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This week on Look Forward, the Pentagon confirms Pete Hegseth's plan to livestream the military's Dec. 3 capital punishment of Nidal Hasan; Tina Peters' attorney describes a midterm election plan after her reported White House meeting; the New York Fed finds tariffs added 2.9 points to inflation across 67 categories of consumer goods; Susan Collins and Troy Jackson trade shots in Maine's Senate debates; a Wall Street Journal report that Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle asked a GOP donor to wire $100,000 to her American Express account before her confirmation hearing, which she disputes; an Arizona Democratic House candidate comes forward about an attack while repairing a campaign sign; and Trump's declaration that anyone who says "AI" instead of "super intelligence" is "THE ENEMY." Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward opens with Senator Eric Schmitt's attempt to catch former special counsel Jack Smith in a perjury trap, which fell apart in real time when Schmitt mixed up the Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes. We break down the collapse and why his "I'm just asking questions" follow-up made it worse. Ken Paxton is heard on a recording published by the New York Times telling donors that Trump's midterm convention hurt Republicans. His campaign calls the recording "manipulated nonsense." James Talarico leads in most recent independent polls. ProPublica reports an FBI probe into donations tied to Susan Collins ended in 2025 after the Trump administration purged the unit handling it. The FBI says it found nothing implicating Collins, and she denies wrongdoing though the facts in Pro Publica paint a different story. Trump calls a voluntary AI safety pledge "morally binding," even though it carries no enforcement. Meanwhile, an OpenAI agent accessed an Australian government health portal. Hegseth names Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich to co-lead Project Meridian, a 120-day Pentagon study on future autonomous warfare. We also cover the press outlet bans, rolled-back fuel efficiency standards, taxpayer-funded ads featuring Trump, and Republicans angry about a welfare ad in Arkansas. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward breaks down AI companies actively pushing for federal regulation and Trump dismissing the entire need as a "hoax," even though the real story is far more complicated than either side is letting on. Rep. Thomas Massie pulls off a genuinely clever procedural move forcing a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Speaker Mike Johnson responds exactly as predicted. Mitch McConnell returns to the Senate in what can only be described as a pathetic, diminished appearance, raising real questions about his ability to continue to serve. Things get bizarre during a Kash Patel Capitol Hill visit when an specific regulation that was changed at the FBI unexpectedly becomes a topic of discussion. Gas stations across the country are running out of diesel entirely as prices hit all-time highs, worsened by Houthi disruptions to the critical Bab-el-Mandeb shipping corridor. The Fed raises interest rates for the first time in three years. In corruption news: Trump's administration plans a $2.8 billion sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. Trump appears poised to demolish the Kennedy Center entirely. The Pentagon weighs pulling nearly a third of US forces from Europe. And it turns out a Russian oligarch bankrolled Don Jr.'s wedding. We cover all of it — the chaos, the corruption, and the genuinely bizarre. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Trump is once again telling a fake 9/11 story with no evidence behind it, this time claiming two firefighters carried him to safety near Ground Zero after hearing a nearby building creak. He wasn't at the World Trade Center on September 11th and has told wildly different, ever-changing versions of his "hero" story for over two decades, with no witnesses ever corroborating any of it. We break down the fabrication, line by line. Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani is the one facing backlash; not for lying, but for exposing the truth. Republicans are accusing him of using a 9/11 air quality report as a political "distraction," when in reality that reporting confirms what many have long suspected: city officials knowingly lied to New Yorkers about air quality during recovery efforts. Mamdani didn't create a controversy. He exposed one that already existed. This is a blueprint that many people don't realize, we break down what it signals. We also finally get to the bottom of Trump's confusing "mystery meat" import policy, what it actually is and who it really benefits. Plus: Trump and Musk celebrating far-right gains in Germany, an Ohio candidate attacked at a state fair, and Kyrsten Sinema's new legal troubles. