plot to rebuild the Third Temple — we investigate what Chabad actually is and why the comparison to how he treats Hamas is glaring
• McDonald’s CEO Breaks the Internet: One tiny, sad, possibly bun-only bite launched a full fast food CEO troll war — and Wendy’s just posted the best fake job listing of 2025

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00:00 Welcome & Meseidy’s One-Screen Crisis

04:00 Texas Primaries: Crenshaw Out, Cornyn vs. Paxton Runoff

10:37 Telerico Wins — And the Media Is Already in Love

18:43 Rewriting the Annunciation: Telerico’s Scripture Problem

30:30 Progressive Pastor Gets Schooled by Congress

42:27 Tucker Carlson’s Holy War: IDF Patches, Chabad & the Third Temple

1:02:49 How Right Wing Media Lost the Plot

1:11:32 The McDonald’s CEO Bite Heard ‘Round the World

Four days into Operation Epic Fury, and the takes are already outpacing the facts. We brought in our foreign policy nerd Amanda Peterson to sit down with Rachel and Meseidy and actually work through what's happening—the US-Israel coordination, the nuclear calculus, what "regime change" realistically means, and whether the administration's messaging is doing them any favors. This is the conversation the podcaster circuit doesn't want to have, because it requires more than 24 hours of thought.

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• The wrong question everyone keeps asking about Iran’s nuclear program—and what you should actually be asking
• Why the US-Israel military coordination in this operation is unlike anything we’ve seen since World War II
• Gulf States and even the Palestinian Authority have condemned Iran’s actions—here’s why that matters
• Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson are saying the exact same thing. Word for word. That’s the problem.
• The Rubio Gang of Eight clip everyone clipped out of context—we play the full 13 minutes
• What a “Delcey Rodriguez scenario” looks like vs. actual regime change—and which is more likely
• Iranian women are doing the Trump dance in the streets and the American left has no idea what to do with that

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00:00 - Intro: Trump Said "We're Ahead of Schedule"

03:15 - Setting the Scene: Operation Epic Fury & Rising Lion

12:50 - How Trump Made the Call in Corpus Christi

16:00 - Why "Were They Close to a Nuke?" Is the Wrong Question

23:00 - US-Israel Coordination: Not Seen Since World War II

28:30 - Megyn Kelly & Tucker Are Saying the Same Thing. That's the Problem.

34:35 - Gulf States and the Palestinian Authority Condemn Iran

40:00 - The Rubio Clip — In Full

48:00 - Nuclear Proliferation: Are We Entering a New Era?

54:00 - Democrats vs. Republicans: Who's Playing Politics? 59:00 - Congress, War Powers & Nancy Pelosi's Greatest Hits

1:05:00 - Over/Under: How Does This End?

1:13:00 - Iranian Women Are Doing the Trump Dance. The Left Is Melting.

1:20:00 - Wrap Up + Follow Amanda Peterson

Democrats sat on their hands for veterans, reunited families, and injured little girls — and Trump made sure the whole country saw it. Meseidy and Rachel break down the longest State of the Union in modern history: the viral moments the media buried, the policy wins nobody's talking about, the economic numbers that are actually moving, and why this speech was less about Congress and more about the 2026 midterms. Plus: Hillary Clinton's Epstein testimony, Kamala's 2028 dip back into the water, and a quick but important update on Little Punch the monkey.

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• Trump’s State of the Union strategy: built for social media clips, not the room — and why that was the right call
• The economy is moving: real wages up, gas down, eggs down 34%, mortgage costs falling — and what the numbers actually mean
• Democrats refused to stand for veterans, hostage reunions, and an injured 5-year-old — and an ad was already out within 24 hours
• Policy breakdown: no tax on tips, Trump Rx, Trump accounts, data center power plants, stock trading ban, tariffs replacing income tax
• Kamala Harris is testing the 2028 waters — and the DNC is suspiciously sitting on their own post-mortem report

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00:00 — Cold open & intro

01:46 — What the State of the Union actually was (and wasn't)

