Room Temp

Democrats are hope scrolling, Republicans are turning on each other, and Donald Trump apparently can't tell his Dana Whites apart. This week on Room Temp, Janesh and Markos unpack the fallout from the midterm elections, the growing rivalry between JD Vance and Marco Rubio, and the bizarre White House press secretary mix-up involving UFC boss Dana White. Plus, they dive into explosive allegations involving Nvidia's CEO and a suspected Chinese intelligence operation, Stephen Miller's expanding influence, and whether Democrats should prioritize accountability or getting things done. Trump wants everyone to move on. His own party might have other plans.

The blue wave hit, MAGA got washed away, and Janesh showed up in a robe to celebrate. On this election-week episode of Room Temp, Janesh and Markos break down Democrats' stunning midterm victories, from Texas and South Carolina to Kansas and beyond, as Republicans scramble to explain what the hell just happened. Elon Musk spent a fortune, Trump is blaming everyone but himself, and JD Vance is already eyeing the wreckage. Plus, the Democratic establishment wants credit, Obama is back in the spotlight, and Janesh has some ambitious plans for Woke 3.0. The party's over for MAGA. The afterparty is just getting started.

Less than a week until the midterms, and Republicans are busy defending the Cheesecake Factory. Janesh and Markos unpack explosive allegations about Jared Kushner's secretive financial dealings with Gulf states, wonder why the media isn't treating his phone like Hunter Biden's laptop, and revisit Barack Obama's brutal comparison of Trump's White House to a Cheesecake Factory run by Saddam Hussein. Plus, Trump brags about oil profits while Americans struggle with prices, Democrats dream of a blue tsunami, and Markos makes a bold prediction about what a Republican wipeout could mean for Trump's future. The election is almost here, and somehow the closing argument involves cheesecake.

Two weeks until the midterms, and apparently everyone has decided to make things weird. Janesh and Markos dig into Republicans' increasingly desperate dirty tricks, from a Josh Hawley staffer's viral confrontation with Abdul El-Sayed to a truly ugly family attack ad in Ohio and a bizarre anti-trans mailing in Texas. Meanwhile, Democrats are finding time for their favorite pre-election tradition: fighting with each other. Plus, early voting is heating up, the hosts debate whether party unity can survive another two weeks, and nobody's quite sure what Trump will do when the election results start rolling in. Buckle up. The final stretch is getting messy.

Janesh returns from Italy with some thoughts on fascism, only to discover that Russia's internet is having a worse week than America's. He and Markos dig into Ukraine's attacks on Russian data centers, Elon Musk's increasingly questionable priorities, and the spectacularly bizarre conspiracy theory surrounding James Talarico's eight-day absence. Plus, Trump's new press secretary makes a memorable first impression, Mark Zuckerberg tries desperately to be a normal guy drinking Guinness, and the world's richest people prove once again that money can't buy taste. Turns out history's worst characters might just be failed creatives with unlimited resources.

Republicans are staring at ugly polls and have finally identified the problem: apparently they just need better messaging. Janesh and Markos dig into the increasingly desperate advice conservatives are giving Trump, why you can’t PR your way out of people struggling to afford groceries and gas, and the small problem that their proposed solution is usually just more Trump. Plus, gay whales enter the culture war, MAGA discovers trolling is less funny when the bills are due, and somebody finally suggests the one strategy Republicans haven’t tried: hiding Trump.

Turns out empathy is a lot easier when the problem shows up in your own backyard. Janesh and Markos dig into conservatives discovering consequences in real time, why “socialism” suddenly isn’t scaring people like it used to, and whether there’s a difference between meeting Trump and actually letting him run the conversation. Plus, data centers become an unlikely political awakening, MAGA buyer’s remorse reaches Idaho, and America once again discovers that everything is ideological until the bill arrives.

Trump started a war he can’t seem to finish, the fallout is hitting everything from global shipping to the gas pump, and Republicans are discovering that being stuck with him might be almost as bad as trying to escape him. Janesh and Markos dig into Trump’s Middle East mess, the GOP’s MAGA problem, and what Democrats should actually do with power. Plus, MAGA buyer’s remorse hits Facebook, Newt Gingrich gets absolutely unnecessary collateral damage, and America continues its proud tradition of learning everything the hard way.

One in five Trump voters now regrets their vote, but apparently admitting you got conned is the hardest part. Janesh and Markos dig into MAGA buyer's remorse, Democrats' chronic inability to just say the damn thing, and why culture-war politics hit differently when nobody can afford groceries. Plus: Cory Booker gets some unsolicited campaign advice, the beef saga takes a turn toward horse, and this week's social media star gets dangerously close to discovering class consciousness.

Trump is renaming lakes while screwing with ballots, Canada is staging an economic intervention, and data centers have accomplished the impossible: pissing off basically everyone. Janesh and Markos dig into a country on a political bender, Democrats’ chance to finally stop playing nice, and one MAGA voter discovering that the social safety net is pretty useful when you’re the one who needs it.