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward covers the deportation of Milo Yiannopoulos, a rare ICE action even critics of the agency find themselves agreeing with. A federal judge ruled that AI-generated child sexual abuse material is protected under the First Amendment, a genuinely alarming decision we break down in full. New reporting suggests Trump is secretly planning to extend the Iran war timeline specifically to influence November's midterms and somehow, the administration is already positioning this as something that will end up being blamed on Democrats. Meanwhile, 33 Democrats joined with Republicans to push through a bill in the House to smash down free speech on college campuses if the college refuse to work with Israel because of the Gaza genocide. In corruption news: a whistleblower reveals the Trump administration is attempting to implement it's mail-voting scheme despite an active court stay blocking USPS from carrying it out. The DOJ blocked an ICE agent from facing charges in a shooting death despite prosecutors' own objections. RFK Jr. was personally behind the effort to scrub Pennsylvania measles deaths from the CDC's public tally. Trump's own super PAC hasn't spent money on key midterm races, with Republicans privately fearing it never will. Plus: Conservative Cubans, and a judge telling RFK Jr.'s HHS to stop using fake AI-generated studies to justify teen pregnancy policy, and the FBI lowering its standards in a very weird yet highly specific way. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward breaks down Trump escalating his trade war with Canada by signing an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America;" a genuinely bizarre 400 year old naming dispute born entirely out of tariff spite. Meanwhile, Trump's beef import plan is already causing real problems: 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef just got recalled in Texas and Florida, raising real questions about the plan's quality controls even as ranchers and consumers alike push back. Hakeem Jeffries met privately with Jared Kushner weeks before midterms that could make him Speaker of the House, a decision that's drawing serious criticism from the leftwing of the Democratic Party. SCOTUS handed Trump a technically favorable but ultimately inconsequential ruling on mail voting. A Republican midterm convention is shaping up to be an expensive, tone deaf disaster, with House members reportedly paying up to $100,000 to attend. In corruption news: the State Department is trying to sell a Kehinde Wiley painting because it's "too woke," the Trump administration is threatening to demolish The Kennedy Center if it doesn't get its way on renaming it, and Trump's own crypto ventures have left other investors nearly $5 billion underwater while he personally profits. We cover all of it; the pettiness, the corruption, and the genuinely bizarre. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward breaks down Trump threatening Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, having backed himself into a corner with no diplomatic exit. Trump's tabloid style "not-mistress" saga gets a new chapter as his rumored companion lands in the spotlight thanks to John Ossoff. Meanwhile, the administration quietly signals a scale-back of joint military exercises with South Korea, raising fears of history repeating itself in the region. Republicans, once skeptical of data centers, suddenly need voters to love them ahead of the midterms; we break down the political reversal and why this is a horrible move for them and a great win for Democrats. In corruption news: the Lakers may be heading to be owned by a Kushner, conveniently easing federal pressure on the team's current owner. Trump Media's latest earnings report shows the company floundering just as badly as the rest of Trump's business ventures. In a stunning court admission, the Trump administration confirmed it's been withholding federal dollars from blue states specifically because they didn't vote for him. Setting off a disastrous precedent that could have far reaching implications long after the nightmare of the Trump era is over. Plus: A sitting US Senator admits on video she's "not that informed on national security." All the chaos, corruption, and unintentional comedy. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward breaks down Abdul El-Sayed's hugely contentious primary win in Michigan's Democratic Senate race, a victory for the progressive wing that raises the question of whether centrist Democrats will actually rally behind him or quietly work against their own nominee. Trump is furious at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth aka "Whiskey Pete" over a missile shortage exposed by the ongoing Iran war, with the military burning through stockpiles faster than they can be replaced. In a stunning diplomatic snub, Iran and Oman are negotiating the future of the Strait of Hormuz entirely without US involvement  after Trump spent months treating the region as America's little playground. Medicare Part D subsidies are conveniently set to expire right after the midterms, a timing decision that speaks for itself. Trump is pursuing a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia despite the kingdom's well-documented terror financing history. Trump Media plans to paywall its API access for Wall Street traders to legalize insider trading. A rare bipartisan housing act became law even though Trump refused to sign it. FCC officials accepted major gifts from Paramount amid merger approval. Trump's own teleprompter operator got caught insider trading on prediction markets. Trump is furious the DOJ dropped a vandalism indictment tied to his Reflecting Pool disaster, and Alabama's favorite MENSA student Tommy Tuberville considers a 30-foot wall around the state to stop immigrants if he's elected governor. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Look Forward, we cover Graham Platner finally withdrawing from Maine's Senate race following a sexual assault allegation and Trump, of all people, is questioning the credibility of the woman making the accusation. Mitch McConnell has not cast a Senate vote since June 11th and has been hospitalized for over three weeks with almost no details released. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear formally demanded a health update, revealing conflicting accounts about whether McConnell suffered cardiac arrest. With Republicans holding a razor-thin 53-47 majority, his absence carries real consequences. The Iran war ceasefire has collapsed again. Russia may be planning a "provocation" in the Baltics or Poland. Trump's new "Freedom Fuel" gas stations are being promoted as a patriotic price-cutting miracle except nobody can explain how 25 stations are selling gas 50 cents below wholesale cost, and taxpayers may be quietly footing the bill for his own PR stunt. Plus: Mamdani gets attacked for suggesting a reasonable thermostat setting, Trump denies disaster relief to states that voted against him, his suspiciously timed stock trades resurface, and Nigel Farage's populist gamble gets taken on by a bin. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Look Forward we break down the political earthquake in New York; all three Mamdani-backed DSA candidates swept their congressional primaries, unseating establishment Democrats Adriano Espaillat and Dan Goldman. Attendees at Claire Valdez's victory party chanted "You're next" as Hakeem Jeffries appeared on screen. House Democrats are now in open panic over whether the socialist wing is taking over the party, while Mamdani declared "this was not the end of a political movement, it was the beginning." We also cover DSA member Melat Kiros' win in Colorado and her reason for unseating a long standing progressive Democrat. The Supreme Court barely upheld the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship guarantee while simultaneously ruling states can exclude transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports and barely preserving vote-by-mail against a GOP challenge. Senator Thom Tillis declared the SAVE Act dead, even as Republicans privately fear Trump will weaponize it after a possible midterm election loss. New reporting reveals Trump has profited massively from the presidency in year one. Plus: is Trump considering institutionalizing disabled Americans? And in "you can't make this up" news: a 67-year-old former Olympian was indicted on a FELONY for allegedly touching the water in Trump's $14 million Reflecting Pool disaster. His lawyer: "It is not a crime in America to touch water." We cover the Democratic Socialist sweep, SCOTUS split decisions, and the government's unhinged overreach. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward breaks down the Iran deal in detail:  the 14-point MOU signed June 18th that ends three months of war, reopens the Strait of Hormuz, and begins a 60-day countdown to a final nuclear agreement. Iran commits not to acquire nuclear weapons, halts enrichment, invites IAEA inspectors back, and the US immediately lifts oil export sanctions. What's NOT in it: ballistic missiles, proxy networks, final enrichment status, and critically Israel was shut out of negotiations entirely. This is a perfect storm of poor negotiation work and sheer incompetence which is why the right and left are pushing back hard on the proposed deal. Israel's reaction? Ben Gvir says Trump's agreement "does not bind us" and calls for "all of Lebanon to burn" a post restricted by X for violating platform rules. Netanyahu admitted he didn't even know the deal's details when it was signed. JD Vance fired back directly at Ben Gvir and Smotrich: "You can't just kill your way out of every national security problem." A rare moment of actual truth from Vance. Trump's $14.7 million Reflecting Pool renovation is already catastrophically failing. "American Flag Blue" paint peeling off in sheets after days, algae blooming green, visitors taking home chips as souvenirs. The DOJ ramps up de-naturalization targeting naturalized citizens — "do it the right way" is meaningless when you strip due process. Conservatives plan protests against data centers. The federal government bans Anthropic's latest Claude model, Mythos, immediately after release. RFK's vaccine rollbacks cause Lackland Air Force Base flu outbreak. Oklahoma voters reject minimum wage increase, and Trump's bedroom habits get exposed by the Daily Beast. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward breaks down the Big Lie 2.0 arriving right on schedule. Trump is claiming California's June 3rd primary was stolen — no evidence, same playbook — after Trump-endorsed reality TV star Spencer Pratt lost the LA mayoral race to progressive Nithya Raman once mail ballots finished counting. The House of Representatives majority sitting at a razor-thin 218-213, Trump is pre-seeding election fraud claims before November. Trump goes on video saying "I love inflation." Al Jazeera debunks his claim that the US secretly smuggled 100 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iran war is back on and Trump announces plans to seize Kharg Island, which handles 90% of Iran's oil exports. Gas prices will go nuclear if this happens. New York Times Magazine reveals Trump's top advisors held an emergency meeting on the Epstein Files last July in the Situation Room. Nancy Mace comes in fifth place in her primary. Trump is assessed by 22 doctors at his medical visit. Democrats block FISA reauthorization to protest Bill Pulte  being tapped for the Director of National Intelligence. Right-wing extremists turn Belfast "protests" into a riot. Donors received $50 billion in government contracts after giving to Trump, and Germany's courts rule Google is liable for false AI Overview answers. