https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/democracy-now-2026-08-31-monday/id73802554
Monday, August 31, 2026
Prosecutorial Indiscretion (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)
The Legal Accountability Center filed bar complaints on Tuesday accusing U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and two lieutenants of violating their ethical duties in seeking to charge six Democratic lawmakers.
A federal judge has re-blocked the Trump administration’s executive order curtailing mail in voting after the Supreme Court lifted her previous block last week.
Three journalists dismissed from Stars and Stripes are suing the Pentagon accusing the government of violating their First Amendment rights and asking the courts to stop their termination.
Two election monitors from the Justice Department tried to interview voters and examine voting machines at polling places during Wyoming’s primaries last week, drawing pushback from the state’s Republican governor.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
A federal judge has re-blocked the Trump administration’s executive order curtailing mail in voting after the Supreme Court lifted her previous block last week.
Three journalists dismissed from Stars and Stripes are suing the Pentagon accusing the government of violating their First Amendment rights and asking the courts to stop their termination.
Two election monitors from the Justice Department tried to interview voters and examine voting machines at polling places during Wyoming’s primaries last week, drawing pushback from the state’s Republican governor.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
Trump’s DHS is using an obscure law to secretly snoop on journalists, non-profits and unions: ‘It’s outrageous’
The episode was the most recent example of an alarming pattern in recent months in which the DHS avoided judicial scrutiny and deployed a summons related to customs enforcement to pressure companies into turning over information on Americans. The US constitution’s fourth amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures and law enforcement generally must show a judge or a grand jury they have probable cause to believe the materials they want to search will produce evidence of a crime.
But over the last few months, the Department of Homeland Security has undertaken a brazen effort to get around that fundamental safeguard. In addition to efforts to obtain records on Minnesota journalists, the DHS has used 1509 summonses to pressure social media companies to unmask the identities of people who have criticized ICE officers and to obtain financial information on a host of unions and left-leaning non-profit organizations in Minneapolis...
Christian Doctors Accidentally Affirm "No Resurrection Required" (Sean McDowell response)(Paulogia)
Can the appearances of Jesus be explained away as hallucinations?
Two leading doctors offer a medical critique. Dr. Harold Koenig is one of the world's experts in the intersection of science, theology, and spirituality. He has written 575 peer-reviewed scientific journals and 55 books. Craig Fowler, M.D., is Professor & Chair of Surgery at the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine. He has received both Best Doctor in America and US Top Ophthalmology awards.
Interview:
Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers says he saw Bin Laden’s body with his ‘own eyes’. He did not
A New York Times fact check pointed out that the second part of Rogers’s “incendiary statement” was false: it was not El-Sayed, but one of his supporters, the Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said that the US deserved 9/11, before retracting and apologizing for that statement seven years before he endorsed El-Sayed.
For his part, El-Sayed has clearly denounced the 9/11 attacks for years. In a recollection of that day written in 2021, El-Sayed wrote: “
I watched terrorists with names like mine attack my country in the name of my faith. Three thousand of my fellow Americans were killed in the craven terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. The attack devastated me.”
LIVE DEBATE [Your God is Evil] 4-27-2026 (Justin at DZ Debates on YouTube)
TIMESTAMPS
4:40 Sargon - Crash out
7:35 Deathless Light - Crash out
9:00 Beaver - Does God have to be all good (1 Corinthians 13)? Crash out over reading the Bible
23:45 Susanne - Does God enjoy punishing people? Caller accuses Justin of gaslighting; Should we still follow the Law of Moses? Caller runs
50:11 Tofeas - Duncan joins; Why is it wrong to SA a woman? Answer: it is wrong but caller doesn't know why; Adultery vs grape in the Old Testament
1:10:20 (Tofeas) - Was the Antichrist supposed to rule the whole world? If so, how is the Antichrist Nero?
