Donald Trump’s second presidency is raising increasingly complicated questions about presidential power, personal wealth, the media, artificial intelligence, and the institutions surrounding the White House. In this episode of Divulgence, we break down Trump’s escalating confrontation with the press after CNN, MS NOW, Politico and other outlets faced restrictions on White House access—followed almost immediately by the launch of the White House’s own “Trump TV.” As major networks push back an...

The Iran War may be approaching another dangerous turning point. In this episode of Divulgence, Jordan breaks down new warnings that the conflict in the Middle East could rapidly escalate, including the Houthi missile attack toward Riyadh, Donald Trump’s consideration of U.S. strikes in Yemen, and the possibility of another major American attack on Iran. We examine Pickaxe Mountain — the massive underground complex near Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility — and reports about how the United States ...

More than two years after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, new FBI documents are revealing previously unknown details about Thomas Matthew Crooks — while leaving the biggest question unanswered: why did he do it? In this episode of Divulgence, we dig into the latest revelations surrounding Crooks, including his visit to a shooting range the day before the attack, the unidentified person he was seen speaking with, dozens of digital accounts, encrypted email ...

The government is preparing for potential warfare extending all the way to the space around the Moon — but apparently that isn’t the strangest thing happening in Washington this week. In this episode of Divulgence, we break down FBI Director Kash Patel’s bizarre Senate exchange over changes to FBI hiring policies involving prostitution and bestiality, along with his escalating dispute with Canada over cooperation between the FBI and RCMP. We also look at Mitch McConnell’s return to the Senate...

The global order may be shifting faster than it appears. In this episode of Divulgence, we take a trip around the world to examine a series of stories that, taken together, raise a much bigger question: Are countries beginning to prepare for a world that is less dependent on the United States? Canada is courting hundreds of billions of dollars in international investment while exploring a potentially unprecedented new relationship with the European Union. China is rapidly expanding its secret...

Is Anthropic starting to look less like an AI company and more like a cult? In this episode of Divulgence, we dive into the increasingly bizarre world of artificial intelligence and the people building it. Reports from inside Anthropic describe employees anthropomorphizing Claude and even holding what resembled a funeral ceremony for a retired AI model—raising a much bigger question about whether the people developing these systems are beginning to believe their own mythology. We also examine...

The Iran War is expanding in ways that go far beyond the battlefield. In this episode of Divulgence, we look at the Houthis’ growing position along the Red Sea, attacks threatening Saudi Arabia’s alternative oil route, and an extraordinary report that a weapons engineering cell in Yemen used AI to help develop guidance systems, run flight simulations, troubleshoot a failed rocket test, and work toward increasingly sophisticated missiles. We also examine reports of Iranian-linked cyber activit...

Should we be more worried about the food we eat? In this episode of Divulgence, we examine the growing concerns surrounding America’s food supply as outbreaks, recalls and questions about the country’s food-safety infrastructure collide with another problem: rising costs. Diesel prices are surging, transportation is getting more expensive, and disruptions from the Iran War are beginning to work their way through the broader economy. If food is becoming both more expensive and potentially har...

Technology promised to make life easier. But what happens when it starts moving faster than our ability to decide what we actually want from it? In this episode of Divulgence, Jordan takes a wide-ranging look at the growing backlash against the tech industry—from McDonald’s and other companies rediscovering the value of actual human interaction to Hollywood increasingly portraying tech CEOs and billionaires as the new cultural serial killer. The episode dives into the enormous money pouring...

On this episode of Divulgence, we look at an Iran conflict that is becoming increasingly difficult to contain as missile attacks, dwindling U.S. munitions, tanker warfare, rising oil prices, and the growing danger around the Strait of Hormuz raise the possibility of an even longer and more expensive war. Back in the U.S.A., Donald Trump makes an extraordinary pitch ahead of the midterms: keep Republicans in control of Congress and Americans could receive a $5,000 “Trump Dividend.” We look at ...