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Latest Episodes:

Cogents Fact-Check the News Aug 07, 2026

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A first for the show: our AskRuth cogents, Ruth and Ada, join with voices for a live, on-air fact-check. The format is the point — Hailey and Michele bring the story instinct and the read on motive, and the cogents hold the line on what the corpus actually sources versus what's reasonable inference. We put it to work on the re-escalating Iran war (who's been pulled in, Brent crude at $88, and whether nuclear proliferation was ever the real trigger), Netanyahu's lobbying and the pardon dangling behind it, the Fauci hearing and 100-plus pleadings of the Fifth (plus the pardon-scope wrinkle everyone online got wrong), and the DOGE-cut monitoring behind the cyclospora lettuce outbreak.

The MAGA Flop Era Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Andrew Tate's welcome in Trumpworld expires the second he stops being useful — so now he's headed back to the UK on 40-plus charges while Epstein's list gathers dust and a survivor's CNN interview lands like a gut punch. From there: Flock cameras turned into a stalking tool for the officers who run them, the ICE agent killed in Maine and the military's PTSD problem it won't screen for, the Iran war's hidden casualties and a Pentagon crying broke, Gen Z's manosphere pipeline, and the Beltway's worst-kept secret about Mitch McConnell. Selective justice, start to finish.

Islamic Republic of Japan: Trump's NATO Meltdown, Vanishing Mitch McConnell, and FEMA's Red State Bias Jul 11, 2026

Show notes

Hailey and Michele dig into Trump's erratic NATO performance (calling Zelensky "Putin," threatening Greenland, cutting off Spain), NATO chief Mark Rutte's flattery act, and the reopened Iran conflict. They cover FEMA's lopsided disaster relief (89% approval for red states vs. 23% for blue), the ongoing mystery of Mitch McConnell's health and whereabouts, the E. Jean Carroll verdict payout, DOJ's new voter-data push under Harmeet Dhillon, and Trump's crypto windfall at his supporters' expense. They close with a preview of next episode's topic: trad-wife influencer culture and the Ballerina Farm phenomenon.

The No So Great: American State Fair, TPS Ruling, and Affordability Bill Snub Jun 27, 2026

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The Supreme Court strips judicial review from TPS holders in a case involving Haitian and Syrian immigrants — and the hosts unpack the racial double standard versus asylum policy for South Africans. Plus: Trump skips signing a bipartisan housing affordability bill, theories swirl about his health, JD Vance and Marco Rubio's 2028 ambitions get dissected, and a "Great American State Fair" tied to the Freedom 250 celebrations gets the side-eye it deserves. Check Out Our Platform

Cage Matches, Iran "Deals," and World Cup ICE Raids Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Hailey and Michele return from a break to break down Trump's UFC birthday spectacle on the White House lawn, the murky details (and Iranian-propaganda claims) around the reported Iran deal, and why right-wing influencer culture keeps minting new stars. They also dig into ICE detentions of World Cup players and referees, the wildly different vibes in Mexico vs. the U.S. host cities, the Knicks celebration that ended in a police call, and a behind-the-scenes look at AI model guardrails they're tracking on AskRuth.

Slush Fund Summer (It's Only May) May 22, 2026

Show notes

This week Hailey and Michele break down Trump's DOJ slush fund — the most blatant corruption in recent memory, and that's saying something. They get into Massie's primary loss, what it might mean for his political future, and whether Republicans will actually kill the fund or just put a bow on it. Also on the docket: the US poking Cuba while the press looks away, cyanide bombs making a comeback (yes, really), Gen Z's political disengagement, male loneliness as a structural problem rather than a feelings problem, Bulgaria beating Israel at Eurovision, and why swing voters want AI regulation but keep voting for the party that won't give it to them. Fasten your seatbelt.

Beijing Boys Trip & the Abortion Pill Apocalypse May 19, 2026

Show notes

Trump's first China visit since 2017 produced a lot of vibes and very few verifiable wins — Xi took him to the exclusive garden, the Boeing jets may or may not be real, and Taiwan's $11 billion arms deal is still just sitting there unsigned. From there: the Fifth Circuit ruled that mailing mifepristone violates the Comstock Act, the Supreme Court paused it, and Thomas and Alito dissented because of course they did. We get into why mifepristone being restricted is a women's health crisis far beyond abortion access, and why the people pushing disinformation about it sound plausible enough to be dangerous. Then a Florida judge justified a no-parole murder sentence using the phrase "sweat equity" in open court, which tells you everything you need to know about who the prison system thinks it's for. We close on the phonics crisis going viral, Gen Alpha projected to be the first generation to score lower than the last, and what it actually takes to use AI without becoming dependent on it.

He Said He's Not a Pedophile (Unprompted): Manifestos, Softballs, and a Ballroom He Really Wants Apr 29, 2026

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Hailey and Michele break down the attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents' Dinner — the manifesto, the conspiracy theories, and why the shooter is drawing Luigi Mangione comparisons. Then: Trump's 60 Minutes interview and why the reporter should have gone harder. Plus, Melania vs. Jimmy Kimmel, Trump's profiteering and Clark Construction ties, the Iran situation and our depleted arms stockpiles, soldiers eating "ambiguous slop," the National Science Board firings, ChatGPT refusing to criticize Israel, don't ask don't tell history, and USAID workers who still can't find jobs. A lot happened. It always does.

No Strategy, No Guardrails: Iran, RFK, and AI's Accountability Gap Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

The exhaustion is real. This week Hailey and Michele dig into the Iran war's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz — tankers seized, jet fuel prices spiking, allies absorbing billions in losses — and what it means that no one in this administration had an exit strategy. Then: the ongoing leadership exodus and Trump trying to hold the House by swapping out whoever's polling badly. RFK Jr. walks back his anti-vax legacy while measles makes a comeback. FIFA tourism is cratering. Tariff refunds are going to corporations, not people. And then there's the ChatGPT-assisted shooting at FSU — which opens a real conversation about AI guardrails, complicity, corporate liability, and why Claude refusing to work with an abusive user is actually the right call. We end on the anti-AI movement, who's really opting out, and why they won't be able to for long.

DoorDash Grandma, Trump Jesus, and JD Vance: 18%, 0 Wins, and a Trip to Budapest Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

This week, Hailey and Michelle are back to make sense of a week that truly did not make sense. Trump staged a DoorDash photo op with a grandmother who delivers food in retirement to pay for her husband's cancer treatment — and somehow thought asking her about trans athletes was the move. Then there's the AI Jesus post, JD Vance's 18% approval rating, and a Iran ceasefire trip so disorganized that Vance had to keep calling Trump mid-negotiation while Trump and Rubio watched UFC. We also get into Swalwell's resignation, Pam Bondi dodging a subpoena on a technicality, and what it actually looks like when people start quietly walking away from MAGA. As always, it's a lot — but we're here for it.

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