The A.M. Update

Trump lands in China with Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in tow, as the State Department simultaneously sanctions four Chinese companies for giving Iran satellite imagery to attack U.S. bases, and a CIA whistleblower testifies publicly before Rand Paul's committee that the intelligence community deliberately covered up the COVID lab leak — and that Fauci's role was intentional. JD Vance announces $1.3 billion in withheld Medicaid payments to California over rampant fraud, with Mehmet Oz revealing that 780 out of 800 booted fraudulent providers never even called to dispute it. Rand Paul's son William Paul goes on a drunken antisemitic tirade at a DC bar directed at Rep. Mike Lawler, King Charles pushes a digital ID decree that Aaron says is a perfect reminder of why America fought the Revolution, the Pope's apparent diplomatic honor to Iran's ambassador turns out to be a routine Vatican practice that Iranian state media ran with anyway, and Hannah Harper, a Missouri stay-at-home mom of three, wins American Idol with a song about postpartum depression.

The latest CPI report shows inflation at its highest point since May 2023, with fuel oil up 54% and gasoline up 28%, as Trump deflects a question about Americans' financial pain by saying his only focus is keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigns under pressure from pro-life groups and the White House over his handling of mifepristone, while 23 states file a Supreme Court brief to block mail-order distribution of the drug, and General Dan Caine tells the Senate that maximum pressure on Iran is holding but the timeline is a political decision. FBI Director Kash Patel fires back at a senator grilling him with personal allegations, Rand Paul announces a CIA whistleblower will testify publicly on COVID origins, a Russian ship suspected of carrying nuclear technology to North Korea mysteriously sank in the Mediterranean, a 78-year-old Northern Ireland pastor is convicted for preaching near a hospital, and the U.S. withdraws from the UN Global Compact on Migration.

Trump says the Iran ceasefire is "on life support" after the latest round of failed negotiations, while praising Xi Jinping ahead of their China meeting and hinting bombs could drop again within days. The Arcadia, California mayor Eileen Wang has been charged as an illegal agent of the Chinese Communist Party, and reports surface that Trump may be considering allowing China to invest $1 trillion on American soil. Dr. Deborah Birx reappears on cable news calling for more PCR testing over the hantavirus outbreak, Democrats threaten judicial reform after losing the Virginia redistricting battle, Netanyahu says he wants to draw down U.S. military aid to zero over the next decade, Coach Curt Cignetti and the national champion Indiana Hoosiers are honored at the White House, and Aaron closes with a deeper look at Spencer Pratt's political instincts and what he reminds him of.

Iran responds to the U.S. peace proposal with no mention of its nuclear program, as Netanyahu draws a hard red line on enriched uranium and Trump shrugs off the Fort Knox audit question in his Sharyl Attkisson interview. Spencer Pratt keeps gaining ground in the LA mayor's race as Karen Bass ducks a second debate, redistricting continues breaking Republicans' way in Virginia and Tennessee, and Wes Moore refuses to give a straight answer when asked about gender ideology and his own son. Southern Baptist baptism numbers are up for the fifth straight year, Erika Kirk spoke at Hillsdale's commencement, and Aaron closes with the Seattle story he can't get out of his head: a 77-year-old Army veteran beaten on the sidewalk while bystander after bystander just kept walking.

The Iran situation keeps spinning with Project Freedom on again, off again, and Saudi Arabia flip-flopping on U.S. air base access, while Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and received an unusually warm welcome that has Aaron's "spidey senses tingling." The episode also covers Tennessee Democrats melting down over congressional redistricting, Neil Gorsuch sparking debate with his "creedal nation" comments, a moving update from the mother of wounded National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, a sharp satirical blog post on right-wing online catastrophizing, and listener questions on Trump's endorsement strategy and the 2026 midterms.

President Trump pauses Project Freedom amid reports a deal with Iran may be closer than ever, while Israel strikes Beirut and the US military fires on an Iranian oil tanker trying to break the blockade. The episode also covers the massive MacArthur Park fentanyl bust, pro-Hamas protesters forcing a Jewish daycare to close in New York City, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's silence on a removed page promoting Israeli businesses, Kash Patel clamming up on UAPs, looksmaxxing streamer Clavicular charged for shooting an alligator in the Everglades, the death of CNN founder Ted Turner, Marco Rubio on American exceptionalism, and the poll results on whether Trump assassination suspect Cole Allen will face life in prison.

Marco Rubio delivers a stark warning about why a nuclear-armed Iran would be able to control the Strait of Hormuz unchecked, while Pete Hegseth says Project Freedom is proving Iran doesn't own the waterway. The episode also covers the disturbing motive behind the suspected arsonist in the Palisades Fire, the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak, JD Vance campaigning in Iowa, Karen Bass posting anti-ICE signs across Los Angeles, Walgreens abandoning Chicago neighborhoods, and Trump reviving the Presidential Fitness Award.

A federal judge apologizes to Cole Allen in open court and compares his treatment to January 6 defendants, while the Supreme Court temporarily restores mail-order abortion drugs over Louisiana's objections. Plus, a Daily Wire investigation reveals an entire street of fake Medicaid companies in Ohio funneling tens of millions in taxpayer money.

Iran keeps sending proposals that go nowhere, Scott Bessent says the economic blockade is suffocating the regime, and prediction markets now show southern states above 50% to redistrict before the midterms. Plus, Tucker Carlson gives a baffling New York Times interview, and hard data shows taking your kids to church is one of the most powerful predictors of success in life.

Trump signs the DHS funding bill after a 75-day lapse, but ICE and Border Patrol remain carved out. Iran negotiations stall as oil stays above $100 a barrel, and a new study shows millennial dads are spending four times more time with their kids than their grandparents did. Subscribe and listen every weekday morning.

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