State of the Union features video podcasts by independent media. A partial list includes: Leigh McGowan, PoliticsGirl; Rick Wilson; The Lincoln Project; Marc Elias, Democracy Docket; Steve Schmidt, The Warning; Joe Walsh, The Social Contract; Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American; Simon Rosenberg, Hopium Chronicles; Jim Acosta; David Rothkopf; Jen Rubin, The Contrarian; Charlie Sykes, To the Contrary; and others.
Videos on YouTube are usually available but may have ads. Videos on Substack usually are ad-free but may require a subscription. Subscriptions may require an annual fee or may be free.
There Will Be Grift: Jeffrey Sonnenfeld Reveals Trump’s 'Mad King' Playbook
Trump isn’t impulsive. He’s not “just winging it.” According to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his new book Trump's Ten Commandments: Strategic Lessons from the Trump Leadership Toolbox, Donald Trump operates on a repeatable, deliberate playbook—ten core behaviors he’s used for decades. What looks like chaos is actually strategy. What feels like a meltdown is often the move itself. In this episode, Rick Wilson and Yale Business School Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld break down Trump’s pattern of power: the same tactics, the same outcomes, over and over again. Once you see the playbook, you can’t unsee it.
The Interview: How Tragedy, Wealth and Trump Shaped JB Pritzker
Correction: After this interview was published, Gov. Pritzker clarified that he was a donor to AIPAC but was never on the board.
During his two terms as the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker has become a national figure in the Democratic Party and one of Donald Trump’s main antagonists, at one point telling the president to “[expletive] all the way off.” That combativeness has created a narrative around Pritzker — whose sister, Penny, was secretary of commerce under President Barack Obama — as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, even if he’s not saying that yet as he runs for a rare third gubernatorial term.
Pritzker’s rise is interesting for a few reasons. As a member of one of America’s wealthiest families (his uncle founded Hyatt Hotels), Pritzker is a billionaire at a time when anti-billionaire sentiment is ascendant on the left. And as a longtime Jewish supporter of Israel, though very critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pritzker is not exactly in sync with the current direction of his party.“
The Interview” host Lulu Garcia-Navarro wanted to understand how he’s navigating those potential tensions; how his family’s background, including two formative tragedies, have shaped him and where he sees his party, and the country, going from here.
Living in a Time of Lunatics and Monsters
The Truth About Trump's State of the Union | Sen. Bernie Sanders
My response to his State of the Union.
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Rosie O'Donnell on the State of Our Union, the Epstein-Gate Cover-Up and Finding the Music in Our Lives
Trump may have given State of the Union — but Rosie O'Donnell is giving hers, and it's nothing like what you heard on TV.
Jim Acosta sits down with Rosie to dig into what's really happening in America right now: the willful blindness in Washington, the stories mainstream media is burying, and why this moment demands more courage than we're getting.
This is the conversation the networks don't want you to see.
The Word Timothy Snyder Uses for America Right Now Will Stop You Cold
Join us for a deep, unfiltered conversation about whether American democracy can actually survive what's happening right now. Historian and author Timothy Snyder joins Jim to discuss.
Maritsa Georgiou also joins Jim from the site of a future ICE detention facility in Georgia, that the Feds just bought, asking the question 'what does it look like when ICE moves in next door? And if you think it won't happen to you, the people of Social Circle, Georgia thought the same thing too.
The Tariffs Are Gone. What Comes Next May Be Even Worse For Trump — A New Conversation With Dr. Rob Shapiro
Here a few key points from my conversation with Rob:
- As bad as this decision is for Trump, the pain of his reckless pursuit of these tariffs may get far worse for him—and the country—in the days ahead. Trump has put the country into a dangerous economic position, and something is going to have to get done to dig us out of the economic and fiscal hole he’s put us in.
- These tariffs were the greatest abuse of Presidential power and the most consequential policy mistake in American history. Questions of whether we need to take the keys away from someone this reckless, and this much of an impulsive fuck-up, should be getting aired now. Along with the Epstein scandal and the deeply un-American ICE terror campaign, Trump may be on the verge of a legitimacy crisis not just a political and economic one.
- Democrats should start talking about rescinding the Trump tax cuts and clawing back ICE funding to help fill the fiscal hole left by Trump’s outrageous recklessness. Without the tariffs we cannot afford these key elements of the big ugly bill.
- The fight over whether Trump has to rebate the tariffs collected, and to whom, is going to be a debilitating and corrosive fight for him.
- Both Houses of Congress have already voted to repeal his tariffs. There is no possibility of Congress passing any new tariffs this year.
- Rob believes that is possible that every trade agreement Trump has negotiated with foreign countries may now unravel, and with no appetite anywhere to renegotiate them.
- Trump was already in a very degraded state politically and this is going to further weaken him. It should embolden Democrats to be more ambitious in the battles ahead.
