Mike Murphy spent 40 years as a Republican strategist, running campaigns for John McCain, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Days before the 2026 midterms, he joins the show to explain what will happen and why Trump should be scared.  Murphy breaks down the midterm predictions everyone is watching: whether Democrats can take the House and the Senate, why Kansas, Alaska, Texas and Michigan could surprise people, and what will happen with the DOJ in Alaska. Plus some insider intel on Trump's first term and why Democrats should skip impeachment and go after corruption instead. CHAPTERS00:00 Intro00:18 Blue wave or blue tsunami?01:40 Why the Senate is the tsunami test04:06 The perfect storm: Trump’s lost economic ace06:57 Candidate luck: Kansas, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Texas08:57 Trump 2.0 has no grownups12:41 The DOJ, Alaska, and certification17:35 How Trump won the 2016 primary24:00 Should Democrats impeach?27:26 Trump as a lame duck30:38 Global populism and 202837:14 Who actually runs the parties?41:30 Super PACs and “stupid money”44:56 The DSA and the LA mayor’s race48:38 Inequality and the billionaire tax54:34 The data center war56:34 EVs, China, and America’s auto future1:08:00 Why America keeps swinging back and forth1:11:20 The One Book To Pickup NowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 40, Deb Haaland was a single mom raising her daughter on WIC, Medicaid, and food stamps, and she once broke down in tears when she was told she didn’t qualify for emergency SNAP. Now, days before Election Day, she joins the show to explain why that experience shapes how she’d govern New Mexico. With early voting underway in the New Mexico governor race, Haaland lays out her closing argument: governors are the first line of defense against the Medicaid cuts and SNAP cuts coming from H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”  She explains her plan for a day-one data center moratorium, with guardrails on water, clean energy, local hiring, and no NDAs. She also makes the case for protecting New Mexico’s first-in-the-nation universal childcare program. Learn more at debhaaland.com 00:00 Intro00:38 Back to school at 4002:07 Closing argument: the first line of defense03:23 Medicaid and SNAP cuts from the “Big Beautiful Bill”05:43 Gas prices in an oil state08:16 Should New Mexico suspend the gas tax?10:05 WIC, Medicaid, food stamps: her single-mom story16:31 “Two jobs and a GoFundMe”17:39 Trades, apprenticeships, and 58,000 homes21:44 Public lands, Chaco, and lawsuits24:27 The five bills Trump signed26:30 The day-one data center moratorium31:06 The Biden record34:37 Water and the Colorado River37:41 ICE and immigration42:12 Public safety, fentanyl, and recovery46:06 Following Lujan Grisham51:13 Get out the voteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oscar-winning documentarian, Alex Gibney joins the show to discuss Musk his newest investigation into the world's most powerful man, and possibly America’s number one grifter, Elon Musk. Gibney shares his expertise on Musk’s early days in Silicon Valley, how he has been reliant on the US government he now hates for most of his wealth, and why the world’s richest man's biggest export is overpromising and underdelivering.They detail Musk’s exploits at Tesla, SpaceX, and DOGE and why he might be the man we should be most afraid of.00:00 How To Capture Elon Musk When He Won't Be Part Of Your Film9:59 Failing Upward and  Who Really Founded Tesla15:16 Government To The Rescue20:03 The World’s Greatest Salesman: Autopilot issues, Battery Swaps and Tax Credits28:22 Musk’s AI Origin Story35:35 How COVID Changed Musk Forever41:10 Buying Twitter: From Free Speech to Propaganda Machine51:56 DOGE: Trump, the Chainsaw and the Data Grab1:01:22 Musk’s Family Dynamics1:13:27 The Midterms and Power Without PurposeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei joins the show to talk through how AI is changing the media industry, why he rejects the simple solutions floated by today’s politicians and how he’d handle saving legacy media institutions. He then shares his philosophy on how to manage one’s time and business effectively as articulated in his new book book Simplify: Do 50 Percent More with 50 Percent Less co-written with his Axios co-founders, Mike Allen & Roy Schwartz00:00 An Era As Significant As The Great Depression2:46 Trust Loss In Institutions 6:09 The Challenge Of Breaking News In An AI World 11:42 How To Fix  Business Leaders Selling Out 16:57 How Algorithms Shape Our Thinking19:22 The Competing Incentives Between LLMs & Algorithms 22:00 Can We Shut Down AI Even If We Wanted To25:06 How Axios Rejects The AI Binary35:05 The Future Of Work 39:32 Working With OpenAi & Local News 43:36 Legacy Media vs. Digital Journalists48:42 You Don't Have To Do It - An Operating Manual For Life 55:35 Our Brains & Businesses Need To Adapt To Technology’s Influence 1:01:16 How To Be An Effective Manager & Employee in 20261:04:39 The One Trick To Being An Effective Communicator 1:09:27 How to Fix CNN & Cable NewsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bestselling author Michael Lewis (Moneyball, The Big Short, The Blind Side) joins the show to talk about his new book, Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State, and what he found reporting on the Trump administration's war against federal civil servants.Lewis often writes about overlooked people inside massive, misunderstood systems, from Wall Street to baseball to government scientists.  