1:49:17 Justeen - Is it evil for God to cause people to grape other people (Isaiah 13)? Justin goes through other examples and caller says they either need to do more research or dodges the question
2:36:10 Daniel comes up to say hello
2:40:25 anonymous - Caller struggles to directly answer questions; Why is suffering bad?
3:18:40 Jaden - Justin starts on the test of the bloody sheet (Deuteronomy 22) and caller leaves
3:29:10 Cyrus - Caller is bad faith throughout; Does God make people eat their own children (Jeremiah 19:9)? Words don't mean words because of traditional interpretation; Has anyone seen God? Answer: yes and no
3:52:30 (Cyrus) - Can caller explain the Trinity without committing a blasphemy or ignoring logic?
4:20:50 (Cyrus) - Can caller find the quote in John 13:18 in an Old Testament messianic prophecy? Caller goes to typological prophecies
4:56:44 mike - Starts with a little warm-up chatter but ends up at the test of the bloody sheet (Deuteronomy 22); Since that was the "best" evidence they had, it is okay to use even it led to innocent women being stoned; Caller pretzels hard regarding terms like "reliable"; Caller tries to compare this virginity test with modern-day SA kits
5:37:30 (mike) - Is it okay to unalive innocent people? Justin has to go to the notepad because of the pretzeling; Is there a valid way to test for virginity?
5:57:10 (mike) - TW: self-unaliving; Caller claims that Justin doesn't have a basis to call things evil
6:09:40 (mike) - Would caller help in eliminating the Amalekites? Do we still have to follow the Moses?
6:37:25 Superchats and wrap up
Interview:
4:40 Sargon - Crash out
7:35 Deathless Light - Crash out
9:00 Beaver - Does God have to be all good (1 Corinthians 13)? Crash out over reading the Bible
23:45 Susanne - Does God enjoy punishing people? Caller accuses Justin of gaslighting; Should we still follow the Law of Moses? Caller runs
50:11 Tofeas - Duncan joins; Why is it wrong to SA a woman? Answer: it is wrong but caller doesn't know why; Adultery vs grape in the Old Testament
1:10:20 (Tofeas) - Was the Antichrist supposed to rule the whole world? If so, how is the Antichrist Nero?
1:49:17 Justeen - Is it evil for God to cause people to grape other people (Isaiah 13)? Justin goes through other examples and caller says they either need to do more research or dodges the question
2:36:10 Daniel comes up to say hello
2:40:25 anonymous - Caller struggles to directly answer questions; Why is suffering bad?
3:18:40 Jaden - Justin starts on the test of the bloody sheet (Deuteronomy 22) and caller leaves
3:29:10 Cyrus - Caller is bad faith throughout; Does God make people eat their own children (Jeremiah 19:9)? Words don't mean words because of traditional interpretation; Has anyone seen God? Answer: yes and no
3:52:30 (Cyrus) - Can caller explain the Trinity without committing a blasphemy or ignoring logic?
4:20:50 (Cyrus) - Can caller find the quote in John 13:18 in an Old Testament messianic prophecy? Caller goes to typological prophecies
4:56:44 mike - Starts with a little warm-up chatter but ends up at the test of the bloody sheet (Deuteronomy 22); Since that was the "best" evidence they had, it is okay to use even it led to innocent women being stoned; Caller pretzels hard regarding terms like "reliable"; Caller tries to compare this virginity test with modern-day SA kits
5:37:30 (mike) - Is it okay to unalive innocent people? Justin has to go to the notepad because of the pretzeling; Is there a valid way to test for virginity?
5:57:10 (mike) - TW: self-unaliving; Caller claims that Justin doesn't have a basis to call things evil
6:09:40 (mike) - Would caller help in eliminating the Amalekites? Do we still have to follow the Moses?
