Frangela: The Final Word

Latest Episodes:

$47.1 Billion, More Methane, and a Grand Jury That Said “Nope” Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

$47.1 billion. That’s what Trump’s war with Iran has cost so far, and the end date is “whenever I want it to. . .” be. Great news! We’ll just mark it on the calendar next to “when we get a plan.” Trump and Netanyahu started this mess, and neither has bothered to de-escalate it. Meanwhile, we’re the ones getting the bill.

The EPA wants to weaken a Biden-era rule on methane emissions, because what we DEFINITELY need is more methane in our atmosphere. The planet isn’t hot enough, apparently.

We mourn the passing of Dolores Huerta and celebrate her life and work. She did more for working people in one lifetime than most of Washington will do in ten. ¡Sí se puede!

A federal appeals court told the Trump administration it can’t force California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots from voters it claims are noncitizens. Claims with no proof are called “making stuff up.” A federal grand jury also refused the Justice Department’s attempt to indict Cassidy Hutchinson over her Jan. 6 testimony. Even a grand jury, a group famously willing to indict a ham sandwich, looked at this one and said no.

And Democrats are in “striking distance” in Maine, Texas, Kansas and Michigan, which sketches out a path to a Senate majority. Don’t get comfortable. Get registered, get your friends registered, and get to the polls. We have work to do, and we’re doing it right here on The Final Word.

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Cops Called on a 3-Year-Old, Nicki Minaj for Press Secretary, and a Secret Spy Ruling Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

Something ain’t right, and this week we’re not even sure where to start. Some grown adults looked at a 3-year-old soccer player and thought, “You know who needs to handle this? The police.” Other parents complained, cops got called on a toddler and his parents, and we have questions. Then the prediction markets have Nicki Minaj surging to become Trump’s next Press Secretary. We’ve seen weirder things this year, but we’re having a hard time remembering what. Amy Acton took on Trump over her childhood trauma and schooled him. And apparently the US government is sitting on a secret court ruling about how it spies on Americans. A secret ruling about spying on us. We’d call that suspicious, but that’s literally the point. Grab a snack and keep your phone away from us. Something ain’t right.

Heat Rays, Farmer Bailouts, and Vivek’s Lowest Blow Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

This week, the Justice Department charged 28 legal permanent residents in California with voting-related crimes and arrested 11. We’d love to tell you how DOJ found these voters and what evidence it has, but DOJ didn’t tell us either. Maybe the evidence is in the same place as Trump’s plan for the Iran war.

Speaking of the Iran war, Trump just announced an $8 billion Agriculture Department bailout for farmers crushed by fuel prices that his own war with Iran caused. So the USDA is bailing out farmers for voting against themselves... again. We’re not saying a farmer can’t change their mind, but at some point the receipt for a bad decision should come with a return policy.

The Pentagon also gave DHS permission to test a heat ray weapon for potential use at the “border.” Quotation marks ours, because we know exactly who it’ll be pointed at, and it isn’t a threat.

Then there’s Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother calling her daughter a liar and telling voters not to vote for her. Amy Acton was raped by her stepfather, and she and her brother were removed from her mother’s care as children. This is the most disgusting, despicable, and reprehensible ad we have ever seen. And what did Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose say about it? He “probably wouldn’t run an ad like that.” Probably! A few other Republicans offered the same whisper of criticism. We have more to say, and we’re going to say it.

Pick a Country, Any Country (Spoiler: It’s South Africa) Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

We’re playing a game: guess which country nearly every single refugee Trump has let in this year came from. You already know it’s South Africa, because we told you in the title. Meanwhile, the “most vulnerable people on Earth” are apparently all white and from one place. Something ain’t right.

Then Iran is threatening to cut the Hormuz internet cables. That’s the same Iran conflict Trump and Netanyahu started and have shown zero interest in de-escalating. Those cables could shake global systems and financial markets, and we’re sure those same two geniuses have a plan. (We checked. They don’t.)

England’s central bank is now warning about AI-powered cyberattacks, which is the most polite way a bank has ever said “we’re all doomed.”

And France’s protests spiraled after the police “lost control.” We get into how that happens and why the people holding the batons are always so surprised.

Grab a snack and a stiff drink. We’re going to need both.

A Ceasefire, a Court Order & a 14-Minute Briefing Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

Twelve senators, including six Republicans, are begging Trump to rescind the diesel deal with Putin, calling it a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies. When Republicans are calling it a betrayal, we have to ask what Trump is even doing at this point. Trump declared an “energy ceasefire,” and Russia attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure hours later. We’re so surprised that we’re not at all surprised.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately stop airing taxpayer-funded pro-Trump TV ads. Ad-tracking data shows two of the ads kept running after the order took effect. Our money is paying for the propaganda, and a federal court order is apparently just a vibe.

The White House forced Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as US ambassador to Greece over concerns that she might have been selling access to the Trump family. Selling access to the Trump family? That’s the one business the Trump family doesn’t want competition in. Greece invented democracy, and we sent over pay-to-play. We’re just glad the Parthenon survived the visit.

And Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, ended her first briefing after about 14 minutes and took exactly three questions, from Breitbart, Fox News, and the Daily Mail. That’s not a briefing, that’s a playdate with friends. We’ve had longer bathroom breaks.

