This week Rachel and Aaron unpack the GOP’s framing of thousands of peaceful “No Kings” protests as “Hate America” rallies. How, exactly, did Republicans lose control of the narrative–at least for a weekend? Plus, why House Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to swear-in America’s newest member of Congress. And what do Venezuelan boat strikes have to do with disgraced Congressman George Santos?

LINKS:

• ABC’s This Week: Jonathan Karl interviews Speaker Mike Johnson
• NBC’s Meet the Press: Kristen Welker interviews Senator Rand Paul
• ABC News: Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva on ‘delay tactics’ in being sworn into Congress
• The Cycle on Substack
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game

This week, why we shouldn’t be afraid of using the other F-word: fascism, especially as the Right shatters political norms, turns citizens into public enemies, and politicizes the military. Rachel and Aaron discuss a Democrat who joked about violence, a Republican who preaches it, a billionaire who builds it into the algorithm, and a movement now summoning generals for loyalty oaths. Plus: The political strategies and public polling behind the government shutdown. Who, exactly, is getting the blame?

LINKS:

• France24: Elon Musk: The voice of the far right in Europe?
• Stephen Miller’s cousin on Facebook: “the face of evil”
• The Cycle - Substack: We’re Deep in the Shit Now: The Only Way to Win the Shutdown Was Not to Play
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game

This week Rachel and Aaron discuss the Trump Administration’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death, his martyrdom, and what’s next on the march into authoritarianism. Plus, a trip to the front lines of Trump’s tariffs: rural America. Why are farmers feeling the pinch first? And Trump crosses a thin red line by ordering the U.S. Department of Justice to target his political enemies, facts be damned.

LINKS:

• Substack - The Cycle: From Goebbels to Google: Same Shit, Different Century
• Truth Social: Trump says opponents are “guilty as hell” – without evidence
• Hot Mic: “Our brand is in crisis”
• Imperial March in Washington, DC
• Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game