6:37:25 Superchats and wrap up
Interview:
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Weekly Roundup: Talarico is "Al-Qaeda" + Enes Kanter's WNBA Stunt (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
This week on the SWAJ Weekly Roundup, Brad and Dan dig into Lance Wallnau’s baseless claim that Texas gubernatorial candidate James Talarico is secretly linked to Al-Qaeda, unpacking how this fits a broader Christian nationalist strategy of tying Democrats to Islamist and Marxist “infiltrators” — even as polling shows Talarico outperforming Trump’s 2024 numbers in his district.
They also break down Enes Kanter Freedom’s confrontational stunt at a WNBA game, arguing that anti-trans activism functions as a form of misogyny aimed at enforcing patriarchal norms on women’s spaces.
The episode closes with a look at a Florida grand jury finding that the DeSantis administration misappropriated $10 million meant for children’s Medicaid to fight a marijuana legalization ballot measure — a story Brad and Dan frame as part of a broader erosion of political accountability.
Interview:
A Demon Hunter Showdown (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podcast #650)
— Conservative Christians in Texas are trying to harass Muslims out of existence. (1:08)
— Dethroned Miss North Carolina USA sues pageant over her own bigoted posts. (19:56)
— Christian metal band “Demon Hunter” sues Netflix over “KPop Demon Hunters.” (41:42)
— Massachusetts High Court blocks Catholic statues from going up at Quincy police headquarters. (49:06)
— How a ‘90s R&B star weaponized Christianity against his children. (54:09)
— The GOP nominee for governor of Illinois doesn’t want to talk about his Creationist beliefs. (59:25)
— Pete Hegseth is bringing Christian propaganda to schools on military bases. (1:08:19)
Interview:
— Dethroned Miss North Carolina USA sues pageant over her own bigoted posts. (19:56)
— Christian metal band “Demon Hunter” sues Netflix over “KPop Demon Hunters.” (41:42)
— Massachusetts High Court blocks Catholic statues from going up at Quincy police headquarters. (49:06)
— How a ‘90s R&B star weaponized Christianity against his children. (54:09)
— The GOP nominee for governor of Illinois doesn’t want to talk about his Creationist beliefs. (59:25)
— Pete Hegseth is bringing Christian propaganda to schools on military bases. (1:08:19)
Interview:
- With Jessica: https://youtu.be/VFkWvc45Qlk?si=tJN2SVPMM3M3tIr3
- Audio only, with Jessica: https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2026/08/26/a-demon-hunter-showdown/
- Without Jessica: https://www.youtube.com/live/SLtXTmBViYw?si=UndmVCpKjybicKDx
Isaiah Martin explains his strategy for how to win an argument with MAGA (Find Out podcast on YouTube)
Isaiah Martin knows how to leave MAGA speechless - and it isn’t an accident.
The viral content creator and CNN contributor joins the Find Out Podcast to reveal how he prepared for Jubilee’s “1 Liberal vs. 20 Conservatives” debate, why facts and discipline beat Republican rage bait, and how his political videos reach more than 200 million views per month.
Isaiah also explains why Democrats should attack MAGA politicians - not their voters - and how a bold economic agenda built around healthcare, childcare, education, and affordability could create a lasting political realignment. Plus, the group discusses Trump’s war in Iran, breaking through right-wing echo chambers, flipping Texas, and the Democrats’ chances in the 2026 midterms.
00:00 Isaiah Martin Joins the Podcast
01:21 How Isaiah Became a Political Creator
03:47 The Intense Preparation Behind His Jubilee Debate
07:00 How Isaiah Leaves MAGA Speechless
11:26 What Really Happened During “1 vs. 20”
13:13 Can Political Debates Actually Change Minds?
17:13 Training Inside MAGA Debate Rooms
18:43 Reaching 200 Million Views With Political Content
22:02 Attack MAGA Leaders - Not Their Voters
26:37 Why Trump Supporters Are Beginning to Break Away
29:35 Democrats’ Opportunity for a Political Realignment
34:34 How Democrats Can Win Texas and the Midterms
Interview:
The viral content creator and CNN contributor joins the Find Out Podcast to reveal how he prepared for Jubilee’s “1 Liberal vs. 20 Conservatives” debate, why facts and discipline beat Republican rage bait, and how his political videos reach more than 200 million views per month.
