Trump's Fascism

On tonight’s show I’ll discuss Trump’s increasingly bizarre week of corruption, authoritarian branding, and general weirdness. We’ll start with the Comey indictment, the FCC targeting Disney and ABC because Melania Trump doesn’t like Jimmy Kimmel, Trump calling everyone fascists, and the still-murky ballroom shooting that may not even have been a shooting. Then there’s the ballroom itself: Trump now says it isn’t paid for and wants Congress to cough up $400 million, while Republicans are basically saying, sure, why not, let’s just hand him a taxpayer-funded palace.I’ll also get into Trump’s war with Iran and the economic fallout. Gas is now reportedly up to $4.19 a gallon, oil prices are spiking again, and Trump is claiming Iran is in a “state of collapse” and wants the US to open the Strait of Hormuz -- one minute before markets opened, because apparently that’s how we do global crisis management now. We’ll talk about King Charles, Trump’s weird handshake moment, Paramount asking the FCC to approve nearly 50 percent Middle East ownership in its Warner deal, and The Bulwark’s report that the State Department is close to redesigning US passports to put Trump’s face on them. Because nothing says constitutional republic like turning your passport into a Dear Leader collector’s item.And then we’ll hit immigration, public health, and a few international stories. The Miami Herald says ICE arrests of Cubans have skyrocketed under Trump as green cards have plummeted. The White House is doubling down on renaming ICE as “NICE,” which is so stupid it almost feels like parody, except it’s apparently real. CNN says 2025 was America’s worst measles year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, and this year could be worse. We’ll also talk about Hungary’s Peter Magyar proposing a meeting with Zelensky, Israel’s response to Ukraine’s allegation that it bought Russian-stolen grain, and yes, because we deserve one moment of sanity, the seagull competition.00:00 -- Technical chaos, audio problems, and getting the show started06:27 -- A very bad news day for democracy in America09:36 -- Trump’s Comey indictment over the “86 47” beach photo12:22 -- What “86 47” means, and why the case is absurd and dangerous18:10 -- The legal theory behind the Comey threat allegation22:30 -- Why criminalizing anti-Trump speech is the point27:23 -- FCC targets Disney/ABC licenses over Jimmy Kimmel31:45 -- Trump’s video calling his opponents fascists33:00 -- The White House ballroom “shooting” that may not have been a shooting34:45 -- Trump now wants Congress to pay $400 million for the ballroom37:20 -- Trump’s weird ballroom brief and the reflecting pool lie40:05 -- NYT reporting on Clark Construction, no-bid work, and inflated pricing43:20 -- Gas prices spike as Trump’s Iran war fallout hits Americans46:10 -- Oil prices jump again and the Strait of Hormuz crisis continues49:40 -- Trump claims Iran is in a “state of collapse” right before markets open53:15 -- King Charles, Trump’s speech video, and the weird handshake moment58:20 -- Paramount asks FCC to approve nearly 50% Middle East ownership1:02:20 -- Bulwark report: Trump’s face may be going inside US passports1:07:10 -- ICE arrests of Cubans skyrocket while green cards plummet1:09:15 -- The White House wants to rename ICE as “NICE”1:10:55 -- Measles is back, and 2026 may be worse1:12:15 -- Hungary’s Magyar seeks a reset with Zelensky1:13:30 -- Israel’s response to Ukraine’s stolen-grain allegations1:16:07 -- The European seagull screeching competition saves the day1:17:48 -- Wrap-up, Sasha, giant crows, and tomorrow’s show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aravosis.substack.com/subscribe