Best Pakman Podcasts (2026)

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And now the scamming of Americans begins 1:08:47

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33m ago1:08:47

1:08:47

-- On the Show -- Senator Raphael Warnock, Democrat from Georgia, joins us to discuss the Trump administration's Venezuela operation and the stakes for U.S. credibility abroad -- Trump tells NBC that U.S. oil companies could rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure and then be reimbursed by the U.S. government, shifting taxpayer risk to protect corpo…

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Why Republicans Are Finally Abandoning Trump | David Pakman 40:28

8d ago40:28

40:28

David Pakman joins Marc Elias to break down the most dangerous and overlooked trends of Donald Trump’s second term, from public desensitization and media failure to economic backlash, immigration cruelty, and rising threats to democratic norms. Pakman explains why economic pain—not attacks on democracy—is driving voter shifts, how Latino voters mov…

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The Shadow Docket: Democracy's Silent Killer | Dahlia Lithwick 52:21

11h ago52:21

52:21

Supreme Court expert and Amicus podcast host Dahlia Lithwick joins Marc Elias to unpack one of the most dangerous and least understood forces shaping American law today: the Supreme Court’s shadow docket. Lithwick explains how the Court increasingly uses late-night, unsigned emergency orders to upend lower-court rulings, reverse longstanding preced…

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A blockbuster shakeup to the world order 1:01:01

11h ago1:01:01

1:01:01

-- On the Show -- Donald Trump orders a U.S. military operation that captures Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in Venezuela and brings them to New York despite lacking clear legal authority -- Reporting says Donald Trump escalates to military action after Nicolás Maduro dances on Venezuelan state television and aides treat it as personal mockery -- …

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BEST OF: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on How Dark Money Captured SCOTUS 45:46

2d ago45:46

45:46

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our 2023 conversation with Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. We talked to Sen. Whitehouse about his book, “The Scheme,” which examines how dark money and radical right wing activists worked tirelessly to gain control of the Supreme Court. Sen. Whitehouse lays out all the key players in this effort, includi…

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WARNING: Trump’s 2026 Plan to Weaponize Your Voter Data 37:55

4d ago37:55

37:55

Voting rights attorney Marc Elias warns that the Trump Department of Justice is aggressively seeking access to Americans’ most sensitive voter data—including Social Security numbers, party affiliation, voting history, and signatures—by suing more than 20 states. Elias explains why this unprecedented data grab is central to a broader strategy of vot…

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2026 is already insane 50:38

3d ago50:38

50:38

-- On the Show -- Donald Trump faces a hard power cutoff in the 2026 midterms where losing the House would effectively halt his legislative agenda and severely weaken his leverage -- The United States dollar suffers its largest annual decline in nearly a decade due to Donald Trump's tariffs, attacks on Federal Reserve independence, and destabilizin…

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Desperation peaks as 2026 isn't looking so good 56:30

6d ago56:30

56:30

-- On the Show -- Attorney General Pam Bondi deletes a tweet praising what she thought was Donald Trump's success after realizing the overdose data actually reflects declines under Joe Biden -- Dr Oz downplays vaccines and promotes vague wellness advice while ignoring evidence that flu shots reduce hospitalization even in weak match years -- Donald…

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Exposing the DOJ's Dangerous Corruption | Mary McCord 45:30

6d ago45:30

45:30

Former Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord joins Marc Elias to deliver a sobering, inside-the-Justice-Department assessment of how political pressure is corroding DOJ norms, judicial trust, and prosecutorial ethics. Drawing on decades as a federal prosecutor and current work at Georgetown Law, McCord explains the collapse of the presumpti…

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Another war is starting and Trump's confused about it 59:00

6d ago59:00

59:00

-- On the Show -- Donald Trump casually references a CIA drone strike inside Venezuela so incoherently that journalists and officials initially cannot tell whether the United States carried out an act of war or whether the president is confused -- Donald Trump's long claim of an Epstein hoax collapses as documents, photos, statements, and flight re…

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Ukraine Russia talks go wrong as Trump decline unavoidable 1:09:35

7d ago1:09:35

1:09:35

-- On the Show -- Dr. John Gartner, former assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and founder of Duty to Warn, joins us to discuss signs of cognitive decline in Donald Trump's second term -- Donald Trump repeatedly praises Vladimir Putin, lashes out at reporters, and makes incoherent remarks during a public meeting with …

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BEST OF: Jimmy Kimmel on His Career in Comedy! 1:01:01

9d ago1:01:01

1:01:01

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our 2020 conversation with Jimmy Kimmel! We go through his long career, beginning with his start in radio and his transition to television. We discuss the birth of Jimmy’s late night show back in 2003 and how, in his own words, the show was "genuinely terrible.” With time, Jimmy figured it out and established a t…