Isaiah also explains why Democrats should attack MAGA politicians - not their voters - and how a bold economic agenda built around healthcare, childcare, education, and affordability could create a lasting political realignment. Plus, the group discusses Trump’s war in Iran, breaking through right-wing echo chambers, flipping Texas, and the Democrats’ chances in the 2026 midterms.
00:00 Isaiah Martin Joins the Podcast
01:21 How Isaiah Became a Political Creator
03:47 The Intense Preparation Behind His Jubilee Debate
07:00 How Isaiah Leaves MAGA Speechless
11:26 What Really Happened During “1 vs. 20”
13:13 Can Political Debates Actually Change Minds?
17:13 Training Inside MAGA Debate Rooms
18:43 Reaching 200 Million Views With Political Content
22:02 Attack MAGA Leaders - Not Their Voters
26:37 Why Trump Supporters Are Beginning to Break Away
29:35 Democrats’ Opportunity for a Political Realignment
34:34 How Democrats Can Win Texas and the Midterms
Interview:
The Case for Jesus Mythicism (feat. Godless Engineer) (Paulogia on YouTube)
While scholarly consensus (and my starting position) affirms a historical figure upon which the legends of Christianity are based, is that really the most likely explanation? Godless Engineer joins me to present the Minimal Facts Case for the Mythicism of Jesus.
Interview:
Tennessee national guard fatally shot armed man in back, autopsy shows
Tennessee national guard members assigned to a federal anti-crime taskforce in Memphis fatally shot an armed 20-year-old man in the back, according to an autopsy report obtained by the Associated Press, contradicting police accounts that said the man was facing the troops when they fired...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/28/tyrin-johnson-national-guard-shooting
Detroit despairs as ‘insanity’ of Trump’s Canada trade war punishes city
By a 63%-31% margin, residents here oppose tariffs on Canadian goods, according to a June Epic-MRA poll, including 35% of Republicans. Meanwhile, nearly 75% of Michiganders said the tariffs are fueling high prices…
Regardless, Michiganders have already suffered disproportionately as they pay on average over $3,200 annually for tariffs, or about 142% more than the rest of the country, because of the state’s shared border with Canada…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/28/trump-canada-trade-war-detroit-michigan
Noah Lugeons: How to Die Like an Atheist (Seth Andrews, The Thinking Atheist)
Activist and author Noah Lugeons had a big health scare several years ago. In this 30-minute presentation, he talks about his brush with death as a non-believer in God.
Interview:
Questions We Weren't Supposed to Ask in Church: “What About Noah’s Ark?” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) It’s in the Code #204
The story of Noah’s ark is one of the most well-known in the Bible, even among those who are not Christian and have never read the Bible. But what questions come up if we really pay attention to the story?
Does it make any sense?
Could it actually have happened?
What does it mean if it didn’t?
And what justifies God killing all the living things on earth?
These are big questions, questions we weren’t supposed to ask in church. Check out this week’s episode hear Dan’s answers to these and more.
Interview:
Democrats ignored the uncommitted movement for Gaza in 2024. Now, it’s winning elections
Emgage’s strategy has been to endorse candidates aligned with the group on policy, not identity alone, said Al-Hanooti. “Muslim issues are American issues,” she said. “We’re here to prove that you need our vote in order to win, and you need to start visiting our communities.”
All of it is a sign that Arab and Muslim Americans are building real power, said Razi Jafri, a journalist who covered the uncommitted movement in a documentary of the same name.
“What’s fascinating about Abbas [Alawieh] is that his trajectory embodies this evolution,” from representation alone to shaping politics and coalitions, said Jafri. Alawieh and El-Sayed have even fielded calls and meetings with Kamala Harris recently. “That transition from protest to power building is really incredible,” Jafri said...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/29/democrats-uncommitted-movement-midterms
Common Sense (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
Margaret Downey, president of the Thomas Paine Memorial Association, tells us what you can do to help erect a memorial statue to America’s forgotten Founder Thomas Paine in Washington, D.C.