05:00 — Quick hits: JD Vance in Wisconsin, Iran talks, Cuba speedboat, Hillary & Epstein, SAVE Act, Little Punch

10:15 — The speech was written for social media, not Congress

14:34 — The Sage clip & Sarah McBride camera pan breakdown

18:05 — Democrats refuse to stand — the most viral moment explained

23:00 — The American Sovereignty ad drops within 24 hours

31:52 — Economy breakdown: wages, gas, eggs, mortgages, GDP — what's real 36:32 — No tax on tips, Trump accounts, Trump Rx, stock trading ban

42:53 — Data centers must build their own power plants

43:23 — Tariffs replacing federal income tax — crazy or logical?

45:23 — Best guest moments: Eric Slover, the Korean War vet, Irina Zaruzka's mother, Dahlia Coleman

55:50 — Rashida Tlaib chanting KKK, Al Green ejected again

57:56 — Did this speech deliver enough for the midterms?

1:01:28 — CNN's post-speech poll surprised even CNN

1:06:37 — Kamala Harris is back — and the DNC won't release the post-mortem

1:13:15 — Wrap-up & Saturday Unfiltered teaser

America is riding high — and the left can't stand it. Meseidy and Rachel break down the US Men's Hockey team's stunning overtime gold medal win over Canada, Cash Patel joining the locker room celebration, and why the media immediately tried to turn a national victory into a culture war. Then it's State of the Union prep: 50 Democrats staging a walkout, Joy Reid headlining a counter-rally on the National Mall, and what Trump must say about the economy to keep the midterms from slipping. Plus — AOC's embarrassing Instagram live defending her Munich meltdown, the Mexico cartel explosion threatening tourists and World Cup plans, and Iran tensions building behind the scenes. It's a big one. Grab your coffee.

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• US Men’s Hockey defeats Canada 2–1 in sudden-death overtime on the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice — and the celebration went exactly how you’d hope
• Cash Patel caught on video celebrating with the team; the left discovers fiscal conservatism overnight
• State of the Union preview: 50 Democrats skipping, Joy Reid hosting a counter-rally, and what Trump needs to nail on the economy
• AOC does damage control on Instagram Live over her Munich security fumble — boyfriend snoring included
• Mexico is on fire: cartel wars, locked-down tourists, and a World Cup on the horizonFollow Us On Youtube!

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0:00 — Intro

1:10 — US Men’s Hockey Wins Olympic Gold: The Comeback Story

9:30 — Cash Patel in the Locker Room & the Left’s Meltdown

14:00 — Women’s Hockey Declines the White House Invite

22:00 — State of the Union Preview: Economy, Immigration & the Production

33:00 — 50 Democrats Walk Out: Joy Reid’s Counter-Rally Explained

44:00 — AOC’s Munich Damage Control (with Snoring Backup)

53:00 — Mexico Cartel War, Iran Tensions & Wrapping Up

Prince Andrew just became the first British royal arrested in 400 years — and it has nothing to do with what the media is telling you. This week, Meseidy and Rachel break down the actual Epstein file charge, AOC’s disastrous Munich Security Conference debut (Spain, Taiwan, and Venezuela — she got zero for three), Marco Rubio’s standing-ovation keynote that’s making people say the quiet part loud about 2028, and the $2.5M con James Telerico just pulled off using a fake FCC censorship story. Plus: Republican midterm strategy is shifting hard to the economy, Democrats are planning to protest the State of the Union, Justice Alito might be heading for the exit, and American-born skier Eileen Gu is skiing for China’s millions while staying conveniently silent on the Uyghur genocide.

