It's our first on the ground episode live from East Lansing, MI with Governor Gretchen Whitmer!

What can Democrats can learn from the recent results in Michigan? 

There may be no one better to weigh in on the future of the Democratic Party and what they're seeing on the ground than Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The termed out Governor is not only contemplating her own future, but the future of her party and the country.

That's why, in the middle of campaigning for Democrats up and down the ballot, Governor Newsom sat down in East Lansing to compare notes on winning a state that voted for Donald Trump, the rise of the DSA, leading their respective states, and the road to 2028.

00:00 Live From Michigan!  
1:02 Fix The Damn Roads (With Marijuana) 
7:44 “My State Voted For Donald Trump Again” 
13:24 Two Termed Out Governors Grading Their Terms
25:18: What's It Like Being Vetted for Vice President...
33:20 ...And What's Next For Big Gretch
37:17 Democrats Don’t Have Time To Take A Beat
42:24 Split Legislature to Lasting Legacy
43:51 The Advice You’d Give To The Next Governor
51:14 So…Are You Running? (Actually) 
56:09 What Principles Do You Live By?
57:45 Predictions
1:02:30 BTS 

Recorded on location at Crunchy's Bar in East Lansing, MI.

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Former D.C. police officer and January 6 survivor Michael Fanone joins the show to talk about Todd Blanche’s confirmation, the J6 Weaponization fund and why MAGA is so determined to let Trump keep embarrassing them. Plus, Fanone recounts the day he nearly died defending the Capitol, its politicization as well as his reaction to Trump’s pardons of January 6 defendants. 

00:00 Re-Introducing Michael Fanone 
1:06 Datacenters Are A Plague 
4:24 “I thought I was going to die a cop” - Understanding Fanone’s Journey  
8:26 My disdain for politics and politicians started at an early age
15:39 I Voted For Donald Trump In 2016
17:23 Fanone’s Story of January 6th 2021
37:23 The J6 Riots & Trump’s Weaponization Fund
41:47 How Fanone Reacted To Trump’s Pardons 
46:52 Taxing The Weaponization Fund
49:20 MAGA’s Continued Willingness To Let Trump Humiliate Them
56:38 The Tate Brothers, Joe Rogan & MAGA’s Love of Toxic Men
1:05:20 Facing The Most Significant Election Of Our Republic
1:08:08 Predicting Trump’s Future Pardons & The One Job Fanone Wants 
1:13:36 Nobody Would Hire Me So I Have To Do This

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David Pakman joins the show to discuss how YouTube, social media algorithms, and artificial intelligence are reshaping politics, public opinion, and our democracy. They discuss why conservative voices often outperform liberals online, the Democratic Party's messaging challenges, and what we can learn about how populist messages spread online. 

00:00 Intro

00:33 World Cup Aftermath & The Trump Impact

3:43 The DSA As The Liberal Tea Party

7:15 Does Pakman's Youtube Channel Make Him A Hypocrite?

10:02 The 2028 Election Will Be Determined By Artificial Intelligence & Algorithm Manipulation 

12:51 Social Media Platforms Don't Reward Truth

18:04 How to Fight Back Against Algorithmic Manipulation

23:57 How YouTube Has Changed Our Politicians & Killed Authenticity 

27:30 Can Nuanced Conversations Ever Travel Online? 

30:07 Why The Right Is So Much More Successful Online

32:55 Populism & Independence: Why Bernie & Tucker Break Through & Fox News Is Still Figuring It Out

39:55 We Are Not Prepared For AI To Take Over Our Social Media Feeds 

47:17 Loneliness, The Manosphere, and Why The Left Still Fails When it Comes To Toxic Masculinity

50:15 Is Government Moving Too Slowly & What Trump Gets Right

54:01 Pakman's Media Strategy For The Democratic Party & How To Talk About The Economy

1:01:52 The DSA Should Be A Red Alert For The Democratic Party

1:08:53 Biden's Populist Streak & Communication Problems

1:12:38 Is There Any Hope For Democracy In This Media Environment?

Pre-order David's new book Pay Attention: How the Algorithms and Media Wars Are Suppressing Truth and Rewiring Your Brain

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/pay-attention-david-pakman?variant=44812531105826

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Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie joins the show to talk about the Todd Blanche confirmation hearings, Trump’s corrupt presidency and why the Jeffrey Epstein scandal always felt different. Drawing on his firsthand experience inside Trump's inner circle, Christie shares his account of how things really worked in the White House, his relationship with the Kushners, and the moment he broke with the former president. They also examine the future of both parties, who the DSA is helping and how Democrats should be speaking about Trump.


