Comedian and Movie Star Tom Arnold hosts the new show "Really Political" with Chip Franklin where they go behind-the-scenes with journalist Lauren Windsor to learn the inside details of her SHOCKING undercover recordings of SCOTUS Justice Samuel Alito.

Lauren is the founder of The Undercurrent and Executive Director of American Family Voices. She leads our listeners inside the series of damning, bombshell audio recordings she released this week of Alito and his wife that took over a year to assemble. We’re also joined by award winning-author Max Brooks, who shares his brilliant but chilling insight on Russia’s collision course with NATO.

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In light of the pro publica reporting on Clarence Thomas’s connection to the January 6th insurrection, getting close enough to record a Supreme Court Justice saying anything inappropriate seems like an impossible task.

Enter Lauren Windsor. For years she has done the courageous work of getting elected officials and other public figures to say and admit to many shocking things.

In this exclusive interview, Lauren explains exactly how she does it, and gives us the scoop on her just-released, one-on-one conversations with Justice Alito and his wife.

“Theoretically, a foundational principle of our democracy and our judicial system is the impartiality of the court,” Lauren said. “But this is verbal confirmation out of [Alito’s] mouth that some things can't be compromised.”

“She used her own name,” says Tom who is a veteran of gonzo journalism. “She's got a big body of work. It was at a public place. If you have a problem with the way she did it, it's because you didn't think of it, or you didn't have the courage to do it.”

Max Brooks is the son of legendary actor Mel Brooks, and in his own right is the author of numerous famous books, including most famously, World War Z. He’s also an actor, and was a Senior Fellow of the Modern War Institute at West Point, New York.

In this episode, Max masterfully explains how Putin’s ambitions and propaganda machine have evolved since the end of the Cold War, and breaks down how America's policy failures all but ensure that Putin will not stop if he is victorious in Ukraine.

He also breaks down for our listeners why strengthening NATO is now the only way to deter Russian aggression. “Really that’s what NATO is,” he said.” It is the greatest guarantee that we have right now that our kids won't be drafted to fight World War III.”

We also think you’ll appreciate Max’s sage guidance on how to talk about uncomfortable truths with those who have bought into the Russian propaganda, thanks to the parroting of Republicans and right wing media.

Finally, make sure to tune in to hear Tom and Chip’s personal take on what Hunter Biden’s situation can teach us about the collateral damage of addiction and the power of an unconditionally supportive family like the Biden’s. “Of all the stuff that comes out of that for me though, Tom, is his father's complete acceptance of his son for who he is and what he's trying to be,” Chip said. “It's unconditional love,” Tom replied. “That is absolutely who Joe Biden is.”

Comedian and Movie Star Tom Arnold hosts the new show "Really Political" with Chip Franklin. They bang the gavel on Trump's guilty verdict, and the verdict for the 2024 election. If you can, please consider helping us keep making these videos by joining us as a member on Patreon. We engage directly with our patrons there, and will have exclusive content from these episodes there:

Patreon.com/reallyamericanmedia.

Our site: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/really-political

Subscribe on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/really-political/id1742461616

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6AEHmPMAqDlLJEbMgXq1iJ

Subscribe on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/83ca7283-59fb-4cb7-a34b-03c4b0218f29

Subscribe on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-really-political-169545670/

You are not going to want to miss this hilariously insightful commentary on the latest news, and be sure to stick around until the end to hear our brand new segment, The Worst Person in the World Not Named Donald Trump, to see who wins the award this week.

You’ll hear Chip and Tom’s take on Hunter’s Biden’s trial, and get their personal reactions to Trump’s 34 felony convictions. “I happened to have a moment in front of the TV,” said Tom. “And so to get the information in real time, that felt good. I'm sure I'm never going to forget it. It was a good feeling.”

Our hosts also break down the misdirection and irony that is both at the heart of comedy and Trumpworld’s response to the convictions, particularly with Hunter Biden’s trial starting this week.

“When they say the case against Trump was unjust they talk about two things: the judge and the venue,” said Chip. “Sure, Judge Mershawn gave $15 to Joe Biden's campaign. But Donald Trump has Judge Cannon and two members of the Supreme court who openly back him and backed January 6th. When they complain about the venue I have to laugh because, to me, New Yorkers are the least impressed by either party.”

Tom also shares the story of his role in Michael Cohen’s humbling but harrowing journey from a groveling fixer for Trump to a star witness for the prosecution that landed the 34 felony convictions.

Will these convictions guarantee defeat for Trump? What will this mean for MAGA in the polls, and how will this impact the rest of the Presidential campaign?

In this awesome episode, you’ll hear Chip and Tom’s answer to these questions, hear bold predictions for what Trump’s sentencing might look like, and get a hilarious rundown of Donald's most recent bizarre antics and statements. And to top it all off, our hosts talk about the latest WNBA news and Caitlin Clark’s rapid rise from college star to the pro’s.

Comedian and Movie Star Tom Arnold hosts the new show "Really Political" with Chip Franklin. They are joined by National Affairs correspondent for The Nation John Nichols.