We’re breaking it all down, and we’re getting the final word.

https://www.nokings.org/

Evicted, Lied To, Underpaid, and Pinged: Something Ain’t Right Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Atlanta leads the nation in eviction filings in 2026, and nearly 70% of them hit Black households. So, the city that gave us the soundtrack of our lives is also giving us the most eviction notices. We’re not okay, and we’re not going to pretend we are.

We meet Katie Zaharia, our new White House Press Secretary. Sorry, Secretary of Propaganda. And y’all, she is READY. She doesn’t need a briefing room, she needs a ring light and a loyalty oath.

We also learned that even AI-generated women make less than their male counterparts. A woman who doesn’t exist, with no body, no bills, and no lunch break, still got the pay gap. The patriarchy found a way to discriminate against a made-up person. That’s dedication.

And the Feds apparently got warrants to use fake cell towers to hunt down Don Lemon’s 21-year-old producer. A fake tower. For a 21-year-old. Somebody explain how that’s a good use of our tax dollars, because something ain’t right.

Ninety Bucks and a Prayer: Gold Mansions for Them, Part B Pocket Change for You Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans say there’s “widespread” corruption in the U.S. government, and y’all, that number sounds low to us.

This week, Trump handed out $6 million in contracts to arms makers that his sons have invested in. Kimberly Guilfoyle, Don Jr.’s former fiancée, pushed a donor to wire $100,000 to her Amex account. A former CIA official pleaded guilty to wire fraud after diverting about $194 million in government funds to buy mansions and gold. Gold! Again, it's only nearly 9 out of 10 Americans that see widespread corruption?

86% of Americans disapprove of using taxpayer money for Trump’s $20 million campaign-style TV ads, and he’s doing it anyway. Meanwhile, Trump announced he’s sending $90 to 20.8 million Medicare beneficiaries to help offset their Part B premiums. That’s right, ninety dollars. Don’t spend it all in one place, grandma.

Then Trump seemingly suggested we let Iran “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego if it develops a nuclear weapon. If the Black guy did it???????

He also announced a new “Super Intelligence Force,” which I’m sure is staffed by the same people who brought us the rest of this week. And Trump is feeling pretty sore that Republicans don’t want to campaign with him. Sir, they’ve seen the polls. We're laughing so we don’t cry. Join us.

Nothing About This Is Humane Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Something ain't right, and this week it's everything. We start with Cornell, where we finally learned how the school "punished" each of the seven men accused of sexual assault. Those air quotes are doing a lot of work. Spoiler: the punishments don't match the accusations, and we're not letting the institution off the hook.

Then we zoom out to the Middle East. Are we watching the death of the old order and the rise of a dangerous new world replacing it? We take a hard look at who lit the match, who keeps feeding the fire, and who's doing nothing to put it out.

Next is the horrific attempted execution of Christa Pike, and we have to talk about the absurdity of "humane" execution. You can't make killing someone gentle, and the state keeps trying anyway. If a procedure has to be called humane to make anyone comfortable with it, we should be asking why.

And apparently people are asking ChatGPT how to vote in the midterms. Please, y'all, you have a brain, a ballot, and a library card. Use all three.

It's a lot, we know. Press play anyway.

Jack Smith Had Receipts, Eric Schmitt Had Fan Fiction Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Former special counsel Jack Smith sat down in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and said he stands behind his decision to charge Trump, because his team's investigation "developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation." Pretty hard to top that. Then Republican Senator Eric Schmitt tried anyway, and we got the greatest Republican self-own of all time. He accused Smith of perjury over text messages about a basketball game in Atlanta that Smith supposedly secretly flew to. Except Smith was never at that game. He was at a women's basketball game in a different state, with US Marshals standing next to him. You can't make this up, and apparently Eric Schmitt couldn't check it.

In other news, consumer expectations dropped, and for the first time in four years, more people described their finances as bad than good. Trump and the heads of the biggest AI companies signed a "morally binding" set of voluntary safety standards so they can "self-police" their own AI models. Yes, the fox is now the security guard at the henhouse, and he promised to be good. The US military formally pulled out of Iraq and ended its 12-year anti-ISIS operation. And the Supreme Court temporarily let Trump resume deporting migrants to "third countries" where they have no connections, so people can be sent to places they've never been, to live among people they've never met, because this administration said so.

I'm laughing so I don't scream. Listen to The Final Word.

The Final Battle, Paid for by You Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Something ain't right, and this week we've got a whole list. A federal judge, U.S. District Judge William Young, is side-eyeing the Trump administration's policy that forces HIV providers to disregard their transgender patients. Judge, thank you for asking the question. We've been asking it since the policy dropped: how does ignoring a group of patients help anybody's health?

Then there's the woman who sat in an emergency room for hours, never got treated, and left. The ER still sent her a bill. Let's be clear: you don't get to charge for a service you didn't provide. If we ordered a steak, waited all night, and walked out hungry, that restaurant wouldn't dare hand us a check. But healthcare in this country? Sure, why not.

Next, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten is reopening the case of an alleged gang rape at Cornell University, but only after news of a civil lawsuit sparked outrage. So it took public fury to get a second look? We're glad it's happening, but we have questions about why it took this long and what it took to get here.

And to top it off, the White House released a new taxpayer-funded ad talking about the "final battle." Our tax dollars. Our money. Paying for that. Something is very, very wrong, and we're not letting it slide.

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