- What exactly is Trump going to argue at the State of the Union? That his economic plan—illegal tariffs, fiscal instability, soaring uncertainty, slower growth, slower job growth, rising inflation, gutted health care, weakened farm economy and small businesses, more for him and less for all of us—is working?
The Lincoln Project’s First Congressional Class in 2026
For the first time ever, alumni of The Lincoln Project are running for Congress — and the 2026 midterms just shifted. In this special double-header, Rick sits down with Fred Wellman, running in St. Louis, Missouri (MO-02), and George Conway, running in New York, New York (NY-12), to break down what it means for the Lincoln Project to move from ads and strategy to actual ballots and House races. They dive into the stakes of the 2026 election, the fight to flip Congress, the threat of MAGA extremism, and why veterans, constitutional conservatives, and rule-of-law Republicans are stepping up in key swing districts. From the battle for the House majority to the broader fight to protect democracy, this episode unpacks the strategy, the map, and the momentum behind a political movement turning into candidates — and why this moment could redefine the future of Congress.
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Rep. James Talarico On Confronting Christian Nationalism, And Strange Days In The Texas Legislature
Stephen Colbert hosts Texas State Rep. James Talarico for an online-exclusive interview that touches on the issues raised in Talarico's campaign for the Democratic nomination for Senate including the separation of church and state, the dangers of consolidated corporate-owned media, and the fabricated culture wars pushed by Republicans in states like Texas.
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Why CBS Didn't Broadcast Stephen Colbert's Interview With James Talarico
Stephen Colbert explains to his broadcast audience that a new directive from Brendan Carr's FCC makes it next to impossible for CBS to air his interview with Texas State Rep. James Talarico on CBS.
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James Talarico Pulled From Airing on Colbert | Explainer
Barack Obama BREAKS SILENCE on Trump's ape video, Bad Bunny, and 2028 election
Barack Obama talks Bad Bunny, Trump's ape video, and the 2028 election.
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Pam Bondi EXPLODES in Congress Over Epstein Cover-Up
Pam Bondi’s performance in Congress told us everything we need to know about this DOJ’s priorities. Instead of standing with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, she deflected, stonewalled, and protected the powerful. Millions of documents remain redacted, unanswered questions keep piling up, and accountability is nowhere in sight. Rick Wilson breaks down what this hearing revealed about corruption, loyalty to Trump over the law, and why the fight for justice is far from over.
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The Lincoln Project is a leading pro-democracy organization in the United States — dedicated to the preservation, protection, and defense of democracy. Our fight against Trumpism is only beginning. We must combat these forces everywhere and at all times — our democracy depends on it.
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Rep. Lieu questions Pam Bondi on Epstein files
Pam Bondi denied under oath there was evidence that there were underage girls at parties that President Donald Trump attended with Jeffrey Epstein. However, the DOJ released in the Epstein Files a witness statement from a limo driver that says otherwise. YouTube
“Do Not Waste One Second of Our Precious Time…”: Jamie Raskin Goes Nuclear On Pam Bondi In Congress
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin sharply criticised Attorney General Pam Bondi on Justice Department oversight on February 11.
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Stuart Stevens Breaks Down Minnesota Live | "Stephen Miller & Kristi Noem Must Be Prosecuted"
Stuart Stevens delivers a blistering indictment of Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem, arguing they must be criminally prosecuted for directing what he calls an ICE “death squad.” He lays out why state attorneys general—not Washington—may be the only path to accountability and warns that the Republican Party has become a fully extremist movement.
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Rick's Elephant in the Room this week is peak TACO — Trump Always Chickens Out. After floating threats against Greenland and saber-rattling his way into another foreign policy meltdown, Donald Trump took the stage at Davos and delivered a speech so erratic it left allies openly alarmed (as he GRIPPED the podium). The World Economic Forum appearance wasn’t just inflammatory — it reinforced how isolated the United States has become under Trump’s chaos-first diplomacy. Within days, Trump backed down on Greenland, proving once again that the bluster is loud but the follow-through is weak. Meanwhile, NATO allies are openly questioning whether the U.S. can still be trusted, global markets are spooked, and America’s credibility keeps sliding. This episode breaks down Trump’s Davos meltdown, the Greenland bluff, and why the world is done taking U.S. threats seriously.
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One Year of Trump 2.0 with Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Molly Jong-Fast and Rick Wilson
Ruth Ben-Ghiat has spent her career studying fascism, strongmen, and authoritarian regimes. She's a historian at NYU and author of "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present." And she has a warning for America.In this urgent conversation, Ruth breaks down what she's seeing in Trump's first year back in office—and she's seen it before. The ICE operations in Minneapolis that operate like Mussolini's fascist militia. The public humiliation tactics used by dictators throughout history. The way Trump's obsession with the Nobel Peace Prize is driving his threats against Greenland and NATO.Jim Acosta is joined by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Rick Wilson (co-founder of The Lincoln Project), and Molly Jong-Fast (MSNBC contributor) to discuss:
- Are we witnessing an authoritarian takeover in real time?