If you can, please consider helping us keep making these podcasts by joining us as a member on Patreon. We engage directly with our patrons there, and will have exclusive content from these episodes there: Patreon.com/reallyamericanmedia

John is national affairs correspondent for The Nation, and author of The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism as well as The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again.

The team discusses how important abortion rights will be in this election, and John predicts that the furor over overturning Roe will be the deciding issue in this election.

“I'll suggest to you that still abortion rights is the issue,” John told us. “That brings a substantial number of younger voters to the polls, especially younger women, that cast their ballot for Biden. That means that he wins in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, probably Arizona. And this year, I'm going to suggest you keep an eye on North Carolina.”

John also told us why he thinks Joe Biden, because of his experience, is uniquely qualified to serve as President.

“36 years in the U S Senate, 8 years as vice president, now 4 years as president. There's nobody who's been in that office, I would argue, in the history of the country, except maybe Lyndon Johnson, who's more familiar with all the moving parts...That doesn't mean he is always gonna be right. But it does mean that he brings a lot more to the process.”

We talked with John about the White House Correspondents Dinner and shared a few of our favorite quotes from the event. We also dissect what it means that Trump is incapable of participating in events like these, or any self-deprecation for that matter.

John explains why he thinks a conviction from the ongoing hush money trial will be incredibly damning for Trump, primarily with moderate Republicans who have already voted in large numbers for Nikki Haley in every major battleground state.

We also talked about Kristi Noem’s dog story, RFK Jr.’s campaign, Fox News, and so much more.

This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

Top Psychologist John Gartner joins the Really Political Podcast crew to sound the alarm on Trump's deteriorating state. Hosts Chip Franklin, Tom Arnold, and Brian Karem.

Today host Brian Karem also joins the show. Brian is a White House correspondent and author of the incredible book, Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It.

Brian gives us insider information about the lunacy of his time reporting from the White House during the Trump years, he breaks down what’s wrong with journalism in America today, and gives us an excellent perspective on the ongoing hush money criminal trial.

We brought on leading Psychologist, author, and actor Dr. John Gartner to talk about Trump’s obvious mental decline. John broke down what he sees as clear signs of dementia in his demeanor and language, and that we should only expect it to get worse. “People need to understand that this is a deteriorating illness,” he said. “And I think that he's closer to that cognitive cliff than people realize. I'm utterly certain he could not make it through four years without becoming completely cognitively disabled.

The overwhelming evidence and numerous examples he shares of Trump’s cognitive decline is terrifying. And what comes next will only be worse.

“It's a truism that whatever personality disorder you have gets dramatically worse as you become demented,” John told us. “So it's hard to imagine that he could be worse. Right? But we're already seeing it. He's so impulsive and so out of control around this trial, right? He can't contain himself. He really can't, it's like Tourette's.”

What does this say about the fanatical true believers that still follow him? How has his behavior and actions impacted the rest of us psychologically? And what will happen if Trump takes back the White House?

These questions and more get answered in this episode, and you won’t want to miss it!

On this awesome episode, we're joined by American author and counter terrorism expert Malcolm Nance and former 2020 Republican presidential candidate Joe Walsh.

Malcolm Nance is a military analyst, modern American hero, and author of They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency, which is an absolute must-read about the killer instincts of the MAGA community.

Malcolm tells us how QAnon has infiltrated every aspect of the Republican party just as he predicted in his book, though it happened even faster than he had originally imagined. “A couple of years ago, you could not walk into a Republican rally with a QAnon t-shirt,” Malcolm told us. “Now they're selling it with Trump stuff. And he's got them believing.”

Malcolm expertly dismantles the terribly false “Genocide Joe” nickname and explains why he thinks the moniker has been able to gain such steam, even among Trump supporters who could not care less about the Palestinian people.

“I think what we're seeing is the dragon unchained,” Malcolm said. “You have misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories, deliberate manipulation of facts into conspiracy theories with the flamethrower breath of TikTok.”

We were also joined by former tea party Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, who has become one of Donald Trump’s fiercest critics.

He told us that there were always two sides to the Tea Party - one was worried about government debt. “But there was this uglier, kind of more nationalist, culture warrior side,” Joe told us. “Then along came Trump and he tapped into that uglier side, and away they went.”

Joe explains that Mike Pence finally gained the courage to say he wouldn’t support Trump, only after he realized he didn’t have a future in the GOP. But that’s not enough. Just like Mitt Romney and all of the other Republicans calling Trump unfit, they all refuse to support Biden. Because they know it would be a blowtorch to their careers.

Walsh also explained what kind of society the MAGA voter actually wants, and breaks down the motives behind the modern GOP’s politics, including some insight into why some formerly common-sense Republicans have gone full on MAGA.

The team picked Joe’s brain on the current politics of immigration, Joe dissects MAGA’s insane border policy, and he tells us why Congress has failed to do anything about it to this point.

