Full Show For Thursday August 13 2026

Shawn Farash joins Nick Kayal for the full morning, and we waste no time turning Karoline Leavitt’s White House exit into Shawn’s one-day press secretary audition. The Trump impression takes over the room with a mock briefing on the Air Force One decoy flight and the fictional rise of “Donna J. Trump.” We then get serious about growing opposition to data centers, Montgomery County’s entry into youth social media litigation, a California softball team’s month without smartphones, the Phillies’ 7-1 loss to St. Louis and the Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale. Our main political fight centers on “Woke 2” after David Crowley defeats Francesca Hong in Wisconsin. We debate the DSA wing, Abdul El-Sayed, polling and prediction markets, Republican turnout, Hassan Piker’s rhetoric, wealthy socialist supporters and whether Michigan becomes the clearest test of socialist candidates in a battleground state. From there, we turn to the post-Trump GOP and debate whether JD Vance or Marco Rubio offers the stronger path for 2028. Sports and pop politics collide as we dig into the WNBA’s trans-athlete task force, WTA genetic sex testing and old Colin Kaepernick rhetoric before the Cut Sheet brings immigration marriage fraud and ICE electric-shock gloves. The morning also runs through Mike Lindell and Michele Tafoya in Minnesota, smart thermostats, Rosie O’Donnell’s “they” tattoo, Stephen Miller versus AOC, Chris Matthews versus the DSA, Marco Rubio on keto, 1984 McDonald’s nostalgia, Cracker Barrel’s CEO change, AOC’s reported split, Fight Club, an Amazon driver’s flag salute and Pat McAfee with Trump. Phil Almquist closes with Today in Music History before Kathy Romano joins us to explain Kathy’s Clips and her Wigs for Kids hair-donation drive.