00:00 Todd Blanche’s Confirmation Hearing, Reactions, & How To Fix The Justice Department
16:55 The Epstein Files & How Pam Bondi Lost Trump’s Trust
26:17 The Link Between Epstein & The Access Hollywood Tape
29:20 Kushner(s) & Tom Brady 
38:50 How Christie Became The Chair of Trump’s Transition Team Over Jared’s Objection
43:21 How Steve Bannon & Jared Kushner Handled Personnel Changes In The White House
47:44 How One Conversation With Christie Shaped Trump’s Covid Response 
54:53 When Christie Realized Trump Wasn’t For Him 
57:39 Does Trump Actually Believe He Won in 2020?
1:00:30 Trump’s Primetime Address & His Election Denialism 
1:03:03 Why Democrats Shouldn’t Focus On Trump’s in 2028
1:07:50 How To Discuss Trump’s Corruption & His Attack on Democracy
1:12:26 Christie’s Current 2026 Predictions: House & Senate & The Possibility of Impeachment
1:15:33 The Rise of The DSA: Mamdani, AOC & Who Bernie Sanders Is Actually Helping
1:20:11 How Trump Intends to Shape 2028 & The One Republican Who Push Back

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Bestselling author and business thinker Jim Collins sits down for a personal conversation about purpose, leadership, and how to build a meaningful life. At a time when many young people feel increasingly uncertain about their future and are searching for direction, Collins offers our audience something different; a framework for finding purpose beyond career success. 

Inspired by his new book, What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire and the Self-Knowledge Imperative, Collins details how to navigate life's defining events, positive and negative. He also shares the habits and strategies that have shaped him while providing guidance for anyone looking to build a life of meaning in an increasingly uncertain world.

00:00 Inspiration & How To Make A Social Science Book Personal 
9:39 What To Make Of A Life
13:07 What Inspires Someone To Write
19:07  Intention & Becoming A 4 AM Person
25:08 Cliff Events & Pairs: Evaluating Reactions To Similar Circumstances
31:07 This Notion of Encoding
41:25 What Makes The Multiple Types Of Success 
45:05 Fogs
49:14 The Bug Book 
53:46 Fire & Aging 
1:05:07 Staying In Frame
1:15:49 Choosing Responsibility
1:25:15 The One Thing Collins Learned Writing This Book
1:32:38 Finding Your BHAG

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Ahead of the July 4th holiday and America's 250th anniversary we're replaying our conversation with filmmaker and historian Ken Burns. 

Burns discusses what made Washington's leadership so different from today's leaders, the Trump administration's struggle to erase American history and how his work threatens autocrats. Plus Burns discusses whether we truly are in unique times what comforts he finds from being such a student of history and how DEI actually has historical roots. 

00:00  Flawed Heroes Founded This Country 
9:27 - Disinformation & Censorship Is Nothing New
12:47 Who Made The Revolution Possible?
18:00 Faith & Religion in Our Democracy
24:54 The Birthright Citizenship Fight  & American Nativism
28:25 American Patriotism & The Disappointing Legislative Branch
35:39 "I Just Want To Know Who Is Being Protected"
42:03 The One Thing That Surprised Burns About The Revolution 
50:15 Ranking Today Amongst Historical American Crises  
58:00 Make America Great Again Going Forward 
1:02:10 Ken Burns Relationship With Steve Jobs & Apple

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Podcaster and independent media powerhouse Brian Tyler Cohen joins the show to break down the future of the Democratic Party, why Republicans are already executing their long-term strategy, and why Democrats need to deliver fast or risk losing a whole generation of people who are up for grabs right now.
Brian then outlines how progressives can compete in today's media landscape, why voting rights are a chance for Democrats to actually win and how to battle the impending Supreme Court crisis. 

