Justin and Sam open with Trump’s back-to-back meetings with Zelensky and Putin. Sam argues they could mark real progress, with Trump uniquely able to pressure leaders into a room. Justin doubts meaningful concessions are likely, pointing to Putin’s sunk costs and Ukraine’s moral high ground.

Next, the guys examine Trump’s move to secure a $9B government stake in Intel. Sam frames it as a justified national-security safeguard given U.S. reliance on chips and China’s role in supply chains. Justin sees it as an overreach, with Trump strong-arming Intel’s CEO and reshaping the CHIPS Act process without clear authority.

They close with a look at Trump’s attacks on Jerome Powell and Fed Governor Lisa Cook while pushing for rate cuts. Sam sympathizes with Trump’s frustration, stressing that Powell dodges accountability and ignores economic urgency. Justin sees it as part of Trump’s broader unitary executive impulse, defending Fed independence as a buffer against political overreach.

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