Politix

Falling Down On The Jobs

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmThis week, we’re reassessing both the resiliency of the economy, and the health of U.S. democracy.Why? Because recent data suggests Donald Trump’s reactionary policy blitz (global tariffs, mass deportation) has caused the economy to seize up; and Trump has responded by trying to kill the messengers. In this episode you’ll hear all about:* What the recent jobs numbers actually say, and how do they gel with other recent data;* Sydney Sweeney;* Why data pointing to a slowdown, if not a contraction, fits the facts of Trump’s erratic agenda;* The bull and the bear theories of the case: Could the economy somehow continue growing despite all this? Would Trump be freaking out like this if he thought the economy was firing on all cylinders?Then, behind the paywall, is a recession the sort of thing Trump could even theoretically bullshit his way out of? Or would reality break through? What would a “recession coverup” attempt actually look like, given the complexity of the data? And what’s Trump likely to do if and when his excuses and lies stop selling?All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Brian on why Trump’s reaction to the jobs report is of a piece with broader signs that he and his administration are spiraling.* Matt notes Argentina’s recent economic successes are attributable to Javier Milei’s decision to abandon an unworkable agenda.* Dean Baker breaks down why the jobs news is so bad.

Fatal Distractions

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmDonald Trump is trying desperately to bury the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. In this episode, Matt and Brian explore all the distractions Trump has attempted—implicitly and explicitly—to knock the Epstein files out of the news, why Trump is so desperate and why are his usual tactics failing.* Should we at this point suspect this is a coverup of damning evidence of Trump’s conduct specifically?* If the story is just that Epstein conspiracy theories are all bunk, why bother with distractions or incriminating claims (like that Hillary Clinton and James Comey forged the Epstein files)?* With Trump finally on the hind foot, why are elite institutions like Columbia University going out of their way to surrender to Trump’s threats?Then, behind the paywall, do the new tariff “agreements” Trump has struck with Japan and the E.U. count as distractions from the Epstein scandal, or are they on their own track? What’s in the deals? How much harm will they do to American importers and consumers? And how meaningful can they be if they’re as illegal as they seem?All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Matt on repairing the tax code after Trump.* Brian argues we the discourse should shift from whether Trump is engaged in an Epstein coverup, to grappling with the truly dark things Trump is covering up, and what the consequences should be. * Philip Bump debunks Trump’s main Epstein distraction.

Duck Superman

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmThe new Superman is a critical hit and box-office smash—despite conspicuous Republican efforts to discourage people from seeing it. It’s the GOP vs. truth, justice, and the American way!In this episode, Matt and Brian explore all the reasons the modern right might have been put off by this movie, and Superman’s longer-running themes:* To what extent are right-wing critics really just evincing old, philosophical conservative misgivings about liberal empathy and compassion?* Are today’s Republicans really upset to learn that Superman is pro-immigrant (as he has been for almost 90 years, or is that just a red herring?* Or is it really just that this particular adaptation is an unsubtle send up of several recent, high-profile, right-wing corruption scandals (though not, unfortunately, the Jeffrey Epstein scandal)? Then, behind the paywall, in a recent interview, Hunter Biden of all people challenged Democrats to appeal to people’s better natures, rather than appeasing their prejudices—just like a certain superhero…The younger Biden’s broader judgment aside, his comments raise pretty profound questions for the party as it wrestles with how to broaden its appeal in the Trump era. Should Democrats be Superman to Trump’s Lex Luthor? How far will uncut virtue get them? And who’s the best avatar for Democrats to broadcast empathy across the board: Another old white guy with cultural roots in white working class America? Or a next-generation Obama-like figure who leans on respectability politics to appeal to cultural conservatives?All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Brian on why Republicans are right to dislike the new Superman (because it rightly depicts their political values in an unflattering light).* Matt argues Democrats should just throw Joe Biden under the bus. * The Hunter Biden interview.* The canonical Matt Bors cartoon.

Files And Tribulations

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmThe race is on between Donald Trump, who’s desperately trying to put down the raging scandal surrounding his Jeffrey Epstein lies (whatever they happen to be) and Democrats who are finally engaged, and trying to pry the truth loose. Who’s gonna win?In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:* How has the Epstein scandal developed over the past week?* Why have Democrats been uninterested in all matters Epstein, both recently and over many years of right-wing conspiracy theories?* What’s the likeliest explanation of why Trump is behaving so desperately now?Then, behind the paywall, we tackle a bunch of pressing questions: what have Democrats done thus far to move the story forward? What more could they do? Will the files be released, or will the story fizzle? Could “the Epstein files” be the thing that finally creates real, lasting political problems for Trump? And what would it say about America if this—rather than matters of major civic significance, like COVID failures and the insurrection—becomes the thing that finally brings Trump low?All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Matt wrote, “I’m not deeply invested in any theory about Epstein, but I always thought Democrats blew it by not pushing for some oversight here,” way back in 2021.* Brian on how the Epstein saga illustrates the need for Democrats to get outside their comfort zones, and how they might use this opportunity to wage war on the entire right-wing bad-faith media complex.* The 2002 Epstein profile that started it all: “‘I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,’ Trump booms from a speakerphone. ‘He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.’”* Julie Brown, the reporter who broke the real Epstein trafficking scandal, weighs in with The Bulwark.

Complements to the Jeff

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmThe Trump administration suddenly wants you to stop asking questions about Jeffrey Epstein. Case closed. Nothing to see here. That client list we promised to release? It doesn’t exist. In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:* What is the Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theory, and why has it persisted so long?* Why are Epstein’s old, wide-ranging associations distinct from all the other rich guys who hobnob with politicians and powerbrokers?* How should Democrats react to Trump administration efforts to sweep this under the rug, after dangling it so conspicuously.Then, behind the paywall, Zohran Mamdani and the shortcomings of institutional diversity efforts: the perspective of two white, Jewish, latinos who’ve grappled with a few box-checking exercises themselves. What’s wrong with the assumption that Mamdani must have been trying to game the affirmative-action system? Zooming out, are institutions that request demographic data (universities, employers) doing so for the right reasons? Is there a better way to recruit, or to take account of applicants who’ve had a rough go in a country with plenty of racial discrimination, than asking them to approximate their ethnic identities?All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* From Brian’s archives: Call MAGA’s Jeffrey Epstein bluff. * Matt: Yes DOGE failed, and it matters.* Nothing fishy about this!