Donald Trump deflects from his authoritarian impulses by accusing Joe Biden of undermining democracy, while warnings about a second Trump term grow more dire. George Santos gets the boot from Congress while Mike Johnson finds himself in a very similar position to his predecessor Kevin McCarthy. And finally, Strict Scrutiny’s Melissa Murray joins the show to talk about Trump’s flurry of bad legal news.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

SHOW NOTES

TRUMP

• NYT: Trump’s Defense to Charge That He’s Anti-Democratic? Accuse Biden of It
• WaPo: Trump attempts to spin anti-democracy, authoritarian criticism against Biden
• WSJ: A Closer Look at Donald Trump’s Second-Term Agenda
• WSJ: Trump’s Second-Term Plans: Anti-‘Woke’ University, ‘Freedom Cities’
• NYT: How Trump and His Allies Plan to Wield Power in 2025
• WaPo: A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending.
• Atlantic: THE DANGER AHEAD 

CONGRESS

• Punchbowl: NEWS: Senate border talks break down
• Playbook: Time’s up on Ukraine funding
• Playbook PM: Senate border talks in limbo
• USA Today: House Speaker Mike Johnson’s honeymoon period is over. Congress is still bracing for fights.
• CNN: Johnson moves to corral GOP hardliners as tension grows in ranks
• WSJ: Mike Johnson Becomes Surprise Champion of More Ukraine Aid
• Politico: ‘We are out of money’: White House pushes to pass stalled Ukraine aid. Full letter here. 
• Punchbowl: House GOP moves ahead with Biden, Mayorkas impeachment probes
• The Messenger: White House Slams Speaker Johnson for Flip Flop on Impeachment Vote (Exclusive)
• WSJ: House GOP Moves Toward Formalizing Impeachment Probe of Biden
• Punchbowl: Mayorkas impeachment effort lingers as GOP targets Biden
• The Hill: Johnson argues House ‘has duty’ to hold vote on Biden impeachment inquiry
• CNN: Speaker Johnson says he believes GOP has the votes for Biden impeachment inquiry
• MSNBC: Mike Johnson has to pretend to care about impeaching BidenBut their patience 
• Politico: Johnson: Santos expulsion ‘a regrettable day’
• NYT: How Republicans Split Over Whether to Expel George Santos
• Axios: GOP tensions run high after House vote to expel George Santos
• Politico: Speaker Johnson singed by a blast of conservative fury
• RELATED: National Review: Speaker Mike Johnson’s Weekend in New York