The Joe Pags Show

Pags starts with the latest on the Iran war as the conflict increasingly draws attention toward Yemen and President Trump weighs what comes next. Then the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial finally speaks publicly, calling several fellow jurors “activists” and giving his side of what happened inside the deliberation room. Pags digs into his claims and asks listeners where they stand—and the phone lines explode. Then attention turns to Mitch McConnell after a confusing moment during a Senate Agriculture Committee vote. Video shows Sen. John Hoeven initially telling McConnell to vote “no,” apparently misunderstanding which question was being voted on, while McConnell maintained his “aye” vote; the farm bill ultimately advanced 12–11. Pags plays the clip and questions whether Washington applies the same standards to aging politicians on both sides of the aisle. Plus, a federal judge orders the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making significant physical changes to the building.
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Pags says Texans need to be paying very close attention to the Senate race, and he's sounding the alarm over James Talarico. New undercover video features a minister from Talarico's longtime church questioning whether his recent political makeover is genuine, and Pags digs into what voters are being told versus Talarico's record. Then Gavin Newsom casually floats the idea of running for president during a bizarre fishing video, and Pags gets into Rep. María Elvira Salazar breaking with President Trump on immigration despite receiving his endorsement. Then former ESPN anchor Sage Steele joins Pags for an incredible Part 1. They tackle Caitlin Clark, the WNBA and the question the league seemingly refuses to answer clearly: What determines whether someone is eligible to play in a women's league? Plus, Steele takes us behind the scenes of ESPN, why SportsCenter used to be must-see television, what changed and why she ultimately walked away.
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Pags dives into a major decision facing President Trump as the Iran war spreads further into Yemen. Trump says he's weighing whether to resume large-scale attacks on Iran, asking whether he wants to “go in and annihilate them,” while also saying he hopes the months-long war is nearing an end. Pags doesn't mince words about where he stands: If America is going to fight a war, he argues, the objective should be to win it. The phone lines light up as listeners weigh in on what Trump should do next. Then the amazing Sage Steele returns for Part 2. The former ESPN anchor and host ofThe Sage Steele Show gets into Caitlin Clark, the WNBA and the debate over eligibility in women's sports before taking Pags deeper inside what happened at ESPN. What changed at SportsCenter? Why did something that was once must-see TV lose its way? And what ultimately pushed Steele to leave? It's another fascinating conversation with plenty more to unpack.
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Pags starts with Vice President JD Vance's message that the administration needs to do a better job highlighting what it sees as its wins before turning to a move that hits Americans directly in the wallet: the Federal Reserve just raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years. The Fed unanimously increased its benchmark rate by a quarter point to 3.75%–4%, citing persistent inflation, and signaled that additional increases could follow. Pags breaks down the hike and what it could mean before opening up the phones. Then White House Drug Czar Sara Carter joins Pags with numbers and details from inside the administration's fight against drug trafficking. Carter takes Pags through what her office says is being accomplished, the operations targeting suspected drug-running vessels, and the broader effort against cartels and trafficking networks. U.S. forces have carried out dozens of strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels over the past year, although the campaign's legality and effectiveness remain disputed.
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Pags starts with the latest fight over the Kennedy Center after a federal judge again blocked President Trump's name from being added to the building, and Pags asks why this has become such a major argument in the first place. Then Thomas Massie's effort to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth gets pushed until after the midterms as the House leaves Washington early—and Pags wonders whether the whole thing has become more about publicity than actually removing Hegseth. Pags has also been asking where all the Republican midterm advertising is. Now there's an answer: Trump-aligned groups are preparing to pour more than $130 million into House and Senate races across the country. Then former Democratic fundraiser Lindy Li joins Pags for Part 1 of a revealing conversation about the Biden White House. Li gives her account of who she believes was really wielding influence inside the administration—and why she says it wasn't simply Joe Biden calling the shots.
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