EPISODE · Jul 17, 2026 · 10 MIN
Made In China Syndrome
from The Muckrake Political Podcast · host CLNS Media Network
This is only a preview of The Weekender. Want the rest? Sign up for our Patreon to hear the full episode every Friday, plus special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman waited to record until after Trump's Thursday primetime speech, and both came out of it angrier than they expected. They break down what Jared calls one of the most consequential and openly authoritarian speeches an American president has ever given, delivered by a man who can barely read the Stephen Miller script in front of him. The speech claimed China compromised over 200 million voter profiles, that a deep state hid it all from Trump, that Barack Obama personally handled burn bags full of evidence, and that 280,000 noncitizens are on the voter rolls, with WhiteHouse.gov supposedly holding the proof. Nick actually went and checked. The site was down, and when it loaded there was not a single document. The pair walk through why none of this is really about 2020, and everything about building a permission structure to rig the 2026 midterms and beyond, how intelligence agencies purged of anyone competent now feed Trump whatever he wants to hear, and why the echoes of Iraq War cherry-picking should worry everyone. It closes on the media trap where even networks that refused to air the speech will now repeat its claims for months. What we're watching: Nick is working through A History of Violence, the Cronenberg film written by friend of the pod Josh Olson, and enjoying the Viggo Mortensen slow-burn. Jared put on the newish Superman and found it a case study in how wall-to-wall James Gunn quipping drains every scene of tension, though Lois Lane comes out looking great.
What this episode covers
This is only a preview of The Weekender. Want the rest? Sign up for our Patreon to hear the full episode every Friday, plus special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman waited to record until after Trump's Thursday primetime speech, and both came out of it angrier than they expected. They break down what Jared calls one of the most consequential and openly authoritarian speeches an American president has ever given, delivered by a man who can barely read the Stephen Miller script in front of him. The speech claimed China compromised over 200 million voter profiles, that a deep state hid it all from Trump, that Barack Obama personally handled burn bags full of evidence, and that 280,000 noncitizens are on the voter rolls, with WhiteHouse.gov supposedly holding the proof. Nick actually went and checked. The site was down, and when it loaded there was not a single document. The pair walk through why none of this is really about 2020, and everything about building a permission structure to rig the 2026 midterms and beyond, how intelligence agencies purged of anyone competent now feed Trump whatever he wants to hear, and why the echoes of Iraq War cherry-picking should worry everyone. It closes on the media trap where even networks that refused to air the speech will now repeat its claims for months. What we're watching: Nick is working through A History of Violence, the Cronenberg film written by friend of the pod Josh Olson, and enjoying the Viggo Mortensen slow-burn. Jared put on the newish Superman and found it a case study in how wall-to-wall James Gunn quipping drains every scene of tension, though Lois Lane comes out looking great.
NOW PLAYING
Made In China Syndrome
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m
Feb 18, 2026 ·11m
Feb 11, 2026 ·45m