Interview:
Los Angeles fire survivors face record wait for federal disaster aid under Trump
Along with withholding funds, the president has also imposed “unlawful” conditions on states requesting federal grants for disaster response and preparedness, according to attorneys general from 25 Democratic-led states that sued the administration in July.
The group, which was led by California’s Rob Bonta, claimed the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) have used a “campaign of coercion”, leveraging the needed disaster support in an attempt to force states to implement voting and immigration policies pushed by the president...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/28/los-angeles-wildfire-survivors-federal-aid
Russia ‘losing 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit’
Moscow recruits an estimated 1,000 people a day but western officials say it cannot keep up with casualty level…
Saturday, August 29, 2026
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2026-08-28
Domestic
Following a Supreme Court decision that cleared the way, a federal judge lifted a nationwide block on President Donald Trump’s executive order that limited mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections.A historic drought in the northwestern United States is supercharging what’s on track to already be a historic wildfire season.
And reporting from The Wall Street Journal indicated that Trump intervened at the Department of Justice as the agency was preparing to sue Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter.
Interview:
https://the1a.org/segments/trump-livenation-mail-in/
Friday marks six months since the start of the U.S. war with Iran. This week Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a warning to foreign governments and companies saying they could lose access to the U.S. financial system if they continue doing business with Tehran. President Trump said he’s not in a hurry to return to the negotiating table.
And a catastrophic flood at the border between Nepal and China killed at least 400 people, with thousands more still missing.
Interview:
International
This week, President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian imports, prompting Ottawa to retaliate with tariffs of its own. Canada and the U.S. exchanged about 872 billion dollars in goods and services in 2025.Friday marks six months since the start of the U.S. war with Iran. This week Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a warning to foreign governments and companies saying they could lose access to the U.S. financial system if they continue doing business with Tehran. President Trump said he’s not in a hurry to return to the negotiating table.
And a catastrophic flood at the border between Nepal and China killed at least 400 people, with thousands more still missing.
Interview:
ICE agent charged with Minnesota shooting released from jail in Texas
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer charged with shooting a man and lying about it during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail on Thursday, after a judge refused to order his return to Minnesota…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/ice-agent-released-texas-minnesota-shooting
Appeals court delivers 8th straight blow to ICE’s mandatory detention policy - POLITICO
A divided panel of the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that ICE’s novel interpretation of mandatory detention laws distorted a 30-year-old statute that was generally meant to require detention for people who recently crossed the border.
The panel also concluded that ICE detainees with extensive ties to the U.S. have a constitutional due process right to a bond hearing…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/28/trump-ice-third-circuit
Lawsuit alleges Freedom Fuel gas stations touted by Trump are selling stolen fuel - POLITICO
But according to a complaint filed Aug. 19 by Georgia-based fuel supplier Mansfield Oil Co. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Syed Kazmi’s company KRSM acquired over 1 million gallons of fuel from a Sunoco terminal in Twin Oaks valued at around $4 million — and never paid for it. KRSM sold some of the fuel, the lawsuit alleges, to stations within the Freedom Fuel Network, which now claims to operate 29 locations…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/28/lawsuit-freedom-fuel-gas-stations-trump-01055248
How the Iran war has made the US more vulnerable - POLITICO
The Iran war is undermining the Pentagon’s ability to project power in other regions of the world — and leaving allies and former defense officials questioning whether Washington can effectively deter its adversaries…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/28/iran-war-us-allies-military-influence-01052631
A melting glacier contributed to the deadly Nepal floods. We can expect more like this : NPR
Planet-heating emissions from burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are the primary driver of climate change. Scientists say that in addition to reducing climate pollution, renewable energy and battery technologies are increasingly price competitive with traditional energy sources...
