In today's episode we are joined by a very special guest. A family therapist. But not just any family therapist. She's better known for her TikToks exposing emails the Trump team sends to people to raise money.

Her social media can be found here:

https://www.instagram.com/happymomandgrandma1/

https://www.tiktok.com/@kclmfft

Karen is a licensed marriage and family therapist, here today in in an educational and conversational role, not as anyone’s therapist. She won’t be providing therapy, diagnoses, or individualized mental health advice, as she is not licensed in your/our states.  Karen will be speaking generally about family dynamics, communication, and what research and clinical experience show about political conflict in families.

This episode is for educational and entertainment purposes and does not constitute mental health treatment.

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
[email protected]

This week on The Necessary Conversation the Kultgen family dives into some of the worst things to happen during Trump's second term so far.

🛢️ Oil Wars: The Invasion of Venezuela

• Maduro has long been a key figure in narco-terrorism and drug smuggling. Is his capture a good thing?
• Trump has threatened to do the same thing in Mexico and Cuba. Is this smash and grab strategy a good idea?
• This was an illegal military action done without the knowledge of congress. Do you have any faith that the military will obey international law or will they just do what Trump says?
• What happened to America first?
• Is the war with Venezuela a distraction from the Epstein Files?

🏥 Healthcare Crisis: Premiums Set to Double

• Do you think every American should have access to quality healthcare?
• Why do you think the republicans don’t want people to have health insurance?
• Do you think Trump cares at all about the issue of healthcare for Americans?

🧠 Trump’s Declining Health & Cognitive Tests

• Why do you think Trump initially lied about how his hands got bruised?
• Why do you think Trump has had to take multiple cognitive tests?
• Why do you think Trump is lying about falling asleep in meetings?

🧊 Simmer Down (Family Segment)

• What do you think is the most prominent Kultgen family physical trait?

🚱 Dirty Water: The Veto Against Lauren Boebert

• Why do you think Trump vetoed this clean drinking water bill?
• Do you think it’s okay for a president to pursue petty revenge at the cost of American citizens’ health?
• Do you think a good person would veto this bill and put tens of thousands of americans at risk of cancer?

📂 Trump’s Friends & The Epstein Files

• Do you believe trump told Marjorie Taylor Greene that if the Epstein files came out it would hurt his friends?
• Why do you think Trump cares about his friends getting hurt more than he cares about Epstein’s victims?

🧸 Trump Doesn’t Care About Children (Childcare Funding Freeze)

• Why freeze the funds nationwide if this is just happening in Minnesota?
• Do you think Trump cares at all about the kids that are affected by this?

📮 New Postmarking Rules & Election Integrity

• Do you think Trump had anything to do with getting this change implemented?

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If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
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In this special Friday episode Chad plays Mary Lou a youtube video by Keith Edwards that outlines exactly why Nick Shirley's video about Somali fraud in Minnesota is wrong.

Keith Edwards video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB9yGM2LrDM

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
[email protected]

In this Wednesday Busting The Maga Bubble episode, Chad and Bob play each other clips from both sides of the Somali Fraud issue gaining traction in right wing news.

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
[email protected]

On this week’s episode of The Necessary Conversation, we break down one of the most chaotic and disturbing weeks yet in Trump’s second term — from a Christmas Day posting spree that looked more like a meltdown than a holiday message, to explosive new revelations in the Epstein files, to an apparent attempt to bury a damning 60 Minutes investigation. Bob has once again fled the show, refusing to face off against his children as more evidence mounts against Trump by the day.

🎄 Trump’s Christmas Meltdown
On Christmas Day, Trump posted nearly 150 times in 24 hours, using the holiday to attack enemies, relitigate the 2020 election, celebrate deaths, deflect from Epstein revelations, and repost offensive memes. We ask whether this behavior is remotely Christian — or remotely stable.

📁 Over 1,000,000 New Epstein Documents
Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DOJ admitted there are over one million additional Epstein-related documents still undisclosed — despite Trump’s own “Epstein Transparency Act.” Lawmakers are now considering contempt charges. Is this incompetence… or a cover-up?

💰 Pay-For-Pardons Scandal
A Wall Street Journal investigation reveals how wealthy elites are bypassing the Justice Department and securing presidential pardons by lobbying Trump directly — sometimes for millions of dollars. We ask the obvious question: is Trump selling pardons?

🔥 60 Minutes Pulls CECOT Prison Investigation
CBS abruptly yanked a completed 60 Minutes segment exposing torture, abuse, and unlawful detentions at El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison — where the Trump administration has sent hundreds of people, many with no criminal record. The segment later leaked anyway. Is this the future of journalism under MAGA pressure?

⚖️ Supreme Court Blocks National Guard Deployment
In a major rebuke, the Supreme Court refused to let Trump deploy National Guard troops to Chicago. Notably, two of Trump’s own appointees sided against him. What does this mean for Trump’s threats to militarize U.S. cities?

🚫 Trump Defunds Anti-Human Trafficking Efforts
Trump quietly withheld $90 million from anti-human-trafficking organizations, cutting off housing, counseling, legal aid, and victim services for thousands of survivors. We examine who benefits when trafficking enforcement collapses.

🧘 Simmer Down
We lighten things up (briefly) by asking: Who is your celebrity crush?

👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments:

• Is this behavior normal for a president?
• Are the Epstein delays intentional?
• Should pardons ever be for sale?
• Is the free press under real threat?

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📲 New clips posted twice daily

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
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In this mid-week episode Haley and Chad show Mary Lou some clips regarding Trump's inclusion in the most recent batch of Epstein Files released by the DOJ. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
[email protected]

Haley is back this week on The Necessary Conversation as we break down one of the most disturbing developments yet in the Epstein saga—along with explosive new reporting about Donald Trump from Vanity Fair, another incoherent Trump speech, foreign military strikes, marijuana rescheduling, and more.