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward breaks down the $1.776 billion anti-weaponization slush fund collapsing in spectacular fashion. Ted Cruz said GOP senators literally "screamed" at Acting AG Todd Blanche in one of "the roughest meetings" of his Senate career. The fund is officially dead per Blanche, but Trump called it "a beautiful thing" and refused to commit to permanently scrapping it. Dead but not buried. The House passes a war powers resolution 215-208 in which four Republicans (Barrett, Davidson, Fitzpatrick, Massie) finally joining Democrats to push back on Trump's three-month unauthorized Iran war. Thirteen US service members dead, $25 billion spent, $5 gas and Congressional Republicans are just now getting on board to end this. A federal judge orders Trump's name removed from the Kennedy Center. Debbie Wasserman Schultz primary challenge debate: obligation to step aside or are critics targeting the wrong person? Exxon warned this would happen and now oil inventories are depleting as the Strait of Hormuz stays disrupted. DOGE axed screwworm prevention programs, and now screwworm is back in Texas cattle ready to drive up beef prices. Trump admin moves to give OMB total control over science grant distribution in yet another move to consolidate power. SCOTUS hands us another "we told you so" on Alabama gerrymandering. Trump's new director of national intelligence (DNI) pick Bill Pulte has literally never worked in intelligence. Lastly, Trump endorses "hardworking" NJ congressman Tom Kean Jr. who has not been seen for three months. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

Look Forward breaks down the Texas Senate race turning ugly fast: Ken Paxton's first general election ad calls Democrat James Talarico "too Low-T for Texas," Stephen Miller falsely called the straight, cisgender Talarico Democrats' "first transgender senate candidate." GOP nicknames include "Tofu Talarico," "Six Gender Jimmy," and "Tala-freako." Talarico raised $600,000 in the two hours after Paxton clinched the nomination. The Iran war may be nearing its end, NYTimes reports the deal is 95% complete with the final 5% oddly being the entirety of the reason the conflict is continuing. But Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is threatening Oman, raising fears of a new front in the conflict. The Trump administration is considering disrupting international airline travel for passengers from sanctuary cities. Hawaii finds a clever constitutional workaround to limit Citizens United's corporate campaign finance dominance. A North Carolina GOP lawmaker pulls their name from a radical abortion bill after social media backlash. The DOJ opens a case against E. Jean Carroll which is clearly a transparent retaliation against Trump's rape accuser. Trump's team pushes to put his face on a new $250 bill. The National Park Service spends America 250th anniversary funds on golden horse statues. And artists immediately bail on DC's 250th birthday bash. We cover the Texas race, Iran's endgame, DOJ retaliation, and golden corruption. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week Look Forward exposes what may be the biggest presidential scandal in American history: the DOJ is creating a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who claim they were "targeted" by investigations. Capitol Police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 are suing to block the fund from being established. The scandal is so egregious that some Republicans are reportedly furious enough to abandon support. Plus: new WSJ reporting on Trump's suspicious stock trades. Trump endorses Ken Paxton for Texas Senate, proving it's still his party no matter how many Republicans wish it wasn't. Colorado Democrats censure Governor Jared Polis for commuting sentences of an election "denier," finding a "third way" to piss off his own party. The long-awaited DNC autopsy of the 2024 election loss turns out to be completely useless, offering no real answers or accountability. A Tennessee man who posted a meme gets an $800,000 payout after spending a month in jail for a Facebook post. Trump says he might skip his son Don Jr.'s wedding to play golf. And Gavin Newsom talks about Best Buy like it's 2004 in the most Boomer-ish thing from a Gen X-er. We cover the $1.8B scandal, party chaos, failed autopsies, and absurdity. Look Forward is a weekly progressive political podcast covering U.S. politics, government policy, Democratic strategy, elections, voting rights, Supreme Court rulings, and political news. Featuring progressive commentary, political analysis, and unapologetic opinions on the fight for democracy. Hosted by Jay and Brad. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Black on Black Cinema (Black film reviews), and Dense Pixels (video game news).