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/28/nx-s1-5945799/nepal-floods-climate-change-himalayas
In closely watched speech, Warsh signals Fed may need to raise rates - POLITICO
Any move to increase borrowing costs in September will likely invoke the frustration of President Donald Trump...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/28/warsh-speech-jackson-hole-fed-rates-01053899
NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Here's what to know | PBS News
You can expect a slew of exciting discoveries from the new telescope because it was built to look across the universe and study the three-dimensional distribution of dark matter. While scientists haven't directly observed it before, dark matter produces unseen effects on objects in the universe, similar to those produced by visible matter.
Likewise, Roman will see exploding stars called supernovas that allow astronomers to measure how fast the universe has been expanding. Those measurements will help astronomers measure the varying expansion rate of the universe. Dark matter and dark energy, also not yet directly observed, together are the source of the vast majority of energy in the universe, but their physical natures are unknown...
Trump signs order to create US Space Academy - POLITICO
The announcement came days after the Trump administration released a space policy increasing the number of rocket launches into space...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/28/trump-space-academy-space-force
Judge again rejects Trump’s bid to move criminal hush money case to federal court - POLITICO
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein is a blow to Trump’s attempt to effectively erase the prosecution altogether by suggesting it wrongly wrongly punished him for official acts he took as president during his first term. But Hellerstein concluded that Trump’s payments, routed through attorney Michael Cohen to Daniels, were entirely “private” conduct, not related to his presidency...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/28/trump-new-york-hush-money-case-ruling
Trump’s Cabinet is fanning out to help juice the base. It’s not going as planned. - POLITICO
Trump is deploying Cabinet members across the country to sell his record ahead of the midterms. In some cases, they’re ending up on the back foot...
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh warns inflation is still too high : NPR
Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh remains tight-lipped about where he thinks interest rates are heading — but investors took his tough talk about inflation at a closely-watched speech on Friday as a signal that rates are likely to go higher...
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/28/nx-s1-5947903/federal-reserve-inflation-jackson-hole-interest-rates
Federal judge again halts Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting in midterms
Talwani wrote in her ruling: “Plaintiff states have neither time nor funds to design new mail ballots, seek approval of the new designs, order production of mail ballots, update their own election management systems, train election officials to use the USPS portal and upload citizen data to the portal, all before the midterms.”…
Washtenaw judge tosses complaint against Ann Arbor Clerk over public power petition signatures
DTE stands opposed to the proposal, citing an analysis it commissioned from the consulting firm Charles River Associates which places the up-front costs of a shift to municipal power at $1 billion. Ann Arbor for Public Power argues those costs are wildly inflated, and that the shift would carry benefits like more clean energy, lower rates and improved reliability...
Democrats to investigate ‘miraculous’ rise of Trump Jr’s investment firm
Raskin also argued “it is now impossible to believe” that the firm’s “astonishing growth and success are due to anything other than insider political influence and thoroughgoing corruption”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/democrats-investigation-trump-jr-1798-capital
Senator calls for criminal investigation of RFK Jr after Guardian report
Ron Wyden of Oregon said: “RFK’s platform is built on lies and grifts that leave a trail of dead children in their wake. There are consequences for lying to Congress.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/rfk-jr-confirmation-hearing-investigation
Trump looks to ease beef processing regulations - POLITICO
The sweeping changes to meat processing will likely require a longer-term regulatory process or congressional action...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/28/trump-beef-processing-regulations-01053957
Ingham County solar project gets greenlight, after trying to bypass local opposition
The 90-megawatt solar facility will span three townships in southern Ingham County...