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• Prince Andrew arrested — but not for what every outlet is claiming. Meseidy explains the actual charge: sharing UK state secrets with Epstein while serving as trade envoy
• AOC’s Munich meltdown — a 20-second Taiwan pause, a cowboy history lesson she didn’t know she needed, and a geography error on Venezuela’s location
• Rubio vs. AOC — the same conference, two entirely different levels of preparation. Rachel makes the case Rubio is quietly positioning for 2028
• The Telerico con — how a Texas Senate candidate raised $2.5 million in 24 hours off a fabricated FCC censorship story, and why it worked
• Eileen Gu exposed — the American-born, San Francisco-based, Stanford-educated skier competing for China’s millions who couldn’t find time to research the Uyghur genocide but had plenty to say about anti-Asian racism in the U.S.🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast app, or watch the full video on Substack. Paid subscribers get this episode ad-free the moment it drops. Not a paid subscriber yet? You’re missing out on our unfiltered archive and monthly live streams.

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00:00 Welcome Back (And Rachel Has a Cold)

02:12 Prince Andrew Arrested: What the Media Got Wrong

07:09 Iran Update: Trump's 10-Day Ultimatum

09:58 AOC at Munich: Setting the Stage

12:10 Rubio's Munich Keynote & the 2028 Conversation

17:13 AOC vs. Western Civilization & Cowboy History

25:31 AOC Freezes on Taiwan: 20 Seconds of Silence

30:46 The Telerico Con: $2.5M Off a Fake FCC Story

39:32 Republican Midterm Strategy: Economy Is Everything

45:43 Democrats Plan to Protest the State of the Union

49:06 Justice Alito Retirement Rumors & the Supreme Court Stakes

56:27 Eileen Gu: American Skier, Chinese Paycheck

1:04:36 Gu on Uyghurs: "I Don't Have Time for Research"

1:11:21 Wrap Up

Pam Bondi’s fiery testimony on Capitol Hill turns into a masterclass in what not to do under pressure. We break down her emotional clashes with Raskin and Nadler, the so-called “burn book” controversy, and why the Epstein files rollout has been a communications disaster. Plus: the SAVE Act passes the House with near-unanimous GOP support—so why are Democrats still screaming “Jim Crow 2.0”? We’ve got the Scott Jennings CNN clip that shut it all down. Also: Tom Homan’s Minnesota victory lap, the FAA’s Mylar balloon panic, and Mirabelle Vance stealing hearts at the Winter Olympics.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast app, or watch the full video on Substack. Paid subscribers get this episode ad-free the moment it drops. Not a paid subscriber yet? You’re missing out on our unfiltered archive and monthly live streams.

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• Pam Bondi’s testimony disaster: Emotional outbursts, deflections about the Dow Jones, and why her performance is hurting the administration
• SAVE Act breakdown: Voter ID passes the House—Democrats call it racist, polling says otherwise
• Scott Jennings delivers: The CNN moment where he exposed the hypocrisy of “disenfranchisement” talking points
• Operation Metro Surge: Homan announces 4,000+ apprehensions and local cooperation in Minnesota
• The “burn book” controversy: Should the DOJ track what lawmakers search in classified documents?
• FAA balloon panic: How a Mylar party balloon shut down El Paso airspace
• Olympics cuteness: Mirabelle Vance is America’s Prince Louis

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00:00 Cold Open: Hakeem Jeffries warns Democrats to behave

00:39 Intro & Galentine’s Day banter

07:38 FAA balloon panic in El Paso

10:29 Tom Homan’s Minnesota press conference

12:33 DHS shutdown drama & Democrat overreach

16:53 SAVE Act passes: Voter ID fight begins

19:00 Katherine Clark’s “women can’t get IDs” argument

26:57 Scott Jennings DESTROYS the racism talking point

30:33 Democrats’ racism card is expiring

37:44 Pam Bondi’s disastrous testimony begins

45:19 Bondi deflects to... the Dow Jones?

49:03 Bondi vs. Thomas Massie on Epstein files

54:56 The “burn book” controversy explained

1:03:25 Olympics: Mirabelle Vance steals hearts

1:06:46 Melania gets wooed in Milan

1:09:12 Olympic drama: Cheating confessions & disqualifications

1:12:34 Outro

The Super Bowl halftime show ignited a firestorm—but not for the reasons you’d expect. Mercedes breaks down Bad Bunny’s politically charged performance, the cultural messaging most Americans missed, and why she’s “annoyed with everyone.” Plus: the latest Epstein file chaos, why the document dumps are creating more confusion than clarity, and Howard Lutnick’s testimony on Capitol Hill. We wrap with a viral Megyn Kelly clip contrasting Michelle Obama’s complaints with JD Vance’s gratitude—and what it reveals about how each party views public service.