We thought this was a fantastic episode. Let us know if you agree in the comments!

Former GOP Congressman Denver Riggleman joins the Really Political Podcast crew to DEMOLISH his own party and shares his experience with the far-right fringes of the MAGA cult.

Tom and the team give props to college women’s basketball, the Iowa women’s basketball team, and the amazing performance all season long by Caitlin Clark. Before the championship game, Tom told Caitlin, a fellow Hawkeye, “It’s been awesome watching you guys and supporting you guys because you're tough, you don't give up, you just keep in there. It makes me proud to be a Hawkeye.”

The team also has a good laugh talking about Roseanne’s most recent unhinged comments at Mar-A-Lago, where she said, “you gotta get out of college because it isn't nothing but devil worshiping, baby blood drinking, democrat donors.” This led into a much more somber discussion about mental illness in America and how Trump’s madness has pumped nothing but fear, anxiety, and paranoia into our society.

Tom lays down the truth about and predicts the collapse of prevailing Christian nationalism in the Republican Party. Even wannabe mob boss Rudy Giuliani has fallen into the trap, who recently said only “communist states” are experiencing earthquakes in America and suggested that was some form of divine punishment.

Former Congressman Riggleman was attacked by the MAGA cult, who spread terrible rumors about his family after he officiated a gay wedding in 2019. Riggleman is a common sense Republican, who doesn’t vote in line with MAGA. So not only was he a pariah within the party, he started receiving death threats and became the center of fresh new QAnon conspiracies. Because he refused to walk in line with the MAGA hate and disinformation, he was primaried out of Congress in 2020.

Denver shares a shocking breakdown of the extent of which the MAGA conspiracies have permeated every level of the GOP. He also tells us he thinks the Republicans knew their star witness in the sham impeachment hearings was spreading Russian misinformation, but they continued touting him as credible anyway. “They should have known,” Riggleman said. “But again, Comer and Jordan aren't exactly the brightest bulbs at the Home Depot.”

Riggleman also talks us through what’s happening today in Virginia politics and what we can expect in the upcoming elections, and gives us his take on how RFK Jr.’s campaign will impact the Presidential contest.

We also talked about Trump’s ongoing trial in Manhattan and Denver told us why he thinks a criminal conviction could be a boon to Trump’s campaign. But regardless of that, he predicts that women and swing voters will win the election for Joe Biden. But it’s not going to be easy.

You won’t want to miss this excellent interview. We also discuss Trump’s war on abortion, what another Trump Presidency would mean for America, how far down the MAGA conspiracy rabbit hole that might take us, and so much more.

Comedian and Movie Star Tom Arnold hosts the new show "Really Political" with Chip Franklin, Justin Horwitz and Tea Pain USA. They are joined by former Assistant Director of the FBI Frank Figliuzzi and Lev Parnas.

Tom gives the real scoop on how hard he worked to secure the infamous Trump Moscow pee tape as well as damning behind-the-scenes footage of Trump from The Apprentice, and trust us - it's not the story you'll expect. He also shares a hilarious story about a secret service visit he received after challenging Trump to a wrestling match in 2018, as he reminds our listeners that despite the constant calls for violence, Trump’s tough-guy act is no more than a cheap facade.

You won’t want to miss the story about when Don Jr. was kicked out of the family for a year - and how none other than Tom Arnold helped him with drug recovery.

Hilariously Brilliant Activist and fellow host of the show Tea Pain shared his frustration with what he called Trump’s, “bloodbathin’, and Bible sellin’, and Biden kidnappin’. This stuff is just toxic.”

We were excited to host former Assistant Director of Counterintelligence for the FBI, Frank Figliuzzi, who recently authored Long Haul: Hunting The Highway Serial Killers.

Frank told us there may actually be a good reason why Trump should still be getting intelligence briefings. We also discussed how the ongoing dangers of propaganda and misinformation on social media are making absurdities like RFK’s candidacy possible, and how Elon Musk may be the worst offender. Frank also talked with the team about pending aid for Ukraine and Israel and discussed what’s happening in the ongoing conflicts.

Our good friend Lev Parnas also stopped by to talk about his recent testimony on capitol hill when he told Republicans that allegations against the Bidens are Russian propaganda, and he reveals exactly who Putin’s number one puppet is in the Senate. Lev is a businessman, political analyst and author who stood up to Trump, despite immense political pressure, and he brought the receipts. He shares inside information from his book, Shadow Diplomacy: Lev Parnas and his Wild Ride from Brooklyn to Trump’s Inner Circle. Lev also explains, as someone who was there, why he thinks so many people fall in line behind Trump in the MAGA cult, and how he was able to get out of it.

Of course while Lev was on the show, we had to talk about the terrible fall of America’s disgraced former mayor, Rudy Giuliani - who he calls Trump’s “useful idiot”. Lev teased the audience with the promise to release several damning videos of Trump and his accomplices, perhaps he’ll even release one on our show. You’ll just have to keep watching to find out.

Send us your suggestions at chip@chipfranklin.com.