3612 - The Christo-Fascist Shadow President w/ Andy Kroll

Oct 28, 2025

Andy Kroll, an investigative reporter from ProPublica, delves into his thorough examination of Russell Vought, a key figure in the Trump administration. He explores Vought's roots in Christian nationalism and his controversial theories on budget cuts and presidential powers. Kroll highlights how Vought's strategies, including leveraging shutdowns as political tools, dramatically affect federal institutions and morale. The discussion reveals Vought's ambitions for a possible second Trump term, blending fiscal conservatism with cultural warfare.

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ANECDOTE

Hosts Take Trump's 'MoCA' Live

Sam and Matt administer the Montreal Cognitive Assessment live after Trump's comments about an "IQ test."
They walk through naming, memory, attention, abstraction, and date questions on-air.

INSIGHT

Religious Roots Drive Policy Strategy

Russell Vought's Christian nationalist upbringing deeply shapes his policy aims and cultural priorities.
He fuses religious vision with budget-cutting tactics to remake government towards his worldview.

INSIGHT

Executive Theory Justifies Impoundment

Vought asserts expansive executive authority to pause or redirect appropriated funds.
That legal theory bypasses Article One norms and underpins many impoundment actions.

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It's News Day Tuesday on the Majority Report

On today's program:

The Trump administration continues to refuse to use contingency reserves to fund SNAP benefits.

Trump brags about acing an IQ test and claims that AOC or Jasmine Crockett could never "pass the test" in a racist tirade.

Turns out the IQ test was nothing more than a cognitive assessment designed to test for dementia. Matt administers the same test to Sam live on air.

Journalist covering justice and rule of law at ProPublica, Andy Kroll joins the program to discuss his profile piece on Russ Vought. Check out Andy's article, "The Shadow President".

In the Fun Half:

Jim Breuer takes to social media to ask Ron DeSantis to explain the "chemtrails" in the sky.

EPA Commissioner, Lee Zeldin shows that he is listening to his constituents such as Breuer as he announces a plan to share everything they know about chemtrails and "weather control"

Bill Maher calls for Zohran Mamdani to renounce his Uganda citizenship over their policies that criminalize homosexuals. Those policies that were constructed with the assistance of U.S. evangelical leaders.

Former White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if she had any regrets about selling Biden's genocide support in Palestine to which she replies, "I am proud of everything I've done and take nothing back".

Graham Platner continues to pack out rallies in small towns across Maine

All that and more

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