🔥 EPSTEIN FILES COVER-UP

The Department of Justice was legally required to release all Epstein files—but instead released less than 2% of them, many completely blacked out. Even worse, files have already been deleted from the public site, including one reportedly containing photos of Trump inside Epstein’s house.
We ask: Why are the files missing, redacted, and disappearing—and who are they protecting?

📰 VANITY FAIR BLOWS THE LID OFF THE WHITE HOUSE

Trump’s own Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, goes on the record describing Trump as having an “alcoholic’s personality,” calling JD Vance a longtime conspiracy theorist, criticizing Pam Bondi’s handling of the Epstein release, and describing Elon Musk as a “ketamine-using odd duck.”
Is this honesty—or a coordinated distraction?

🎤 TRUMP’S ECONOMIC SPEECH MELTDOWN

What was supposed to be an end-of-year economic address devolves into grievance, racism, anti-trans rhetoric, and a misleading claim about giving troops a $1,776 “bonus” that was actually money already approved by Congress.

🏛️ TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER?!

Trump appointees vote to rename the Kennedy Center after Trump—muting dissenting board members in the process—despite federal law requiring congressional approval.

💣 SYRIA AIRSTRIKES & “DECLARATION OF VENGEANCE”

Trump launches Operation Hawkeye in Syria, killing ISIS targets. Pete Hegseth tweets that the U.S. will “ruthlessly kill you.”
We debate whether this rhetoric—and these strikes—make the world safer.

🌿 MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING

Trump fast-tracks marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III—making federal prosecution less likely and delivering a massive tax break to the cannabis industry.
 Why now? And why stop short of full legalization?

🎶 SIMMER DOWN

Mom and Dad introduce the newest member of the family: Rex? Stinky? Lief? Nick? 🐶

Key Questions We Debate:

• Is the Epstein file release an illegal cover-up?
• Why are Trump references redacted while others aren’t?
• Is Trump’s inner circle starting to fracture?
• Should a president be able to rename national institutions after himself?
• Is this weed policy reform—or political theater?

👇 Watch, comment, and join the conversation.

The Necessary Conversation
Family therapy through politics.

#EpsteinFiles #Trump #DOJ #VanityFair #PoliticsPodcast #MAGA #WeedPolicy #FreePress #Accountability #TheNecessaryConversation

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
[email protected]

In this midweek episode Chad and Mary Lou discuss Donald Trump's reaction to Rob Reiner's apparent murder.

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
[email protected]

🚨 IMPORTANT NOTE: Haley is not on the show this week due to a medical emergency, but she is okay and recovering ❤️

This week on The Necessary Conversation, we break down another chaotic and disturbing week in American politics — from a mass shooting at Brown University to Trump tweeting false information, a Venezuelan oil tanker seized by U.S. forces, new Epstein photos released, and Kristi Noem caught lying to Congress.

🔫 Mass Shooting at Brown University

A mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island left 2 people dead and 9 injured.
Trump initially tweeted that the suspect was in custody — then reversed himself just 15 minutes later, admitting the suspect was still at large.

We discuss:

• Why did Trump rush out false information?
• What does this say about leadership during a crisis?
• Should presidents be live-tweeting active shooter situations?

🛢️ Oil Thieves

Trump ordered a dramatic armed helicopter boarding of a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil.
Venezuela is calling it international piracy.

We ask:

• Did the U.S. just steal another country’s oil?

📸 Epstein Photos Released

House Democrats released new photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, part of a trove of ~95,000 images subpoenaed by Congress.
Photos include Trump, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Prince Andrew, Steve Bannon, Alan Dershowitz, and others in social settings with Epstein.

We discuss:

• Did everyone in these photos know what Epstein was doing?

🐕 Kristi Noem Lied

During a House Homeland Security hearing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem falsely claimed DHS had never deported U.S. military veterans.
She was immediately confronted live with a Purple Heart–decorated Army veteran she deported, then abruptly left the hearing.

We ask:

• Why did Noem lie under oath?

💰 Trump Stealing Taxpayer Money?

New reporting shows Donald Trump Jr. is tied to over $700 million in Pentagon contracts through venture capital firms he partners with — awarded under Trump’s administration.

We ask:

• Is this corruption or coincidence?

✈️ Goodbye Tourism

Kristi Noem proposed requiring visitors from 42 allied countries to hand over:

• 5 years of social media history

We discuss:

• Would this kill tourism?
• Should other countries do this to Americans?
• Is this mass surveillance dressed up as border security?

📝 Trump’s Enemies List

The White House launched a government-run “Media Offenders” list, publicly targeting journalists and outlets Trump doesn’t like — complete with a “Hall of Shame.”

We ask:

• Should the government track journalists?
• How authoritarian is this?
• Where does this lead?

🧘 Simmer Down

Mid-episode, we slow things down with a lighter question:
 If you could have had a different career, what would it have been?

📺 Watch the full episode
🎧 Available on all podcast platforms
💬 Drop a comment — which story worried you the most?

#Trump #EpsteinFiles #KristiNoem #BrownUniversity #ICE #PressFreedom #Authoritarianism #TheNecessaryConversation #PoliticalPodcast

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
[email protected]

Mary Lou joins Chad for a midweek discussion about Trump's lies surrounding the idea and use of the word "Affordability." They play clips for one another from both sides of the political spectrum and even get into the breaking news about Pete Hegseth's war crimes.

If you have a question for anyone on the show, record it in a 1 minute or under audio or video clip and send it to:
[email protected]