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• Super Bowl Halftime Breakdown: Mercedes offers rare insider perspective on Bad Bunny’s politically loaded performance—what American audiences missed and why Puerto Ricans aren’t universally celebrating
• The “Fake American” Problem: Why conservative critiques of the halftime show went off the rails and undermined legitimate criticism
• Epstein Files Reality Check: Thomas Massey’s unredacted revelations, the AI redaction failures, and why this document dump may never satisfy anyone
• Lutnick on the Hot Seat: Parsing the Commerce Secretary nominee’s testimony about his Epstein connections—and what it reveals about elite circles
• Michelle Obama vs. JD Vance: A viral clip exposes the starkest contrast in how Democrats and Republicans view sacrifice and public service

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00:00 Intro & Rachel's Chaotic Morning

03:00 Super Bowl Halftime Show Breakdown

13:00 The Political Messaging Americans Missed

28:30 Epstein Files: What's Actually Happening

45:00 Why Public Document Dumps Are Dangerous

53:00 Howard Lutnick's Capitol Hill Testimony

73:00 Michelle Obama vs. JD Vance: The Gratitude Gap

81:00 Closing Thoughts & What's Next

Are Republicans losing the messaging war before the midterms even begin? This week, Meseidy and Rachel break down a Ross Douthat commentary that’s rattling normie conservatives—and why the anxiety might be overblown. They cover the Texas state Senate seat flip that has GOP strategists sweating, how the Trump administration adjusted course in Minneapolis after initial missteps, and whether the “far-right” label even applies. Plus: Washington Post lays off a third of its staff, and corporate journalists are flooding Substack (should indie creators be worried?). And in peak cringe news, Kamala Harris relaunches her social media machine as “Headquarters”—a Gen Z-led progressive content hub that’s already fumbling the rollout. The ladies share why they’re cautiously pessimistic about 2026 but more hopeful for 2028.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast app, or watch the full video on Substack. Paid subscribers get this episode ad-free the moment it drops. Not a paid subscriber yet? You’re missing out on our unfiltered archive and monthly live streams.

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• Ross Douthat’s warning: Why even pro-Trump conservatives are nervous about midterm optics
• Texas Senate flip: What a split Republican ticket in a reliably red district actually means
• Minneapolis pivot: How the administration course-corrected on ICE enforcement messaging
• Washington Post collapse: One-third of staff gone—and they’re heading to Substack
• Kamala’s cringe relaunch: “Headquarters” debuts with a middle-finger emoji and outdated Gen Z humor

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00:00 – Welcome Back + Recording Disasters

02:57 – Who Is Ross Douthat?

06:06 – Listening to Douthat’s Commentary

09:40 – Texas Senate Seat Flip Explained

13:05 – What the Split Ticket Means

15:42 – Douthat on Trump’s Messaging Problems

19:11 – Minneapolis: What Actually Happened

20:36 – Trump’s Fox Interview on ICE Enforcement

22:11 – Midterm Predictions: Should We Panic?

26:08 – Democrats Overplaying Their Hand?

30:44 – Economy, Optics, and Low-Information Voters

34:45 – Gender Ideology: The Tide Is Turning

37:40 – De-Transitioner Wins $2M Verdict

43:03 – Washington Post Layoffs: One-Third Gone

48:15 – Legacy Media’s Original Sin

50:35 – Corporate Journalists Flooding Substack

56:00 – Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack Dominance

59:28 – Kamala Harris Relaunches as “Headquarters”

1:04:11 – The Rollout Is Already Fumbling

1:11:11 – Savannah Guthrie’s Mother Missing

1:13:24 – Wrap-Up + Subscribe