We talk about what it takes to lose a Senate race.
Todd Akin lost Missouri over one comment about rape. Roy Moore lost Alabama — to a Democrat — over accusations involving underage women. Mark Robinson lost the North Carolina governor's race after praising Nazis. Each of those candidates was derailed by a single scandal. Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, now has the makings of all of them simultaneously: comments telling women to "take some responsibility" for their sexual assault, illicit texts sent to between six and twelve women, a presence on an app tied to exploitation of minors, and a Nazi tattoo — with more stories reportedly still coming. We run through Campaign Liability Bingo and ask the only question that matters: how desperate are Democrats to unseat Susan Collins that they're defending all of this?
Democrats are also making an open and explicit threat to restructure the Supreme Court. Hakeem Jeffries, Jamie Raskin, and Sheldon Whitehouse have all gone on record. The Wall Street Journal editorial board calls it one of the most dangerous political promises of the cycle. We break down what the plan would actually look like and why it's getting less coverage than it deserves.
Iran update: U.S. forces struck Iranian air defenses and a drone site in a new skirmish near the Strait of Hormuz — but there are signals that the shooting between Hezbollah and Israel may be nearing a stop. We sort through what's real and what's posturing heading into the week.
Election night preview: California, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Montana all have primaries. The Los Angeles mayor's race is the one to watch — Karen Bass is in serious trouble, Spencer Pratt has gained eight points since March, and if no candidate clears 50%, the top two advance to a runoff. Yes, that Spencer Pratt.
Democratic candidate Talarico delivered the exact same scripted answer in nine separate interviews. We have the supercut. It is something.
And Jill Biden is on a media tour. She has said publicly that she thought the president was having a stroke — and still called for four more years. The tour is going about as well as you'd expect.
Today's episode covers:
• Platner's full scandal inventory — and the Bingo card
• Democrats' explicit threat to the Supreme Court
• Iran: Hormuz skirmish and ceasefire signals
• California and LA primary preview
• Talarico's nine identical answers
• Jill Biden's media tour
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0:00 - Intro
0:39 - Iran and Reconciliation
2:34 - CA Primary Preview
5:34 - Platner Liability Bingo: Every Scandal at Once
9:01 - Democrats Threaten the Supreme Court
11:39 - James Talarico’s Robot Performance
13:13 – Jill Biden's Media Tour Disaster