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The Silent Threat To Democracy (And How We Stop It) | Sen. Cory Booker 38:16

10d ago38:16

38:16

Senator Cory Booker sits down with Marc Elias to discuss the real and growing threats to American democracy. Booker explains why economic insecurity, extreme inequality, and normalized corruption are not just policy failures but existential dangers to democratic stability. He warns that rising costs, collapsing trust in institutions, authoritarian …

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They're quickly losing control of their own lies 57:48

10d ago57:48

57:48

-- On the Show -- Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick falsely claims on Fox News that GDP growth guarantees higher wages and the segment explains how deliberate economic lies are normalized on conservative media -- Stephen Miller repeatedly makes false claims about inflation, COVID lockdowns, and deportations, using dehumanizing rhetoric that goes un…

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Epstein docs accuse Trump as economy in holding pattern 58:23

12d ago58:23

58:23

-- On the Show -- Newly released Justice Department and FBI records include a rape allegation naming Donald J. Trump document his repeated association with Jeffrey Epstein -- Newly released Justice Department flight records directly contradict Donald Trump's claim that he was never on Jeffrey Epstein's plane -- A leaked succession blueprint shows T…

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Ron Filipkowski on Epstein Files, GOP Exodus, and the Year from Hell 47:39

14d ago47:39

47:39

Jo welcomes back Meidas Touch’s Ron Filipkowski for a brutally honest year-end reality check on American politics. They unpack the newest Epstein documents, what they reveal about power, money, and the protection of the ultra-rich, and why Trump’s promises to his base keep collapsing under the weight of his actual record.Ron explains why dozens of …

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Epstein files detonate as damage control launches 1:00:06

15d ago1:00:06

1:00:06

-- On the Show -- A newly released Jeffrey Epstein letter claims Donald Trump shares an explicit sexual interest in young women, raising serious questions -- Newly surfaced Justice Department emails allege Donald Trump flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet with a 20-year-old woman, contradicting Trump's long-standing claims -- The Trump Justice Dep…

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Trump burying the Epstein files with pathetic redactions 1:08:53

16d ago1:08:53

1:08:53

-- On the Show -- Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State, joins us to discuss her campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor -- The Trump administration releases the Epstein files under a transparency law but heavily redacts documents and removes files from the Justice Department website -- Justice Department Epstein files that includ…

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The Resistance Blueprint | Gov. JB Pritzker 52:20

15d ago52:20

52:20

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker joins Marc Elias for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about governing through constant crisis and confronting the growing threat to American democracy. Pritzker reflects on balancing Illinois’ budget, leading through COVID, responding to the migrant crisis, and pushing back against what he describes as Donald Trump’…

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David A. Graham on What Project 2025 Wrought 54:51

16d ago54:51

54:51

Throughout the 2024 election, we all heard about the dangers of Project 2025, yet somehow it’s worse than we imagined. Trump continuously said he didn't know anything about it (but he did), and nearly a year after his swearing in, we've seen a huge portion of it already implemented. We're joined by The Atlantic’s David A. Graham, author of the new …

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GOP Strategy Backfires | This Could Save Democracy 24:40

17d ago24:40

24:40

A surprising legal principle from conservative Supreme Court gun cases could help restore the right to vote as a first-class constitutional right. Drawing on his experience arguing his fifth case before the SCOTUS, Marc Elias shows how voting has been wrongly treated as a second-class right—subject to balancing tests and state convenience—while oth…

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Is Trump's $1776 a bonus or a bribe? 59:23

18d ago59:23

59:23

-- On the Show -- Donald Trump promotes $1,776 cash payments to service members while escalating explicit oil-driven rhetoric about Venezuela, raising concerns that patriotic rewards are being used to soften troops ahead of potential military action -- Donald Trump signs an executive order reclassifying cannabis to Schedule III, formally acknowledg…

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Trump throws away his presidency and MAGAs cheer 1:02:53

19d ago1:02:53

1:02:53

-- On the Show -- Donald Trump openly says the United States wants Venezuela's oil, raising questions about war motives, regime change, and public support while contradicting his antiwar image -- Donald Trump falsely claims tariffs generated 18 trillion dollars, a mathematically impossible figure that exposes either deliberate lying or deep confusi…

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Trump confidant caught spilling the beans 1:12:58

20d ago1:12:58

1:12:58

-- On the Show -- Sarah Matthews, former Trump White House Deputy Press Secretary, joins us in a Substack Live to discuss Donald Trump's health cover-ups, the Susie Wiles Vanity Fair controversy, and the challenges of working in his press office -- White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles describes Donald Trump as impulsive, dismissive of details, to…