In his newest work, he explains how Elon Musk's DOGE actually operated inside agencies like the IRS and NIH, why career civil servants became targets, and what happens when the trust in our government finally collapses. Lewis's new book Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State is out now. 00:00 Opening00:25 Talking To Bannon, Kirk And Understanding Your Enemies7:24 Which Of Michael Lewis’s Subjects Was Most Pissed At Him10:35 How Michael Lewis Decides On His Subjects 18:07 Who Can Tell The Story of Trump’s Second Term  24:42 The Big Question Lewis Asked Himself Before Writing Blockers30:03 Elon Musk, DOGE &  The Origin Of The Term “Blockers” 36:23 What The Hell is The US Institute of Peace?43:22 Government Is Moneyball All Over The Place47:45 How Trump Tries To Weaponize Data Against Undocumented Workers54:33 Better Information Leads To Societal Progress 1:00:06 The Immigrant Who Changed How We Fight Fires vs. The Trump Chaos Machine1:17:46 Trump vs. The NIH: Who Killed The Scientist Curing Our Diseases? 1:25:09 How People Really Deal With RFK Jr. 1:29:31 The Backdoor That DOGE Used to Fire Millions1:34: 36 Trump is A Trust Destroying Machine & Where Trump Goes Next1:38:16 How Permanent Is Trump’s Harm To Government? 1:45:58 How Reagan Ruined America’s Covid Response & Helped Trump Weaponize Grievance 1:51:15 A Sign Of Hope From A Former DOGE Employee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Newsom begins by sharing how his visit with Bryan Stevenson, civil rights attorney, & founder of the Equal Justice Initiative inspired recent legislation. Live from the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery Alabama, Stevenson joins the podcast to discuss the politics of fear and anger and why America never reckoned with the narrative that justified slavery. He shares how the Supreme Court might decide Brown v. Board of Education today, what the gutting of the Voting Rights Act means for Black political power, and why DEI efforts fell apart.They then cover reparations, censorship,  mass incarceration and America’s legacy when it comes to the death penalty before finally ending with  a message of hope for anyone exhausted by this political moment. 00:00 A Conversation That Inspired A Bill Signing1:10 The Politics Of Fear And Anger4:03 Slavery's Real Evil Was the Narrative6:26 How Narratives Change8:20 Struggling With American Identity13:20 Why Build a National Memory & Legacy Museum17:35 Why The Shelby County Decision Changed Everything25:28 Why We've Gone Backwards31:08 How DEI Caused Resentment37:10 What Reparations Really Means46:30 Why Am I Responsible For Previous Generations’ Suffering?51:01 Rewriting History & The Montgomery Bus Boycott59:23 Could Brown v. Board Be Won Today?1:04:45 Rev. James Lawson: Do Hard Things1:12:17 Counter Narratives & Censorship 1:17:54 Mass Incarceration and the Death Penalty1:35:30 Should California Commute Its Death Row?1:39:50 What Do You Say to Victims' Families?1:45:38 Is There Any Reason For Hope?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newsmax founder and CEO Chris Ruddy joins the show to discuss how he built a conservative media empire, including the story of how he first met Donald Trump.  He then gets into his relationship with the Clintons, California political history, education reform, and conservative talk radio's influence on the country.   00:00 Intro 00:45 The Legacy of California Governors  4:44 Reagan, Republicans & Immigration 7:00 The Crazy Way Ruddy Met Trump 10:30 Liberal Origins Before Building A Conservative Media Empire  18:04 How To Improve Public Education 26:30 Conservative Radio’s Influence On This President 30:18 The Evolution of Ruddy & The Clintons 33:47 Media Consolidation & The Fight Against Brendan Carr & The FCC  45:00 Tech Mergers, Paramount & The Hollywood System 48:35 Newsmax vs. Fox News  51:10 The 2020 Election 54:40 Political Polarization & The 2024 Election 59:22 How Democrats React If They Win Back The House  1:04:57 The Future of Cable & Artificial Intelligence 1:10:02 Should Democrats Appear On Conservative MediaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few months ago, we sat down with two of the leading voices warning about the risks of runaway AI Tristan Harris & Aza Raskin. We're re-airing that conversation now because we are at a critical moment in how we deal with AI.  Researchers are quitting. CEOs are begging to be regulated. Yet there's still no comprehensive federal law requiring AI companies to report dangerous incidents when they happen.  So we're taking action.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're live on the road in Montgomery, Alabama!  Governor Newsom is joined by Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed for a conversation on the economy, protecting our civil rights, and Alabama’s living history. Plus, BBQ vs. Tacos and how to find hope even as our democracy remains under attack.00:00 Why Montgomery Matters 4:37  Protecting Our Democracy & Rebuilding Our Economy  13:41 How To Find Courage Amongst The Sellouts 21:23 Montgomery’s Living History As A Lesson For The Country 24:45 Writing A Memoir And The Search for Authenticity  29:35 How To Survive Difficult Moments See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crypto skeptic, filmmaker, and  author Ben McKenzie joins the show for a deep dive into the world of cryptocurrency. From Bitcoin and Sam Bankman-Fried to Donald Trump’s recent embrace of crypto for his corruption efforts, Ben Mckenzie explains why he is and remains skeptical of cryptocurrency. He then considers whether there’s any hope for crypto regulation and whether this Congress is capable of doing it.   Ben’s documentary “Everyone is Lying to You for Money” is available to stream now through a collaboration with Eventive, a ticketing and streaming platform with a mission to make film festivals and independent film accessible.    00:00 Intro00:17 A Big Day For Bitcoin3:28 Why Ben Doesn’t Buy Crypto8:00 The Question Sam Bankman-Fried Wouldn’t Answer12:08 Trust The Dollar Or Trust The Code 14:20 Crypto 10118:00 The Epstein Connection 22:10 El Salvador’s Crypto Experiment27:02 Why Everyone Is Now Into Crypto32:30 The Men Who Can’t Stop Losing With Crypto41:34 How Should We Be Regulating Crypto?47:45 Wall Street’s  Embrace Of Crypto50:10 Trump’s Crypto Conversion, World Liberty Financial & Criminal Activity58:55 Regulation Instead of Elimination 1:02:10 Will Studios Support An Anti-Crypto Film? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.