Just Ask the Press - Trillionaires, Situation Rooms, and Cage Matches

This week on Just Ask the Press, Brian Karem is joined by national security and FOIA expert Mark Zaid and journalism professor Nolan Higdon to unpack an incredibly chaotic week in news, politics, and media.   The trio kicks off the episode reacting to Elon Musk officially becoming the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX went public on the NASDAQ. They delve into his sci-fi aspirations for Mars and debate whether his staggering wealth is inherently dangerous for democracy or a catalyst for taking risks that governments won't. Next, the panel breaks down blockbuster reporting exposing a high-level, secret Situation Room meeting from the summer of 2025. Trump administration officials scrambled to manage damning, unreleased Epstein files, sparking an internal civil war over transparency—and a rogue strategy proposed by JD Vance. Later, Mark Zaid guides us through a packed week in the legal system, detailing the dramatic, eleventh-hour removal of Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center, a federal judge definitively halting a $1.776 billion "slush fund," and why a last-minute lawsuit failed to stop a massive UFC extravaganza on the White House lawn. Finally, the team scrutinizes the "on-again, off-again" war in Iran, the Department of Justice's controversial approval of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, and how the New York Knicks managed to win it all—despite a potential "Trump jinx." Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JATQPodcast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/jatqpodcast.bsky.social Intragram: https://www.instagram.com/jatqpodcast Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCET7k2_Y9P9Fz0MZRARGqVw This Show is Available Ad-Free And Early For Patreon supporters here: https://www.patreon.com/justaskthequestionpodcast Purchase Brian's book "Free The Press"    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.