- Why ICE's tactics mirror fascist militias from history
- Trump's Greenland obsession and what it reveals about his psychology
- Why NATO allies are bending the knee instead of pushing back
- The Minnesota ICE raids as a "test case" for nationwide operations
- How public spaces become theaters for authoritarian humiliation
- Why Republicans won't stop Trump even though they could
- What the 2026 midterms could mean for democracy
- The encouraging signs: Democratic wins, Cook Political Report moving 18 races blue
- Ruth's message to Americans: Use every tool you still have
This Week in Politics | Explainer
We’re living through a major realignment of the global order.
YouTube | Substack (51:48)
Trump’s Letter to Norway Should Be the Last Straw
Will Republicans in Congress ever step in?
Read this brief article.
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Greg Sargent On Stephen Miller's Dark Vision For ICE And The Breakdown Of The Rule Of Law In Minnesota
Here is Greg’s big takeaway about the moment: "...so I think that people like you and me have been waiting for a moment like this one in the sense that we have wanted the country to awaken to the threat that Trump poses. And the shooting of Renee Good, that horror in Minneapolis, I think has jarred the country into a new state of awakening about what’s happening right now. And the country’s engaged. And I think one really clear sign of that is that Democrats are finally stepping out of their defensive crouch on this issue and going pretty hard at it."
As you'll see in the video, I read a comment which Hopium community member Tim Wegener left on this morning’s post, Restoring Rule Of Law and Reining In Ice. Here are Tim's words:
"As a resident of the Twin Cities, I cannot describe for you what is happening here and capture it accurately. There are over 2000 ICE agents here. As I understand it, the Minneapolis police force is 1,200 full time officers. As Simon mentioned, they are going door to door in some neighborhoods without warrants. They are pulling US citizens out of cars for no reason and jailing them for hours. They are making traffic stops (which they have zero authority to do) and pulling US citizens out of cars and jailing them.
We are under siege and that is not hyperbole. Schools are closed. Families are not leaving their homes. Networks have sprung up, led by a number of churches, to deliver food to families. Whatever you are seeing or reading in the news is not nearly capturing the lawlessness, the fear and the anger.
The bravery of our citizens in pushing back cannot be overstated. The observers who keep document these atrocities are heroes. The organizations that are training constitutional observers deserve our thanks. Minnesota is not going to go down without giving it our all."
To Tim, and all Minnesotans, we are incredibly grateful for your courage in this challenging time. You have become an inspiration to us all, and we will be by your side every step of the way… keep working hard everyone. We have a lot of hard and important work ahead. — Simon.
Politics Chat
Heather Cox Richardson: Letter From An American
Substack Link
Renee Good, JD Vance, + the Death of Accountability
This week, we confront MAGA’s escalating performative cruelty following the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis — a woman shot and killed by an ICE officer and then posthumously smeared as a “domestic terrorist” to justify the violence. As facts emerged, the Trump movement did what it always does: lied, dehumanized, and closed ranks around power. JD Vance went even further, effectively arguing for blanket immunity for federal agents, treating U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an untouchable arm of the state — Trump’s modern secret police. This episode breaks down how authoritarian movements manufacture enemies, why disinformation follows state violence every time, and how Donald Trump’s political culture rewards cruelty over truth. This isn’t about law and order — it’s about power without accountability, the erosion of civil liberties, and what it means when a political movement decides some lives are disposable. Say her name: Renee Good.
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Politics Chat, January 8, 2026
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Get full, free access to Letters from an American here:
Heather Cox Richardson, Letter From An American
Trump Has Abandoned Any Concept Of Rule Of Law, At Home And Abroad—A New Talk With Rep. Adam Smith
Sending along an interview I just wrapped up with our good friend Rep. Adam Smith, the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee. Adam is in the middle of it all right now and I’m grateful he was able to spend some time with us this afternoon.
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Donald Trump poses a threat to civilization
Trump’s domestic and foreign policies – ranging from his attempted coup against the United States five years ago, to his incursion into Venezuela last weekend, to his current threats against Cuba, Colombia, and Greenland – undermine domestic and international law. But that’s not all.
They threaten what we mean by civilization.
The moral purpose of civilized society is to prevent the stronger from attacking and exploiting the weaker. Otherwise, we’d be permanently immersed in a brutish war in which only the fittest and most powerful could survive.
This principle lies at the center of America’s founding documents – the Declaration of Independence, the constitution and the Bill of Rights. It’s also the core of the postwar international order championed by the United States, including the UN charter – emphasizing multilateralism, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
Read the full article. It’s not long. Support independent media.
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