Was It Wag the Dog or a Precedent?

Gotta hand it to Donald Trump, he got the Epstein Files and the January 6 anniversary off the front page, and all it took was a wee little war, plus a threat to conquer the whole hemisphere

In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:

* WTF?

* How has this destabilized the globe?

* Can the damage be undone?

* What’s the right political response, and who in the Democratic Party has risen to the moment?

Then, a review of Tim Walz’s late career, and the welfare-fraud spree that did him in. How well or poorly does early Democratic enthusiasm for Walz as veep hold up? Did he do the right thing by resigning, or should he have been more defiant? Is it at all sustainable that our political system holds the parties to such wildly different standards of integrity and competence? And what should Democrats do to even the playing field?

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Further reading:

* Will Sommer on right wing divisions over Trump’s Venezuela war.

* New York Times, 2017: “Before taking office, Mr. Trump told top aides to think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals.”

* New York Times, 2025, on the scope of the Minnesota fraud.

* Brian’s 30 thoughts on the Venezuela war.

* Matt’s early assessment of Walz.