The A.M. Update

Aaron McIntire breaks down why he thinks President Trump is setting up a rough midterm environment for Republicans, pointing to repetitive Iran talking points and Trump's public criticism of DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro over a dropped vandalism case. He covers growing Republican Senate support for Todd Blanche's Attorney General nomination after a deal to end the anti-weaponization fund. Aaron also covers New York City's new city-run grocery store ID requirements under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers mocking Dr. Anthony Fauci's Fifth Amendment pleas at Steelers training camp. He shares his take on Caitlin Clark's silence regarding teammate Sophie Cunningham's comments on women's sports, and highlights Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's remarks on state immigration enforcement powers. Aaron closes with an encouraging health update from Conduit Clothing Company's Evan Ghen on his cancer treatment.

Aaron McIntire covers backlash toward DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin after he told Democrat governors at the National Governors Association meeting that ICE will focus on the worst offenders rather than mass deportations, a stance Aaron says falls short of Trump's campaign promise. He contrasts that with new numbers claiming over 1.4 million forced removals over the past year, and covers 14 Republican senators calling to cancel the August recess until the SAVE America Act passes. Aaron notes President Trump's latest claim that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and denuclearize Iran is imminent. He covers the escalating fight in women's sports after Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a Trans Kids Belong shirt in response to Sophie Cunningham's comments, plus a financial settlement for pro-life activist Paul Vaughn over his Biden-era FBI raid. Aaron closes with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s combative CNN interview with Dana Bash on vaccine hesitancy.

Aaron McIntire breaks down Dr. Anthony Fauci's combative Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, where he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights 111 times rather than answer questions from Senator Rand Paul's panel. He plays fiery exchanges from Senators Bernie Moreno and Josh Hawley, including the moment Fauci's attorney was escorted out of the room for repeatedly disrupting proceedings. Aaron notes Rand Paul's announcement that the Senate committee will vote next week on holding Fauci in contempt of Congress, despite the preemptive pardon he received from former President Biden. He also shares this week's poll results, where a majority of listeners say the hearing hasn't changed their expectations that Fauci will ultimately face no real consequences.

Aaron McIntire covers newly released audio recordings of Joe Biden from his 2017 memoir sessions, which appear to support Special Counsel Robert Hur's findings on Biden's handling of classified material after leaving office. He covers Senate Majority Leader John Thune telling Sean Hannity the SAVE America Act remains stalled without enough Republican votes to touch the filibuster. Aaron also covers President Trump's fresh comments on the ongoing Fauci diary revelations, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claim that Fauci suffered an undisclosed vaccine related health event in 2021. He touches on Vice President JD Vance's eulogy for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a viral rescue by a teenage California lifeguard earning a White House invitation, and a new whistleblower scandal involving California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra's tenure at HHS. Aaron closes with his own theory connecting COVID-era institutional distrust to the rise of Candace Owens's conspiracy-driven following.

Aaron McIntire digs deeper into Dr. Anthony Fauci's diary, including entries where Fauci claims credit for convincing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and California Governor Gavin Newsom's chief of staff Ann O'Leary to shut down schools, bars, and restaurants in 2020, despite later denying he pushed for closures. He notes Senator Mitch McConnell's latest proof of life photo after a two week public silence. Aaron questions whether it's time to stop covering Trump's repeated claims of an Iran military victory after finding an April clip nearly identical to Monday's comments. He reacts to New York City's new city-run grocery store price caps under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Aaron also revisits a corrected Catholic clergy survey from researcher Ryan Burge, showing 27% of priests, not the earlier reported 47%, agree all religions are equally true, and plays former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's uncomfortable response when pressed about his past defense of Fauci.

Aaron McIntire digs into newly released pages from Dr. Anthony Fauci's personal diary, revealing early private concerns among top virologists about a possible lab origin for COVID-19 that Fauci later downplayed in public. He notes Senator Mitch McConnell's continued silence about his hospitalization, two weeks after his office first confirmed it. Aaron covers Massachusetts lawmakers advancing a bill removing nearly all remaining abortion restrictions, and the guilty verdict against Minnesota's Shiloh Hendrix in her racial slur case. He also reports on the deadly Islamist terror attack at Berlin's Pride festival, and President Trump's roast of the media at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner. Aaron closes out the show debuting his own invention, the Soup-o-meter.

Aaron McIntire dives into the wonderful world of women's athletics, starting with WNBA star Sophie Cunningham standing firm on protecting female sports from male competitors despite backlash, and Megan Rapinoe's sharp rebuttal on The View. He covers the firestorm around USA Today columnist Nancy Armour's column linking Caitlin Clark's on-court flopping to the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till. Aaron also touches on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's update on Iran's overtures for a deal, a Washington congressional candidate's admission she downplays LGBTQ support to avoid alienating Muslim voters, and Mike Lindell's controversial immigration proposal in the Minnesota governor's race. He closes out the week with a full Ask Or Tell Me Anything, covering AI in education, agentic AI risks, and listener questions on faith and current events.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump's campaign stop in Georgia, where he doubled down on branding the Democratic Party as communist and criticized Senate Republicans for stalling the SAVE America Act. He digs into a lopsided House vote in which 198 Democrats opposed a bill banning congressional stock trading, and a narrow NDAA vote where four House Republicans broke ranks on a transgender military service amendment. Aaron also covers the tragic St. Paul, Minnesota shooting in which Tsegaab Binessu allegedly killed three apartment leasing staff, Nansi Fuentes Zambrano, Dena Silcox, and Adam Wilwerding, in a rampage sparked by a parking contract dispute. He highlights Congressman Brandon Gill's pointed questioning of the American Bar Association's president about the organization's stance on implicit bias. Aaron closes out the week's poll results, where listeners overwhelmingly picked securing voter rolls as the administration's top midterm priority.

Aaron McIntire breaks down Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's congressional testimony defending his record and America's more targeted approach to the Iran war, plus the Pentagon's identification of Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, killed in a drone incident at Erbil Air Base in Iraq. He covers a twice-deported illegal immigrant, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, now suing President Trump for $75 million and citizenship after being convicted of murdering Michigan's Ruby Garcia. Aaron digs into fresh ICE deportation numbers for the fiscal year, and reacts to New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill's admission that a software error registered thousands of noncitizens to vote in her state. He also covers Congressman Brandon Gill's viral grilling of a Smithsonian museum director over a document tying politeness to white supremacy. Aaron closes with journalist Andy Ngo's breakdown of how decentralized and difficult to track Antifa networks really are.

Aaron McIntire covers the U.S. military's response after Iranian strikes on a base in Jordan left two American service members dead and one missing, plus new Iranian attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan over the weekend. He digs into a $60 billion wave of U.S. business deals with Iraq aimed at building alternative oil shipping routes around the Strait of Hormuz. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz continues defending his pardon of a convicted child rapist, and Aaron reacts to Tom Homan's compromise plan requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras within two months. He also covers a viral Olive Garden customer service exchange over its Never Ending Pasta Pass ID policy, and a widely mocked answer from Maine Senate candidate Ashley Webb about her qualifications for office. Aaron closes by highlighting Bill Maher and Senator John Fetterman's blunt criticism of their own party's drift toward figures like streamer Hasan Piker.