Trump's Fact Eradication Program. Plus, How Jubilee is Transforming Political Debate

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Aug 8, 2025

Guest

Mehdi Hasan

Guest

Angelo Carusone

Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, discusses the organization's battle against misinformation and legal challenges amid the rise of extremist content. Journalist Mehdi Hasan shares insights from his Jubilee debate with far-right conservatives, exploring how the channel's format aims for 'radical empathy' in political discussions. They dive into the Trump administration's manipulation of economic data and the broader implications for public trust in statistics, revealing the urgent need for integrity in today's highly polarized media landscape.

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INSIGHT

Politicized Attacks On Government Data

The Trump administration fired the BLS commissioner after inconvenient job revisions.
This tactic aims to erode public trust in official statistics and accountability.

INSIGHT

Removing Scientific Reports And Advisories

The White House removed CDC pages and shuttered advisory committees.
Experts warn this reduces transparency and undermines professionals' ability to use reliable data.

ANECDOTE

Greek Statistician Fought Years Of Prosecution

Andreas Georgiou reported Greece's true deficit and lost market access.
He faced 14 years of criminal probes before winning legal reversals and pursuing full exoneration.

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President Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following a weak jobs report. On this week’s On the Media, how the Trump administration is threatening government data. Plus, a viral YouTube channel raises questions about the meaning of political debate.

[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone situates President Trump’s recent firing of the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics within a larger effort to discount facts that aren’t politically convenient. Plus, Amy O’Hara, a professor at Georgetown's Massive Data Institute, on the importance of government data, and Andreas Georgiou, a scholar in statistics at Amherst College, on his years-long battle to defend accurate economics data in Greece.

[12:34] Brooke speaks with Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters, a liberal watchdog group that follows and fact-checks right-wing outlets like Fox News, NewsMax, and the Tucker Carlson Network, about the group’s fight for survival as it faces a deluge of lawsuits brought by Elon Musk’s X.

[28:22] Host Micah Loewinger delves into the meteoric rise of the YouTube channel Jubilee with technology and online culture journalist Taylor Lorenz, and the channel’s mission of fostering “radical empathy” by hosting political debates between wildly opposing groups. He speaks with Mehdi Hasan, editor-in-chief of Zeteo, about his recent Jubilee debate with far right conservatives and how the channel is transforming the meaning of political debate. Plus, Stassia Underwood, a participant of one Jubilee debate, opens up about her experience on set.