Trump says U.S. has entered deal with Venezuela to control 65 billion barrels of its oil reserves | PBS News
Trump has argued that Venezuela stole U.S. oil when former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's moved decades ago to nationalize hundreds of foreign-owned assets, including those owned by American oil companies…
In a Pennsylvania congressional swing district, a Republican incumbent faces allegations over embellishing résumé
“Ryan Mackenzie was already disgustingly caught lying about his age on his Tinder profile by nearly 10 years. Now it looks like Mackenzie and his allies have embellished his résumé and fabricated a career in real estate that never existed,” said Eli Cousin, a DCCC spokesperson, in a statement. “The truth is that Mackenzie is a career politician who has seemingly never worked a day in his life outside of politics and straight up does not understand the challenges that working Pennsylvanians are facing.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/ryan-mackenzie-pennsylvania-congressman-resume
CEOs earn 614 times more than workers at US’s 100 lowest-paying corporations
“Low-wage workers are now facing the biggest cuts to Medicaid and Snap [food benefits] in history. Many of the employees at these companies have to rely on those programs, and then so many of them have also been terrorized and detained by ICE agents,” added Anderson. “So it’s really astounding that the leaders of these companies have turned a blind eye to this surge of threats against many of their workers, and instead they’ve just continue to be fixated on enriching themselves.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/ceo-worker-pay-ratio-us-analysis
Trump pollster says Abdul El-Sayed’s polling lead is a ‘fake narrative’ - Live Updates - POLITICO
In a new internal memo, Tony Fabrizio said recent public polling showing Republican Mike Rogers down in the Michigan Senate race has over-sampling errors…
The Christian Conspiracy That Ruined My Childhood (Genetically Modified Skeptic on YouTube)
"The CIA wrote my family's theology."
Interview:
Friday, August 28, 2026
The role of climate change in the Nepal floods : NPR
Glacial melt is accelerating because of climate change, putting millions of people at risk...
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/27/nx-s1-5946703/the-role-of-climate-change-in-the-nepal-floods
CIA chief used Moscow visit to warn Russia against attacks on NATO allies, helping Iran - POLITICO
John Ratcliffe urged Russia to hold back from striking Baltic nations and to reduce its support to Iran during his brief trip to the Russian capital...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/26/cia-russia-nato-moscow-ratcliffe-01051848
AI slopper in chief: Trump turns to social media amid tough questions
“I think part of the reason he’s posting it is because it ties in with this deeper sentiment that he has that he is on par with, or even potentially better than, George Washington,” said Angelo Carusone, president and CEO of Media Matters, a non-profit media watchdog organization.
“He’s trying to basically be a founder,” added Carusone. “And AI gives him the ability to project his imagination out into the world.”…
“Every day in Washington DC the city changes and gets more Trump-branded,” Carusone said. “That is the analog to Washington: there are all these things named after him, but that happened posthumously. With Trump, it’s almost like he’s building a living mausoleum.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/trump-truth-social-ai-george-washington
NDAs are hiding data center deals, drawing ire from locals — and attention from lawmakers : NPR
The negotiations between the data center developer — Dallas-based Applied Digital Corp. — and local officials were shielded under nondisclosure agreements (NDAs).
In Rapides Parish, the secrecy left residents with unanswered questions and distrust of their local leaders. But the use of NDAs for negotiations on data centers is common across the country, according to experts and those in the industry. And the practice has faced opposition from the public and some lawmakers.
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/27/nx-s1-5879528/data-center-nda-disclosure-louisiana
Another potential headache for US data centers — Trump tariffs - POLITICO
The Trump administration is weighing a new round of sweeping tariffs on semiconductors, eight people familiar with discussions told POLITICO — despite warnings from tech companies that the move could doom U.S. hopes of dominating artificial intelligence...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/27/data-centers-chips-tariffs-threat-01050957
Michigan House forms committee to investigate state Elections Bureau
The Michigan House of Representatives is forming a new select committee to consider policy changes at the state Bureau of Elections and Board of State Canvassers…
Scientists map the interactions of key proteins linked with profound autism : NPR
After more than a decade, UCSF scientists have mapped around 100 varied genes associated with profound autism to a smaller set of biological pathways, offering a promising path for developing drugs...
