Pete Hegseth wants a $1.5 trillion bump in Pentagon spending, and won’t say what it’s for. War in Iran reignites, and the Trump administration hides the number of injured American troops. Innocent people are killed by ICE, and the FBI is no longer allowed to investigate. Whenever there is conflict or scandal—whenever the facts threaten Donald Trump’s political agenda—the White House’s strategy is to keep the country in the dark. Alex is joined by two veterans, Paul Riekhoff, host of the Independent Americans podcast, and Rebecca Roberts from About Face: Veterans Against the War, to talk about how the senselessness and secrecy around the Iran War is sitting with members of the military. Then, she puts all the cover-ups into context with New York Times White House Correspondent Maggie Haberman, coauthor of Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.

For a transcription of this show, email [email protected]

ICE agents have killed two men in the last 10 days. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot in Houston, Texas on July 7th, as was Joan Sebastian Guerrero on July 13th in Biddeford, Maine. On this week’s show, Alex looks at the lawless and race based nature of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and how Americans are reacting to them. She’s first joined by Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), to talk about the Araujo family’s tragic loss and how Latino communities across the country are feeling. Then Alex speaks to Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, who gives insight into where voters stand on ICE’s campaign of terror.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

The Maine Senate race has been thrown into complete disarray after serious allegations of sexual assault emerged against Graham Platner. This week Alex speaks to Dan Kleban, U.S. Senate candidate and co-founder of the Maine Beer Company, about how Democratic voters in Maine are feeling in the wake of Platner’s campaign implosion, and why they don’t want Washington meddling in their elections. Then she’s joined by democratic strategist Adam Jentleson to talk about what comes next, how this scandal impacts Democrats’ chances to take over the Senate, and how to read into wins by both Democratic Socialist candidates and moderates.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

This week we bring you an episode from Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. Stacey Abrams has committed her career to bold political advocacy and voting rights. In this episode, Stacey opens the show by answering audience questions about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act, and what it means for our democracy. Then she’s joined by Jane Fonda, who explains why she’s revived the Committee for the First Amendment, a group originally supported by her father in the 1940’s. Stacey and Jane also talk about the Trump administration’s attacks against Jimmy Kimmel, why the Warner Bros. and Paramount merger is so dangerous, and what Jane has learned after decades of activism, including her actions during the Vietnam War. Catch Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams, every Tuesday, on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

Take one poll with a grain of salt, but what about a TON of polls? From white middle class voters, to rural Americans, and even Evangelicals, the numbers show that Trump is losing his most ardent supporters. This week Alex speaks to “The Clean Clothing Chick” Hannah Dunning, who explains why MAHA is disappointed with the president. Then she’s joined by the Bulwark’s Jonathan V. Last to find out what we can take away from Trump’s flailing public support, losing Iran deal, and stalled agenda.

Is there anything that Vice President JD Vance hasn’t messed up? From political messaging, to lecturing the Pope about theology, Vance’s public appearances are often cringe inducing. But this week, Alex digs into the pernicious actions he’s taking behind the scenes. First she’s joined by California Attorney General Rob Bonta who reveals how much damage Vance’s anti-fraud task force is doing to legitimate businesses, and impacting those who need their services like hospice care. Then Alex speaks to Majority Report host Sam Seder about what it means to have a dishonest and bad actor like Vance waiting in the wings to be the next President.

The levels of corruption Americans are witnessing are both historic and astounding. This week, Alex speaks to ProPublica reporter Robert Faturechi, who broke the story that the Department of Defense gave a $620,000,000 loan to a company affiliated with Donald Trump Jr. Then she’s joined by Pod Save the World host Ben Rhodes to talk about how everything from the UFC cage match on the White House lawn, to Ivanka Trump’s island development in Albania are indicative of the unprecedented grift, and limitless appetite for self enrichment of the Trump family.

Be sure to pick up a copy of Ben’s new book, All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History of the United States in 15 Speeches.

A new chapter of ICE terror has begun, but instead of taking place on the street—where agents are held accountable by protesters and their phones—mistreatment and coercion is now happening behind the closed doors of ICE detention facilities. These private prisons are operated by a company with close ties to the Trump administration, and have such abominable conditions that detainees at several facilities are waging hunger strikes. To get an idea of the mistreatment immigrants are facing, Alex speaks with Melissa Shepard, an attorney with Immigration Defenders Law Center, whose clients are given dirty water and spoiled food, retaliated against for participating in hunger strikes, and endlessly pressured to self deport. Then, she puts it all into context with Caitlin Dickerson, an immigration reporter at The Atlantic who recently embedded in Honduras to interview  deportees from the U.S.

Could reality TV star Spencer Pratt become Mayor of Los Angeles? And could Trump’s endorsement of Ken Paxton cause Texas to go blue? This week, Alex dives into all things primaries to see if we can read the tea leaves for what awaits both Republicans and Democrats in the future. She’s joined by Nikki Laurenzo, anchor and political reporter for FOX40 in Sacramento, to break down the chaotic and still very undecided races shaping California politics. Then she speaks to Crooked Media’s Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America and author of the Message Box newsletter, to get a read on the consequences of Senator John Cornyn’s loss to Ken Paxton, and why a crowded gubernatorial primary in California could be a warning for Democratic presidential hopefuls in 2028.

This week, Alex digs into the nearly unfathomable corruption of President Trump’s settlement with the Department of Justice, including the $1.776 billion “Anti-weaponization Fund”. She speaks to Michael Fanone, a former DC Metropolitan police officer who was at the Capitol on January 6th to see how he feels about his taxpayer money potentially going to the insurrectionists who attacked him. Then Alex is joined by Andrew Weissman, attorney and author of the new book, Liar’s Kingdom. They talk about the lawsuit against the IRS that started this, and whether Trump actually has the legal immunity the settlement promises.

Redistricting battles are spreading like wildfire in both red and blue states, and increasingly the fate of America’s electoral system is at the mercy of the courts. This week, Alex speaks to Virginia Representative Suhas Subramanyam about how Democrats in the state are planning to fight fire with fire after a major setback for their efforts to redraw voting lines, and she hears from New York State Senator Mike Gianaris about the risks of diluting minority and progressive votes. Then Alex speaks to Stacey Abrams, host of Crooked Media’s Assembly Required, about the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act and why Democrats can’t abandon their values to pursue Congressional seats.