Introducing: Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

Following an unproductive day of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to discuss a potential deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Favreau, Lovett, and Tommy discuss the meetings, the MAGA press corp's bizarre questions for Zelensky, and Trump's latest Putin-inspired fixation—eliminating mail in ballots. Then, they react to Republican governors sending armed troops to DC, ICE saying the quiet part out loud, and Governor Newsom's new social media strategy. To close the show, Bridget Brink, the former United States Ambassador to Ukraine, joins Tommy to talk about Ukraine's reaction to Trump's unusual approach to peace talks.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

19 Aug 1h 27min

In response to Trump and Texas Republicans' attempt to rig the 2026 midterm elections, Governor Gavin Newsom calls a special election to redraw California's congressional map. The governor stops by the show to talk to Dan about why California Democrats decided to strike first—and what it will take for the ballot proposal to become law. But first, Jon and Dan discuss Trump's authoritarian power grab in the nation's capital, the January 6th attendee he appointed to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the President's negotiations in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

15 Aug 1h 24min

Flanked by half his cabinet and citing crimes against a DOGE staffer, Donald Trump announces that he’s deploying 800 National Guard troops to Washington and federalizing the city’s police department. Jon and Lovett react to Trump's desperate show of force, then break down his new plan to negotiate a Russia-Ukraine peace deal and JD Vance’s latest attempt to spin the Epstein files crisis as “full transparency.” Then, Lovett talks to The New Yorker’s David Kirkpatrick about his big new investigation into how much the Trump family is profiting off of the presidency. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 Aug 1h 34min

Pete Buttigieg—former South Bend mayor, 2020 presidential candidate, and Transportation Secretary—sits down with Jon Favreau to discuss how much of the status quo Democrats should aim to restore (if any) if they win in 2026, what the party needs to change to effectively message around Trump’s broken promises, and what Pete thinks of JD Vance’s rapid ascent to power—and the values he’s abandoned along the way. Then, Lovett joins Jon to answer listener questions about building a Democratic Project 2029, our nation’s new gerrymandering war, and whether Barack Obama is right about ketchup’s place on a burger.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 Aug 1h 15min

Reeling from the Epstein crisis, Donald Trump turns even more erratic and destructive—launching a grand jury investigation into the make-believe crimes of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, threatening to seize control of the D.C. police, and sharing some eugenicist theories about who's suited for what kind of work. Jon and Dan share how they're feeling eight months into Trump 2.0, check in on MAGA's efforts to rig the congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms, and react to DHS reinstating its infamous family separation policy. Dan talks with epidemiologist Michael Osterholm about RFK Jr.'s decision to halt federal research into mRNA vaccines—and then confronts Jon about his ill-advised Twitter fight with Megyn Kelly.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

8 Aug 1h 25min

Texas Democrats, in an attempt to block Trump's redistricting effort, shut down a special legislative session by fleeing the state. Texas State Rep. James Talarico joins the show to explain what happens now and why he and his Democratic colleagues believe that getting out of town is the best way to serve their constituents in this moment. Then, Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss Trump's decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ghislaine Maxwell's transfer to a cushy minimum-security prison, new reporting about who's sending all those annoying fundraising texts, and, of course, Trump's comments on the most important story of the moment: Sydney Sweeney's jeans.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

5 Aug 1h 8min

It's Liberation Day…again. After two missed deadlines and only a few trade deals done, Trump's global tariffs officially go into effect today. To mark the occasion, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro says the president not only deserves a Nobel Peace Prize—but also a Nobel Prize in economics. Meanwhile, Trump can't stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters on Air Force One that Virginia Giuffre was "stolen" by Jeffrey Epstein from the Mar-a-Largo spa. Trump pressures Senate Republicans to kill a ban on congressional (and presidential) stock trading. Jon and Dan discuss the latest, including Democrats' shifting views on Gaza, Kamala Harris's decision not to run for California governor, and Texas Republicans' attempts to steal the 2026 midterm elections by redrawing their congressional map. Then, Congressman Jason Crow joins Tommy in the studio to talk about recruiting Democrats to run for office, and why he's suing ICE after being denied entry to a detention facility in his district. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 Aug 1h 39min

Donald Trump splits with Benjamin Netanyahu and acknowledges that Gaza is experiencing "real starvation"—but will he pressure Israel to end the war and allow more aid in? Lovett, Favreau, and Tommy react to the latest developments in Gaza, Trump's shifting and typically incoherent comments on the situation, and why it's time for Democrats to change their approach to Israel. Then, they dive into Trump's new story about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and check in on that "free" plane he received from the Qatari government. Later, Tommy sits down with Israeli journalist Amir Tibon to discuss how the aid shortages in Gaza got so bad, and how Israel's far right influences Netanyahu.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at crookedcon.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

29 Jul 1h 42min