Ukraine’s drone attacks have left Russia desperately scrambling for oil imports
The once world-leading producer of crude oil has plunged into an energy crisis as Kyiv targets its refineries…
A drug just approved for pancreatic cancer opens a new chapter in treatment : NPR
The FDA just approved a breakthrough drug for metastatic pancreatic cancer, which is notoriously hard to treat. In clinical trials, the new pill roughly doubled how long patients survived.
Hope Florida reemerges as midterm issue with leaked grand jury report - POLITICO
The long-running scandal involved a charity connected to an initiative spearheaded by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, called the Hope Florida Foundation, and has entangled GOP Sen. Ashley Moody and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, both of whom were appointed to their current jobs by the governor and are up for elections in November.
On Wednesday, a grand jury report looking into the funds was leaked to CBS Miami. According to the report, jurors concluded that state officials shifted upwards of $10 million as part of a “sophisticated scheme to fund political activities” because the money eventually went to a political committee and the Republican Party of Florida to defeat an amendment that would have broadly legalized marijuana in the state. Some of the money also flowed into a political committee tied to Gov. DeSantis himself, according to the grand jury…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/27/hope-florida-midterms-grand-jury-moody-uthmeier-01052995
Political bickering follows two deaths related to measles in Pennsylvania : NPR
This week, Pennsylvania officials reported two measles-related deaths. Those deaths have now become wrapped up in politics. The country is in the midst of a record-setting number of measles cases...
Police Are Spending Opioid Settlement Funds on Flock Cameras – Mother Jones
“Whatever funds you’re spending on a camera, you’re not spending on getting someone into treatment.”…
Republicans are breaking with Donald Trump on data centers - POLITICO
In recent weeks, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers and Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity have called for temporary pauses on data center projects. Rep. Tom Tiffany, Republicans’ gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin, launched an attack ad painting his Democratic rival as too pro-data centers. Michigan GOP Rep. Tom Barrett also rolled out an ad last week saying “I stood up to my own party” on data centers and introduced legislation to shore up local control over them...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/27/republicans-breaking-with-trump-data-centers-01051897
How the deadly Nepal and Tibet flash flood unfolded – a visual guide
US Geological Survey says massive glacial collapse caused catastrophic flash floods in the Himalayan border region of Nepal and Tibet…
American Christianity Is a Capitalist Cult (Genetically Modified Skeptic on YouTube)
Wealth is the American Christian God.
Interview:
Thursday, August 27, 2026
In summer heat, high electric bills spark anger and fear : NPR
Eric Widger also gets a helping hand. He works at the Kimberly-Clark toilet paper factory near Tulsa, and says his power bill has doubled to around $500 a month...
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/26/nx-s1-5943289/electric-bills-summer-heat-oklahoma-power
‘A Bible-sized blind spot’: congressman sounds alarm on rising Christian nationalism
He defines “Christian privilege” as a deeply ingrained cultural taboo that protects home-grown religious radicalism from the same state and media scrutiny instantly applied to minority or foreign faiths. That Christian privilege was manifested in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, Huffman argues, when many fellow members of Congress did not even seem to notice the religious elements of the group trying to kill them. It was evident again, he asserts, in one of the most consequential political cover-ups in recent history: the deliberate erasure of Christian nationalism from the final report of the House January 6 select committee.
As the committee raced toward its deadline at the end of 2022, its staff split into colour-coded drafting teams. The “Purple Team” was tasked with investigating rightwing radicalism, and they meticulously documented the role of charismatic evangelical networks, particularly the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), in radicalising and mobilising the shock troops of the insurrection.
Chairman Bennie Thompson told Huffman: “We asked the Purple Team to look into the role of religion in what happened, and they came back with a report that shows those people, rightwing Christian extremists, actually had a lot to do with it.”
But then came a veto. Liz Cheney, the committee’s formidable vice-chair, demanded the entire section be excised. She argued that focusing on Christian nationalism would “distract” from Trump’s personal culpability and alienate conservative Christian voters. Cheney’s argument prevailed…
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