Plus, Brian shares how Democrats should wield their power after Trump and for more on his 2029 plans check out his new book  The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World

BOOK LINK: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/thedayafter

00:00 From Hollywood to Independent Creator
3:03 How Democrats Can Embrace an Insurgency Mindset
7:30 Why Republicans Are So Good At Playing the Long Game
16:15 Democrats Need to Stop Playing Defense
22:27 The Courts Are a Crisis Waiting to Happen
32:57 Voting Rights Reform
38:10 Who Gets a Pardon?
42:09 The Greatest Con of This Administration
49:45 Democratizing the Economy
53:18 Why Healthcare Is Still Broken
57:40 Can Democrats Win the Media War?
1:09:18 Purity Tests & Coalition Building
1:16:00 Where Democrats Should Focus Their Political Capital
1:19:39 Climate Change: The Missed Opportunity
1:26:17 The Last Election 
1:31:34 Democrats Must Deliver Accountability Post-Trump

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Right now it seems like everyone’s afraid of AI.  Whether its worries over job loss, wealth concentration, or lack of regulation, anxiety around artificial intelligence is real. Here to make a case for why we shouldn’t be so afraid, is Reid Hoffman, AI optimist and someone who has thought about the way artificial intelligence can lead to positive outcomes more than anyone. Hoffman sits down to talk about why we’re not powerless in how AI impacts our lives, and how to best  incorporate it without losing your identity or job. 

00:00 Intro

00:23 Is Artificial Intelligence Going To Kill My Job?

8:14 Does Artificial Intelligence Have A PR Problem?

15:07 The Optimist’s Case For Embracing AI

27:09  Humanity First, Society Second, Industry Third

37:12 Do The Tech Industry Players Shaping Our Future Care About Us?

43:44 Crypto As A Cautionary Tale: How Dems Should Talk About AI

49:23 Elon, The SpaceX IPO and Greatest Kleptocracy of Our Lifetimes

55:20 Investing In Data Centers & Compute

1:03:34 What Happened With Mythos & OpenAI? 

1:09:54 Positive Impacts: Where Are We 5 Years From Now?

1:23:31 Concentration of Wealth,  Corruption & Selling Out To Trump

1:33:28 2 Subjects Of DOJ Investigations

1:38:38 Where Does The Democratic Party Stand Today? 

1:42:06 Pro-Business Democrats & The Billionaire’s Tax

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Long one of the most discussed figures in politics, Hunter Biden joins the podcast for an unfiltered conversation about addiction, public scrutiny,  and the political battles that have defined the last several years. He reflects on the darkest moments of his life, the controversies that dominated headlines, and why he believes now is the time to speak directly to the public.

From his father's legacy and the future of the Democratic Party to what he sees as unprecedented grift within the Trump family, Hunter offers his perspective on the narratives consuming our politics. He also discusses the perils of social media, the DC media ecosystem, his recovery, and his ongoing feud with journalist Jake Tapper.

00:00 He’s Running
3:30 - They Gave Me A Stage And I’m Gonna Use It
7:29 - Why Speak Up Now?
14:45 Biden’s Authenticity vs. Trump’s Audacity
20:04 Graham Platner & Zohran Mamdani 
27:20 Art & Addiction 
32:20 He Was Never Part Of That DC Elite
38:05 The Obama Years
42:40 It All Happened All At Once - Data Leaks & Criminal Proceedings
54:54 The Prosecution, The Plea & The Pardon
1:03:37 The Trump Family Grift Is Unprecedented
1:14:50 Who Speaks For The Democratic Party?
1:25:28 What’s Next For Hunter Biden? 
1:28:37 Hunter vs. Tapper: The Biden Books

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Ex-MAGA influencer Ashley St. Clair joins the show to share her journey from MAGA mouthpiece to outspoken critic of the movement she helped build. She exposes the online influencer networks that begin in the White House and end in your feeds, before revealing why Elon Musk was so desperate to keep her silenced.

00:00 Intro
00:52 Ashley’s MAGA Origin Story
8:10 From TPUSA Recruit To Monetizing Activism
16:45 MAGA Influencers - Who Calls The Shots? 
21:55 The Real Elon Musk & Big Tech’s Unchecked Power
36:30 The Trump Influencer Group Chats & How The Left Responds 
46:22 Elon's 10,000 Space Lasers & The $40 Million NDA
56:05 St. Clair’s Biggest Regrets 

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In this clip from his appearance on the Prof G podcast, Governor Newsom responds to a series of rapid fire questions from Scott Galloway. They discuss everything from how to implement fair tax policy to how to parent young men. 

For the entire conversation check out The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway wherever you get your podcasts. 

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