Speaker
Susan Glasser
Appearances over time
1 episodes
Episodes
1
Podcasts
Quotes & moments
Qatar gifted Trump a $400 million plane; U.S. taxpayers paid additional hundreds of millions to fit it with presidential-grade communications and security gear.
Latest estimates put Russian casualties — deaths and serious injuries — at 1.4 million, making it the deadliest war in Russian history after WWI and WWII.
The Ukraine war has now surpassed the Napoleonic Wars in Russian casualties, with only WWI and WWII being deadlier for Russia in its entire history.
A Gallup poll found that only 53% of Americans can summon any notion of pride in being American on the occasion of the 250th anniversary, with the figure having plummeted since Trump first took the presidency.
The Supreme Court this week eliminated the last meaningful restrictions on unlimited, unaccountable cash flowing to parties and candidates, completing the dismantling of post-Watergate reforms.
Susan Glasser argued Trump and Teddy Roosevelt are near-polar opposites: Roosevelt constrained monopolists and built national parks; Trump enables oligarchs and dismantles government.
The Iran-U.S. ceasefire was labeled a 'landmark memorandum of understanding' but has not proven effective, with ongoing firing between the two sides and no meaningful progress in follow-on nuclear talks.
Susan Glasser argued Democrats failed to restore democratic guardrails even when they controlled the Senate and House at the start of Biden's presidency, suggesting rhetoric outpaced action.
Pete Hegseth got his job as Defense Secretary partly through his Fox News advocacy to shield service members accused of atrocities against civilians in Iraq from accountability.
Russia has suffered an estimated 1.4 million casualties in Ukraine — deaths and serious injuries combined. This surpasses the Napoleonic Wars and is Russia's deadliest conflict since WWII. Susan Glasser argues this level of human destruction carries inherent instability, but warns that hardline successors to Putin could be even worse.
Vice President JD Vance tried stand-up comedy in front of service members on July 4th weekend, delivering a whataboutism riff about Biden falling on stairs. It landed with near-silence. Tim Miller and Susan Glasser note the irony: Trump is visibly aging before our eyes, falling asleep on camera repeatedly, and Vance is making the comparison himself.
The entire post-Watergate anti-corruption architecture — contribution limits, disclosure requirements, restrictions on unaccountable cash — has been effectively gutted by the Supreme Court. Susan Glasser traces the arc from Spiro Agnew taking literal cash payoffs to today's billions flowing to Trump with no legal consequence.
Trump's financial disclosures revealed he earned at least $2.2 billion since returning to office — mostly from crypto and foreign investment deals. This dwarfs anything Hunter Biden or any prior president's family ever did, and it's happening in real time with zero accountability.
Qatar gifted Trump a $400 million plane — a hand-me-down the emirate no longer wanted — and U.S. taxpayers then paid hundreds of millions more to upgrade it for presidential use. Trump plans to keep it personally via his presidential library. Meanwhile, Qatar is a key player in the Iran conflict and Hamas negotiations that Trump is actively managing.
Trump visited the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library and spoke to an AI hologram of Roosevelt. The contrast was devastating: Roosevelt fought Gilded Age billionaires, created national parks, and championed immigrants. Trump enables oligarchs, guts environmental protections, and deports immigrants. Susan Glasser calls them near-polar opposites.
Trump refused to renew the USMCA — a trade deal he called the best ever — replacing it with yearly shakedowns of Canada and Mexico. Susan Glasser explains this isn't just chaos: it's Trump's monarchical view of economic governance, where all deals flow through him personally, and unpredictability is the point.
The Trump-Iran memorandum of understanding has been called a landmark ceasefire, but firing between the two sides has continued. Iran treats the Strait of Hormuz as a spigot to turn on and off for leverage, and no meaningful nuclear talks have begun. Susan Glasser is skeptical any long-term peace deal emerges.
A Gallup poll found only 53% of Americans can summon any sense of pride in being American as the country turns 250. Susan Glasser connects this to the inversion of the American dream under Trump — the Pottersville president — but argues giving in is not the answer.
Pete Hegseth secured the Defense Secretary job through his on-air advocacy to prevent service members accused of civilian atrocities in Iraq from being held accountable. Trump overruled his own military chain of command to accommodate Hegseth's position. This history, Susan Glasser argues, explains his approach to the school bombing in Iran.
Trump plans a major July 4th speech on the National Mall in 104-to-107-degree heat with no chairs and possibly no water allowed. Susan Glasser predicts low turnout and a pre-written crowd-size grievance Truth Social post to follow. Tim Miller notes the festivities have been so sparse that a man in an Uncle Sam costume got arrested mid-livestream.
JD Vance told Laura Ingraham his Catholic faith motivates him to protect the dignity of 'normal Americans' — while defending policies that have imprisoned thousands of immigrants in ICE facilities without process. Susan Glasser notes that the current Pope has become the most effective rebuttal to Vance's warped theology.
Analysis
What they talk about
- Government 46%
- Society & Culture 18%
- Business 9%
- History 9%
- News 9%
- Religion & Spirituality 9%
Connections
Shows they appear on and people they share episodes with. Drag to explore.
