Why are Republicans trying to give themselves an edge in Congress? In the words of one GOP lawmaker: “Because we can.” This week, Rachel and Aaron separate the facts from JD Vance’s alt reality as some Democrats prepare to fight fire with fire. Plus: Trump takes federal control over Washington DC. And South Park sends up America’s most notorious puppy killer.

LINKS:

• YouTube: President Trump holds news conference on plans to address D.C. crime
• Gavin Newsom to Trump: ‘You Are Playing With Fire’
• The Cycle (Substack): Appeasement Didn’t Work Then; It Won’t Work Now

Facts are stubborn things, at least two of Trump’s predecessors have said. And for Trump on the economy—and Jeffrey Epstein–-there’s nothing to see here. This week Rachel and Aaron look at what the latest job numbers mean for Trump 2.0. Plus, Trump is making his own list… of political enemies. And secret documents in a secret annex at FBI Headquarters? Pssh.

LINKS

• New York Times: Until Trump Fired Her, She Was an Economist With Bipartisan Support
• ABC News: Joe Rogan slams Trump administration over Epstein investigation: 'Trying to gaslight'
• The Breakfast Club: Charlamagne Responds To Donald Trump’s ‘Truth Social’ Post About Him
• The Cycle (Substack): The Anatomy of “Othering”: How Authoritarians Build Permission for Violence
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game’

This week Rachel and Aaron stick to the one scandal that’s finally sticking to Teflon Don: Jeffrey Epstein, and the Trump Administration’s spectacular inability to control the narrative. Rachel dives into the need to “politicize everything.” A look at how Trump 2.0 is using immigration to destroy democracy with quiet bureaucracy. And why are some Dems demanding to fight “fire with fire” after the latest GOP effort to retain control of the U.S. House?

LINKS:

• The Cycle (Substack): Politicize Everything: A Blueprint for a Party that Fights
• YouTube: 'You’ve got no rights’: teenage US citizen records violent arrest by immigration officers
• The Guardian: How Trump has supercharged the immigration crackdown - in data
• YouTube: 'Epstein Partied With Trump': Texas Congressional Candidate Dragged Out Of Hearing
• YouTube: California's Newsom Calls To 'Fight Fire With Fire' As Texas Considers Redistricting
• Surrounded (Jubilee Media): 1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives (ft. Mehdi Hasan)
• 50501: Rage Against the Regime | August 2, 2025
• The National: Convicted US Felon to Arrive in Scotland

This week, as Trump’s FEMA struggles to answer questions about consequential budget cuts in the aftermath of Texas flooding, Rachel and Aaron look at how the Republican Party deliberately turned climate change into a conspiracy theory. It’s MAGA thought control. Plus, the FBI tries to go after thought crimes. And the Epstein Scandal threatens to unravel MAGA, despite Trump’s best efforts to move on. Which of his allies aren’t letting it go?

LINKS:

• The Cycle (Substack): The Big Ugly Cuts to Climate Science
• Nancy Pelosi & Newt Gingrich Climate PSA (2008)
• Frontline: Climate of Doubt
• New York Times: The F.B.I. Is Using Polygraphs to Test Officials’ Loyalty
• KOCO-TV (Oklahoma City): OSDE introduces 'America First Assessment' for teachers moving from certain states
• Megyn Kelly & Charlie Kirk on Epstein scandal
• The Hill: Bannon warns GOP could lose 40 House seats over Epstein files
• Vox: Why everyone runs for president these days
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game

Live Free. Die Fast. Get Digested… slowly. Welcome to “Alligator Alcatraz,” America’s first concentration camp. Plus, Rachel and Aaron explore the future, or not, of Elon Musk’s new “America Party.” Why, exactly, is America stuck with a two-party system? Meteorologists show us how cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service impact weather disaster warning systems. And Jeffrey Epstein’s client list: What happened to piss off MAGA all over again?

LINKS:

• The Cycle on Subtack: Elon Musk announces a new party
• KXAN-TV (Austin, TX): Head of local weather warnings takes early retirement as NOAA cuts continue
• Oxford Reference: Duverger’s Law
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game

What the hell is happening with Iran and Donald “No Wars” Trump? This week Rachel and Aaron break down the confusion, and the rift it’s causing in MAGA’s alt-reality. Plus, Rachel has an important lesson for the news media about the difference between rioting and protesting. How decaying democracy has opened the door to political violence and… who told “Whisky Pete” Hegseth to “be a man” during a hearing on Capitol Hill?

LINKS:

• New York Times: Shifting Views and Misdirection: How Trump Decided to Strike Iran
• Tucker Carlson: Tucker Confronts Ted Cruz on His Support for Regime Change in Iran
• Sen. Slotkin to Hegseth: “Be a man”
• The Cycle: Monday Memo (Substack): Welcome Back to the ’70s, Baby!
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game

What is the public hearing about Trump’s order to send more troops to Los Angeles? A lot of folks don’t even know who to blame. Plus, Rachel compares the fiery I.C.E. protests with how the Nazis rose to power in 1930s Germany. How Elon’s and Don’s Big Beautiful Breakup threatens the President’s tax cuts for billionaires. We unpack the DOJ’s fishy case against Kilmar Abrego Garcea and the headlines Americans are reading. And what, exactly, does tear gas taste like?

LINKS:

• Newsom to Defense Secretary Hegseth: Rescind National Guard Order
• LA Protesters Angry w/ Mayor Karen Bass & Governor Gavin Newsom
• Justice Department documents re: Kilmar Abrego Garcia
• The Cycle Monday Memo: Something Wicked This Way Comes (Substack)
• POLITICO: ‘You essentially destroyed any chance I have,’ DNC chair told David Hogg in private meeting
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game

This week Rachel and Aaron follow Elon “Black Eye” Musk out the door as he whines about the American political system he destroyed. Plus: cracks in the ice when it comes to criticizing Donald Trump and the Big Ugly Bill, a weird reminder of death from a U.S. Senator (and a weirder “apology”). What happens when you call a fascist… a fascist? And we take a hard look at the Great Replacement Theory through the lens of Tucker Carlson.

LINKS:

• New York Times: On the Campaign Trail, Elon Musk Juggled Drugs and Family Drama
• Associated Press: Musk put a spotlight on federal spending, but cut less than he wanted
• Elon Musk interview on CBS This Morning
• Sen. Rand Paul on Face the Nation
• Sen. Joni Ernst: “We’re all going to die”
• Ernst makes sarcastic “apology” in graveyard
• Woman calls out Rep. Mike Flood as a fascist
• Trump confronted by TACO Theory
• Tucker Carlson interview with Canadian MP Maxime Bernier
• Trump throws 500-word hissyfit about Leornard Leo and the Federalist Society
• The Cycle on Subtack
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game