The Don Lemon Show

Don sits down with Michael Cohen to break down the news of the day starting with MAGA’s Olympic-level hypocrisy over Texas Democrats leaving the state. (Reminder: Mike Johnson literally sent the House home to avoid an Epstein vote. But sure, tell us more about “doing your job.”) They also dig into the state of Democratic messaging, why it so often feels scattered, and what it’s going to take for the party to get on the same page heading into the next election. Nothing is off limits, hypocrisy will be called out, receipts will be shown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been one of those weeks where reality felt like a bad TV script, so naturally, we’re doing a Week in Review special. From the never-ending Epstein-Trump scandal (and the meeting that was… then wasn’t… then totally was) to the Texas redistricting power grab, ICE lowering its hiring bar, and that brutal new South Park episode, we’re covering it all. Joining us is the one and only Godfrey, comedian, truth-teller, and professional nonsense detector, to help us laugh through the chaos while still breaking down the facts. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don sits down with Texas State Rep. James Talarico, one of the Democratic lawmakers who recently left the state in a bold move to block the GOP’s latest push for racially discriminatory gerrymandering. They break down the high-stakes fight in Texas, what’s driving it, why it matters, and what’s really at stake for voters’ rights and the future of democracy. In a moment when taking a stand has never been more important, Rep. Talarico shares why he and his colleagues are willing to put it all on the line. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning, we start in Texas, where the GOP’s latest redistricting scheme is a masterclass in gerrymandering, and they’re not stopping there. The MAGA playbook is clear: rig the maps, rig the elections, and then roll it out to as many states as possible. Democracy, but make it optional. Then, we’ll dig into the latest jobs numbers and the state of the economy with Sam Caucci, founder and CEO of 1Huddle. What’s working, what’s flopping, and what the data really says. And finally, ICE. They can’t find enough recruits, so their fix is to… drop the requirements. Because apparently “warm body” is now a qualification. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welp… the Epstein meeting saga just keeps getting weirder. First, reports said top Trump officials were gathering to strategize damage control. Then JD Vance called it “fake news.” Now? Turns out it did happen after all. These people couldn’t keep their story straight if you stapled it to them. Meanwhile, in Texas, the redistricting fight is hitting a dangerous new level. Senator John Cornyn says the FBI will help track down Democratic lawmakers who left the state to block the vote. Legal? Constitutional? Sounds like a hard no, but apparently, that’s just a minor detail to the GOP. Tonight, the one and only Beto O’Rourke joins us to break it all down. From shady meetings to political manhunts, it’s a lot. Let’s get into it. This episode is sponsored by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, well, well, the big Epstein strategy meeting hosted by JD Vance? Canceled. Yep, the same meeting CNN reported was set for last night to help Team Trump figure out how to contain the Epstein fallout. Now they’re claiming it was “never going to happen.” Sure. Let's unpack the chaos, the walk-backs, and what this says about just how panicked Trump World really is behind the scenes. Then we shift gears to take on the state of the media: How did we get to this point, and why are so many major outlets suddenly so eager to bend the knee to Trump? Where’s the spine? Where’s the journalism? Joining us to break it all down is Perry Bacon Jr. of The New Republic. Don’t miss this one! This episode is sponsored by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The internet is in full meltdown mode over the new American Eagle ad featuring Sydney Sweeney, but is all the outrage actually missing the point? Don breaks down the backlash, unpacks what’s really fueling it, and explains why letting distractions like this dominate the conversation only helps the people in power stay unaccountable. Let’s refocus. There’s more at stake than denim and headlines. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMONDROPS and use LEMONDROPS at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, the Trump-Epstein-Ghislaine triangle of sleaze gets even messier. Ghislaine Maxwell, yes, that Ghislaine, convicted of trafficking minors, has reportedly told the Justice Department she “never saw” Trump do anything concerning with Epstein. Oh great, nothing to worry about then! Just taking the word of a convicted sex trafficker. Totally normal. Meanwhile, Trump’s top aides are huddling behind closed doors tonight to figure out how to spin this disaster. What will the official narrative be? Deny, distract, or gaslight? Or most likely, all three. We’re joined by journalist Tara Palmeri to break down what’s real, what’s spin, and what this all means. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is brought to you by Lean. Doctors created a healthier way to lose weight by capturing the power of natural ingredients -- like CARALLUMA. Let's get you started with 20% off. Use code LEMON20 at https://TAKELEAN.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don sits down with the legendary Judge Glenda Hatchett for a powerful conversation about the growing lawlessness surrounding the Trump administration. From the explosive revelations about the Epstein files to the disturbing whispers of a potential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, nothing is off the table. They unpack the firehose of chaos coming out of Washington, where corruption is the norm, accountability is optional, and the rule of law seems to be hanging by a thread. Judge Hatchett brings her legal insight. Don brings the receipts. Together, they break down the mess and what it means for the future of justice in America. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House is scrambling, and we mean full-blown, emergency-meeting, panic-mode scrambling. Word is they’re holding a closed-door strategy session later today to figure out how to handle the growing Epstein scandal, which is quickly becoming a political nightmare. When your frontrunner’s name is all over the files... yeah, you might want to workshop a better plan than “distract and deny.” We’ve got the latest on what’s going down behind the scenes. Plus: updates from Texas, where the redistricting battle is heating up and Republicans are pushing even harder to rig the map in their favor. Democrats are fighting back, but will it be enough? It’s chaos, coverups, and cartography. Let’s get into it. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is brought to you by Lean. Doctors created a healthier way to lose weight by capturing the power of natural ingredients -- like CARALLUMA. Let's get you started with 20% off. Use code LEMON20 at https://TAKELEAN.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices