HOT TOPICS | This Is A Shutdown Teardown! - October 21st, 2025

Well, well, well, the big Epstein strategy meeting hosted by JD Vance? Canceled. Yep, the same meeting CNN reported was set for last night to help Team Trump figure out how to contain the Epstein fallout. Now they’re claiming it was “never going to happen.” Sure. Let's unpack the chaos, the walk-backs, and what this says about just how panicked Trump World really is behind the scenes. Then we shift gears to take on the state of the media: How did we get to this point, and why are so many major outlets suddenly so eager to bend the knee to Trump? Where’s the spine? Where’s the journalism? Joining us to break it all down is Perry Bacon Jr. of The New Republic. Don’t miss this one! This episode is sponsored by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Aug 20251h 35min

The internet is in full meltdown mode over the new American Eagle ad featuring Sydney Sweeney, but is all the outrage actually missing the point? Don breaks down the backlash, unpacks what’s really fueling it, and explains why letting distractions like this dominate the conversation only helps the people in power stay unaccountable. Let’s refocus. There’s more at stake than denim and headlines. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMONDROPS and use LEMONDROPS at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Aug 202512min

Tonight, the Trump-Epstein-Ghislaine triangle of sleaze gets even messier. Ghislaine Maxwell, yes, that Ghislaine, convicted of trafficking minors, has reportedly told the Justice Department she “never saw” Trump do anything concerning with Epstein. Oh great, nothing to worry about then! Just taking the word of a convicted sex trafficker. Totally normal. Meanwhile, Trump’s top aides are huddling behind closed doors tonight to figure out how to spin this disaster. What will the official narrative be? Deny, distract, or gaslight? Or most likely, all three. We’re joined by journalist Tara Palmeri to break down what’s real, what’s spin, and what this all means. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is brought to you by Lean. Doctors created a healthier way to lose weight by capturing the power of natural ingredients -- like CARALLUMA. Let's get you started with 20% off. Use code LEMON20 at https://TAKELEAN.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Aug 20251h 14min

Don sits down with the legendary Judge Glenda Hatchett for a powerful conversation about the growing lawlessness surrounding the Trump administration. From the explosive revelations about the Epstein files to the disturbing whispers of a potential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, nothing is off the table. They unpack the firehose of chaos coming out of Washington, where corruption is the norm, accountability is optional, and the rule of law seems to be hanging by a thread. Judge Hatchett brings her legal insight. Don brings the receipts. Together, they break down the mess and what it means for the future of justice in America. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Aug 202533min

The White House is scrambling, and we mean full-blown, emergency-meeting, panic-mode scrambling. Word is they’re holding a closed-door strategy session later today to figure out how to handle the growing Epstein scandal, which is quickly becoming a political nightmare. When your frontrunner’s name is all over the files... yeah, you might want to workshop a better plan than “distract and deny.” We’ve got the latest on what’s going down behind the scenes. Plus: updates from Texas, where the redistricting battle is heating up and Republicans are pushing even harder to rig the map in their favor. Democrats are fighting back, but will it be enough? It’s chaos, coverups, and cartography. Let’s get into it. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is brought to you by Lean. Doctors created a healthier way to lose weight by capturing the power of natural ingredients -- like CARALLUMA. Let's get you started with 20% off. Use code LEMON20 at https://TAKELEAN.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Aug 20251h 9min

Is Howard Stern next on the media chopping block? Don sits down with Senior Investigations & Exclusives Reporter for The Sun, Jessica Finn, to explore the rumors that SiriusXM may be preparing to cancel The Howard Stern Show as his contract nears its end. In this conversation, they dive into what’s really going on behind the scenes, why Stern’s potential cancellation matters, and whether we’re seeing a larger pattern of media companies silencing or sidelining left-leaning voices. Is this about ratings, or is there something more political at play? Let’s break it down. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMONDROPS and use LEMONDROPS at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Aug 202520min

Texas Democrats packed their bags and peaced out to block a GOP-led redistricting vote, and honestly, who can blame them? The proposed map is a textbook case of gerrymandering, designed to rig future elections. But this isn't just about Texas. Other states are now eyeing similar moves, raising the question: where does this end? And more importantly, what can (and should) Democrats be doing to stop this anti-democracy circus? Plus, we’ve now gotten a peek inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan lair, and yes, it’s just as creepy and grotesque as you'd imagine. We’ll break down the latest developments in the Epstein-Trump-Ghislaine triangle of filth, including what new files are revealing and what Trump’s very defensive behavior might be trying to cover up. It’s redistricting, resistance, and rich creeps being exposed, let’s go. This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is sponsored by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Aug 20251h 5min

Texas Democrats have left the building...literally. In a bold move to block the GOP’s latest power grab (aka redistricting), they fled the state. Now, Republicans are throwing a full-blown tantrum and have voted to arrest them for daring to stand in the way. Are Democrats finally growing a spine? It’s looking that way. We’re joined by Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones to break down what’s really going on, what’s at stake, and why this showdown matters far beyond Texas. Oh, and if that’s not dystopian enough for you, Trump and Pam Bondi are now trying to indict Barack Obama. Yes, the former president. WTF?! We’ll break it all down. The authoritarian nonsense is piling up fast, and someone has to call it out. Let’s go. This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is sponsored by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Aug 20251h 32min